5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda – Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 of the 5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda: Transfer from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Make a stop at Uganda Equator crossing Kayabwe and a traditional lunch stop at Igongo Cultural Center

After breakfast at your place of stay in Kampala, you get into your confortable safari vehicle in the company of your guide at 6:30 and drive to the south west of Uganda to Queen Elizabeth National Park 417km about 7 hours’ drive. You make a stop at Uganda Equator Crossing Kayabwe after driving 77km from Kampala and have time to explore this significant geographical site – the Sun’s way and the point of separation between the northern and southern hemisphere. A well interpreted water experiment is performed to show the separation of these two poles. The place also features rewarding photographing opportunities where you take photos with one leg in the northern hemisphere and another in the southern hemisphere. Continue on the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park making another stop for lunch. Embark on the drive past Mbarara town and enjoying the views of Bunyaruguru Crater and the lush Kalinzu forest. Arrive in Queen Elizabeth National Park in the evening engage in Chimpanzee tracking in the Kalinzu game reserve before retiring to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Up market / Luxury: Mazike Valley Lodge, Midrange / Standard:Enganzi Game Lodge, Budget:Pumba Safari Cottages

Day 2 of the 5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda: Do morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel & an evening game drive along the channel track

You wake up for an early morning cup of coffee in the views of the moist savannah before heading to the park for the game drive at 7am. Undertake a game drive in the Kasenyi tracks and the Queen’s Mile in the open savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park lying flat on the Albertine rift floor. This Uganda safari encounter offers you an opportunity to explore a range of wild game including; cape Buffaloes, Leopards, Topi, Elephants,Kobs, Waterbucks, Warthogs, Hyena, lions, side stripped jackals among other wildlife not forgetting counts of bird species since Queen Elizabeth National Park has the highest bird count in the whole of Uganda and East Africa (over 600)including the Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Pinkbacked Pelican, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, White-tailed Lark, Black Bee-eater, White-winged Warbler among other birds. Retreat from the activity for relaxation and lunch after which you gather at Mweya jetty for an afternoon Kazinga Channel boat cruise departing at 2pm. You will have an afternoon 2-hour boat cruise running along the Kazinga channel that stretches from Lake George to Lake Edward covering 45km distance. This cruise offers you an opportunity to see at close range the highest concentration of water submerged Hippos, surrounded by over 550 species of migrant and resident birds plus crocodiles drinking and resting at water edges. The cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. You retreat from the boat cruise and do an evening game drive along the Channel track to explore more wild game in their evening moments. Continue to the lodge for overnight

Accommodation: Up market / Luxury: Mazike Valley Lodge, Midrange / Standard:Enganzi Game Lodge, Budget:Pumba Safari Cottages

Day 3 of the 5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Do a game drive in Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth NP in search of tree climbing lions and other wild game

After breakfast at your respective lodge, embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Ruhija depending on where you are going to track gorillas from. The drive takes you through Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park where you spend some time driving in its rolling plains marked by counts of fig trees in search of tree climbing lions that tend to climb the fig trees during the daytime. The short trees with overlying branches in Ishasha present the best opportunities for viewing tree climbing lions than any other part of the world where such Species exist. Continue on the drive to make another stop in the local communities of Kanungu for a coffee plantation tour to explore the traditional coffee growing practices, its cultural attachment to the local people and its significance to the local community. Arrive in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Up market / Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma, Midrange / Budget: Gorilla Mist Camp

Day 4 of the 5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda: Do gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for an evening boat cruise and relaxation

Have breakfast at your respective lodge and then go to the park offices to get briefed at 8:00 am after which you embark on the Uganda gorilla trek along the designated trails within the impenetrable forest in search of these great mountains gorillas. The gorilla trekking might take you 2 – 8 hours to find the giant Gorillas depending on their movement. The trek/quest for these great apes is tiresome but very well rewarded by meeting, spending time with and photographing these great gorillas as you look straight into their inviting brown expressive eyes, this is a life time thrill of a wild life adventure only Africa can offer you. After your one hour with the gorillas, return to the starting pointand transfer to the starting point to embark on the transfer to Lake Bunyonyi driving through fascinating Kigezi Highlands which locals apply terracing method to cultivate their slopes deriving impressive scenic landscape. You arrive at Lake Bunyonyi in the afternoon and embark on the boat cruise to explore the second deepest Lake in Africa with a count of 29 Islands. Retire for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Upmarket / Luxury: Birdnest @Lake Bunyonyi Resort, Midrange / Budget: Lake Bunyonyi Eco – resort

Day 5 of the 5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi back to Kampala

After breakfast, embark on the transfer back to Kampala 437km about 7 hours’ drive. You drive through the magical highlands of Kigezi covered with mist in the morning before continuing through impressive south western Uganda landscapes of Ntungamo with extensive banana plantations and cattle farms. A lunch stop will be made at Igongo Cultural Center and another can still be made at the Equator crossing Kayabwe to get yourself a memorabilia to carry back home.

End of the 5 Days Gorilla Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari in Uganda