The 16 Days Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Adventure is exciting covering the most parts of Uganda with marvellous activities such as primate tracking like chimpanzees and mountain gorillas, game drives and boat cruises. Enjoy a glazing view of the Fort portal craters through taking a hike of the top of the world hill. So, on this safari, you will encounter different cultures like the Batooro, Batwa pygmies, Bakiga, Baganda and even the Karamajongs. Therefore, the safari combines both wildlife and culture that will be a memorable one in Uganda.
16 Days Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Adventure Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Your driver guide will take you to the hotel room after a pick up from Entebbe international airport. Depending on your arrival time, you may take a walk around the botanical gardens or visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (Entebbe Zoo) to start the safari with knowledge about Uganda wildlife.
Day 2: Travel to Kidepo Valley National Park
Travel to Kidepo valley national park after the breakfast which is the most remote national park in Uganda and third-biggest covering an area of 1442sq.Kilometres with beautiful untouched scenery of vegetation and wildlife.
Among other attractions in this park are animals such as leopards, giraffes, jackals, warthogs, buffalos (has the biggest number of buffalos in Africa), elephants, zebras, different antelopes, trees like Abyssinian palms, Kigelia Africana (sausage tree), Borassus palms, acacias, caves, Karamajongs culture, mountains (like Mount Morungole) and birds like Abyssinian ground hornbill among others. The park, therefore, is termed as the true African wilderness and it takes over 9 hours to access it by road from Kampala city.
Day 3: Game drives and cultural encounter
Start a day with a morning game drive in the savannah plains to enjoy the beauty of the true wildness in Uganda. The drive will be at a speed not exceeding 40km per hour which will enable you spot several attractions such as spotted hyena and black-backed, lion, leopard, cheetahs side-striped jackals, elephant, Zebra, Jackson’s hartebeest, Rothschild’s giraffe, Cape buffalo among others and also birds like the Ostrich, Abyssinian ground hornbill, tree species like Abyssinian palms, Kigelia Africana (sausage tree), Borassus palms, acacias among others.
Return to the lodge for midmorning breakfast and in the afternoon head to the Karamajong community to see the Manyatta houses and learn about their culture, through the traditional dances and music, art and crafts, traditional meals and beverages, marriage customs and much more.
Day 4: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Take a short game drive as you leave Kidepo while heading to Murchison falls national park, the biggest national park in the country and situated in north western Uganda. Passing via Kitgum and Gulu district from Kidepo valley national park will be a rewarding journey full of attractions like river Aswa.
The park is famous for Murchison falls which is the most powerful waterfall in the world and its located on Nile River that divides the park into two parts, the northern part having savannah vegetation with scattered trees which makes it easy to view abundant wildlife during game drives and the southern part that has woodland forest stretching to Budongo forest. On arrival, you will check in the accommodation and this will be the end of the day.
Day 5: Explore Murchison falls national park
Wake up very early in the morning and head for the game drive in the northern part where you spent a night. The game drive will reward you with several wildlife such as the lion, elephants, leopards if you’re lucky, buffalos, giraffes, warthogs, antelopes like Jackson hartebeests, oribis, birds like Abyssinian ground hornbill, African guinea fowls, trees like whistling acacia, Borassus palm trees, among others.
The game drive will take you to Albert Nile mostly known as the hippo pool where you will enjoy the views of Congo blue mountains in a distance. Take a boat cruise on the Nile such that you can be rewarded with several animals such as crocodiles, hippos and on the banks, meet the elephants, warthogs, buffalos, among other as they are drinking water or grazing on the banks.
The cruise will take you to the bottom of the falls and after have a chance to hike to the top of the falls to view a point where Uhuru falls meets Murchison falls and also where a rained is formed (if you are lucky). As water squeezes its self in a tunnel to produce a thunderous sound hence a rainbow is formed. The hike gives an adventure as you see Backer’s rock, fishing point, Devil’s cauldron and much more and the top of the falls is a breath-taking point. Meet you driver guide who will transfer you to the lodge.
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale National Park
After breakfast embark on a long drive journey to Kibale National Park located in western Uganda. The park is unique for harbouring 13 primates (including chimpanzees) Other primates that can also be seen include, red-tailed and L’Hoest’s monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, Guereza colobus, olive baboon.
The park also has Adam’s tree that has the features of Adam and it’s the only male tree that has been discovered in the forest with several other trees that have over 100years. Other animals in the park are; swamp otter, forest elephants, Peter’s duikers as well as marsh mongooses, bush pigs and buffalo along the main trails. Check-in the hotel/lodge room on arrival in the evening.
