12 Day Uganda Safari with Gorilla Trekking
Uganda Safari
The safari will unleash the fascinating beauty of Uganda’s rolling plains and hidden wildlife species in their natural habitat like the African elephants, cape buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, lions, sitatungas, mongoose, spotted hyenas, jackals, civet cats, various bird species, and also primate species among others in the different national parks of Uganda.
Key information
- Group safari
- Starting and ending points: Kampala
- English speaking guide
- All park fees are included
Highlights
- About 10 game drives
- Chances to see elephants, cape buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, and lions
- Ride in a pop-up roof 4X4 vehicle
- Visit Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Lake Mburo National Parks
- 11 nights accommodation
- Daily meals
- Transfers to and from the airport
- All park entrance fees
Styles
Accommodation
You will stay in various mid-range accommodations along the route.
- Day 1: Latitude 0 Degrees or similar
- Days 2 and 3: Pakuba Safari Lodge or similar
- Day 4: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge or similar
- Days 5 and 6: Twin Lake Safari Lodge or similar
- Days 7 and 8: Engagi Lodge or similar
- Days 9 and 10: Arcadia Cottage Lake Bunyonyi or similar
- Day 11: Rwakobo Rock or similar
Program
Daily itinerary
Day 1: Pick up from Entebbe International Airport - Transfer to your hotel
This day will start with a pick-up from Entebbe International Airport (EBB). Your professional driver guide from Paradise Adventure Vacations will meet and greet you. He will brief you about the 12-day Uganda gorilla trekking safari and thereafter, he will drive you to your hotel where you will have rest from the long journey.
- Location: Kampala
- Accommodation: Latitude 0 Degrees or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Day 2: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park with a stopover in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Upon waking up on your second day, you will have a heavy delicious breakfast from your hotel and thereafter, embark on a drive to Murchison Falls National Park with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary located along Gulu highway for rhino trekking, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you will get an opportunity to watch these endangered, magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Here, you will encounter not only the white rhinos but also some antelopes like bushbucks, Uganda kobs, oribis, waterbucks, and also bird species like grey-crowned crane, shoebill, African fish eagle, African jacana, Marabou stork, red-billed oxpeckers, African grey hornbill, and white egret among other bird species and then you will return for a special lunch and later, you will drive to Murchison falls National Park for dinner and overnight.
- Location: Murchison Falls National Park
- Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park - Early morning game drive - Afternoon boat cruise - Hike to the top of The Falls - Optional night game drive
Wake up for an early morning breakfast and prepare yourself for another exciting encounter. Day three of your safari starts with an early morning game drive through different trails of the park like Albert Trail, Buligi Trail, and the Victoria Trail. Here, you will meet eye to eye with different mammal species like buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, bush barks, and giraffes among others, return to your lodge for relaxation, and lunch.
Later in the afternoon, embark on an afternoon boat cruise upstream to the bottom of the falls. While on the cruise, you will see the Nile crocodiles resting on the shores, herds of hippos while in water, bird species like the black bee-eater, grey crowned crane, marabou stork, and many others. After the cruise, you will then hike to the top of the falls where you witness the strength of the magnificent Murchison Falls as it roars and pours itself out through a narrow eight-meter gorge.
While here, you will enjoy the soft splashes as they feel like little drizzles falling on your face from heaven. You will then return to your lodge for relaxation as you await your dinner and overnight. Or you can opt for a night game drive with extra costs.
- Location: Murchison Falls National Park
- Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 4: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park - Bigodi Wetland and community visit
After your heavy morning breakfast, you will drive to Kibale National Park which is located in the Western region of Uganda in the Kabarole district. This drive will take about five hours and it will offer you magnificent scenic views of Uganda’s landscape as you drive to the park. En route to your destination, you will have a lunch stopover in Fort Portal Tourism City. Then you will proceed to the park’s Bigodi wetland for a swamp walk.
During this walk, you will spot some butterfly species and birds like the black-crowned waxbill, white-spotted fluff tail, white-breasted Negrofinch, yellow-spotted barbet, black bishop, hairy-breasted barbet, yellow-billed barbet, brown-crowned tchagra, black and white shrike-flycatcher, Western nicator, superb sunbird, among others. You will then proceed for a community walk where you will see and taste the gins brewed from bananas, craft making, and coffee processing, and then you will return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
- Location: Kibale Forest National Park
- Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 5: Kibale National Park - Chimpanzee tracking - Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wake up early morning for a heavy breakfast and start the day. Wear appropriate clothing like a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of khaki or jean trousers, a round cap, waterproof boots, and a heavy sweater to protect you from falling tree branches and also in case of bad weather.
