12 Days gorilla trekking and wildlife Safari tour in Uganda

This day, after morning breakfast, check out to start your drive to Murchison Falls National Park with an en-route visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for the Rhino experience. Ziwa Rhino sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you can see rhinos in the wilderness. This place was established to provide protection to the last remaining white Rhino in Uganda after a massive poaching that let to their extinction in other protected areas such as Murchison Falls and Kidepo valley national parks. There is a program of reintroducing them into the wild after they have multiplied in number. On your arrival at the center, you will be warmly by the welcomed by the place local guide to be briefed about the guidelines to follow during rhino experience. You will have an opportunity to encounter rhinos closer to their feet with the help of your local guide therefore, it is essential to follow all instructions given to you by the Rangers because since Rhinos are wild animals, they can become aggressive when feel threatened by any unfamiliar actions. You be allowed to spend them a maximum of one hour and allowed to take as many photos as you would want so, your camera has to be on standby to capture all your best moments with the Rhinos. After Rhino experience, have a short break to have refreshments and thereafter, continue with your drive to Murchison Falls National Park with an another stop in Masindi town to have lunch, shop some snack and later drive straight to the park to visit the “Murchison Falls” which are said to be the world’s strongest falls to watch how the whole Victoria Nile River forces it’s self through a tiny gorge of 7 meters wide and dropping 43 meters below which produces a thunderous roar and forming the falls.  Murchison falls national park is a home base to 76 mammal species such as Rothschild giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kob, and warthogs, Nile crocodiles, some primate species, hippopotamuses and including four members of the “African Big Fives” and 451 recorded bird. Therefore, your visit to this park will give you a life time wildlife experience. Later, drive through the park to cross the River to check in at your booked lodge for dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation option;
Hornbill Bush Lodge (Standard)
Pakuba Safari Lodge (Mid-range)
Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Wake up early enough to have breakfast and start your early morning wildlife sighting game drive on the northern bank of the river to spot wildlife species in this park both small and big mammals and to catch predators before going back to their dens after a night of hunting. Your guide will help you spot many species such as the huge Elephants, pride of healthy lions, herds of caped buffalo, Roth child’s giraffe, Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reed buck, Spotted hyenas and if it is lucky day, you may spot the leopard. Have a short break to have lunch and go for a boat launch upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping few meters from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’, marvel  Murchison falls which will give you a breathtaking view of the Magical Murchison Falls. Boat cruise on this 17km stretch will take you through schools of hippopotamuses, huge Nile crocodiles and other land mammals may be spotted swimming and other taking water such as Elephant, Waterbuck, Uganda Kob, buffaloes and many others plus many water bird species like Egyptian goose, Goliath heron, Kingfisher, Pelican, Bee-eater, Hornbill, cormorant and on a lucky day, you many spot the rare giant shoebill stork.  After your adventurous boat safari on the Nile, have a short break enjoy refreshments and then go for an evening game drive which will be specifically look for the big predators of the park which cannot easily be spotted during day time such as Lions, Spotted hyenas, Leopard and others. Dinner and an overnight

Accommodation option;
Hornbill Bush Lodge (Standard)
Pakuba Safari Lodge (Mid-range)
Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Rise up very early in the morning to have breakfast, check out of your room and then go for another morning wildlife sighting game drive to encounter more mammal and birds species mostly those you would have missed in your previous game drives such as the big predators like Lion, Leopards, Spotted hyenas and other mammals. Later embark on your road drive to Kibale Forest National Park through villages and small towns while watching the indigenous people carrying out their daily activities such as working on their coffee and banana plantations, tea plantations, farms and laying bricks and many others. You will be excited by their style of working as they do not use modern technology but they get more yields. You will enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the countryside that will make your drive so adventurous. Kibale Forest National Park is well-known as the home base to the highest number of different primate species in Africa which are 13 species including chimpanzees our closest relatives sharing 98.8% of the human DNA. Your visit to Kibale Forest National Park will let you explore many primate species such as; The Blue monkeys, Grey-cheeked mangabey, L’Hoest monkey, Olive baboons, Vervet monkeys and many others. On the way, you will have lunch and other refreshments en-route at Fort portal city thereafter, proceed with your drive to the park. Before reaching the park, you will have an en-route stop to have lunch in Fort Portal city which is considered to the most beautiful city in Uganda. After lunch, have a simple city walk and then proceed with your journey to the check in at your booked lodge to relax and then go to Bigodi wetland swamp for an evening a guided nature walk that will take you through the swamp and local communities around the park. Bigodi wetland swamp is a paradise to bird lovers with over 200 recorded bird species and sometime, some bird species can miss in the Park Forest and be found in this swamp, it is also home to 8 primate species and other mammals. After your adventurous Bigodi wetland swamp guided nature walk, return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation option
Rwetera Safari Lodge (Standard)
Isunga Safari Lodge (Mid-range)
Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Rise up early morning to have breakfast with your packed lunch plus refreshments and then meet your driver guide and drive to the park offices to meet other visitors to be briefed about the dos and don’ts to follow during the forest walk while searching for chimpanzees and thereafter, start the forest hike to search for chimpanzees in their natural habitats.  This walk will be guided by a professional UWA guide who will give you information about everything that you will en counter such as several bird species, other primates and mammals that will make your chimpanzee tracking safari so exciting and adventurous. The time taken before meeting the chimpanzees is not known but expected to be between 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the movements of the family you are tracking. When you encounter them, you will have a maximum of 1 hour to watch them playing, taking as many photos as you would want and asking questions. After meeting chimpanzees, return to the starting point to have lunch and other refreshments and then embark on your road drive to Queen Elizabeth Park to check in at your reserved lodge to relax, and later visit Kasoga community. Kasoga community provides the best indigenous experience such as marine practices, local fishing methods, cultural life, visiting women making crafts shops and canoeing and it will give you an the best way to directly get in touch with indigenous people around the park to share with you their relationship with wildlife. Dinner and an overnight

