This 15 days best Uganda gorilla safari is now one of the most popular Uganda safaris. So, spend two (2) weeks enjoying the best of Uganda by visiting a number of destinations. You will visit Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ishasha sector, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda. Take on the opportunity to discover Lake Mburo National Park, among some of Uganda’s spectacular parks.
15 Days Best Uganda Gorilla Safari Itinerary:-
Day 1: Arrival Entebbe – Lake Victoria Serena Hotel
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our guide who will then take you to Lake Victoria Serena Hotel, Kigo (high-end) for an overnight stay and dinner. Meal plan: dinner.
Day 2: Kampala – Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
In the morning, you will be transferred to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, on a two-hour drive from Kampala. Begin the panoramic drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle to Masindi, to the sanctuary for a rhino tracking experience.
You will visit the information centre and craft shop, while looking out for bushbucks, leopards, Uganda kob, oribis, crocodiles, hippos and other wildlife present on the ranch. The bird life is abundant, with even the rare shoebill stork present in the Lugogo swamp.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary offers peace and tranquility in beautiful surroundings. You can spend your afternoon on a relaxation or boat canoe in search for the rare shoebill stork.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ziwa Sanctuary Guest House (budget rooms). Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 3: Ziwa Sanctuary – Murchison Falls
After your morning breakfast, you will drive to Murchison Falls National Park, with en-suite game drive and views of the beautiful countryside. In the afternoon, you will visit the ‘top of the falls’ for your chance to view the magnificence of the Nile.
The park is cut into half by the famous River Nile, so it squeezes itself through the legendary Murchison Falls, an impossibly narrow 7m gap in a cleft rock thus creating a powerful explosion of white water. These falls are believed to be the most powerful natural flow of water on earth.
Superlatives like ‘awesome’, ‘stupendous’, ‘fantastic’ and ‘wow’ have been used to describe this amazing spectacle. After this you will return to the lodge for your overnight stay and dinner.
Dinner and overnight stay at Murchison River Lodge (mid-range facility). Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 4: Murchison Falls National Park – Part of 15 Days Best Uganda Gorilla
Begin the day with a cup of African coffee before proceeding for a game drive on the northern side of Murchison Falls National Park. Along the way, your guide will help you spot giant African elephants, lions, Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, hartebeests, waterbucks, oribi, bushbucks, Bohor reedbuck, hyenas and if you are lucky, the leopard too. Return to the lodge for breakfast and lunch..
After lunch, you will go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile. This shall take you to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos, crocodiles, and elephants, waterbucks and Uganda Kob along this 17 km stretch.
This is also a zone of many bird species, including the goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eaters, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorants and the rare shoebill stork.
The boat will stop just tens of metres from the sinister, frothing and bubbling base of the falls. See where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Your driver/guide will be waiting for you to bring you back to the lodge.
Dinner and overnight stay at Murchison River Lodge (mid-range facility). Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 5: Murchison Falls – Fort Portal
After breakfast, you will take a full day drive south, from Murchison Falls via Hoima to Fort Portal, through the verdant countryside. You will pass by traditional homesteads and farms along Albertine Rift escarpments. Fort-Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled ‘Mountains of the Moon‘.
Get your lunch at Mountains of the Moon Hotel – a stunning location overlooking the fabled Rwenzori mountains. Fort Portal is a town in western Uganda, and is the main seat for both Kabarole District and Toro Kingdom.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mountains of the Moon Hotel. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 6: Kibale Chimpanzee Trekking – Queen Elizabeth National Park
Get on an early morning chimpanzees trekking tour where you will spot 10 other primate species. These include the L’Hoest’s, red colobus, blue, and red-tailed monkeys, and the grey-cheeked mangabeys.
The guide will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates, but on all the forest fauna and flora to ensure that your walk is both informative and enjoyable. This walk is also excellent for viewing a variety of birdlife. Kibale is a thick jungle with a towering canopy and the best reserve in Africa to view quite a large number of chimps.
After lunch, you will proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, following the mystical Rwenzori mountain ranges for much of the journey. Enjoy a game drive en-route which shall reward you with views of lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, hyenas and a variety of antelope species.
Dinner and overnight stay at Katara Safari Lodge, right on the edge of the Kyambura Gorge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Part of 15 Days Best Uganda Gorilla
Enjoy an early morning game drive in Uganda’s best national park, where all the big game can been seen in abundance. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse eco-system of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters makes it a home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.
Game drives in this park are so experiential, with the massive Rwenzori as a backdrop, providing excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, Cape buffaloes, elephants, defassa waterbucks, Uganda Kob, topis and bushbucks.
