8 Days Uganda safari, gorillas, chimpanzee and wildlife

8 Days Uganda safari, gorillas, chimpanzee and wildlife : This 8 days Uganda safari, gorillas, chimpanzee and wildlife adventure is an interesting and extraordinary safari that starts and ends in Kampala. The safari will take you to Lake Mburo national park where you will be able to view different animals like buffaloes, leopards, zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, elands, oribi, impalas among others. From Lake Mburo national park you will connect to Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas in their environment and then connect to Queen Elizabeth national park for an interesting game drive and boat cruise where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, Uganda kobs, waterbucks among others. You will wrap up your safari with a tour to Kibale forest national park where you will engage in an interesting chimpanzee trekking activity and Bigodi swamp walk.

 Highlights of the 8 days Uganda safari, gorillas, chimpanzee and wildlife

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Lake Mburo national park-afternoon boat cruise

Day 2: Morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Day 5: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

Day 6: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale forest national park

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Lake Mburo national park,

Depending on your location on day 1 of the 8 days Uganda safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the Uganda safari and then start the journey to Lake Mburo national park which is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda. The journey takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive and on the way you will have a stopover at the Equator in Kayabwe where you will buy craft souvenirs and take photos. From the Equator you will proceed to the park where you will enjoy lunch upon arrival.

After lunch you will go for an interesting boat cruise where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes among others which will be drinking water along the shores, view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view fishermen preparing their fishing nets among others. After the boat cruise you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Morning game drive,

After an early breakfast on day 2 of the 8 days Uganda safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive where you will be able to see animals like buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, elands, zebras, oribi, topi among others grazing in the open savannah plains, view predators like leopards, hyenas looking for a morning hunt, view different birds among others.

After the game drive you will drive out of the park and start the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On the way you will have en-route lunch and then continue the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Gorilla trekking,

After an early breakfast on day 3 of the 8 days Uganda 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 8 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 late lunch.

After lunch you will go for an optional cultural tour where you will visit the Bakiga and Batwa people in the surrounding community. The Batwa/pygmies are the old people who used to live in the forest before it was gazetted into a national park. During the cultural tour you will be able to learn about their culture, history, way of living, learn how to cook their traditional dishes, listen to their ancient stories, enjoy their traditional entertainments among others. After the cultural tour you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park     

After breakfast on day 4 of the 8 days Uganda safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive and on the way you will have a stopover at Ishasha sectors in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park for a game drive where you will be able to see the tree climbing lions lying up in acacia/fig tree branches. You will also be able to see other animals like Uganda kobs, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, elephants among others. After the game drive you will have en-route lunch and after continue the journey to Queen Elizabeth national park and upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience

After an early breakfast on day 5 of the 8 days Uganda 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 water 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 6: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale national park

After breakfast on day 6 of the 8 days Uganda safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for another game drive where you will be able to view some of the animals that you might have missed during the previous game drive. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kibale national park in western Uganda. On the way you will enjoy stunning views of the 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 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Chimpanzee trekking,

After an early breakfast on day 7 of the 8 days Uganda 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 to the lodge for lunch.

Bigodi swamp walk

After lunch you will go for an exciting nature walk in Bigodi swamp where you will be able to view primates like black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, view mammals like Sitatungas, antelopes, view different bird species like the great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, yellow billed barbet among others. After the swamp walk you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

After a relaxed breakfast on day 8 of the 8 days Uganda safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On the way you will have en-route lunch and then proceed to Kampala arriving early evening. Upon arrival 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 8 days Uganda safari, gorillas, chimpanzee and wildlife

8 days Uganda safari includes                    

• Gorilla trekking tour
• Chimpanzee trekking permit
• Park entrance fees/ game drives
• Boat cruise fees
• Professional English speaking driver guide
• Full board accommodation
• Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
• Vehicle and fuel
• Bottled drinking water

8 days Uganda safari 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.