Also, carry in your backpack some snacks and drinking water to help keep you hydrated during the trek since it may take about one to five hours to find the Chimpanzees depending on their location. Proceed to the Kanyachu Visitor Center for a briefing about the do’s and the do-nots of the park, while here, you will be assigned a park ranger who will take you through the forest and also a chimpanzee family to look out for.
During the trek, you will spot primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, the red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, red colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, L’Hoest’s monkey, Mantled guereza, Potto, Vervet monkey, white-eyelid mangabey, Galago, among others, and also various bird species like the olive long-tailed cuckoo, western tinker bird, blue-headed sunbird, red-faced woodland, grey parrot, yellow spotted nicator, little greenbul, blue breasted kingfisher, among other bird species.
You will also spot mammal species like African elephants, bush pigs, warthogs, forest hogs, and forest cape buffaloes among others. Upon finding the chimpanzees, you will have a one-hour encounter with them while learning their behaviors, social life, and how they feed and play so feel free to ask the park ranger as many questions as possible. You will then proceed with the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will have your dinner and an overnight.
- Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Accommodation: Twin Lake Safari Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park - Early morning game drive or optional experiential lion and leopard tracking - Afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel - Crater lake exploration
Your day will start with an early morning heavy breakfast and then you will head out to the jungle to search for the various mammal species that inhabit Queen Elizabeth National Park like antelopes, hippos, bush pigs, sitatungas, topis, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, and elephants among others. Or you can opt for an experiential lion and leopard tracking experience in the northern sector of the park “Kasenyi plains” which goes for an extra cost.
After a great time in the jungle, you will return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch, later in the afternoon proceed for another ultimate experience on the Kazinga channel while cruising. While on the cruise, you will view the herds of hippos taking in water, elephants drinking water on the banks of the Kazinga channel, Nile crocodiles resting in the shade at the shores, and also various bird species like the martial eagle, grey-crowned crane, African green pigeon, and handsome francolin among other bird species.
You will later proceed for a Crater Lake exploration at Lake Katwe Explosion craters which is a 27-kilometer drive through the craters in Queen Elizabeth National Park. On your way, you will spot some animals like the lonely male buffaloes, elephants, water bucks, Uganda kobs, sitatungas, antelopes, chimpanzees and also flamingos at Lake Munyanyange, termites, and snakes among others.
Upon reaching, you will see the number one salt distributor in Uganda and learn how salt is extracted, you will also see the Western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley and escarpments during the drive then you will return to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight.
- Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Accommodation: Twin Lake Safari Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 7: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park through the Ishasha sector
This day will start with an early morning breakfast and then you will check out of your accommodation to proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park which is located south of Queen Elizabeth National Park and it will take about five hours to reach the Northern sector of Buhoma.
During your journey out of Queen Elizabeth, you will drive through the Ishasha sector to search for the tree-climbing lions and other wildlife like topis, aardvarks, lions, elephants, monkeys, Uganda kobs, hippos, leopards, and waterbucks among others which are found in this sector of the park and then have a lunch stopover in Kihihi and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park for dinner and overnight.
- Location: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
- Accommodation: Engagi Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 8: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park - Gorilla trekking - Batwa community encounter
Upon waking up to the beautiful sounds of the birds singing in the sky, you will start your day with an early morning breakfast. Wear appropriate clothing for the day like a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of khaki or jean trousers, a round cap, and waterproof boots to protect you against the falling tree branches of the Impenetrable forest and also in case of bad weather. Pack some snacks and water to help in keeping you hydrated during the trek.
Proceed to the park’s headquarters for a briefing on the do’s and the do-nots while you are with the mountain gorillas, you will also be assigned a park ranger who will guide you during the trek and also a gorilla family to look out for and then start the search for the mountain gorillas which will take about one to five hours depending on their location.
During your trek, you will encounter various primate species like the black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey mangabeys, and blue monkeys and also bird species like handsome francolin, red-headed blue bill, regal sunbird, breasted sunbird, African blue cuckoo, Rwenzori turaco, Shelley’s crimson, purple sunbird among other bird species. On finding the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend only one hour with them as you learn about their ways of life, how they feed and take care of their young ones, how they communicate among others.
Feel free to ask as many questions as possible about these gorillas and take memorable pictures and then you will return to your accommodation for lunch. Later you will visit the Batwa community where the early inhabitants of the ancient Impenetrable forest before it became a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992 and learn about their social ways of life and how they hunt for food in their ancient ways, visit a Batwa homestead to watch how they dance and also hear ancient legends and their folk songs, and then you will return to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight.