Accommodation option
Pumba Cottages (Standard)
Isunga Safari Lodge (Mid-range)
Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Wake up early in the Morning to take your breakfast and drive to Kalinzu Forest Reserve for another chimpanzee experience and forest walk. Kalinzu Forest Reserve is found in the western near Queen Elizabeth national park and park of the Maramagambo forest is a home to 6 primate species, 414 tree species, 379 recorded bird species, 261 butterfly species and other wildlife species like bush duiker, leopards and reptiles. It is a best forest for a guided forest walk and chimpanzee experience. On your arrival at forest head office, you will be warmly welcomed by the site guide for briefing about the guidelines to follow during nature walk and chimpanzee tracking and then start your forest walk. During your forest walk, you encounter chimpanzees swinging in the tree branches, feeding and hunting for other small primates, spotting other primates such as Blue monkeys, Red tailed monkeys, Olive baboons, Vervet monkeys, plus other mammals and many bird species and your guide will be able to talk about everything that you will encounter.  When you meet chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend with them 1 hour while watching them. Later, return to the lodge to relax, have refreshments and lunch and drive to the boat launch starting point to start your afternoon boat launch on the Kazinga channel. The Kazinga Channel is a narrow water stream connecting Lake George to Lake Edward with over 32 km and the main water source of the park. It is also said to have the highest concentration of hippopotamuses and crocodiles in Uganda and Africa and one of the most impressive features of the Park. Most of the mammals of the park uses to and taking water so during your launch safari on the Kazinga channel, you will meet numerous mammals such as Elephants, caped buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, Waterbucks, Warthogs, Hippopotamuses, Nile crocodile and many others. If you are a keen Bird lover, this is an ideal place to spot several bird species of the park pearl of Africa birds. After your afternoon boat cruise, have a short break to relax and drive to Kasenyi plains the mating ground for the Uganda Kobs and hunting plains for the park predators to spot some wildlife mammals of the park specifically the big predators like Spotted hyenas, Lions, Leopards and others. During your game drive, you will spot other species such as Elephants, Topis, and herds of Caped Buffaloes, waterbucks. Dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation option
Pumba Cottages (Standard)
Isunga Safari Lodge (Mid-range)
Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

After enjoying your early morning breakfast, check out of your room and get ready to go for the early morning wildlife sighting game drive were you will spot several animals including Elephants, Forest giant hogs, buffaloes, some primates. Morning game drive is the best to spot the nocturnal animals and many others. After your morning wildlife sighting game drive, drive to Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park the home to the endangered mountain gorillas and one of the oldest forest in Uganda and Africa. Before reaching Bwindi gorilla national park, you have an en-route game drive through Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park to search for the tree climbing lions. Tree climbing lions are only found in Uganda and Lake Manyara of Tanzania in Africa and in Ishasha sector are easy to be spotted since there are many prides which can climb trees than in Tanzania. After spotting the tree climbing lions, have lunch and proceed with the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park to check in at your reserved lodge to relax, have dinner and an overnight

Accommodation option
Ride 4 a woman (Standard)
Silverback Lodge (Mid-range)
Mahogany springs Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

On this day after having breakfast with all your bags already packed in the vehicle, get your packed lunch plus refreshments and meet your guide to drive to the park offices to meet other visitors to be briefed about the guidelines to follow during mountain gorilla trekking, get a gorilla family and a walk stick and then start the day you have been waiting for to have an eye to eye contact with the endangered mountain gorillas. In the course of mountain gorilla trekking, you might encounter many other wildlife species such as Bush pigs, forest Elephants, white and black colombus monkeys, chimpanzees and many bird species and your UWA guide will be able to give you information about everything and answering all your questions which will make your forest walk so interesting. The time taken while searching for gorillas is no known but it is estimated to be between 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the location of the gorilla group that you are tracking and once you meet them, you are allowed to stay with them from a maximum of 1 hour while following them, taking photos and asking questions regarding them and the park at large. During your forest walk, your camera has to be on standby, fully charged and with an extra battery such that you do not miss out any beautiful moment uncaptured. After your adventurous gorilla encounter, return to the information center to receive your tracking certificate, enjoy your packed lunch and other refreshments and then start your journey to Lake Bunyonyi to spend your evening relaxing. Lake Bunyonyi is the Uganda’s deepest Lake and second deepest in Africa with 29 small islands and each island has its interesting story to listen to such as the Akampene Island also known as punishment island that was used to discipline girls who were found pregnant before marriage by isolating them there until death as a way to teach lesson to others not to do the same mistake. This is because in African culture a girl to get pregnant before marriage it is considered to be an abomination and causes disrespect to the family therefore, parents would work hard to keep their girls safe until they get officially married and those who would get pregnant before marriage, would be disowned by their families. Dinner and an overnight

