Detailed Tour Itinerary for Uganda Gorillas Chimpanzee Trek & Wildlife Safari - 6 Days Tour
Day 1: Start your Uganda safari from Entebbe or Kampala, driving to Kibale National Park; afternoon guided primates' walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
For the Uganda Gorillas Chimpanzee Trek & Wildlife Safari, your driver shall be meeting you at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala to start the safari. Normally, we aim at setting off at 8 am unless you are arriving at Entebbe Airport on this day (but it is advisable you arrive not later than 1 pm). Our drive to Kibale should be about 5 hours over mostly surfaced roads winding via remote villages with farms and plantations on either side of the road.
When we arrive at Kibale, we shall be checking in to our accommodation first and having lunch before driving to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a local community conservation project for a guided walk as well as traditional cultural performances. Bigodi is located on the eastern edge of Kibale National Park's Forest. On your guided primates' walk, you might spot birds like the great blue turaco, blue monkeys, baboons, otters, mongoose, bushbucks, bush pigs, among others.
Accommodation we plan to book for your stay in Kibale:
Up-market: Kyaninga Lodge | Ndali Lodge | Primate Lodge Kibale
Moderate: Kibale Forest Camp | Turaco Treetops | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (self-contained cottages)
Low Budget: Kibale Forest Camp (tents) | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (shared bathroom rooms)
Included meals: Lunch, Dinner only
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park & Queen Elizabeth National Park
Your Kibale chimpanzee trekking adventure will proceed as planned. We have the tour guide transferring you to the Kibale park offices for the pre-trek briefing and accreditation before entering the jungles. Kibale offers two scheduled chimps treks daily, at 8 am and 11 am. For the proper flow of this Uganda safari, we target to have you on the morning chimps trek so that we have enough time to travel to the next destination.
The chimps trek has a moderate physical requirement, and you won't normally be going for so long before meeting the chimpanzees. We trek along mostly gentle climbs and flatter forested jungles. Along the way, you could meet other mammals that are inhabiting Kibale. It is not uncommon for example to encounter primates like black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, bushbabies, pottos among others. If you are a keen birdwatcher, look out for the yellow-spotted nicator, rumped tinker bird, little greenbul, green breasted pitta, the crowned eagle, and the black bee-eater. We have also often come across elephants on the chimpanzee trek in Kibale.
As you get closer to the chimps, you shall be hearing them by their distinctively loud pant-hooting calls, something like you have never heard before! The team of rangers will then guide you to get as close as 6 meters (maximum) to the habituated troupe of chimpanzees. You should be able to closely observe them as they go about their usual business-like feeding, hunting, socializing with each other, mating, among other activities.
After more than 1 hour with the chimpanzees, your ranger guides will be requesting you to prepare to leave. The walk back is mostly along paths gently sloping through the forest jungles. Rangers know the shortest routes for this. Your tour guide shall be waiting for you when you return from the chimpanzee trek for the next activity.
If it is still early enough, we can proceed to explore more in the beautiful crater lakes region of Fort Portal before our 2 hours' drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park southwards. As you drive, watch out for the snow-capped 16,000-foot Rwenzori mountains' ranges, also locally referred to as the "Mountains of the Moon".
This 767-square-mile Queen Elizabeth National Park is bordered on the northeast by Lake George and on the southwest by Lake Edward; its western border adjoins the Congo Parc Du Virunga. It stands directly on the Equator. The park's topography varies by less than 500m rising from 913m Kazinga Channel to 1390m highspot in the Katwe Explosion Craters. Queen Elizabeth National Park lies on the floor of the East African Rift Valley (western arm) and its magnificent scenery is largely the result of backdrops beyond its boundaries, notable the Rwenzori mountains in the north, the Kichwamba escarpment to the east, and the Congo rift wall beyond Lake Edward to the west.
You will expect to see teeming herds of impala-like Uganda kob, as well as topi, elephant and lion, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo. There are also several soda lakes filling ancient volcanic calderas where flamingos reside seasonally.
Accommodation we recommend for your stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park (with all meals)
Up-market/Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge | Katara Lodge
Mid-range or moderate facility: Bush Lodge (rooms) | Enganzi Lodge
Budget price: Bush Lodge (tents)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 3: Wildlife Game Drive Safaris, Kazinga boat trip in Queen Elizabeth National Park
We set out early in the morning for a game drive in the northern part of the park on the Kasenyi Plains in search of lions, elephants, solitary buffaloes. This is the best time for opportunities of viewing the cats in action owing to the vast population of Uganda kobs.
Queen Elizabeth National Park has at least 95 mammal species - more than any other wildlife national park in Uganda. This rich wildlife variety is mostly a result of the diversity of the great habitat, including extensive swamps and lakes and the overlapping of two of Africa's three major habitats: forest and grassland. There is not only forest and grasslands but also Acacia woodland and lakeshore/swamp vegetation.
