8 Days Uganda Mountain Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tour – Overview

The 8 Days Uganda mountain Gorilla safari takes you through the chimpanzee safari destination of Kibale, Mount Ruwenzori hiking encounter, wild game viewing and Kazinga Channel recreational boat encounter in Queen Elizabeth National Park, gorilla trekking encounter in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi with its 29 islands, scenic views of Kigezi highlands named the Switzerland of Africa, the night game encounters in Lake Mburo National Park. The 8 Days Uganda Mountain Gorilla Safari incorporates primates with other wild game, scenery and recreational water encounter thus it is an amazing experience worth undertaking.

8 Days Uganda Mountain Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tour – Overview

• Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park
• Day 2: Do Chimpanzee trekking & Bigodi wetland encounter
• Day 3: Do Rwenzori Hiking & transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Day 4: Do game drive & Kazinga Channel Launch cruise
• Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Day 6: Do gorilla trekking & transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
• Day 7: Do a morning boat ride & transfer to Lake Mburo National Park & do a night game drive
• Day 8: Do a morning game walk & transfer to Kampala.

8 Days Uganda Mountain Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tour – Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park

Depart from Kampala after your breakfast at your place of stay for Kibale National Park 358km about 7 hours’ drive. You will drive through the country side landscapes with unique features like Mubende inselbergs, valleys and forested landscapes of Kyegegwa and Kyenjonjo. Continue to Fort portal to visit the Amabere caves and doing the Crater Lake hike where by you will summit Kyeganywa hill to gain impressive views of the neighboring circle of crater lakes and hollows with the snow caped Ruwenzori at a distance. Retire for overnight.

Accommodation: Primate Lodge (Upmarket/luxury), Chimpanzee Guesthouse (Midrange/standard) or Rwenzori View Guesthouse (Budget/Basic)

Day 2: Do Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Wetland Encounter

After breakfast, gather at Kanyanchu tourism center for briefing at 08:00am from the park rangers about the Chimp trekking conduct. Set off to this forest of Kibale after the short briefing in quest of Chimpanzees. The 2 – 5 hour trek will expose you amazing tree species and wildlife including other 12 species of primates like Colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, Red tailed monkeys and olive baboons. The sights of Birds cannot be avoided while their songs will offer you natural entertainment through the jungle. You will marvel at the Chimpanzees as the roll themselves on tree branches, munch fruits and make their pant – hooting calls. After utilizing your one hour, you will return to the starting point for relaxation and preparing for another activity. In the afternoon, you will visit the Bigodi wetland to encounter the swamp animals like Sitatunga and birds like Ruwenzori Turaco and an encounter with local people including the traditional healer.

Accommodation: You will have dinner and overnight at your previous lodge.

Day 3: Do Rwenzori Hiking & Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Transfer very early after breakfast to Kasese 135km about 3 hours’ drive to undertake an active activity of Mount Rwenzori hiking. The hiking encounter exposes you to raised landscapes of Mount Rwenzori offering impressive scenic views of the ridges and glaciers and the rift valley flats below. The activity is a whole day experience and upon return, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park 72km about 2 hours’ drive for relaxation and overnight.

Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Enganzi Lodge (Midrange/Standard) or Pumba Safari Cottages (Budget/Basic).

Day 4: Do Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Launch Cruise

Depart at 06:00am to encounter the rewarding Queen Elizabeth National Park game drive through the Kasenyi tracks. This early departure gives you possibilities of seeing the early risers and the night hunters retreating to their hiding places including the rare leopard, side stripped jackal, hyena, and owls among others. The morning game drive will also give you a possibility to see herds of elephants, buffaloes, pride of lions, warthogs and a range of antelopes. You will retire from the 3 – 4 hours game drive and embark to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, embark on the transfer to Mweya for Kazinga channel launch cruise that starts at 3pm lasting for two hours. You have opportunities of spotting hippos, Nile crocodiles, birds on the water shore and counts of wildlife like elephants and buffaloes drinking on the channel side. Retire for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: You will have dinner and overnight at your previous lodge

Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the south (Rushaga) 309km. You will drive through Ishasha in search of tree climbing lions, have lunch en route and arrive in Bwindi in the evening for relaxation and overnight.

