6 Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari

This 6-day Uganda Safari takes you gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and game watching in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most popular game park.
 
 In the Bwindi Forest, also known for its high plant and animal biodiversity and excellent birding, you will encounter endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. On the Kazinga Channel boat cruise hippos and buffalo are common and on game drives in the Queen Elizabeth National Park you will see a rich variety of African wildlife.

Accommodation on this Uganda safari is at a banda hut safari camp, a guesthouse and a safari lodge. You will be lead by trained safari guides on the gorilla trek in Bwindi Forest and a driver transfers you from the Bwindi Forest safari camp to Queen Elizabeth National Park, and from the airport in Entebbe and back.

Day 1: Entebbe – Uganda

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport a safari guide will meet you to assist with your luggage and transfer you to your overnight accommodation in Entebbe. The guesthouse, located five minutes drive from Entebbe International Airport, is a welcoming homestead set up in a tastefully restored colonial house. Guests are guaranteed friendly service and warm hospitality unique to this area of Uganda.

The guesthouse has six en suite bedrooms decorated in African style. There is a charming residents bar set in the landscaped gardens of the guesthouse, with lake views and a relaxed country-house atmosphere.

Day 2: Entebbe – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Uganda (Breakfast)

After an early breakfast on the first day of the 4-day Uganda safari a private driver or guide will transfer you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, part of the part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, is home to some of the few remaining mountain gorillas.  The journey to Bwindi journey takes about 10 hours crossing the equator into the southern hemisphere in East Africa.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for its primate populations, being home to nearly half the world’s mountain gorillas, at over 300 endangered gorillas. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest ecosystem is exceptionally high in biodiversity, with rich flora and fauna species. This forested area hosts some of the richest tree, small mammal, bird, butterfly, reptilian, and moth populations.

Bwindi is a birding paradise, home to 348 bird species. This area is one of Uganda’s best bird watching destinations supporting nearly all of the Albertine Rift endemic species found in Uganda, along with several Red Data Book species.

We overnight at a safari camp established in 1993 to ensure that gorilla tourism in Bwindi Forest benefits the local community. Community members run the safari camp and all profits are shared with the Bwindi community by means of funding local schools and clinics. The accommodation is in well-maintained bandas (huts) with solar electric lighting. Ablution facilities are shared, except for one banda with en suite facilities. The safari camp is next to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and has a picnic banda as well as a reception building with a dining room and a bar.

Day 3: Bwindi Forest – Uganda (Breakfast & Lunch)

On the third day we head off into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, for the once in a lifetime experience of gorilla trekking to see the endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. Bwindi is best known for gorilla trekking and this activity is the highlight of visiting Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

The day starts with a energy boosting breakfast early in the morning, before reporting to the ranger station for registration and a talk by one of the game rangers at 8:00am. The guides then lead you into the bush, pushing through the undergrowth to track the Bwindi mountain gorillas. This gorilla walk can take anything from 30 minutes to 5 hours, so a reasonable degree of fitness and a sturdy pair of walking shoes are required.

After a challenging and rewarding trek through the jungle we sit in the forest among the mountain gorillas. We get to listen to them communicating with one another and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant adult male gorillas, called Silverbacks. Encountering these giant primates is one of Africa’s most poignant wildlife experiences.  After lunch in the forest we take a well-deserved rest or enjoy some bird watching in the area.

We return to the community run safari camp to relax and recuperate after an unforgettable day gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Forest of Uganda.

Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda (Breakfast)

On day four of your Uganda safari your guide will drive you to the Queen Elizabeth National Park (a 3 hour drive) after breakfast at the Bwindi camp. The Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda's most popular protected area and covers about 1978 km². The park is scenically located on the rift valley floor between Lake Edward and Lake George flanked by towering mountains in the distance.

In the afternoon we take a game drive with a private guide in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park set among hills and lakes consists mostly of euphorbia tree-studded savannah or grassland. The varied habitats within Queen Elizabeth National Park are home to 95 mammal and 612 bird species.

We overnight at a lodge located in the hills on the Busheny side overlooking the Park.

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda (Breakfast)

We rise early to catch sunrise as we leave the lodge with a morning cup of coffee or tea in hand, setting off on a game viewing drive in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Sightings of various mammals like buffalo, hippo, lions, antelopes, hyenas and others are common in the park. We return to the lodge for lunch and spend some time relaxing, before taking an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. The game viewing boat cruise allows for close encounters with African wildlife, such as hippos lounging feet away and buffalo lingering in the shallow waters. The banks of the channel are home to a rich variety of birds, including Pink-backed Pelicans, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers and Saddle billed Stork. After a rewarding afternoon of game viewing we take a slow drive back to the lodge for the night.

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park to Entebbe International Airport – Uganda (Breakfast & Lunch)

On the last day we rise for an early breakfast departing for Kampala with packed lunches.  Your guide will drive you the six to seven hours to Kampala. Upon arrival in Kampala, your guide will drive you to Entebbe International Airport for your outbound flight bringing the 6-day Uganda Safari to a close.

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