10 Days Uganda Gorillas & Adventure Safari

This 10 days Uganda Gorillas & Adventure Safari will take you to some popular National Parks in Uganda that include Lake Mburo National Park for game drives and boat cruises, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park for gorillas, Queen Elizabeth National park for game drives and a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel, Kibale National park for chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland walk before you drive to Murchison Falls National park for game drives and a boat cruise to the bottom of the magnificent Murchison Falls.

10 Days Uganda Gorillas & Adventure Safari – Highlights

Day 1: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Day 2: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking

Day 4: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 5: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel

Day 6: Drive to Kibale National Park

Day 7: Morning Chimp trekking and Bigodi wetland walk

Day 8: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park

Day 9: Morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of the Falls

Day 10: Drive back to Kampala/Entebbe International airport for your flight out.

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: TRANSFER TO LAKE MBURO

You will be picked by a safari guide who will brief you about this 8 day safari. Thereafter, you will be driven to Lake Mburo National Park which is a 3-4 hour journey that will have you passing small towns along Kampala-Mbarara road and arriving in time for lunch, short relaxation and a boat cruise on the lake. This tour provides an opportunity to stop at the Equator crossing for photography and some water experiments to prove that indeed this is centre of planet earth.  After checking into your lodge, having lunch and short relaxation, you will be driven to the lake for a two hour boat excursion. The boat cruise offers magical views of the lake, the fringing swamp and an opportunity to see hippos, crocodiles, water birds such as the African fish eagle and the rare African fin foot. Many animals such as buffaloes and antelopes gather here to drink some water so an opportunity to see them would be splendid. After your boat cruise, you will retire to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Rwakobo rock resort / Kigambira Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 2: GAME WALKING SAFARI AND TRANSFER TO BWINDI NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, connect to the park for an impressive wild game viewing on foot. You will have the chance to explore the beautiful views of the savannah dotted with Acacia trees and sections of open grassland, the protruding rock Kopjes and Precambrian rocks that date back to 500 million years ago and the possible sights of wildlife including the Burchell’s Zebra, the Impala, Topis, the Defassa Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Warthog, Rothschild giraffes, and Elands among other species on this morning encounter.

Retreat from the activity and leave Lake Mburo NP making a lunch stop en route in Mbarara city after which you proceed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park home to half of all mountain gorillas in the whole world. The drive from Lake Mburo to Bwindi National Park is very scenic as it passes through the plains of Ntungamo, the rolling and terraced hills on Kigezi before joining the forests in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  You will check into your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Accommodation: 4gorilla hotel or Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 3: GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast and with your packed lunch, you will walk to the park headquarters for briefing about gorilla trekking etiquette and experience. Your guide will take you through all the dos and don’ts while with mountain gorillas and after that, you will be transferred to the starting point of trekking your gorilla family.

Please note that gorilla family allocation depends on your interests, fitness and age. Please inform your guide of your interests and he will try to request for the gorilla family of your choice before you start the trek into the forest. Gorilla trekking can be strenuous and a certain level of fitness is required.  Gorilla trekking can take from 30 minutes to b hours so one needs to prepare for both. During your gorilla trekking adventure, you’ll also enjoy the breath taking natural scenery of Bwindi and a chance to see other fantastic creatures that inhabit Bwindi including monkeys, colourful montane butterflies, and unique forest birds that will have you wishing your trip was a little bit longer.

You will be allowed only one hour of photography and observing mountain gorillas as they go about with their daily day activities and then trek back to the park headquarters to pick your certificates and then have dinner and overnight at your Lodge.

Accommodation: 4gorilla hotel or Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 4: TRANSFER TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

This morning you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. So, be prepared for some incredible scenery along the way. You will arrive in time for Lunch at the lodge and an afternoon game drive in the plains of Kasenyi in search for Savannah wildlife that may include herds of buffaloes, antelopes, elephants and if you are lucky, you will spot some wild cats such as lions and leopard.

Accommodation: Enganzi lodge or Elephant plains lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

DAY 5: MORNING GAME DRIVE AND AFTERNOON BOAT ON KAZINGA CHANNEL.

After an early morning cup of coffee or tea, you will drive to Kasenyi plains for your game drive. Kasenyi plains boost of several wild animals whose chance of seeing them depends on your luck of the day. On a good day, you may spot big cats like lions and leopards hunting, buffaloes, elephants, several antelopes, warthogs and other small mammals.

