The most outstanding feature of the 6 Day Uganda Safari tour is the gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
In addition to the extraordinary experience of trekking and seeing the giant mountain gorillas up-close in their ancient rainforest habitat, you’ll track wild chimpanzees on foot in Kalinzu Forest and have a good dose of game viewing in Uganda’s leading game park, Queen Elizabeth National Park.
To add to all these memorable wildlife adventures, you will have plenty of opportunities to learn more about the culture in Uganda and have some time to relax at the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi.
Highlights
- Take a gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Cross the African savannah on exciting game drives at Queen Elizabeth
- Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel as you see hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants, and waterbirds
- Track wild chimpanzees on foot to see our closest living relatives in their natural habitat
- Track rare tree-climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Relax at the scenic Lake Bunyonyi – Africa’s second-deepest lake
- Have amazing photo shoots and water experiments at the Uganda Equator Monument
- Enjoy a traditional lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre
- Comfortable road transfers through Uganda’s scenic landscapes and quiet rural villages
Summary
Day 1: Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park & enjoy a late afternoon game drive
Day 2: Game drive in Kasenyi Plains & boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu Forest & Game Drive in Ishasha Sector
Day 4: Morning Game Drive as You Travel to Bwindi
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi & relaxation at Lake Bunyonyi
Day 6: Relaxed Breakfast & Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe.
Details
Day 1: Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, Afternoon Game Drive
Your fantastic 6 Day Uganda Safari begins today!
At about 7.30 am, our tour driver, the guide will pick you up from your place of stay in Entebbe or Kampala. After a short briefing, you’ll begin on long rewarding journey southwest to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a UN Biosphere Reserve and the most popular destination for safaris in Uganda.
Set on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, this fabulous Uganda safaris park has 1970km2 of rolling savannah grasslands, lush rainforests, beautiful crater lakes, freshwater lakes, and fertile wetlands, to explore, right in the south of the legendary Mountains of the Moon. Along with all the awesome landscapes to explore, there are a great variety of opportunities for wildlife viewing as well. Queen Elizabeth National Park has over 600 bird species and almost 100 different species of mammal.
It is also home to humans, too. Queen is one of the few safaris parks in Africa to have communities living inside its boundaries. You’ll have lunch en route, arriving at your lodge in the afternoon. You freshen up and have some time to rest before embarking on a thrilling evening game. You’ll look out for elephants, buffalos, warthogs, and numerous antelopes. You’ll stay out until sunset and hopefully, you can find some predators as they start to become more active at this time.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Kyambura Gorge Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge/Elephant Plains Camp
Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Park View Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal Plan: Breakfast & Dinner
Day 2: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise
Safari breakfasts in Africa are traditionally served before daybreak so that as the sun comes up, you can start your wildlife game drive. Sunrise is the best time for game viewing as animals tend to be the most active during the cool golden hours of the day when the first rays of the sun come to rest on the African savannah. So, on day two of the 6-day Uganda safari, you shall wake up very early for breakfast before going out into the savanna to watch animals.
You’ll explore the plains of the Kasenyi sector, one of the most beautiful sections in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You’ll have a chance to tick off some amazing African animals like Lions, hyenas, buffalos, elephants, Uganda kobs, hippos, bushbucks, waterbucks, and Warthogs. Occasionally, you’ll be able to see the legendary Mountains of the Moon (Rwenzori Mountains). If you’re lucky, you might even spot a giant forest hog – Africa’s largest pig or an elusive leopard.
After your 3-4-hour game drive, you shall return to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a leisurely boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, a natural channel that flows between Lakes George and Edward. One of Africa’s densest concentrations of hippo live here, as well as large numbers of elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles, and a plethora of waterbirds like fish eagles, pelicans, skimmers, storks, Ibises, Lapwings, and Terns.
After the boat cruise, you will do a short game drive along the channel track as you head back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Kyambura Gorge Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge/Elephant Plains Camp
Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Park View Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 3: Chimp Trekking In Kalinzu & Game Drive In Ishasha Sector
After breakfast, you will explore the nearby verdant, green Kalinzu Forest Reserve on foot with an expert local ranger guide, looking for the chimpanzee communities that call this protected area home.
You will learn about the habits and social activities of these endangered apes – our closest relatives in the animal world – and gain insights into current efforts to protect them. Kalinzu Forest is home to about 300 wild chimpanzees and it’s the best place to see them after Kibale Forest. There will also be plenty of opportunities to see different species of birds, butterflies, and plants Kalinzu.
