7 Days Uganda Gorilla & Wildlife Adventure Safari
Overview
This 7-day Best of Uganda Safari takes you to Murchison Falls for spectacular game viewing and the incredible waterfalls, then to Kibale Forest for Chimpanzee tracking, Queen Elizabeth National Park for more game viewing, and Bwindi for gorilla trekking, leaving you with unforgettable memories of Africa’s pearl.
Itinerary Summary
Day 1: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 2: Game drive and boat ride to the base of the Murchison Falls
Day 3: Travel to Kibale National Park
Day 4: Trekking with chimps and transport to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5: Morning game drive, boat ride, then transport to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking adventure
Day 7: Travel to Entebbe & Departure
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park
You will be picked up from Entebbe International Airport or your accommodation in Entebbe / Kampala and transferred to Murchison Falls National Park, a 3-4 hour journey through Masindi.
After lunch, you will enter the park by the Kichumbanyobo gate, see the top of the falls, and then continue to the lodge. Pakuba Safari Lodge provides dinner and an overnight stay.
At the Top of the Murchison Falls
Day 2: Game drive and boat ride to the base of the Murchison Falls
After breakfast at your lodge, go on a morning wildlife drive to the delta in the park’s northern section. Here is where you may see elephants, giraffes, lions, hyenas, cape buffaloes, leopards (on a fortunate day), and several antelope species such as Uganda Kobs, Jackson hartebeest, Oribi, and waterbucks, among others.
Return to your accommodation for a refreshment and lunch after the game drive. In the afternoon, you will take a boat ride down the Nile River to visit the majestic Falls. Sailing around the falls’ bottom will expose you to the park’s flowing hippo and a variety of crocodiles among the sandbanks, as well as several bird species and enormous numbers of other animals getting down to drink and wash.
After seeing the falls, go up to the top of the falls via Bakers route, where you can also see the falls from Bakers stone. During this journey, you will be able to see the falls from several vantage points before spending some time at the top admiring them. Meet your driver later in the evening and return to Pakuba Safari Lodge as described above.
Boat cruise to the base of the Murchison Falls
Day 3: Travel to Kibale National Park
Following an early breakfast, meet your driver/guide and take the 7 a.m. boat to Kibale Forest National Park in the country’s west. This is a full-day drive with lunch along the way. Arrive late in the afternoon and transfer to Chimpundu Lodge for supper and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Trekking with chimps and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Enjoy an early breakfast and then transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing on the endangered chimps before entering the jungle with the assistance of a park ranger and your tracking gear, packed water, and snacks.
Kibale Forest National Park is one of the top safari locations in Africa, featuring 13 primate species, the most popular of which are chimps. This tracking takes between 2-5 hours to find the chimps. After you discover the primates, you will spend an hour watching them, observing their behavior, and photographing them.
After lunch, you will travel for about 3 hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park, stopping along the way to explore the Equator and the crater lakes. Afterward, return to Buffalo Safari Lodge for leisure, supper, and an overnight stay.
Chimp Tracking in Kibale Forest
Day 5: Morning game drive, boat ride, then transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Following breakfast, go on an early morning game drive in the Kasenyi area. Expect to see the big four wildlife on the game drive, including antelopes, giraffes, warthogs, and white Colobus monkeys, to name a few. Afterward, join the 11 a.m. launch cruise through Kazinga canal to witness a variety of bird species, elephants and buffalos, hippos and crocodiles on the lakeshores.
After both activities, you will travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you will have supper and spend the night at Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge.
Boat cruise Along the Kazinga Channel
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking adventure
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for a briefing on Mountain Gorilla trekking by a local guide. The time required ranges between 2 and 8 hours, depending on the movement of the gorillas. Unexpectedly seeing gorillas is one of the most enthralling lifetime events.
You will be able to watch and photograph wildlife up close. You will notice adults eating and grooming one another. Following an hour with the eagerly anticipated gorillas, your guide and rangers will bring you back to the starting point, where your driver will be ready to transport you back to Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge for a relaxing evening.
Trekking Gorillas in Bwindi
Day 7: Travel to Entebbe & Departure
Following an early breakfast, you begin your drive back to Entebbe, stopping for lunch in Mbarara and a halt near the Equator along Masaka road. This is an 8-9 hour trip from Bwindi National Park. The driver will either take you to your booked accommodation or to Entebbe airport in time for your evening departure home.
