The 15 days wildlife & gorilla trekking safari is one of the highly recommended and frequently asked Uganda safaris for guests who would like to spend more time in the country. The 15 days wild extra gorilla trekking is not limited to mountain gorillas in Bwindi, but instead enables you discover the great hidden treasures of the jungles of Uganda.
You will track the famous rhinos, hike to the top of Murchison falls, visit the Albert Nile, and enjoy a chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale National park. Don’t miss the lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth, 2 days gorilla trekking and a full day visit to the Batwa community.
There is a wildlife experience in Lake Mburo National Park, 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 the African Finfoot, and Papyrus Bush Shrikes among others.
15 Days Wildlife & Gorilla Trekking Safari Itinerary:-
Day 1: Arrival Entebbe Airport (Travel time +10mins)
You’ll be picked from the airport and then be transferred to a hotel in Entebbe for dinner and overnight stay. The hotel in Entebbe is just 10 minutes drive from the Airport. Meal plan: dinner.
Day 2: Kampala – Murchison Falls National Park (Travel time +5hrs)
Begin the panoramic drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle and then Masindi town before reaching Murchison Falls via Masindi. You may first branch off for a visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided rhino trekking tour and picnic lunch. Continue to the spectacularly Murchison Falls National Park while enjoying the sunset as you return to the lodge.
Overnight stay and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge. Meal Plan: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park
After your cup of coffee, you will cross the Nile to 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 get on an afternoon 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.
There you leave the boat and start your – quite heavy – hike to the top of the Murchison Falls, in approximately 1 hour. You will see where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment, to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Your driver or guide will be waiting for you to bring you back to the lodge.
At 06:00 pm in the evening you go for a night game drive to search for nocturnal animals. This may run up to 10:00 pm in the night.
Overnight stay and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge (luxury facility). Meal Plan: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 4: Murchison Falls – Lake Albert (Travel time +3hrs)
Leave Murchison for Hoima; and drive at your convenience through the great escapements of Biso for a great winding scenery of Lake Albert. The afternoon is spent on sightseeing and relaxation.
Overnight stay and meals at Lake Albert Safari Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 5: Murchison Falls – Kibale Forest National Park (Travel time +5hrs)
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‘.
Meals and overnight stay at Primate Lodge in a sky tree house. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 6: Kibale Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
This day is dedicated for chimpanzee habituation experience. So, you will start the day with an early morning breakfast, and take your packed lunch as you set off to the forest before dawn breaks.
You will meet your guide for a short briefing and then set off to where the chimpanzees would have built their nests the night before. Dawn is just breaking and the chimpanzee community you are going to be with the rest of the day is just rising from their sleep.
Your day will be full, so your camera might fill up with quality pictures of the chimpanzees. You will get to learn to identify the chimps as individuals by their markings, like scars and other unique features, that make them stand apart from rest. Besides everything described there are the most colorful butterflies, plants and trees that will amaze you, because the forest setting is simply awesome.
Meals and overnight stay at Primate Lodge in a sky tree house. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 7: Kibale – Queen Elizabeth (Travel time +3hrs)
After an early morning breakfast, you will get ready for a guided nature walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Here, you get a rare opportunity to see a wide range of flora and fauna, view a variety of butterflies, bird species and other insects.
Thereafter, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park while viewing the mystical Rwenzori mountain ranges for much of the journey, at leisure.
After your lunch, you will take on an afternoon launch cruise along Kazinga channel – one that joins Lakes Edward and George. This boat cruise is a wonderful way to see hippos, buffaloes, kobs, the occasional Nile crocodiles, and spectacular bird watching on the water bank. Many who have experienced this launch cruise consider it as the highlight of their entire African safari.
Dinner and overnight stay at Enganzi Safari Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 8: Queen Elizabeth – Ishasha (Travel time +2hrs)
Begin your day with a cup of coffee, and get on an early morning game drive and a lion tracking experiential research tour along Kasenyi and Queen’s Mile. Among other wildlife species to encounter include the giant African elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, stripped jackal, elusive leopards, and kobs.
Don’t miss the various crater lakes and a variety of bird species, before proceeding to the southern Ishasha sector where you will take on yet another evening game drive in search of tree-climbing lions.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ishasha Jungle Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 9: Ishasha – Bwindi (Travel time +1.5hrs)
Get on an early morning guided bush walk for a closer interaction with nature. The mid-morning will be spent on a game drive in search for the tree-climbing lions, still in the Ishash sector. You will thereafter head to Bwindi, through a journey that takes about 2 hours but driving through interesting features.
Arrive at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the home of the rare mountain gorillas. Apart from gorillas, there is a wide variety of primates to see, including the blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush and green with streams running through it.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 10: Bwindi Gorilla Tracking
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 Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 11: 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 Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 12: Batwa Cultural Experience
Today is dedicated for a Batwa cultural experience. You will see the Batwa demonstrating their old-aged hunting techniques, honey gathering, pointing out medicinal plants and demonstrating how to make bamboo cups.
Women of the Batwa community shall perform sorrowful songs which echo and leave guests with a moving sense of the richness of Uganda’s culture.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 13: Bwindi – Lake Mburo NP (Travel time +5hrs)
After early morning breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park via Igongo Cultural Village, to learn more about the Ankole culture. This is the place where the future meets the past.
You will proceed to the park with an en-route game drive as you go to check in at your lodge. Don’t miss an afternoon boat ride on Lake Mburo amidst hippos which is much rewarding and amazing.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mantana Tented Camp. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 14: Lake Mburo National Park
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. The evening is spent on a guided nature bush walk for wildlife viewing.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mantana Tented Camp. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 15: Lake Mburo – Entebbe Departure (Travel time +4.5hrs)
After early breakfast, the morning is dedicated for sightseeing and relaxation. Thereafter you will drive back to Entebbe at your convenience with a stopover at the Equator crossing line with your lunch en-route before driving to back to Entebbe. Meal plan: breakfast & lunch.
15 Days Wildlife & Gorilla Trekking Safari Includes:-
- Airport transfers
- Transportation by a 4wd vehicle
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Lion tracking experience
- Boat trips
- Hike top of the falls
- Two Gorilla permit per person to be secured and paid for in advance
- Park fees
- Batwa Cultural experience
- Bigodi Wetland visit
- Bush walk Ishasha & Mburo
- Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Kibale
- Community visits
- Ziwa sanctuary Rhino Tour
- Services of English speaking Driver/guide.
- Enroute lunches
- Day Game drives and Night Game drive
Excludes:-
- expenses of personal nature like: Visa, drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, porter fee while trekking, personal insurance, and tobacco.