Overview
12 Days Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Wildlife Safari; This trip involves encountering gorillas, chimpanzees and wildlife in the Pearl of Africa. It starts from Entebbe and goes through Kampala, Kibale Forest National Park in Western Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Lake Bunyonyi, and Lake Mburo National Park. It ends at Entebbe International Airport.
Some of the adventures for this safari include; gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, game drives and boat cruise, night game drives, horse rides, Batwa cultural visits and Equator en-route.
Trip Summary of your 12 Days Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Wildlife Safari
- Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
- Day 2: Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Day 3: Track Chimpanzees and Community visits
- Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 5: Game drives and boat cruise
- Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 7: Track gorillas and Batwa visit
- Day 8: Spend your day at Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day 10: Horse ride and Boat cruise
- Day 11: Transfer to Kampala with an en-route to Mabamba swamp
- Day 12: Kampala city tour and transfer to Entebbe airport for your flight
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
On this day, you will arrive in Uganda via Entebbe International Airport. Reaching the airport, an Early Trails Expedition representative will be ready to receive you. He will be your driver guide to handle your trip for the rest of your holiday in Uganda. Then, you will be ready to transfer to Kampala and check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (Midrange): Mestil Hotel Kampala
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Today you will have a relaxed served breakfast, and your driver will be ready to brief you before your transfer starts. Then, you will drive to the famous UNESCO site, the Kasubi tombs before transferring to Kibale Forest National Park. The tombs are a traditional treasure where the last three fallen kings of Buganda are laid. Then, we will take a scenic drive via Mityana Road to Fort Portal and possibly have lunch en route either in Mubende or Fort Portal. Continue to your lodge and check in for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (midrange): Primate Lodge
Day 3: Track Chimpanzees and Community visits
Following your breakfast, proceed to the Kanyanchu briefing. Get grouped in groups of 8 individuals to trek a single habituated chimpanzee community. The morning tracking session starts at 8 am and lasts about 30 minutes to 3 hours. And finding the species, you have a limit of one hour in their presence. After the track, return to your lodge, refresh and enjoy your tailored served lunch.
In the afternoon, hours will take a drive to the Bigodi community; reaching the community will learn how the community around Bigodi sanctuary (Swamp), a primate hub, and Kibale aid in nature conservation. These community people engage in conservation practices by considering sustainable management policies. There are various crafts made from material obtained from the swamp, and these crafts can be bought as souvenirs. Then you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (midrange): Primate Lodge
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning take your served breakfast, then drive to Fort Portal and take a short drive to Amabere cave and hike around the Crater Lake. This is a cultural visit that tells about the ancient Bachwezi dynasty. This will take you to the cave under the waterfalls and finish the visit with a hike. This trail can last between 4 to 5 hours and then will refresh with lunch in the Fort portal. Then will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will reach the park by evening hours; check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (midrange): Park View Safari Lodge
Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise
Today will take your morning packed lunch and drive to Kasenyi Kob’s matting ground and enjoy your picnic wild breakfast under the sunrise arrays. Following this fantastic ground will take a drive through various UWA-made trackers watching a complete package of wildlife species dwelling in the park. Expect a pride of lions crossing or lousily relaxed, herds of elephants and buffalos decorating your drive, and several antelope species, including Uganda kobs, duikers, bushbucks among others, warthogs, mongoose, and several bird species, among others. The drive with an experienced ranger guide takes about 2 to 3 hours to explore the treasure of nature in the Kasenyi site.