Day 7: Chimpanzee tracking & community walk in Isunga
On this day of your 16 Days Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Adventure, you will head for chimpanzee trekking after breakfast in Kanyanchu tourist information centre. The activity takes 2-4hours depending on where the chimpanzee slept last night. You will be given exactly one hour to trek our beautiful cousins as you take photos.
In the afternoon, visit the Isunga community which is located near Kibale national park headquarters and learn more about the Bakiga and Batooro cultures at once. While here, you I’ll be entertained with the traditional music and dances, meals, art and craft among others. Learn about the dress code as you meet the local brewers preparing local whisky called waragi.
Day 8: Depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Head for an exciting activity as you visit the tea plantations and the healing cold springs in Isunga community. These cold springs are believed to have natural powers to heal several diseases after a supreme witch doctor has disappeared from this area. Also pass through the tea plantations as the local guide delivers all details about the history of tea in Uganda, planting and harvesting process. This can take 4hours and after transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park in Kasese that is considered to be the second-largest national park in Uganda and widely attracts her visitors due to the existence of the unique tree climbing lions.
The park is home to the famous Kazinga channel that stretches from L. Edward to L. George full of water-loving animals and aquatic life including crocodiles, hippos among others. Other attractions are crater lakes, like Nyamunuka which is a hospital for wild animals and birds, Lake Katwe for salt mining among others
Day 9: Game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Queen Elizabeth NP has diverse wildlife such as the Uganda kobs, hyenas, giraffes, buffalos, elephants, oribis, giant forest hog, warthogs, waterbucks, leopard and cheetahs on occasionally, lions among others. On a game drive in the morning, you will be able to spot a number of these animals which will take about 2-4 hours. Boat Cruise Kazinga Channel is another marvellous activity as you spot crocodiles, hippos, unique birds that migrate from Far East Asia and Europe. This will take you approximately 3 hours cruising on Kazinga channel.
Day 10: Game drive in the Ishasha sector
Enjoy a game drive in the Ishasha sector in search of tree climbing lions. They are one of the popular activities in Uganda, just after gorilla trekking. Return to the lodge for accommodation in Ishasha sector.
Day 11: Depart to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Drive to Bwindi impenetrable national park in south western Uganda after your delicious cup of tea or coffee, the journey is rewarding with a road trip through the Kigezi highlands, tea plantations and the Bakiga homesteads.
The park is home to half of the remaining mountain gorillas. Other mammals include duikers, elephants, buffalos, side stripped jackals, giant forest hogs, bush pigs among others. The park is also a good hub for birders with over 350 species of birds which include 23 Albertine rift endemics and of which 24 are unique and only found in Bwindi National park and these include; Abyssinian ground thrush, red-throated leather, black bee-eater, black-billed weaver among others.
Day 12: Gorilla habitation in the Bwindi forest
The activity starts early in the morning, just like normal trekking. Visitors join researchers and rangers to an experience that will last for the next 4 or more hours depending on the speed and movements of the tracked gorilla family.
Gorilla habituation experience rewards visitors with a memorable experience as you watch the remaining mountain gorillas as they play, groom their children and also feed. Habituation helps the gorillas to get used to the human presence and every gorilla family is assigned to only 4 people per day.
Day 13: Trekking in the Buhoma sector and cultural encounter
Assemble at the office of the park for a short briefing and about the rules to follow while trekking the gorillas. And here, you will be assigned to trek only one gorilla family, either Mubare, Katwe, Habanyanja or Rushegura).
Gorilla trekking takes between 2-8 hours and this may depend on where and how fast you will find these gorillas. After an hour that will be given to you as you take photos, trek back and head to the lodge for your mid breakfast and lunch. Visit the local community to experience the Bakiga or Batwa pygmies and enjoy their traditional music and dances and traditional meals, art and craft and much more.
Day 14: Bwindi National Park to Lake Mburo N/P
After your breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda. The park has impalas and they can only be spotted in this area and also has several lakes but the main one is lake Mburo. You will have a stopover at Igongo cultural centre to experience the Banyankole culture as you visit the museum. At this point you have your lunch, later proceed to the park for your booked accommodation.
Day 15 Game drive and transfer to Kampala
Have a morning breakfast and head for a game drive in the savannah part of the park to catch up with various species of animals. These include zebras, elephants, warthogs, elands, impalas, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and buffaloes and much more. In the afternoon hit Masaka-Kampala road, and have a stopover in Kayabwe at the Equator for experiment and photography. Proceed to reach Kampala late in the evening for your accommodation and nightlife.
Day 16: Transfer to Entebbe airport
On this last day of your safari, our driver guide will pick you from the accommodation/hotel and transfer ours to Entebbe airport. This will be the end of your 16 Days Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Adventure