The park is home to the Giant Forest hog as eel as bushpigs, Antelopes like the Defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, topi, and the Uganda Kob. Bigger ruminants like the Cape Buffalo and elephants are easily spotted on game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After the morning activity, we shall be going for a scheduled launch trip along Kazinga Channel. This is normally going for 2 hours, and it gives you the opportunity to view wildlife up close. During the day, the hippopotami can be found resting in shallow waters to prevent their sensitive skins from overheating. Elephants typically visit the Kazinga channel's water's edge in their hers of hundreds to drink and bathe before retreating back in the deep thickets. Buffalo herds will normally come to quench their thirst and bathe in the mud along the shoreline of the channel.
Look out for reptiles too - like the monitor lizards and crocodiles.
The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink-backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle-billed stork, and many others.
Accommodation (with all meals)
Up-market/Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge | Katara Lodge
Mid-range or moderate facility: | Bush Lodge (rooms) | Enganzi Lodge
Budget price: Bush Lodge (tents)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Today we shall be driving farther south to the mountain gorilla sanctuary of Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Depending on which sector of Bwindi you will be tracking the gorillas from, we can plan for a short game drive in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Ishasha in search of the tree-climbing lions among other big mammals.
Either way, all routes that lead from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi traverse some of the most beautiful landscapes you will get in Eastern Africa. Your tour guide will be most likely trying to set you up for numerous stops along the way so that you are able to get the best out of this drive.
If we reach Bwindi early in the day, you can schedule a guided community walk in the park-neighboring villages/ farms. You could also book yourself a guided or unguided birdwatching walk along the fringes of Bwindi. As many as 50 species could easily be spotted on a 1-hour walk here.
Suggested Accommodation in Bwindi (with all meals)
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge | Mahogany Lodge | Chameleon Hill Lodge| Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Moderate: Engagi Lodge | Gorilla Mist Camp | Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Low Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp | Rushaga Gorilla Havens | Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, we shall embark on trekking into the deep jungles of Bwindi to catch a glimpse of the endangered mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking is certainly the most treasured highlight for most tourist visitors to Uganda and Bwindi doesn't disappoint on this.
Plan to be at the Bwindi Park offices by 8 AM today so that you can be part of the briefing activities. During the briefing, you also get more information on the conservation of the mountain gorillas and their ecology and how to conduct yourself on the gorilla tracking exercise. It is also here that you will get the particular gorilla group you shall actually be visiting. Your tour guide will do their best to ensure you are allocated to the most rewarding gorilla families - with big numbers of gorillas at basic.
The gorilla trek goes through the thick undergrowth of Bwindi Forest with some paths going to be wedged on the day you track to the gorilla. Sometimes the trekking can be quite physically challenging but there are numerous stops along for you to catch your breath and get all the explanations about the animal species you shall be encountering.
Most gorilla treks go for between 2-4 hours per one way but yours could get shorter or longer. You shall notice you are getting closer to the gorillas when you see their previous day's sleeping nests and lots of dung. A few meters to the gorillas, you should be hearing them hooting and breaking tree branches as they go on with their feeding business. When finally sighted, your ranger will guide you to a safe viewing distance (of not less than 6 meters from the gorillas). The gorillas you are viewing are habituated to human presence and will be less bothered by your presence. So, you can safely go on photographing them as the rangers explain more about them.
After not less than one hour of viewing the gorillas, the rangers will start requesting you to prepare to leave. The return to camp is mostly a slopy descent. You will be able to find a safe and calm spot in the jungle to enjoy your boxed lunch and refreshments. Your driver shall be waiting for you to exit the jungles so that they can safely transfer you with your lifetime memories back to your accommodation in Bwindi.
Accommodation (with all meals)
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge | Mahogany Lodge | Chameleon Hill Lodge| Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Moderate: Engagi Lodge | Gorilla Mist Camp | Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Low Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp | Rushaga Gorilla Havens | Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 6: Return to Entebbe for departure flight (but you could also depart from Kigali if you prefer which is 4 hrs. drive)
Today we shall be departing from the home of Uganda's mountain gorillas back to Kampala/ Entebbe or Kigali if you prefer. The drive to Kampala/Entebbe is normally ±7 hours and it is better to set off at 8 am from Bwindi so that we don't get caught up in the evening city traffic congestion.
You shall mostly be driving down the grassed and terraced escarpments of southwestern Uganda while taking in the breathtaking sights of the hills of the region dubbed ‘the little Switzerland of Africa’. This area is a highly fertile, mountainous region with steep-sided hills covered from top to bottom in neatly terraced cultivated rows.
Another remarkable highlight of this journey is the Equator line and surely you will cross it as we have a brief stop here.
We will be in Entebbe in the evening before for your flight back home.
Included meals: Breakfast and Lunch only
