Serengeti and Gorillas Trek - Uganda Gorillas, BIG 5 Wildlife in Serengeti -  7 Days Safari

Serengeti and Gorillas Trek - Uganda Gorillas, BIG 5 Wildlife in Serengeti - 7 Days Safari

Day 1: Start your Uganda Gorilla trek tour by driving to Bwindi impenetrable N. Park (the mountain gorillas' home)

Meet and greet with our local guide in Kampala/Entebbe/Kigali at 07:00 hours before starting the gorilla trek tour on your drive heading to southwestern Uganda to the home of the mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

En route, there is a local community popular for making local drums and crafts and a fruit market. Stopover, admire and buy yourself souvenirs. Proceed to the Equator line taken as one beautiful scenery in Africa - the pathway of the sun and take photographs.

Pass by mountains, tropical rainforest and bamboo forest during the nine-hour journey.

The drive to the mountain gorilla sanctuary is over 7 hours from Entebbe or Kampala, most of the time on smooth surfaced road with about 45 minutes of dusty muram. You could choose to fly to Bwindi if you don't feel like driving. One-way flights range from 280$-360$ pp.

Uganda Gorilla Trek Accommodation options (all on full board basis)

Up-market: Buhoma Lodge | Mahogany Springs Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge (Ensuite cottages)|  Chameleon Hill Lodge

Moderate: Engagi Lodge | Silverback Lodge Bwindi | Gorilla Mist Camp | Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget:  Rushaga Gorilla Havens | Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp | Gorilla Conservation Camp Bwindi

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today enjoy gorilla tracking in Bwindi.

After breakfast, proceed for the morning briefing before enjoying the highlight of the trip - gorilla trekking, which may last the entire day. We trek the gorillas through the rainforest and bamboo covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and gorilla trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten. When the gorillas are sighted, visitors will be guided to within 6 metres from the gorillas, sit around them for a whole hour while gazing into their big round eyes.

Gorilla trekking is unpredictable. It's difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. The gorilla tracking excursion can take from 2 up to 8 hours. Expect to walk along distance in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. A good physical condition is recommended. For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. A ranger will brief you on how to behave with the gorillas.

While most of today's forests are no more than 12,000 years old, Bwindi's vegetation has been weaving itself into tangles over at least 25,000 years, in the process accumulating a lengthy species list. This includes 310 species of butterfly, 51 reptiles, 200 trees, 88 moths and an exceptional 120 types of mammals including 10 primates. The latter includes chimpanzee, L'Hoest's, red tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus, baboon, and Bwindi's most famous resident, the mountain gorilla.

Bwindi is a prime destination for birdwatchers. Its 350 species include seven which are IUCN red data listed and 90% of all Albertine rift endemics, species which are difficult or impossible to see in any other part of East Africa.

Uganda Gorilla Trek Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Up-market: Buhoma Lodge | Mahogany Springs Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge (Ensuite cottages) |  Chameleon Hill Lodge

Moderate: Engagi Lodge | Silverback Lodge Bwindi | Gorilla Mist Camp | Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget:  Rushaga Gorilla Havens | Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp | Gorilla Conservation Camp Bwindi

Day 3: Transfer to Entebbe (Daily flights to Entebbe can be booked as well) for Flight to Kilimanjaro and Arusha.

Early breakfast before embarking on our return journey from Bwindi to Entebbe, 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. Not to miss as we traverse Mbarara are the impressing longhorn Ankole cattle. A 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 early evening before for your flight to Tanzania. 

At Kilimanjaro Airport, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to your accommodation in Arusha as you await the unraveling of a totally different dimension of your Tanzania safari in Serengeti.

Day 4: BIG 5 Safari in Serengeti National Park

We will leave Arusha early morning and travel to Serengeti National Park. We will travel to Serengeti on a road near the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, allowing for animal sightings along the way. The golden savannah and endless plains, teeming with zebras, wildebeest and giraffes make it easy to understand why the Serengeti is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. On this day, we will enjoy a picnic lunch on Naabai kopje (a small, rocky hill in a generally flat area), where you will have the opportunity to view the Serengeti’s famous pink-headed lizards. After lunch, we will proceed further into the plains for a leisurely game drive. You will spend the night at the Serengeti and fall asleep to the playful calls of the zebra and hyenas.

Optional activity: Hot Air Balloon Safari Serengeti:

Float in a hot air balloon over the famous Serengeti National Park with its enchanting scenery. This may be the most beautiful area in the world for a balloon flight. There are no power lines, fences and few roads. Your Balloon Safari adventure starts early morning when you depart your lodge or camp. It is still dark, and you may be fortunate to see nocturnal animals on the way to the launch site. When you arrive, you will meet your pilot and witness your balloon being inflated and prepared for launch.The capacity is limited making this experience a special and exclusive one. The balloon safari is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the weather conditions. You will end this excursion in style with a champagne bush breakfast in the middle of the park!

Day 5: Safari in Serengeti to Ngorongoro

We will begin our day with an early morning game drive in the central Serengeti. The savannah is an active landscape, and the air is flooded with the melodies the birds create as the regenerated sunlight starts to illuminate the full landscape. Your guide will study the prints on the ground to pursue predators. We will travel to the Ngorongoro Crater. You will be provided with dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Safari in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Drive back to Arusha

We will begin our day with an early morning game drive in the central Serengeti. The savannah is an active landscape, and the air is flooded with the melodies the birds create as the regenerated sunlight starts to illuminate the full landscape. Your guide will study the prints on the ground to pursue predators. Afterward, we shall be driving back to Arusha.

Day 7: Departure - Early morning after having breakfast collect your luggage with lunch boxes to Kilimanjaro international airport for flying back home.

Some Photos from our Uganda Gorilla Trek Tour

Views of Bwindi Forest on this Uganda Gorilla Trek Tour

Uganda Gorilla Trek - Briefing before gorilla tracking in Bwindi

Tour Cost Inclusions

• Accommodation for the 6 nights of your gorilla trek tour as indicated on program
• All meals (except breakfast on Day 1)
• 1 Uganda gorilla trek permit per person, sightseeing as noted in the trip itinerary
• All National Park fees
• Ground transportation using a 4WD vehicle with the services of a good English speaking tour guide
• Regional flights between Entebbe and Kilimanjaro with accompanying ground transfers
• Additional guides where appropriate

Excluded

• International Flight tickets and departure taxes
• Travel documentation (visas)
• Travel and medical insurance
• Optional excursions
• Excess baggage charges
• Tips and gratuities for your guides and accommodation staff
• Laundry
• Beverages other than mineral water in the vehicle and at meal times with meals
• Items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, postage fees and so on