12 Days of the Best Uganda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari
The itinerary is summarized for you
12 Days of the Best Uganda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari: Uganda often goes unnoticed as a prime safari location, but it makes up for not having massive animal migrations like Tanzania and Kenya with their remarkable range of tropical environments, terrains, and animal species. Uganda stands out as one of the two locations where you can witness both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, and this 12-day Uganda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari will offer to witness some of the Big Five: buffalo and rhino.
- Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
- Day 2: Rhino Tracking at Zziwa and transfer to Murchison Falls
- Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
- Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 5: Morning game drive and boat cruise along Kazinga channel
- Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi NP with a game drive in Ishasha
- Day 7: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Talks Experience
- Day 8: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 9: Boat ride to the numerous islands
- Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day 11: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
- Day 12: Transfer back to Entebbe International Airport
Detailed Itinerary: 12 Days of the Best Uganda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Welcome to Uganda! Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met and greeted by our friendly and professional guide. He will brief you and take you through your trip plan, then transfer you to your hotel in Entebbe for relaxation and dinner.
- Accommodation options: 2 Friends guest House or Papyrus guest house
- Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2: Rhino Tracking at Zziwa and transfer to Murchison Falls
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel. You will drive to Murchison Falls through Luwero town and have a stopover at Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary to enjoy these black and white rhinos. This sanctuary was established mainly to protect these rhinos from danger and poachers.
Have a stop in Masindi at any hotel for your lunch, and after, continue to Murchison Falls National Park and hike to the top of the falls, which will give you beautiful views of these waterfalls. You will gaze at the Nile River, which is the longest river in the world. It’s forced through a small gap that is just 7 meters wide, and it flows 43 meters down, making it look very beautiful to the viewers.
- Accommodation options: Fort Murchison, Pakuba Safari Lodge, and Sambiya River Lodge
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Park view terrace
Enjoy your breakfast at your hotel after proceeding to search for wildlife species on a game drive. You will get a chance to view many species, including giraffes, lions, elephants, buffaloes, birds, and many more. The guide will take you back to the lodge to have your lunch there as you prepare to enjoy a boat cruise on the Nile River. This boat will allow you to get close to the aquatic animals, which include over 4000 hippos as well as the Nile crocodiles. The Nile has many stunning birds’ lives, which are also enjoyed while taking your boat trip; these include bee-eaters, coloured kingfishers, shoebill storks, and grey-throated and yellow-billed birds.
- Accommodation options: Fort Murchison/Pakuba safari lodge
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Early in the morning, have breakfast, and you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This national park is famous for the variety of wildlife species and primate species. This famous conservation area is bordered by Lake Edward in the southwest and Lake George in the northeast. The park was named after Queen Elizabeth II and it has a variety of wildlife species, including impalas, kobs, forest hogs, elephants, buffaloes, tree-climbing lions, and cape buffaloes.
Upon your arrival at the park, check-in and prepare for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.
- Accommodation options: Enganzi Lodge or Engiri Safari Lodge
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 5: Morning game drive and boat cruise along Kazinga channel
Start the day with an early game drive that exposes us to diverse animals, including Big 5 members: elephants, buffalos more often in the evening, warthogs—hunchback carnivals like hyenas are spotted along the circuits as we drive along—and many more species that are residents of this park. There is rich bird life, especially our version of storks, in the wetland spots as we reach the Flamingoes in the salt lakes at Kasenyi. After lunch, we get ready for the classic highlights on the 2-hour boat cruise on the famous Kazinga channel, a 36-kilometer channel linking Lake George and Lake Edward.
Baboon Safari Resort-Outdoor pool
Here you see land and water Adapted Hippopotamuses Yawning, the National Geographical Society killing machine, the Nile crocodile gaping along the banks, and the Savannah version of Pigs, the Warthog-Puma, are hallmark signs in this animal home. With your binoculars along the peninsula, you have a magnificent view of birds and animals like the ever-playing African elephants in the water.
- Accommodation options: Enganzi Lodge or Engiri Safari Lodge
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi NP with a game drive in Ishasha
Have breakfast, then set off for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is about 70%, though sometimes they are hard to spot (most especially when they are down in the grassland looking for prey). I hope you get the chance to spot them; the sight will be spectacular!
Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda (harbouring an estimated 400 mountain gorillas—roughly half of the world’s population), including several habituated groups, which you will trek. With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in to your accommodation and relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience the following day.