Accommodation option
Bunyonyi Rock Resort (Standard)
Arcadia Lodge Bunyonyi (Mid-range)
Bird nest Resort (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

After having breakfast, go for your morning boat canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi. Boat riding and bird watching on Lake Bunyonyi are the most exciting things do. The morning boat canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi will take you to visit the Akampene Island (punishment island) and others plus bird watching because this lake is known to have many small birds were it even got its name from “Bunyonyi” means place of many little birds. After your adventurous morning boat canoeing safari, return to the lodge to check out and then start your journey to Lake Mburo National Park with an en-route stop to have lunch and refreshments in Mbarara city and proceed with the drive to the park to check in at your booked lodge to relax. Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest protected area in Uganda but numerously endowed with wildlife species such as Zebras, Buffaloes, Elands, Impalas, Warthogs, Hippopotamuses, Nile crocodiles, Giraffes and many others including over 300 bird species. The park is composed of small lakes, deep valleys, woodland vegetation, and rolling hills which provides good habitats to the park’s wildlife species. After relaxing prepare for your evening and night game drives to spot mammals and birds in this park such as many Zebra and it is the park with the biggest population of Zebras and Elands in Uganda and many other species will be spotted. Lake Mburo national park is the best park in Uganda to do a night night game drive mostly to search for nocturnal species such as Leopard, Bush babies, Porcupine, White tailed mongoose and Spotted hyenas and many others, it will be so much interesting to meet any of these nocturnal in action. Dinner and an overnight

Accommodation option
Mpogo Safari Lodge (Standard)
Rwakobo Rock Lodge (Mid-range)
Mihingo Safari Lodge (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Wake up early to have a simple breakfast as you prepare for another eventful jungle horseback riding. Horseback safaris in the park without any a doubt is one of the most exciting and adventuresome safaris. The safari gives you an opportunity to have a close encounter of wildlife to their feet such as zebras, giraffes, elands, warthog, bush bucks, duikers, water buck, and many different antelope species and a lucky day, you may spot a leopards on a horse ride. Wildlife sighting from a horse is so cool and it is a totally different experience than a game drive in a safari vehicle. This is because you watch animals without them running away since they get so curious to see their close relatives without stripes. After your early morning horseback riding, do a late morning game drive through the normal tracks of the park to spot more species, visit the Lake Mburo which is the main water source of the park and later return to your lodge to have full breakfast and then embark on your drive to Kampala through Ankole region with their long horned cattle with an en-route stop at Equator landmark at Kayabwe to watch water experiment, take memorial photos, have lunch and then proceed with your journey to check in at your reserved hotel in Kampala for dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation option
Forest Cottages (Standard)
Fairway Hotel and Spa (Mid-range)
Protea Hotel by Marriott Kampala Skyz (Luxury)

Meal Plan; Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

After having breakfast, meet your guide to start your journey to Jinja city. On the way, you will have a stops to encounter the Sezibwa Falls one of the important ancestral cultural site to the Buganda kingdom and it is said that they were born as your local site guide will explain to you, after exploring these spiritual falls, have another stop in Mabira rainforest reserve for a simple nature walk. Mabira Forest is the biggest forest reserve in the whole of central Uganda and it is a home base to several wildlife species such as reptiles, different bird species, many insects, and some primates such as Olive baboons, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys and many others. Then proceed with the journey through sugarcane and tea plantation alongside the road and then reach the city. On arrival at Jinja, drive to check in at your reserved hotel, have lunch, relax and later go to explore the source of the River Nile with a boat cruise from the shores to the exact point where John Speke the first European explorer stood to discover the source of the Nile River the Africa’s longest river and then continue cruising to lake Victoria up to Samuka Island the breeding ground to several bird species living around lake Victoria. Dinner and an overnight

Accommodation options
Pearl of the Nile hotel (Budget)
2 Friends guest house (Mid-range)
Wildwaters Lodge (Luxury)

Meal plan; Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Wake up very in the morning to have breakfast, drive to the briefing point to meet other visitors to be briefed about safety tips, how the activity is conducted and start with a familiarization training and then start your day breathtaking adventure. River Nile is the best whitewater rafting spot in Africa graded with five water rapids with spectacular leaps and drops that will make you have an unforgettable moments. You will be given a safety strong helmet and life jacket to protect you in case of any emergency. After your full day whitewater rafting, have a short time to relax and then embark on your return drive to Entebbe international airport for your return flight. This will be end of your 12 days gorilla trekking and wildlife Safari tour in Uganda

Meal plan; Breakfast/Lunch