5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife tour

5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife tour is a short Uganda safaris tour where a traveler gets to enjoy wildlife and gorillas in one package. The highlight of this 5 days safari is gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This tour begins and ends in Kampala.

Highlights of the 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife tour

Day 1: Pick Up and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 4: Morning game drive and evening boat cruise.
Day 5: Cultural tour/community walk and departure.

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: Pick up and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Transfer to Bwindi: Begin your day with an early morning breakfast in your hotel in Kampala city. Your guide will pick you from your hotel and then embark on a 5-hour drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Mbarara- Masaka Highway. You will have a stopover at the equator monuments in Kayabwe, Mpigi district. These two equator monuments mark the point where the equator runs through Uganda.
Igongo Cultural Experience: You will Proceed to Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch. This epic cultural center is a good stop for many travelers on route to western Uganda and it is just 12 km from Mbarara Town. Igongo Cultural Centre was opened to the general public in 2010. While here, take a short tour of the center’s museum which has a lot to tell about western cultural history. You can also visit the Nkwanzi crafts and bookshop where you can purchase a few souvenirs for yourself. After having a hearty meal, proceed to Bwindi where you will check into your accommodation, have dinner and your overnight stay.

Accommodation options include:

Luxury: Silverback Lodge
Mid-range: Buhoma Haven Lodge
Budget: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

DAY 2: Gorilla Trekking

Gorilla Trekking: This is the day you have been anxiously waiting for. Have breakfast very early at you lodge as your guide will pick you up at 6am. You will embark on a short journey to the Parks headquarters in Buhoma. You are supposed to be at Buhoma at exactly 7am for a briefing by the park’s head ranger which will begin at 8am and then you will be put in groups of 8 individuals per group depending on the gorilla group you are going to track. Tracking begins at exactly 8:30 am hence endeavor to always keep time. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 15 habituated gorilla groups that are tracked from four trailheads. Of these 15 habituated gorilla groups, 3 are found in the Buhoma area in the northwest part of the park; while 4 gorilla groups are situated in Ruhija in the eastern part of Bwindi and 8 gorilla groups in Nkuringo and Rushaga respectively, located south of Bwindi. Each tracking group consists of strictly eight individuals with each group having a park guide and ranger. Tracking can take about 1- 6 hours depending on how easy and quick the gorillas are spotted. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be given exactly an hour with them; hence you should maximize your time well and don’t forget to take lots of pictures without using your camera’s flash. The tracking trails can be very wet, steep and slippery thus you should wear a good pair of hiking boots.
Community Tour (Batwa Experience): After your tracking activity, you can proceed to have an optional hike to local communities and on this expedition, you can visit Batwa People [pygmies] communities that have lived within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for many years. Return back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Transfer to Queen: Have breakfast at your lodge early in the morning and proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is about 90 km away from Buhoma via Ishasha hence you will drive for roughly 2 hours till Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival at Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will embark on a lion tracking experience. The lion tracking experience will give you the opportunity to view the famous tree-climbing lions of Queen. Of recent, these majestic giant cats have become rare sights in the park because of poaching activities that have become rampant in the park. Later retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options include:

Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge/ Kyambura Gorge
Mid-range: Park view safari lodge/ Elephant Hub Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages

DAY 4: Morning game drive and evening boat cruise.

Game Drive: Have an early morning breakfast and proceed on a morning game drive in the park which begins at 6am. This morning game drive will give you a great chance to view nocturnal animals like leopards, serval cats and other wildlife such as African savannah elephants, hyenas, Uganda Kobs, heart beasts, giraffes, zebras and many more. Queen Elizabeth National Park is blessed with over 612 bird species thus making it a great destination for birding activities. While on your game drive, you may spot birds like the African skimmer, Chapin’s flycatcher, Shoebill stock, the great flamingos and Pink-backed Pelicans.
Boat Cruise: Return back to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, head out for an evening boat cruise along the Kazinga channel. The boat cruise starts at exactly 1pm and can take approximately 2 hours. During your boat cruise, you may sight lots of wildlife such as hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants and some species of birds like the great flamingos, Shoebill stock, Ibis and so many others. Later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 5: Cultural tour/Community walk and departure.

Cultural Tour: This is the final day of your 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife tour. After early morning breakfast, you can have a cultural tour to the neighboring local communities and get to interact with the local Bakonjo people. While on the cultural tour, you will be taken through their historical and social lifestyle and also be entertained by local cultural groups in the community.
Transfer to Kampala: Later head back to Kampala with lunch on route.

End of tour 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife tour

Please note that the above tour package is inclusive of;

Gorilla trekking permit
Game drive
Boat cruise
Lion tracking experience
Safari driver/ guide and 4×4 safari vehicle
Cultural tour/ community walk
Park entrance fees
Accommodation and meals as per your itinerary
Mineral water while on safari

Tour Exclusions

Alcoholic beverages
Tips
Porters fee
International Flight tickets
Visa fees