- Accommodation options: Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Talks Experience
In the company of an experienced park ranger, you will be tracking the whereabouts of one of the nine habituated family groups who live in the park. Your tracking experience will be an exciting yet challenging journey along forested (often muddy and slippery) slopes, tangled vines, thick vegetation, and bamboo forests before you reach the territory of these gentle giants.
En route, your ranger will point out telltale signs of previous gorilla activity like dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots. Depending on the gorilla’s location on any given day, the walk can take anything from 2 to 7 hours. It’s a truly humbling and emotional experience encountering these creatures, one that you are sure to remember for the rest of your life.
- Accommodation options: Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 8: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After a tasty breakfast, you will check out of the lodge. Along with your guide, you will drive to Kabale through the beautiful terraced, verdant hills. This place is known as the “Switzerland of Africa.”.
You check in at your hotel for lunch as you enjoy the breathtaking views of Lake Bunyonyi.
- Accommodation options: Bird Nest/Bunyonyi overland resort
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 9: Boat ride to the numerous islands
You will take a boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi to the numerous islands to sightsee and view the various bird species after breakfast. After the boat ride, you will return to the lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon, you can choose to take part in the hotel’s in-house games.
- Accommodation options: Bird Nest/Bunyonyi overland resort
- Meal plan: Full board
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast at your hotel, you will start your journey to Lake Mburo National Park. On your way to the park, you will make a stopover at the equator for a water experiment. After lunch, you will do an afternoon game drive.
Lake Mburo National Park accommodates mammals like the eland and antelope, as well as zebras and waterbucks, making it among the most admirable places to visit in Uganda. The park is exceptional for its attractive, soothingly sloping hills and open grassland basins, intermingled with brushwood, woodlands, and rich wetlands. While at the park, you will see animals like impalas, waterbucks, Cape buffalo, and zebras, plus many other animal species. The journey takes 4 hours to reach the park.
- Accommodation options: Mihingo Lodge (Luxury), Rwakobo Rock
Day 11: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Rushaga Gorilla Camp-Luxury Room: Individually Furnished.
On this day, you will have an early breakfast and prepare to go to the park for the morning game drive. At exactly 7:00 am you will start searching for animals such as the eland, topis, impalas, zebras, and many more, with a chance to see the colourful beautiful birds in the evening flying to their resting places.
After lunch, you will be driven to the lake to meet your captain of the day, who will take you on a two-hour boat excursion. Lake Mburo boat cruise is an opportunity to see hippos, crocodiles, water birds such as an African fish eagle, and the rare African fin foot. Many animals, such as buffaloes and antelopes, gather here to drink water, so there is an opportunity to enjoy wildlife, especially marine animals.
- Accommodation options: Mihingo Lodge (Luxury), Rwakobo Rock
Day 12: Transfer back to Entebbe International Airport
After a tasty breakfast at your lodge, you will check out of the lodge. With the help of your guide, visit the lodge and then transfer back to Entebbe for your flight back home. We truly hope that you had a wonderful stay in Uganda, and it will always be close to our hearts!
- Meal plan: Breakfast
End of 12 Days of the Best Uganda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari
Here are some tips and guidelines to keep in mind when embarking on a gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:
- Consider hiring a porter to carry your pack up steep inclines. This not only supports sustainable employment in the community but can also be a great help.
- Show respect to the gorillas by remaining silent and submissive when in their presence. Follow your guide’s instructions calmly and the gorillas will likely be unperturbed by your presence.
- Ensure that you bring enough water and snacks, as treks can take several hours. While accommodations usually provide these, it may be worthwhile to bring your energy treats.
- Consider booking the gorilla habituation experience in advance. This allows you to spend up to four hours with researchers and Uganda Wildlife Authority as they follow a gorilla family group and get to know the dynamics.
- For photographers, consider using a mid-zoom lens such as a 24-70mm, as long lenses can be heavy and impractical. Flash photography is not allowed, and keeping your camera in a waterproof bag can protect it from the elements.
- If you find the terrain too challenging, consider booking a local stretcher or sedan chair in advance at an additional cost.
- Don’t forget to charge your battery before setting out.
Safari Inclusions
- Lunch
- Bottled Water
- Accommodation (11-nights)
- Safari 4×4 Vehicle
- Gorilla permit and park fees
- English-speaking guide
Safari Exclusions
- Visas and International flights
- Tips
