5 Days Wildlife Safari & Gorilla trekking Uganda.

5 Days | Wildlife Safari & Gorilla trekking tour

This 5 Days Wildlife Safari & Gorilla trekking Uganda gives you a chance to have an all day experience with the Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Game drives at Queen Elizabeth National Park, Sightseeing at Lake Bunyonyi and Amazing Boat Cruise Safaris on Kazinga Channel

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Road Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park.

At 7.00 am, our guide will pick you up form lodge in Kampala, road transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. This park is home to a high concentration of Uganda’s mammals that include tree climbing and savanna lions, elephants, warthogs, Uganda kob, water buck, cape buffalo, hippos, leopards, as well as more than 600 species of birds that include the African spoonbill, pied kingfishers, fish eagles, pelicans, vultures

Queen Elizabeth National park is Uganda’s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has game including Uganda kob, warthog and waterbuck, Lions elephants.

Relax at the lodge.

Luxury: Mazike valley lodge
Budget : Irungu Forest Camp
Meal plan: (Lunch & Dinner).

Day 2: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Game drive and boat safari

Today at 6.30am, your guide will pick you from your lodge and sett off for morning game drive. A little before sunrise coffee, will be served in the lounge before we head out for a long game drive.  look out for early morning sunrise. You will search for wildlife in the park. look out for Elephants, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, and many Warthogs.

At 3pm: Boat cruise safari tour on Kazinga channel.

This is probably the most amazing combination of spectacular water birds ( residents and migrants) teaming with wildlife on Kazinga channel. Along the channel, local people are seen loading their canoes, fetching water as  buffalos wallowing , Elephants shower, Hippos roam around, crocodiles basking on the same banks .

Unbelievable life at the fishing village. Tones of storks, spoonbills, cormorants, kingfishers, lapwigs, pelicans. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour. After transfer back to the lodge.

Luxury: Mazike valley lodge
Budget : Irungu Forest Camp
Meal plan: (Lunch & Dinner).

Day 3: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

At 8.am: Today we do drive through  Ishasha south section in Queen Elizabeth – This is home to tree climbing lions. There are chances of seeing lions in the trees. Please note that there is no guarantee but our guide will maximize all regular hot spots to increase chances of sighting lions.  After proceed to Bwindi.

Please note the choice of lodging will be determined by location of Gorilla family available at time of booking!

Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park is about 330sq kms, with spectacular scenery, impressive forest views. The whole geographical scenery is basically hilly and mountainous. At an elevation between 1160 to 2607m (3806 to 8553ft) rains can shower anytime in Bwindi forest, it is recommended that visitors pack rain wear, waterproof clothing and appropriate hiking shoes to wear on during gorilla tracking or forest walks. Daytime temperatures range from 23C/73F at times dropping to as low as 11C/52F.

There are 15 gorilla families which have been habituated for gorilla viewing, all of which can be accessed from specific locations/sectors of the forest. Eight people are permitted to view a single family per day. To trek gorillas you need a gorilla permit/license.

Gorilla licenses are booked by location not by the name of a gorilla family. There are 4 starting gates namely; in North at BUHOMA, in the East at RUHIJA and in the South at RUSHAGA & South West at NKURINGO.

Luxury: Ichumbi Gorilla lodge
Budget: Trekkers Tervan Cottages/Buhoma Homestay
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Day 4: Go Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest & Lake Bunyonyi

Today our guide will pick you up from your lodge, at 7.30am transfer to park gate (5-10 minutes) Pre-tracking orientation starts at 8:00AM.

Trekking through the thick jungle, traversing canopies of thick undergrowth can be tough, wet, strenuous but not impossible – the tracking can last from as little as 45 minutes to as much as 10 hours. The activity depends on location of gorillas the previous day.

Visitors therefore are supposed to move along with packed/picnic lunch and water, and should be equipped with strong water-proof clothing and must be averagely healthy. Please note that after Gorilla tracking, our guide will drive two and half hours to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation and overnight.

Luxury: Birdsnest at Bunyonyi
Budget: Supreme Adventure Park
Meal plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch, Dinner.

Day 5: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe

You have a number of optional activities lake bunyonyi.

After our guide will transfer your preferred destination in Kampala/Entebbe.

Optional activities at lake Bunyonyi to be paid extra fees.

• High ropes course and zip lining, ($30) per person, takes 1.5 to 2hrs
• Boat trip to key islands ($24) per person 2 hours
• Boat trip to pygmies: ( $42) per person: 3 and half Hours
• village and community walk, interacting with people way of life ($23) takes 2 hours
• Hiking to the top to view islands of lake Bunyonyi ($6) per person
• self canoeing, ($3) depends one skill (1 hour)
• Guided canoeing, ($18) takes 1 hour
• Guided bird watching ($30) takes 2 to 3 hours

End of 5 Days Wildlife Safari & Gorilla trekking Uganda

Important

To go on a gorilla trek, you need a gorilla permit/license which we can arrange for you.  We can only purchase your Gorilla permit after you have made a down-payment to us. Gorilla permits are competitive on a daily basis, advance booking is always preferred.

Please note the gorilla tracking in this itinerary can be done in Bwindi and or Mgahinga national parks. Gorilla tracking is dependent on the permits availability at the time of your booking. Gorilla permits in all parks are on a very high demand and we advise that you book them as early as possible.

• Gorilla trekking can be strenuous activity and Minimum gorilla tracking age is 15 years.
• What to bring: Hiking shoes/walking shoes, long socks to tuck-in long pants , rain wear, warm clothing, evenings can be cold/chilly, gloves preferably gardening type are very helpful and  insect repellant.
• Anyone with signs of communicable diseases will NOT be allowed to track.
• While possession of a gorilla permit is a guarantee of trekking and
• Maximum time allowed with the gorillas will NOT exceed ONE hour, you are kindly requested to practice different modes of using your camera in different light situations. Gorillas can sometimes be moving, Forest vegetation can at times obstruct visibility, and hence taking photos of these creatures can be very challenging!

Transport:
Our standard offering is a 4WD with pop-up roof for easy safari viewing.  All passengers will have a dedicated window seat. Your driver/guide will be at your disposal for questions.

Extension:
If you want to extend your tour to one of our other destinations or if you’d like to add a few side trips to the itinerary, kindly let us know.

Difficulty:
Gorilla trekking takes place at altitudes 1160 to 2607m (3806 to 8553ft) above sea level. This means that moderate/average physical fitness is required. The slowest member will determine the groups’ speed. The pace will be moderate, with plenty stops to rest, ask questions, re-hydrate and enjoy the forest and views.

Booking and payment details:
Once you have decided to join one of our safaris, you will need  to contact us for booking form  which will include details relating to deposit and final payments etc.