9 Days Uganda safari - Gorillas & wildlife Tour

 Overview Your 9 days Uganda safari

Your 9 days Uganda safari – gorilla trekking and wildlife tour adventure in Uganda the Pearl of Africa will take you to destinations like Kibale National Park for chimpanzee trekking, Bigodi wetland sanctuary to add on your bird checklist since the swamp is a home to several birds, Queen Elizabeth National Park the most popular tourist destination in Uganda, Bwindi for gorilla trekking experience, cultural encounter for the Batwa and finally Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for golden monkey tracking and volcano climbing.

Day 1: Transfer from Kampala to Kibale national park

You will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you quickly about your 9 days gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda and then you will drive to Kibale National Park located in the western part of Uganda which is famously known for homing 13 primates including the chimpanzees. On your way to this park, you will enjoy the beautiful scenery of tea and banana plantations, and the view of some of the volcanic crater lakes and Rwenzori Mountain ranges. You will have a stopover in Fort portal city for your lunch and then check-in at any lodge near Kibale National Park.                               

Accommodation

Kibale forest camp

Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Wake up in the morning, have your breakfast and then drive to Kanyanchu visitor centre where you will meet the ranger guide who will take you through a briefing about chimp trekking rules after you will head to the tropical rainforest of Kibale to look for these primates.                             Chimpanzee trekking normally takes 1-4 hours depending on where the Chimpanzee family is located because they tend to move in search of what to feed on. But once found, you will be allowed to spend one hour in their presence as you watch them communicate, jump from one tree to another, feed and take photos as well. You will not only look at the chimpanzees but also at other primates like red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobuses among others. Move back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, you will head for the Bigodi swamp walk where you will look at primates like grey-cheeked mangabeys, red colobus, mammals like sitatungas, Bush bucks and many more. Bigodi wetland sanctuary is also a birding destination with birds like parrots, hornbills, turacos thus called the home of the great blue turacos. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay after your walk.

Accommodation

Kibale forest camp

 Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and evening boat cruise

In the morning after your breakfast, you will check out from the lodge and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is the second largest national park in Uganda and it will only take you 2-3 hours’ drive to reach this savanna Park from Kibale then check in at the lodge of your booking and have your lunch. Head for an evening boat cruise on the Kazinga channel which provides you with a view of the park in a relaxing way. While on your boat cruise, you will have a look at hippopotamus on the river banks, crocodiles, elephants taking bathe and a lot of birdlife on the shores like Kingfishers and several, retreat to the lodge for dinner.                                                                                                   

Accommodation

Irungu forest lodge

Day 4: Morning Boat cruise and evening game drive.

Be served with your breakfast in the morning and head for a morning boat cruise at the Kazinga channel whereby you will be able to look at several hippos sunbathing, birds feeding in the morning, elephants also enjoying the sunrises in the morning, and a lot of other wildlife. Return to the lodge for lunch and after lunch, you will have your evening game drive.

While on your game drive in the Kasenyi plains, you will be able to look at some predictors hunting for prey in the evening, some of the big five mammals like buffaloes, leopards, elephants, and lions but seen on a rare basis and after your game drive you will drive back to the lodge.

Accommodation

Irungu forest lodge

Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Have your delicious breakfast and then drive to the southwestern part of Uganda in Kisoro District where this Park is situated. This park hosts half of the remaining population of the mountain gorillas and is thus best known for the gorilla trekking experience this park also homes other wildlife like monkeys, elephants among others and birds as well. You will have a stopover on the way to any restaurant for your lunch and then drive to the lodge of your booking for relaxing after your long journey.                                                                                                                                

Accommodation

gorilla bluff lodge

Day 6: Gorilla trekking and cultural encounter

Your gorilla trekking experience will begin in the morning with a hearty breakfast and then you will drive to the park headquarters where you will meet the Park ranger guide who will first take you through a briefing about the dos and don’ts while tracking and then you will be allocated a gorilla family which you will visit, at the same time you will be allocated a ranger guide, who will lead you to where the gorillas will be. The hike will lead you through the thick and impenetrable forest and you will enjoy the beauty of the forest.

Mountain gorilla trekking lasts from an hour to 8hours depending on where the gorilla family will be spotted because they keep moving to look for food. It will not bore you as you will be enjoying the calls of the birds and watching over primates as you search for the endangered mountain gorillas. Once seen, you will be given an hour to be in their presence as you watch their behaviours and take photos as well. After an hour with them, you will Trek back to the starting point where you will find your guide waiting for you

In the evening, you will visit the Batwa Community which first lived in Bwindi before it became a conservation area but now those who live just live around the forest. While in their community, you will be entertained with their traditional dances, they will demonstrate to you how they used to make fire out of sticks being rubbed together, hunt, house and their art and craft. You can buy some souvenirs for yourselves which will always make you remember your tour to the Batwa community. Move to the lodge for your dinner.

Accommodation

Gorilla bluff lodge

Day 7: Transfer to Mgahinga National Park and Batwa trail

After Having had your breakfast, you will transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national Park which is the smallest of all the ten national Parks we are having in Uganda with an area coverage of 33 square kilometres and is a habitat for both the endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys thus being referred to as where silver meets gold. You will drive to your booked lodge for lunch.

Optional.

Boat cruise along lake mutanda with scenic views of the Virunga massif.

Accommodation

Lake murehe gorilla lodge

Day 8: Golden monkey trekking

Wake up in the morning, have your breakfast and immediately you will set off for golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga. Like chimpanzees and mountain gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour watching the behaviours of the endangered golden monkeys once you find them. In the long run, you will also be looking at other primates and birds, after your tracking you will move back to the lodge for your lunch. And overnight relaxation as you prepare for your flight the following day.

Accommodation

Lake Murehe gorilla lodge

Day 9: Transfer to Entebbe and airport drop off

This is the last day of your 9 days gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda. Wake up in the morning have your breakfast and check out from the lodge, you will drive back to Kampala with a stopover at the equator in Kayabwe for photographic stop over and your picnic lunch and proceed with your journey to the airport.

END OF SAFARI