In the afternoon you will enjoy the unique 2 hour boat cruise on the Kazinga channel and into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific birdlife is colourful and stupendous with well over 550 resident species.
Dinner and overnight stay at Katara Safari Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 8: Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park
With previous day’s memories, enjoy your breakfast as you get ready to visit the bat cave in Maramagambo forest, on a guided nature walk. This will take you to the blue lake and the bat cave for an amazing view of the living million bats.
Thereafter, you will drive to southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the most visited national park in Uganda. The topography in this area of the park is significantly different from the other areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to the tree-climbing lions, which makes it a unique area.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ishasha Wilderness Camp. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 9: Ishasha Sector – Part of 15 Days Best Uganda Gorilla
Early morning guided bush walk for a closer interaction with nature. The mid-morning will be spent on a game drive in search of the tree-climbing lions. Get your lunch at the camp and enjoy relaxation and sightseeing moments in the afternoon.
Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Ishasha Sector – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Enjoy an early morning breakfast and then transfer to Bwindi. You will drive through the ‘Switzerland of Africa’ area known as the Kigezi highlands with its terraced hillside and winding roads to Bwindi. A gorilla trekking safari within the Bwindi impenetrable forest is a highlight for most of the visitors to Uganda. Certainly mountain gorillas are the major reason as to why very many people visit Uganda.
On the other hand, Uganda is recognized as a very safe and more so secure country in which you can see these gorillas in serene surroundings. There’s also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa in which these two apes live together.
Dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 11: Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
After breakfast set off early with guides to track the mountain gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek, so you should bring your jungle boots and rain jackets because the park is often wet.
Spend time in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities. Each gorilla safari encounter is different with its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 12: Second Gorilla trekking
After breakfast, you will go for the second gorilla track, but in another group, returning in the afternoon.
Time permitting, spend the afternoon on a community walking safari to explore the lifestyle of the people living and surrounding the park. You will then return to the lodge exhilarated, to relieve the encounter with friends over a drink.
Dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 12: Bwindi Forest – Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park for a game drive with a visit to Igongo Cultural Village. The park is renowned for zebras, impalas, buffaloes, hippos, topis and elands, but it also includes the rare shoebill, grey-crowned (crested) crane, pelicans, fish eagle, heron and many water birds.
Lake Mburo National Park, is the nearest park to Kampala, the capital of Uganda containing an entire rich diversity of animal and plant species. Lake Mburo, together with other four lakes within the park attracts a large number of hippos, crocodiles, different fish species and a variety of water birds like pelicans, fish eagles, and herons. Spent your afternoon on a sunset game drive, for amazing wildlife photography.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mburo Safari Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 13: Lake Mburo National Park – Part of 15 Days Best Uganda Gorilla
After your early morning breakfast, get ready for a morning bush walk in the park, which is an extension of the Tanzanian plains with big herds of zebras, impalas, elands, warthogs, buffaloes and other savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best places to find African Finfoot, Papyrus, and Bush Shrike among others. The evening is spent on a boat cruise on Lake Mburo amidst the hippos, which is so amazing.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mburo Safari Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 15: Lake Mburo National Park – Entebbe
After an early morning breakfast you will check out of the lodge, and take an interesting safari bush walk, through the park. Lake Mburo boasts of the best nature walks because it’s only in this park that you can see wildlife on foot.
After lunch you will be transferred to Kampala with a stopover at Equator crossing line, for a brief photo opportunity and shopping of souvenirs. Then transfer to Entebbe Airport to catch your flight back home.
Meals: breakfast & lunch
15 Days Best Uganda Gorilla Safari Includes:
- Airport transfers and assistance.
- Accommodation as mentioned
- 1 night at Lake Victoria Serena Hotel and dinner
- 1 night at Ziwa Sanctuary Guest house with all meals -(Budget rooms)
- 2 nights at Murchison River Lodge with all meals – (Mid Lodge facility)
- 1 night at Mountains of the Moon Hotel with all meals
- 2 nights at Katara Safari Lodge with all meals
- 2 nights at Ishasha Wildness Camp with all meals
- 3 nights at Buhoma Lodge with all meals
- 2 nights Mburo Safari Lodge with meals as per itinerary
- 2 Gorilla permits per person
- Ziwa Rhino Trekking
- Canoe ride in Ziwa
- Hike to the Top of the Falls
- Ferry crossings
- Igongo cultural village visit
- Boat Trips
- Park Fees
- Kibale Chimpanzee chimps Permits
- Bat Cave visit
- Guided nature walks
- Bush walk
- Enroute lunches
- Game drives
- Private transport in a 4×4 tourist converted jeep
- Services of an English speaking driver-guide
- Bottled drinking water while trekking and in vehicle
- All taxes on the services quoted above