Then will return to your lodge for lunch refreshments, and in the afternoon, hours will take a drive to the Mweya peninsula and take a boat cruise at Kazinga channel. The boat cruise is among the park’s most rewarding adventures at Queen Elizabeth National Park. The channel’s banks are always filled with more extraordinary mammals, including hippos and crocodiles, elephants, buffalos, and many land mammals are seen drawing water at the shores. The boat ride can take about 2 to 3 hours, with sights crowned with several interesting and exciting bird species. After the cruise will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (midrange): Park View Safari Lodge
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today will take a morning drive to the Ishasha sector south of Queen Elizabeth National Park along your drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Branch off some day hours for a purpose through the Ishasha savannah dotted with acacia woods that are always filled with lions in branches. Take a drive-through to find the jungle king lousily relaxed under tree branches. Afterwards will drive straight to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with lunch en route. You will enter the pack through the Ruhija sector in the evening and check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (midrange): Ruhija Gorilla Lodge
Day 7: Track gorillas and Batwa visit
Today is an exciting day in the jungle. It’s finally a tracking day, and I will hurry to the starting point after energising with breakfast. The trek starts shortly after a briefing, where trekkers are grouped and made ready to face the jungle. Well-clothed in your trekking gear and an equipped backpack under the lead of an armed ranger guide will enrol into the wilderness to initiate a search for the species. The trek starts with a gentle slope into the thick jungle and continues deep into the unseen until sounds and traced and the apes are seen. Gorilla trekking can last 30 minutes to 4 hours before finding your trekked group. Then finding the group, you have an hour in their presence. After, we will return to starting point to refresh, return to the lodge for lunch and drive to the Batwa community and explore the lifestyle of these forest pygmies. Afterwards, you will transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for your overnight and dinner.
Accommodation (Midrange): Bird Nest Resort
Day 8: Spend your day at Lake Bunyonyi
Today you will spend the rest of your day exploring and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Lake Bunyonyi. You take a boat ride to some of the islands, and the most interesting island is Punishment Island due to its story about being an execution island for girls with early pregnancy. Then you will enjoy the sweet melodies of many small birds swinging around your lodge. Today you will spend another night at Lake Bunyonyi.
Accommodation (Midrange): Bird Nest Resort
Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Today following the served tailored breakfast, we will drive to Lake Mburo National Park. The drive is about 6 hours of driving with lunch on route via Mbarara. Reaching the park will have to relax for exciting night hours. At 7 pm will take a guided night game, go on torches and make a night jungle hunt for memorable encounters. This drive is an opening to find either leopards or lions actively hunting. Along several animals, some are seen relaxed, among which can be zebras, giraffes, buffalos, eland, and Impalas, among so many. Then you’ll return after for about 2twoand half hours for your dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (Midrange): Arcadia Lodge
Day 10: Horse ride and Boat cruise
This morning will start with a delicious breakfast, a drive to Mihingo Lodge and a horse ride. The wild horse ride is one exciting thing which brings you close to nature and its treasures. The absence of elephants in Lake Mburo makes it possibly easy to do wild horse rides. The horse rides take various trails and rates according to the guest’s desires. After the horse ride, we will refresh with lunch and take an afternoon boat ride on Lake Mburo. The boat ride enriches with various animal encounters, including buffalos, the highest concentration of Impalas and many other considerations. Returning to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (Midrange): Arcadia Lodge
Day 11: Transfer to Kampala with an en-route to Mabamba swamp
Today will take an early morning breakfast and a drive back to Kampala. However, take a scenic game drive through various game driving tracks, which will be rewarding with different animal sights. Then continue the drive outside Lake Mburo National Park, with an en-route to the Equator for photographs. As you approach, Kampala will take a traditional visit to Nthe aggalabi Buddo coronation site. This is a site where all kings of Buganda are coroneted/crowned from. Then will continue to reach Kampala in the evening and check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation (Midrange): Mestil Hotel Kampala
Day 12: Kampala city tour and transfer to Entebbe airport for your flight
Today enjoy a relaxed day in Kampala. After your morning breakfast, take a city walk downtown and crown it with a visit to Mengo Palace and Bulange building. These are two significant buildings in the history of Buganda, Mengo palace is the official palace of the Kingdom, and Bulange is the administrative block of the Buganda Kingdom. Then your driver will pick you up afterwards and takes you for lunch, then will drive you to Entebbe International Airport for your next flight back home.
On behalf of Early Trials Expedition Uganda, our driver guide will say goodbye to you. Then, take your flight back to your home. We believe after this trip, you will become our next ambassador for Early Trails Expeditions Uganda in your country and area. Thank you!
Trip inclusive;
- 4×4 safari vehicle
- All trip fuel
- All meals and soft drinks
- All Park entrances
- All planned trip activities
- Gorilla permits
- Chimpanzee permits
- Accommodation
- Driver guide
Exclusive;
- Visa and air ticket
- Laundry
- All hard drinks
- Souvenirs
- Tips
- All international flights
