9 DAYS UGANDA GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARI
This 9 days Uganda safari takes you on a tour to the best game, chimpanzee and gorilla destinations in Uganda and you will have memorable encounter with the Big Five, chimpanzees and the endangered mountain gorillas.
This tour packages offers you the best Uganda safari experiences including game drives on which you will see a variety of wildlife such as zebras, lion, leopards, rhinos, buffaloes, gazelles and giraffes among others, chimpanzee trekking for an encounter with chimpanzees in Kibale forest, mountain gorilla trekking for an encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural setting.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 9 DAYS UGANDA GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARI
Day 1: Pickup from Kampala or Entebbe – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 2: Canoeing – Transfer to Bwindi – Visit the Batwa Pygmies
Day 3: Gorilla Tracking – Transfer to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4: Game drive to see tree climbing lions – Afternoon Boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel
Day 5: Morning game drive at the Kasenyi Sector – Transfer to Kibale National Park – Visit the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison falls – Visit the top of the falls
Day 8: Morning Game drive – Afternoon Launch cruise on the river Nile
Day 9: Visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Transfers to Kampala or Entebbe
DEAILED ITINERARY OF 9 DAYS UGANDA GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARI
Day 1: Pickup from Kampala or Entebbe – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up by your driver – guide. He will brief you about the tour and embark on a journey to Lake Bunyonyi which is about 9 hours of drive, along the way you will have several stops. One at the Equator crossing for photography and in Mbarara City for lunch.
Proceed to Southwestern Uganda with incredible views of the rolling hills and the local people going on with their lives, arrive in late afternoon. Check in at your lodge and spend the evening at your relaxation, have dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Bunyonyi Safari Resort or Bunyonyi Eco Resort
Meal Plan: Half Board
Day 2: Canoeing – Transfer to Bwindi – Visit the Batwa Pygmies
Have breakfast and head to the lake for a canoe safari visiting the different islands in the lake and enjoying sights of several bird species, some of the islands in the lake are breeding grounds for several bird species which you will see during the canoe experience. Also, you will learn about interesting legends of each island in the lake such as the punishment island where all girls who got pregnant before marriage were banished to and left for dead.
After a 3 to 4 hours canoe experience on the lake, you will depart for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is only 2 hours drive away. On arrival, you will check in at your lodge for lunch and refreshment.
Later head to the Batwa Pygmies villages for a cultural experience, the Batwa Pygmy people were used to live in Bwindi Forest as hunters and gatherers for thousands of years until the forest was designated at a protected area.
Though they no longer live in the forests, they still maintain the same lifestyle they had in the forests of Bwindi. On your visit, you will be entertained by local dances and drama, visit the local medicine man, experience the demonstration of their skilled hunting skills among others.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge or Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: Gorilla Tracking – Transfer to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park
As early as 07:00 am, you will head to the park’s headquarters for briefing with your packed lunch. The briefing is conducted by rangers and wardens who takes you through the rules and regulations to follow and the proper way to conduct yourself while in the presence of the gorillas.
In groups of 8 people, you will be assigned a gorilla family to trek that is depending on your fitness level then head to the starting point of your gorilla family. Enter into the forests of looking for the mountain gorillas, the trek takes approximately 2 to 6 hours depending on the where the gorillas spent their previous night and their feeding range.
When you locate the gorillas, you are allowed to stay with them only for 1 hour of observing their behaviors, watch them feed, groom, mate, rest and play. Keep a distance of 7-10 meters for the gorillas, avoid direct eye contact and avoid touching young gorillas even if they come close to you. The Silverback is always alert and observant.
After one hour, you will trek back to the park’s headquarters, met your driver-guide and start on your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha Sector where you will spot the tree climbing lions and other animals. Check-in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Game drive to see tree climbing lions – Afternoon Boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel
After breakfast, you will go for a game drive in the Ishasha Sector which is famed for being home to the largest group of tree climbing lions in the world. In addition to sights of the tree climbing lions, you will see Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs among others.
