8-Day Mountain Gorilla and Wildlife Safari
This 8 days Uganda Adventure Safari starts and ends in Entebbe International Airport. Meet eye to eye with the amazing gorillas and chimpanzees of Uganda in their natural habitat, one of Africa’s major highlights. This close encounter with these amazing apes is simply breathtaking. Also get a close encounter with other diverse African wildlife, beautiful landscapes, and amazing culture and if you are a keen Birder, this is the place to be.
Itinerary
Day 1:Arrival at Entebbe international Airport
Meet and greet at Entebbe International Airport where your Uganda Adventure Safari starts by our representative who will warmly welcome you and facilitate seamless arrival formalities. Your will then be transferred to your hotel where you will be briefed about your adventure safari.
Accommodation: Boma Guest House or Similar
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast
Day 2: Lake Albert – Kibale Forest National park
After your morning breakfast, begin your journey to Kibale Forest National Park. Drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside passing through traditional homesteads, farms and Tea Estates. You will arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon. Check in at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Turracco Tree Tops or Similar
Meal Plan: Full board
Day 3: Chimp Trek in Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast at your lodge, transfer to the starting point of your Chimpanzee tracking experience in Kibale Forest National Park which is reputed to have the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, man’s closest relative. Kibale’s 1450 Chimpanzee represent Uganda’s largest population of this endangered primate. Kibale is also a home to the rare I’Hoest’s monkey. Other primates include the black and white Colobus, Blue monkey, Grey cheeked mangabey, Red tailed monkey, Olive baboon to mention but a few. So you will enjoy a guided nature walk in the tropical rainforest in search of the wild chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many others. Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, visitors stand a good chance of hearing and seeing our distant cousins as they gloom and bond with one another.
After lunch, head to Bigodi for an optional afternoon swamp walk at an extra fee of $45 per person. Bigodi was established by a local development organization to protect the 4sq-km Magombe Swamp that’s home to around 200 species of birds (highlights include papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler and great blue turaco). The highlight of this tour is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco. The swamp is also good for spotting butterflies and primates, with 8 different species here, including grey-cheeked mangabey. The 2-3 hour guided walk is led by experienced local guides who interact with the guests and make the trip both enjoyable and exciting.
Accommodation: Turracco Tree Tops or Similar
Meal Plan: Full board
Day4: Kibale Forest National park – Queen Elizabeth National park
After breakfast at your lodge before you proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain Range. Your expert driver guide will take you through the game park where you might spot some animals. Upon arriving at your lodge, you will enjoy lunch and later go for an eveniong Game drive in the Park.
Accommodation: Buffolo Safari Lodge or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day5: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Game Drives
Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse eco-system of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Have an early morning game drive where you have an opportunity to view the massive Rwenzori as backdrop, which provides excellent opportunities to spot lion, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephant, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, topi and bushbuck. The game drives and the boat trip are memorable methods of discovering a vast array of Ugandan wildlife. Be sure to have your camera ready for these amazing sightings!
Later in the afternoon take a unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and this launch/cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous, with well over 550 resident species.
Accommodation: Buffolo Safari Lodge or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day6: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi impenetrable National park
After your early morning breakfast, pack-up your bags and drive through Ishasha plains for your final visit with the tree climbing lions and other wildlife before heading out of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Bwindi. The drive takes you through the Switzerland of Africa area known as the Kigezi Highlands with its terraced hillside and winding roads to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, arriving in the Afternoon-Have a Boat Trip on Lake Mutanda. Check into the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.
Accommodation: Mutanda Lake Resort Or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi forest
After an early breakfast depart to the starting point for briefing about your gorilla trekking adventure after which you will be led by experienced gorilla trackers on the slopes of the volcanoes. You will start from the site where the gorillas were encountered the day before and from here the gorilla tracking begins. Although the hike can be physically demanding, the anticipation of the exciting experience ahead is amazing, and the beauty of the gorilla forest and its inhabitants are fascinating. One of Africa’s major highlights is when you encounter these gentle apes. It is a humbling experience to stand just meters from man’s distant cousins as they eat rest, play and bond with their young ones. Follow the mountain gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest, and discover their gorgeous natural habitual and the many species they share it with. You are allowed an hour with the gorillas before finally sloping down back to your lodge. If your trek was relatively short, you may have a guided nature walk around the lodge and the surrounding communities in the evening. Return to the lodge where you will enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers before getting a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s safari adventure.
You may opt for Gorilla Habituation on supplement of $900 per person – here you will be sure of meeting and spending enough time with the Gorillas.
Don’t forget to carry your rain gear, packed lunch, plenty of water, gloves, hat, and water proof bag for protection of your camera in case of rain
Accommodation: Mutanda Lake Resort or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe-Departure Flight
After breakfast and drive to Entebbe with a stopover at the Equator for water experience, here you will too have an opportunity to stand in 2 hemispheres at the same time. Take some photos, then another stop over at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers where you will be able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using methods passed down through the generations arriving in the afternoon.
