10 days gorillas and game safari in uganda

Overview

This 10-day Uganda safari holiday is packed with adventure and activities in the most stunning and exciting parts of Uganda.

You will enjoy white-water rafting in the rapids of the Nile River, and the wildlife of the savannah. You will top it all off with a hike to see the endangered mountain gorillas deep in the forest.

In the various areas, you will have a chance to interact with the local communities and gain a deeper understanding of the culture and way of life.

During the trip, you’ll stay in safari lodges that offer a unique and authentic African experience. Each day will offer something new and interesting, continuously enhancing your overall experience.

Take a look at the detailed itinerary to get a clear idea of what this trip would feel like for you. Also, keep in mind that all our trips can be fully personalized to fit your specific needs.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Airport pickup

Our driver/guide will be waiting at Entebbe International Airport to pick you up and then transfer you to your accommodation for the night.

Accommodation: Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe

Meal plan: Dinner

Day 2: White Water Rafting in Jinja

Early in the morning, after your breakfast, you will be driven to Jinja for a white-water rafting experience which can either take a full day or half day depending on your choice.

This is one of the most exciting rafting trips on earth, going up to 31 km, and includes a fantastic barbeque lunch and complimentary drinks after the trip.

Accommodation: 2 Friends Resort, Jinja

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Drive to Kibale National Park

After your breakfast, you will leave for Kibale National Park in western Uganda. The drive takes around 8 hours, including a stopover for lunch in Fort Portal town.

Along the way, you will pass many small towns, villages, tea farms, and roadside markets, all of which make the Ugandan countryside full of beauty.

You will reach Kibale with enough time to relax and unwind after a day of travel.

Accommodation:  Kibale Forest Camp

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park

After early morning breakfast, your driver/guide will drive you to the Kibale National Park office where you will be briefed about the activity of tracking chimpanzees in the wild.

You will then go on a guided primate walk in search of chimpanzees and 12 other primates including l’ Hoestes, Red colobus monkeys, blue, red-tailed monkeys, brown monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

The park rangers will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates but on all the forest fauna and flora, and will ensure that your walk is informative and enjoyable.

After finding the chimps, you will spend 1 hour with them before heading back to the park offices.

You will go back to the lodge for lunch & refreshments.

After lunch, you will visit the community and take a walk in Bigodi Swamp – which is the home of the great blue Turaco bird. The swamp is home to around 200 bird species and 8 primate species. Later, return to your accommodation for dinner & overnight stay.

Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Visit Caves & Crater Lakes, drive to Queen Elizabeth N.P

After breakfast, you will start the day with a cultural tour of the ‘Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru’ caves – a great historic site located 10km out of Fort Portal town.

You will be accompanied by an informed guide who knows more about this place. Remember to carry along a flashlight, hiking boots, long trousers, etc since you are going to enter the caves. Thereafter, you will hike the explosion crater lakes surrounding this area and then return to Fort Portal town for lunch and a visit to the Tooro Kingdom Palace.

In the evening, drive to Uganda’s second-largest park – Queen Elizabeth National Park while enjoying the changing views of the mystical Rwenzori Mountain ranges.

Accommodation: Bush Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Wildlife Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you will go for an early morning wildlife safari game drive in this park. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forests, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.

With the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop, you will have excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, cape buffalos, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kobs, Topi, and bushbuck.

After lunch, you will go for a 2–3-hour boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This take will take you through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. Many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge.

This launch cruise offers great opportunities for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with more than 600 different species.

Accommodation: Bush Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After your breakfast, you will be driven from Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a 6-hour journey passing through the Kigezi Highlands, an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa."

The journey takes you through terraced hills and winding roads to the Bwindi Forest. You will have a stopover in Kabale for lunch.

Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge / Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today is the big day! Prepare yourself for an encounter with the gentle giants-the rare mountain gorillas.

For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their trip. You will go into the forest in groups of no more than 8 in search of mountain gorillas. En route, your guide will point out previous signs of gorilla activity such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots.

Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo. Upon finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them after which you will be led back to the starting point.

Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge / Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park

After an early breakfast, you will drive from Bwindi Impenetrable to Lake Mburo National Park. The journey will take approximately 7 hours, including a stopover in Mbarara for lunch. 

You will reach the park early enough to do both a wildlife game drive and a boat cruise on Lake Mburo.

You will be able to see animals like zebras, elands, buffalos, and oribi, among others.

Birdwatchers will enjoy more than 250 species of birds found in Lake Mburo, including Papyrus Gonolek, Brown-faced Lapwing, Carruthers Cisticola, the extraordinary White-winged Warbler, and the Bare-Faced-Go-Away bird.

Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Drive back to Entebbe

After breakfast, proceed for a wildlife safari walk in Lake Mburo National Park. An armed ranger will escort you to make sure you are protected. You may also come across a herd of zebras peacefully grazing alongside the long-horned Ankole cattle.

For those willing to get up a bit earlier, you may be able to see Lake Mburo’s hyenas in their cave.

You will return to the lodge for lunch after which you will be driven back to Kampala.

You will have a stopover at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers where you will witness the making of ceremonial drums using methods passed down for many generations. There will also be time to stop at the equator for photographs.

We will reach Kampala in the early evening.

Accommodation: None. (Last day)

Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch