Tour Overview
The 4 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Wildlife Safari is a blend of wildlife and gorilla experience. It features the most popular Uganda Safari destination of Queen Elizabeth National Park with its counts of wild game including the lions both land dwelling and tree climbing, African elephants, the Cape Buffaloes, the Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, spotted hyena, leopards, side stripped jackals, the aquatics of Kazinga Channel where one of the world’s biggest concentration of Hippos occur and the Nile Crocodile which is the second largest reptile on the world scale.
The Safari also features Mountain gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park a habitat with a minimum of 400 mountain gorillas which is close to a half of the 880 numbers that are known to thrive in the world. The gorilla destination of Bwindi is also a rich habitat for Afro montane flora, counts of birds including the African broadbill which is found in Ruhija and Congo, the forest animals like duikers and forest elephants.
The magical hills offer impressive scenery and sightseeing experience. The recreation encounter on Lake Bunyonyi known as the Lake of a thousand Islands because of its 29 Islands presents moments of rejuvenation following a day long gorilla trekking experience.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and do a boat cruise in the afternoon
The Uganda gorilla trek and Wildlife safari starts early in the morning at 6:30am from your place of stay in Kampala after breakfast with the safari guide picking you up to head to Queen Elizabeth National Park 417km about 7 hours’ drive in the south west of Uganda. Drive from Kampala towards the west and have a stop at the Equator for handicrafts and amazing photos plus demonstrations that justify the geographical separation between the north and the southern hemisphere.
After this continue with your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park fronted by the magnificent Rwenzori Mountain range for much of your journey. Once in Queen Elizabeth National Park a game drive in the park is highly rewarding for you will view a range of wild animals including Leopards, the gigantic Elephants, Hogs, Lions, Buffaloes, Duikers, Hyenas, and many antelope species. Connect to your lodge for check in and lunch after which you will connect to the Mweya jetty for an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga channel departing at 4pm. You will have an evening 2-hour boat cruise running along the Kazinga channel that stretches from Lake George to Lake Edward covering 45km distance.
This cruise offers you an opportunity to see at close range the highest concentration of water submerged Hippos, surrounded by over 550 species of migrant and resident birds plus crocodiles drinking and resting at water edges. The cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. You retreat from the boat cruise and do an evening game drive along the Channel track to explore wild game in their evening moments. Continue to the lodge for overnight.
Accommodation
Luxury /Up market: Mweya Safari Lodge – Standard rooms / Katara Lodge
Midrange / Standard: Enganzi Game Lodge / Marafiki Safari Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Day 2: Do a morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The day starts with breakfast, then embark on an early morning game drive along Kasenyi track and Queen’s mile in the park. You will expect to see cape Buffaloes, Elephants Topi, Kobs, Warthogs, Waterbucks, Hyena, Leopards, as well as the lions and lots of Birds. After the game drive, embark on the trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha.
Along the road via Ishasha you will have chances of spotting tree climbing lions are found in this section in the whole of Uganda and Ishasha’s short trees offer rewarding close looks other than that of Lake Manyara in Tanzania where the tree climbing lions are also found on a world scale. Ishasha also supports Buffaloes, Elephants, Waterbucks and Kobs which can be viewed en route to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight
Accommodation
Luxury /Upmarket: Chameleon Hill Lodge
Midrange / Budget: Gorilla Mist Camp
Day 3: Do Mountain Gorilla trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for an evening boat cruise
After an early morning breakfast you will be briefed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guide at 8am and after start your gorilla trekking journey in Uganda, you will enter into the amazing rainforest (gorilla sanctuary) as it offers an exciting, heavily forested and dense landscape interacted by plenty of animal trails that provide access for tourists tracking these resident animals. Mammals here include majorly the endangered mountain gorillas, elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, black-fronted Duikers, bushbucks, leopards to mention but a few.
The charming mountain gorillas form the highlight of the park, the time and terrain/track taken while looking for these beautiful primates varies according to their movements. Once tracked, observing, spending time with and photographing these gentle, peaceful and shy gorillas in Uganda is a unique, breathtaking, inspiring, and thrilling life time memorable adventure that leaves you desiring to have it again but takes one hour. As one of our clients lamented, ‘‘I will forever want to track and keep with these lovely animals and if acceptable, I would stay with them every day!!”.
After your one hour with the gorillas, return from the 2 – 8 hour trek to the starting point and transfer to the starting point to embark on the transfer to Lake Bunyonyi driving through fascinating Kigezi Highlands which locals apply terracing method to cultivate their slopes deriving impressive scenic landscape. You arrive at Lake Bunyonyi in the afternoon and embark on the boat cruise to explore the second deepest Lake in Africa with a count of 29 Islands. Retire for relaxation, dinner and overnight
Accommodation
Upmarket / Luxury: Birdnest @Bunyonyi Resort
Midrange / Budget: Lake Bunyonyi Eco – resort
Day 4: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi back to Kampala
After your breakfast embark on the transfer to Kampala via Mbarara and settle at Igongo Cultural Center for lunch (Traditional dishes) but also you will have an option to visit the cultural museum here and embark on your drive to Kampala. You can make an en route at the Equator for more photos and passing through the gift shops to secure yourself a memorabilia as commemoration of your gorilla and wildlife safari in Uganda.
- 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)
- 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)
