12 Days luxury gorilla and wildlife safari
This 12 days luxury gorilla and wildlife safari is an exceptional tour that will take you to the most visited national parks in Uganda including the savannah national parks like Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park where you will enjoy great views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, giraffes, hippos, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, hyenas, crocodiles, rhinos, elands, zebras, Jackson’s hartebeest among others, view different bird species like the prehistoric shoebill stork among others during the game drive and boat cruise. The safari will also take you to Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Uganda, Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to spend one hour with the endangered mountain gorillas and Kibale forest national park also known as the primate capital where you will get a chance to spend time with chimpanzees in their natural habitat.
Highlights of the 12 Days luxury gorilla and wildlife safari
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park with Rhino tracking
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale forest national park
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 7: Morning game drive/Lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 11: Lake Mburo national park-afternoon boat cruise
Day 12: Morning game drive and departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Entebbe/ Kampala
Depending on your arrival time at Entebbe international airport on the first day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to a hotel in Entebbe or Kampala for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park,
After breakfast on the second day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Murchison falls national park. The journey takes about 5 to 6 hours’ drive and on the way you will have a stopover at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking and then continue the journey with another stopover for en-route lunch. After lunch you will proceed to Murchison falls national park and upon arrival in the park you will drive directly to the top of the falls where you will have breathtaking views of the waterfalls, scenery, animals among others. From the top of the falls you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Morning game drive and boat cruise to the bottom of the falls
Morning game drive,
After an early breakfast on the third day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs, giraffes, Uganda kobs grazing in the savannah plains with due, view predators like hyenas, lions, leopards among others before going back to their hiding areas, view different birds among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise,
After lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise to the bottom of the falls which starts at Paraa jetty landing site and takes about 2 to 3 hours. During the boat cruise you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles in water, view animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes along the water banks, view water bird species like fish eagle, kingfishers, cormorants among others. After the boat cruise you will return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale national park
After breakfast on the fourth day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kibale national park in western Uganda. The journey takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive and on the way you will have en-route lunch and enjoy stunning views of the traditional homesteads, local people, beautiful scenery, views of the Rwenzori Mountains, crater lakes, tea plantations among others. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Chimpanzee trekking,
After an early breakfast on the fifth day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will be grouped into 6 people, allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who will lead you into the forest during trekking. Chimpanzee trekking is an interesting activity that starts at 8:00am and takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food especially during the dry season. During trekking you will be able to see other primates like red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, view some bird species, mammals, plants species among others. Once the chimpanzees are found you will be able spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, play, fight, hunt, mate, take photos and record the moments. After the one hour with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet up with your driver guide and return back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch you will go for a swamp walk in Bigodi wetland where you will be able to view primates like grey checked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, view different bird species among others.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
After breakfast on the sixth day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will checkout of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. On the way you will enjoy great views of the crater lakes, tea plantations and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for lunch where after you will go for an afternoon game drive where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, view predators like lions, leopards, hyenas among others.
Day 7: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive,
After an early breakfast on the seventh day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will have great views of animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, giant forest hog, elephants, bushbucks, lions, leopards, hyenas, views of different bird species among others. After the fascinating game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch.
Afternoon boat cruise,
After lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise which is carried out on Kazinga channel a 40km long channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake Gorge. The boat ride starts at around 2:00 pm and rewards you will breathtaking views of large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles in water, views of elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes along the shores, water birds like kingfishers, fish eagles, hornbills, cormorants, bee-eaters among others. After the boat cruise which takes about 2 hours you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
After breakfast on the eighth day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park in south western Uganda. On the way you will have en-route lunch and then continue the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park which harbors half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. Upon arrival you will continue to check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla trekking,
After an early breakfast on the ninth day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people, allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is knowledgeable about the mountain gorillas and also conversant with trails in the jungle. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park starts at around 8:00am and takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas slept the previous night. During trekking you will have views of bird species, other primates like chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, different plant and tree species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their environment where you will be able to watch them feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, play, observe their behaviors, take photos and record the breathtaking moments. After the face to face encounter with the mountain gorillas you will trek back to the starting point where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide to return back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast on the tenth day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Uganda. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge for lunch and after lunch you will go for a boat cruise or canoe ride where you will be able to explore the Lake, view different bird species among others. After the boat ride, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
After breakfast on the eleventh day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Lake Mburo national park. On the way you will enjoy great views and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for lunch where after you will go for an afternoon boat cruise where you will be able to view hippos and crocodiles in water, view other animals like waterbucks, buffaloes, warthogs along the shores, view water birds among others. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Morning game drive and departure to Kampala
After an early breakfast on the last day of the 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to view some of the animals like buffaloes, waterbucks, giraffes, warthogs, elands, topi, zebras among others. After the morning game drive, you will drive out of the park and start the journey back to Kampala with en-route lunch on the way and a stopover at the Equator in Kayabwe where you will take photos and buy souvenirs. Upon arrival in Kampala your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of convenience.
End of 12 days luxury gorilla trekking and wildlife safari
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Park entrance fees/ game drives
- Boat cruise fees
- Rhino tracking permit
- Lion tracking experience
- Bigodi swamp walk
- Services of a professional English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Tour excludes
- International Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