After, the chimp trek, you will enjoy a packed picnic lunch and then embark on a slow drive south to the remote Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. This southern section of the park is home to tree-climbing lions who spend long lazy days dozing in the pretty fig trees. The Uganda Kob, which they watch from the branches, graze the plains. Enjoy game-watching – make sure to look out for huge herds of elephants, buffalos, and topi.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Mid-range: Enjojo Lodge
Budget: Enjojo Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 4: Morning Game Drive As You Travel To Bwindi
After a peaceful night’s rest, you’ll start the day with an early morning game drive on the Ishasha Plains, watching the resident wildlife forage or hunt for food, before enjoying a delicious bush breakfast in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will then depart for your next stop.
As you drive further south, the landscape will change dramatically: Bwindi is a place of steep hillsides, dense jungle, and towering trees. After about a 3 to 4-hour drive, you will arrive at your lodge near or inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, an acclaimed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bwindi is considered one of the richest biological and botanical regions in Africa. Its rainforest is over 25,000 years old and contains almost 400 species of plants. It is also the best place on the planet to see wild mountain gorillas. There are only about 1063 wild mountain gorillas left worldwide. Of those, 500 reside in Bwindi! A visit to the national park – especially one focused on meeting these great apes – help conservation efforts.
Besides gorillas, the region provides shelter for another 120 species of mammals, including several primates such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. You will arrive at you’re your lodge in the later afternoon to freshen up and relax. In the evening, you will visit the community of Batwa – a hunter-gatherer tribe indigenous to the region, whose people once lived and sustained themselves within the Bwindi Forest. They lived peacefully with gorillas.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Haven Lodge/Buhoma Lodge/Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp
Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp/Agandi Eco-Lodge/Bakiga Lodge
Budget: Trekker’s Tarven Cottages/Gorilla Conservation Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking & Relaxation At Lake Bunyonyi
Rise early, have a hearty breakfast, and prepare for a gorilla trekking adventure! Before beginning the trek, park rangers will brief the group to ensure your safety and that of the great apes.
The trek usually takes 2 to 7 hours. We recommend bringing a good pair of walking boots or shoes. The rangers will accompany you as you trek through the dense forest jungle, occasionally hacking the dense undergrowth with a machete as you search for gorillas. As part of anti-poaching efforts, the apes are under 24-hour monitoring, so you’re almost guaranteed to see them!
Once you have located a gorilla family, you will be asked to leave all your belongings on the side and approach the gentle giants with only your camera. It is advised that you keep within 23 feet (7 meters) of the apes to reduce the risk of transmitting human diseases to them. This also helps guides interpret the animals’ behavior and easily retreat if danger is perceived.
You will be able to see the gorillas in their natural environment: feeding, playing, interacting with each other, or just sleeping. The gorillas are usually quite curious to see humans as well! You’ll be allowed exactly one hour with the apes. You will then enjoy your packed picnic lunch before returning to the starting point to receive your gorilla trekking certificate.
From there, you will leave Bwindi and embark on a 1-hour drive through the Little Switzerland of Africa along winding mountain roads and through rural villages to Lake Bunyonyi one of Africa’s deepest and most beautiful lakes.
Here, you will have time to relax at the lake shore resort as you reflect on the once-in-a-lifetime experience of encountering the endangered Mountain Gorillas. You may opt for an evening boat cruise on the lake.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: BirdNest@Lake Bunyonyi
Midrange: Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 6: Relaxed Breakfast & Transfer Back To Kampala
Enjoy one last leisurely breakfast before departing for Entebbe.
You have quite a long journey ahead of you, so make sure you have your snacks and water handy. From your lodge, you will be driven to the back to Entebbe or Kampala, where your unforgettable adventure first began. En route, you will stop at the Igongo Cultural Centre, a huge commercial enterprise with a five-star hotel, a top restaurant, craft shops, and luckily also one of the best museums in all of Uganda
Here you will enjoy a traditional lunch and learn about the Ankole culture of Uganda, getting a glimpse into the history of these interesting people. After lunch you will continue on your way making another stop will be at the Equator; Uganda is one of the few countries in the world where you can cross this imaginary geographical line on land.
Observe how water swirls in opposite directions on either side of the equator. It makes for great photographs and memories. It is also an impressive site for purchasing memorabilia to take back home as a memento of this incredible safari in Uganda.
You’ll arrive in Entebbe by early afternoon and you may have a Day Room to yourself to rest if you fly out a bit late. Closer to your departure time, you’ll be transferred to Entebbe International Airport to catch your flight back home.
End Of The 6 Day Uganda Safari
What’s Included
- Accommodation: Hotel/lodges (5 nights).
- Meals: 5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners
- Transport: 4×4 safari vehicle and fuel
- All national park entrance fees
- Guided mountain gorilla trek with permits
- Guided chimpanzee trek with permits
- Safari drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Wildlife boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
- Visit the Equator
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
What’s Not Included
- Airfare to and from the destination
- Minimum medical and emergency evacuation insurance
- Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance
- Visas
- Any activity not described in what’s Included
- Meals on your own
- Gratuities