Accommodation: Chameleon Hill Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Gorilla Valley Lodge (Midrange/Standard) or Wagtail Eco-Safari Camp (Budget/Basic).

Day 6: Do Gorilla Trekking & Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Wake up for an early cup of coffee, before gathering at Park Headquarters at Rushaga for briefing about the gorilla trekking activity at 08:00am always conducted by park rangers. This gives highlights about the dos and don’ts while trekking gorillas. After briefing, you will traverse the jungle in search of the splendid mountain gorillas in the company of the park ranger guide which stretches between 2 – 8 hours. You will walk through the luxuriant vegetation, climb raised gradients, ascend down the valleys before you encounter the great mountain gorillas as they munch their food and get astonished by the young gorillas playing and demonstrating their tactics which will prompt you to use up your camera space unknowingly. Your one hour with gorillas is done and return to the starting point after which you will embark on the transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation and overnight.

Accommodation: Bird nest @Lake Bunyonyi Resort (Upmarket/Luxury), Bunyonyi Eco- Resort (Midrange/Standard) or Byoona Amagara Island Retreat (Budget/Basic).

Day 7: Do a Morning Boat Ride & Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park & Do a Night Game Drive

After breakfast, undertake a morning boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi not exceeding 2 hours exploring few of its islands amidst the mist covered Kigezi highlands. After the activity embark on the transfer back to Lake Mburo National Park 199km. You will have a lunch stop at Igongo cultural center 12km past Mbarara after which you will continue to Lake Mburo National Park 33km from Igongo. Check in at your lodge and relax so as to prepare for a night game drive in the park commencing at 7pm. The night game drives do not only offer you chances of spotting day grazers like Impalas, buffaloes and Zebras as they rest but also nocturnal species as they set out to hunt like leopards, jenet cat, hare, white-tailed mongoose, bush pig, hyena, serval cat, civet, porcupine and aardvark.

Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Arcadia Cottages (Midrange/Standard) or Eagles Nest (Budget/Basic).

Day 8: Do a Morning Game Walk & Transfer to Kampala.

After breakfast, have a morning game walk, exploring wild game on foot at the same time enjoying the acacia scenic landscape of Lake Mburo. The Savannah vegetation marked by rolling grassland and thicket with acacia wood land dotted with rolling hills with protruding Precambrian rocks not forgetting series of Lake that mark the valley floors combine to make the nature walk encounter at certain look out points like Kazuma hill memorable while on Lake Mburo National Park. After this activity, embark on the transfer to Kampala 240km about 3 – 4 hours’ drive. You can make a stop at the equator crossing – Kayabwe for amazing water experiments to justify the geographical divide between the south and northern hemispheres and amazing photo shoots. Drive for the remaining 77km to arrive in Kampala in the evening.

End of The 8 Days Uganda Mountain Gorilla Safari Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tour

Safari Inclusions

• Gorilla Permit (for gorilla trekking safaris)
• Chimpanzee Permit (for chimpanzee trekking safaris)
• Full Board Accommodation on Safari
• Transportation in either 4X4 Safari Van or 4X4 Safari Land Cruiser all with Pop up roof & AC
• Fuel
• Professional English Speaking driver guide. Any other foreign language speaking guide can be arranged on request.
• Entrance fees to the tourist sites including Protected areas mentioned
• Activity fees of the tourist activities mentioned
• Bottled water while on safari
• Border crossing fees (for cross border safaris)

Safari Exclusions

• General tips for the driver guide, site guides and service staff at the lodges
• Laundry Services
• Other Beverages / drinks of personal nature like Alcohol
• International Flights (Arranged on request)
• Domestic Flights (Arranged on request)
• Visas
• Optional Activity fees
• Other extras not mentioned in the Itinerary
• Airport Transfer (Arranged on request)
• Accommodation in Kampala or Kigali unless it is part of the Itinerary (Arranged on request)