Return back to the lodge for lunch and refreshment, in the afternoon you will go for a boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel – a waterbody connecting Lake George to Lake Edward, the channel is home to huge schools of hippos and during the cruise expect to spot crocodiles, buffaloes, hippos, elephants and a collection of water birds including kingfishers, papyrus Gonolek, pink backed pelicans, red chest, shoebill stork, water thick-knee, yellow crown and yellow-billed stork among others.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Morning game drive at the Kasenyi Sector – Transfer to Kibale National Park – Visit the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary.
Have breakfast and head to the Kasenyi sector for a morning game drive, the area is home to a huge population of Uganda kobs which attracts predators such as lions, leopards and wild dogs. Other animals you will see during the game drive include warthogs, Defassa waterbucks, topis, cape buffaloes, black and white colobus monkeys, elephants, hyenas and many birds like black-bee eater, broad billed roller and Cassin’s grey fly catcher among others.
After the game drive, you will transfer to Kibale National Park with en-route lunch. When you arrive in Kibale Forest, you will go for a tour in the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to 12 species of primates including chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons and many birds and birds which you will see during the walk.
Head to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Turaco Treetops
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Wake up early and head to the park’s headquarters with your packed lunch, normally chimpanzee habituation experience starts earlier than the normally chimpanzee trekking experience. Also, you will carry packed lunch.
You will have briefing at the Kanyanchu Visitor Information Center, a senior ranger will take you through the dos and don’ts about the right way to conduct yourself in the presence of the chimpanzees. With scientists and researchers, you will head into Kibale forests looking for the chimpanzees, on this experience you will follow the chimpanzees for the whole day until they make their nests until evening.
While in the forests of Kibale, you will see other primates such as red-tailed monkeys, grey cheeked Mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many birds. In groups of 4 people, you will follow the gorillas for the whole day and see them go on with their daily life, make nests, correct data about their life and help researchers and scientists in their research and watch them make new nests.
In the evening, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overstay.
Accommodation: Turaco Treetops
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison falls – Visit the top of the falls
Have breakfast, checkout of your lodge and embark on a journey to Murchison Falls National Park via Fort Portal, Hoima and Masindi. Along the way you will enjoy incredible views of the landscape, Rwenzori Mountains and locals in several small towns and trading centers.
You will have en-route lunch along the way and once in the park, you will head to the top of the falls to witness the River Nile force its way through a 7 -meter gorge before falling 45 meters before falling with a thunderous roar. This incredible beauty offers excellent opportunities for photography.
Head to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8: Morning Game drive – Afternoon Launch cruise on the river Nile
Have breakfast and drive to the park for a full day game drive, early morning game drive is a perfect time to spot leopards, lions, hyenas which are among the early risers. You will explore the northern banks of River Nile all the way up to the Nyamsika Plateau, you will spot many other animals including Uganda kob, cape buffaloes, hartebeest, Bohor reedbuck, Rothschild’s giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, duikers and waterbucks among others.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, you will go for a boat cruise along the river Nile, on the cruise expect to spot large schools of hippos, crocodiles and many waters such as bee- eaters, cormorants, Egyptian geese, goliath heron, hornbill, kingfishers, pelican, shoebill stork and saddle-bill stork among others. The boat cruise ends close to the waterfalls in a place known as the “Devil’s Cauldrom”, take as many photos as possible and return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 9: Visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Transfers to Kampala or Entebbe
After breakfast, you will be picked up by your guide and embark on a journey back to Kampala, along the way you will have a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a walk with the rhinos in the wild. When you arrive in Kampala, you will have lunch and be dropped of at the airport for your onward flight.
9 DAYS UGANDA GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARI
Safari package includes
Gorilla permits
Chimpanzee permits
Batwa visit
Game drives
Boat cruises
Lake Bunyonyi tour
Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
Park Entrance and Ranger fees
All activities included in the tour package
Transfers to and from the airport
A standard 4X4 tour van
An experienced driver with great knowledge about the country and who speaks excellent English
Accommodation for 8 nights including meals and water
Meals and water outside the hotel
Government taxes
Safari excludes
Air tickets and entry visas to Uganda
Medical and Travel insurance
Tips to the gorilla trekking porters, rangers and staff at the hotels
Expenses on alcohol, cigars, phone calls, soft drinks, souvenir and anything that can be considered personal