8 Days Uganda Gorilla Tracking Tour

April 22, 2024

8 Days Uganda Gorilla Tracking Tour

Safari Overview

This 8-day Uganda Gorilla Tracking Tour takes you to Lake Mburo National Park for a game drive and a boat ride on the Lake in search of wildlife. Additionally, you’ll visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking. Thirdly, you’ll visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel and game drive. Finally, then explore Kibale National Park for chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi Wetland walk. Thereafter you will drive back to Entebbe to catch your flight out. This 8-day Uganda Gorilla Tracking Tour starts and ends in Entebbe or Kampala. This safari can also start and end in Kigali, Rwanda.

8 Days Uganda Gorilla Tracking Tour Summary

Day 1: Pick up from your Hotel and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park for a game drive and boat ride
Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 3: Gorilla tracking
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an evening game drive.
Day 5: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Day 6: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale National Park.
Day 7: Chimp trekking and Bigodi Wetland walk.
Day 8: Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe marking the end of your 8 Days Gorilla Tracking Tour

Detailed Itinerary of the 8 Days Gorilla Tracking Tour

Arrival

Your driver-guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer to your hotel

We can arrange accommodation before and after the tour at an extra cost

Day 1: Pick up from Entebbe and Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After breakfast, drive to Lake Mburo National Park through the small towns of Uganda. Make a stopover at the Equator crossing in Kayabwe for photographs and some informative talks and experiments. Have lunch in Mbarara and later enjoy an en-route game drive as you proceed with the journey. Drive to your lodge\hotel for check-in and lunch. After lunch, you will take a boat on the lake in search of Hippos, Crocodiles, and water birds among others.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lodge: Mihingo Lodge/Rwakobo Rock Lodge/Hyena Hill Lodge

Drive time: 5-6 hours

Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

After breakfast, enjoy an en-route game drive through Lake Mburo National Park. Then, Proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in South Western Uganda. This journey takes you through the green rolling hills of Uganda. These are covered with banana and tea plantations which offer great scenic views. You’ll get your lunch en route and you will arrive in Bwindi in the evening.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Lodge: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge

Drive time: 6-7 hours.

Day 3: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi

After an early morning breakfast, with your lunch, you will report to the Park Headquarters at about 7:45 am. You’ll register and then join other trackers for a briefing about the Dos and Don’ts during your Gorilla Tracking safari. Your guides will lead you through the thick creepers and undergrowth as you trek to find the Gorillas. This trek can take you half an hour to ¾ of the day. The steep landscape with thick forests has numerous animal trails that crisscross them allowing access to tourists. The amount of time you take during the trek largely depends on the movement of the gorillas. But it is an extraordinary feeling being with these beautiful yet endangered Creatures.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Lodge: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge

DAY 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

This morning you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. So, prepare for some incredible scenery along the way. You will arrive in time for Lunch at the lodge. Then, embark on an afternoon game drive in the plains of Kasenyi. You’ll go searching for Savannah wildlife which may include herds of buffaloes, antelopes, and elephants. If you are lucky, you will spot some wild cats such as lions and leopards.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Lodge: Elephant Hab Lodge\Buffalo Safari Lodge

Drive time: 4-5 hours.

DAY 5: Morning Game drive and afternoon boat on Kazinga

This morning you will head back to the plains of Kasenyi for a morning game drive. You’ll try to find what you could have missed seeing the previous day. You’ll have Lunch at the lodge. After lunch, you will head to the jetty along the Kazinga channel for the afternoon boat cruise. This cruise offers you beautiful chances to view many animals. These include hippos, elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles, and some water birds which flop the channel to drink water.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Lodge: Elephant Hab Lodge\Buffalo Safari Lodge

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). You’ll drive there in search of some wild animals which include: Elephants, Buffalo, and some wild cats. You’ll also see different species of antelopes such as waterbucks, Uganda kobs, etc. as well as Savannah birds. After lunch, you will drive to Kibale National Park arriving at your lodge in the evening.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner.

Lodge: Turaco Treetops/Chimpanzee Guest House

Drive time: 3-4hours.

DAY 7: Chimp Tracking in Kibale National Park

After breakfast, you will transfer to Kibale National Park Headquarters at Kanyanchu. Here, you will join other trekkers for briefing before you proceed into the forest for chimpanzee trekking. You will be led by a well-trained and experienced ranger/guide who will take you for a guided primate walk inside Kibale Forest National Park. This forest provides an opportunity to visit one of the habituated communities of chimpanzees. You spend an hour with these Great Apes while observing their behavior. You have the permission to take photographs. So make sure your cameras are nearby.

Kibale National Park is also home to other 13 primate species which you can spot while trekking the Chimpanzees. Of course, there are also numerous species of forest birds. This is another haven for bird lovers. After lunch, you will head to Bigodi Wetland for a wetland walk. You’ll have opportunities to see primates and several bird species. This walk will enable you to appreciate the role of the local people around Bigodi in conserving the wetland. You can choose to support them through donations in kind. Please note that this is a voluntary act.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner.

Lodge: Chimpanzee Forest guest house/Isunga Lodge