- Location: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
- Accommodation: Engagi Lodge or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 9: Drive to Lake Bunyonyi - Relaxation
Upon waking on day nine, you will have a heavy delicious breakfast specifically made for you and then you will drive to Lake Bunyonyi which is a three-hour drive from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Lake Bunyonyi is located in the extreme border between Uganda and Rwanda and it is known for offering great rest to travelers due to its beautiful views. Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Uganda having 29 different Islands, a fresh climate to relax from, and also a clear view of the Virunga Mountains. Upon reaching, you will spend the whole day relaxing and enjoying the beautiful views of the lake.
- Location: Lake Bunyonyi
- Accommodation: Arcadia Cottage Lake Bunyonyi or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 10: Lake Bunyonyi - Relaxation at leisure
Your day will have fun-filled activities that will rejuvenate your body after a long safari. Among the activities, you will engage in include swimming, canoeing, cycling, birding, and community visits depending on your preferences. Spend the rest of the day at your convenience.
- Location: Lake Bunyonyi
- Accommodation: Arcadia Cottage Lake Bunyonyi or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 11: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park - Evening to night game drive
Upon waking up on day 11, you will proceed with your safari to Lake Mburo National Park where you will have a hearty lunch. You will spend the entire afternoon relaxing at the lodge as you await an evening-to-night game drive with an armed park ranger and spotlight torches to help you see nocturnals in the night like hyenas, hares, porcupine, honey badgers, white-tailed mongooses, jackals, serval cats, bush pigs, civets, galagos, leopards, and also hippos while grazing on short grass. You will then return to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight.
- Location: Lake Mburo National Park
- Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock or similar (Mid-range)
- Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 12: Morning nature walk or horse ride - Transfer back to Entebbe International Airport (EBB) or your hotel with a stopover at the equator
Upon waking up on your final day, you will have an early morning heavy breakfast, and then you will proceed for a nature walk or horse riding in the park which will take about two to three hours. This experience in Lake Mburo National Park will take you off the main paths and you will go deep into the bush trails to enjoy the park and see herds of zebras, giraffes, elands, impalas, buffalos, Defassa waterbucks, oribis, leopards, hippos, hyenas, topis and reedbuck among others.
After this unique experience, you will then drive to Entebbe International Airport (EBB) or your hotel with a lunch stopover and also a stopover at the equator line.
- Location: Kampala (City)
- Meals: Breakfast and lunch
About the tour
This safari will start with a drive to Murchison Falls National Park with a stopover for rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and thereafter, you will proceed to Kibale Forest National Park for chimpanzee trekking. You will track the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and then you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to trek the mountain gorillas. You will later relax at Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest lake in Uganda, after your life-giving safari before proceeding to Lake Mburo National Park for yet other exciting encounters.
Safari vehicles seating plan - 4x4 safari land cruiser extended
All safari vehicles are Toyota land-cruiser 4×4 with pop-up roofs. The vehicles are serviced and maintained to a very high standard before, during, and after every safari. Paradise Adventure Vacations Ltd offers all-wheel drive safari vehicles suitable for off-road driving, which enable travelers to discover the magical areas of East Africa pleasantly and reliably.
Their fleet consists of 4×4 Toyota Land cruisers with a hinged roof and skylights above the front seats. The hinged roof offers two main advantages: it provides shade without restricting the view so that you can enjoy your safari even in the very sunny hours of the day. It also allows a 360-degree all-round view. Vehicles are equipped with:
- Adjustable comfortable seats
- Electric refrigerator for drinks
- High-performance shock absorbers
- Tool and first aid kit
- Adapters and battery chargers
Due to the difficult ground and road conditions inside and outside the national parks and wildlife reserves, a four-wheel drive vehicle is not only recommended but also crucial for an eventful safari.
Location
The safari will take place in Uganda.
Murchison Falls National Park
Located in the northwestern region of Uganda. It is the largest national park in Uganda covering an area of 3840 square kilometers.
It has a variety of wildlife of about 76 mammal species like lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, chimpanzees, and also primates like black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, and various bird species of about 451 like the grey crowned crane, the rare shoe bill, giant kingfisher, Giant heron, marabou stork, black-headed lapwing, black-bellied bustard, Nightjars among other bird species.