After the game drive, return to the lodge for lunch and then drive to Mweya peninsular for a two hour boat cruise on Kazinga channel. Kazinga channel which connects Lakes George and Edward offers an opportunity to view on of the highest concentration of hippos in the world. You will also be fascinated by the large numbers of crocodiles and over 400 water bird species since most animals converge there to drink water. You will have high chances of spotting hippos, birds, elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles and so much more. Retreat from the cruise and do a game drive along the channel track as you connect to the lodge for dinner and overnight

Accommodation: Enganzi lodge or Elephant plains lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

DAY 6: MORNING GAME DRIVE AND TRANSFER TO KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

After an early breakfast, you will drive to the Northern bank of the Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kasenyi) area in search of some wild animals which include: Elephants, Buffalo, and some wild cats, different species of antelopes such water buck, Uganda kobs etc. as well as Savannah birds. After lunch you will drive to Kibale National Park arriving at your lodge in the evening.

Accommodation: Turaco tree top or Primate lodge Kibale

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 7: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING EXPERIENCE

Today the forest opens its doors for a sensational chimpanzee tracking experience. After your breakfast, you will have pre-tracking briefing after which you will walk or drive to the trailhead for the start of an unforgettable adventure – hiking in the footsteps of the habituated family of chimpanzees.

En-route, your guide will enthral you with stories and facts about the forest and her other inhabitants including other species of primates and birds and other big mammals. Upon sighting the chimpanzees, you will spend an unforgettable one hour with them as they go about their daily life – feeding, playing, grooming, taking care of their young, howling and screeching, in their natural habitat. Besides the chimpanzees, you should also not miss out on the sightings of several other primates that call this forest their home including the black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, Grey monkeys. After the chimpanzee encounter which lasts an hour of pure enjoyment return to the park centre where your trekking efforts are rewarded with a trekking certificate.

Return back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will enjoy a guided nature walk through the Bigodi wetland.

The Bigodi Swamp Walk is an initiative of the local community and is known for its rich diversity of birds and primates. The path and board walk maybe flooded and muddy after heavy rainfall and gumboots are recommended. This community walk will bring you closer to the local tribe that lives in this area and is about 4km in length taking 3-4 hours at birding pace. Accompanied by a local guide, who can tell you everything about the traditional customs and lifestyle, you will follow the village path and visit a primary school, traditional homesteads and learn more about the crops in the fields.

All proceeds from eco-tourism go back to into the community, a conservation project worth supporting.

After this really exciting cultural mash-up you will have had, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Turaco tree top or Primate lodge Kibale

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 8: DRIVE TO MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, drive to Murchison Falls National Park through small towns, villages and great views of the escarpment arriving late evening. This drive takes you through numerous villages giving you an insight into how ordinary Ugandans live. Still, on this journey, look out for sightings of men and women engaging in economic activities such as gardening, you might also encounter women carrying their little one’s monkey style as they strap them behind their backs. This drive takes about 7-8 hours covering a distance of about 320km. You shall stop for lunch in Masindi and continue to Murchison Falls National Park.Dinner and overnight at your lodge

Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge or Murchison river lodge
Meal Plan:  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 9: MORNING GAME DRIVE, AFTERNOON NILE LAUNCH CRUISE AND HIKE TO THE TOP OF THE FALLS.

After breakfast, you will go for your morning game drive that will provide you an opportunity of spotting wild game that may include many of the park’s 76 species of mammals including Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos, Rothschild’s giraffes, spotted hyenas, Jackson’s hartebeests, Hippos, Warthogs, Oribis, Uganda kobs and Waterbucks. You will also have an opportunity to see several of the park’s 451 bird species.

You will then return to the lodge for a lunch break before proceeding to the pier for your two hour boat cruise to the bottom of the falls to witness how river Nile squeezes itself in a 7 meter wide gorge before dropping down while exploding out a 45 meters narrow gorge producing an experience of a lifetime.

On the launch cruise, you will be able to see passing hippos and crocodiles, elephants and waterbuck that come to the river to drink along with numerous birds such as shoebills, Goliath herons, Saddle billed storks, African Jacana, Senegal thick-knee, African quail finch, Squacco heron, kingfishers, skimmers, and Comrants.

Thereafter, you will undertake a challenging but rewarding hike to the top of the falls from where you will be marvelled by the power with which the Nile crashes through the narrow gap in the escarpment with a deafening roar and voluminous spray.

After this exciting afternoon, you will drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and over night

Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge or Murchison river lodge
Meal Plan:  Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 10: TRANSFER BACK TO KAMPALA

After breakfast, you will bid farewell to the lodge and start your journey back to Kampala. You will drive through the flat terrain of central Uganda with beautiful scenery and towns where you will see people going on with their daily life and make a stop en route for lunch. You may decide to visit the Zziwa Rhino sanctuary (optional). Proceed to Kampala/ Entebbe for your departure flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and lunch

END OF TOUR