Kibale National Park
Located in Western Uganda in the Kabarole district and established in 1993, the park is known for being “The primate capital of the World” having various Chimpanzees with a population of over 1500 individuals including habituated ones which are about 120 making it the park with the highest primate population. Among the primates are the black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, L’Hoest’s monkey, olive baboons, mantled guereza, potto, vervet monkey, white-eyelid mangabey, and galago among others.
The park is also home to about 120 mammal species including African golden cats, bush pigs, warthogs, blue and red duiker, rare sitatunga, forest hogs, African elephants, and forest cape buffaloes, among others, and also more than 300 species of birds including olive long-tailed cuckoo, western tinker bird, grey parrot, blue breasted kingfisher, blue-headed sunbird, red-faced woodland, yellow spotted nicator, little greenbul among other bird species.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Known for having the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of the park, these lions are not found in any other national park in Uganda thus being “The Medley of Wonders”, the park is home to 95 mammal species including the four members of the Big five which are elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards and also Uganda kobs, bushbucks, oribis, bush pigs, forest hogs, hippos, sitatungas and over 600 bird species like the African skimmer, rare saddle billed stork, grey-headed kingfisher, African mourning dove, African crowned eagle, Nubian woodpecker, swamp flycatcher, grey capped warbler, little bee-eater among other bird species.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
One of Uganda’s oldest rainforests with more than 25000 years of age. The park is home to almost half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas which gives a great opportunity for gorilla trekking and habituation in the park’s sectors like Nkuringo, Buhoma, Ruhija, and Rushaga.
The park harbors 120 mammal species like elephants, duikers, yellow-backed duikers, buffaloes, golden cats, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, black-fronted duikers, clawless otters, side-striped jackals, civets, numerous bats, rodents, and 350 bird species like handsome francolin, purple sunbird, red headed blue bill, African blue cuckoo, regal sunbird, breasted sunbird, Ruwenzori turaco, and Shelley’s crimson among other bird species.
Lake Mburo National Park
Located in the Southern part of Uganda in Kiruhura district. The park is known for its large herds of zebras, impalas, elands, topis, and buffaloes among other species. The park is home to over 68 mammal species like zebras, elands, impalas, buffalos, Defassa waterbucks, oribis, leopards, hippos, hyenas, topis, and reedbucks.
Lake Mburo National Park is also home to about 350 bird species like mosque swallow, black-bellied bustard, bare-faced-go away bird, Ruppel’s starling, African wattled lapwing, pied kingfisher, Malachite kingfisher, Saddle-billed stork, red-faced barbet, and yellow-breasted apalis among other bird species.
Food
You will be served daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, bottled mineral water, and fruits included in the price.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Things to do (optional)
Experiential lion and leopard tracking (250 USD per person)
You can opt for an experiential lion and leopard tracking experience in the northern sector of the park “Kasenyi plains” which goes for an extra 250 USD per person, while here, you will have an opportunity to drive off track while tracing a pride of lions and the leopards of the park.
This experience takes you beyond the usual game drive since you get to learn about their population, behavior, lifestyle, and also any other information concerning them. Experiential lion and leopard tracking is done by researchers who drive around the park with radiation trackers which help them to find lions that have radio collars around their necks, trackers here can drive off trucks in order to find the predators whenever the signals are directed.
Night game drive in Murchison Falls National Park (100 USD per person)
You can opt for a night game drive which comes at an extra cost of 100 USD per person. This drive is done with an armed ranger guide and also spotlight torches which will enable you to spot the predators as they hunt like hyenas, leopards, lions, bush babies, and hippos among others.
What's included
- 10 game drives
- Rhino tracking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Night game in Lake Mburo National Park
- Nature walk or horse riding in Lake Mburo National Park
- Bigodi sanctuary swamp and community safari
- 1 visit to the Equator landmark
- Batwa community encounter
- 11 nights accommodation
- Full-board meals
- Bottled mineral water
- Drinking water and fruits
- Airport transfers
- Private transport for 12 days in a well-modified safari extended land-cruiser (4WD, air-conditioned, and pop-up roof)
- Fuel for 12 days
- English safari driver guide for 12 days
- All park entrance fees
- All applicable government taxes
- 1 chimpanzee trekking permit per person (Kibale Forest National Park)
- 1 mountain gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (Buhoma sector)
What's not included
- International and domestic flights
- Extra activities
- Country entry visa
- Personal travel insurance
- Items of personal nature, laundry, or telephone charges
- Souvenirs and gifts
- Tips
- Alcoholic and other soft drinks (sodas, special juice orders at the lodge, and wines)
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Entebbe International Airport
30 km
Transfer included
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookAllSafaris.com. All major credit cards supported.