7 Days Uganda Gorilla & Big 5 Wildlife Safari Takes you to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), and Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) for an opportunity to spot the ‘’Big five’’ African animals (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard) by land on your morning and evening game runs. In addition, you will track radio collared lions in the “Kasenyi planes” of QENP with experienced researchers. By boat, on the Nile River at MFNP and through Kazinga channel in QENP, you will have a close-up experience with one of the world’s largest concentrations of hippos, as well as Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffalos and other wildlife along the banks of the water. For your exciting African great ape encounters, you will trek to find chimpanzees in Kalinzu forest, and have the ultimate experience of spending time with endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (a UNESCO World heritage site and home to half of the world’s remaining Mountain Gorillas). Cultural experiences include visiting a traditional community of the Batwa, the first people to live in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Day 1: Airport pick up and transfer to Murchison falls National Park.
On this day, you will be warmly welcomed at the airport by one of our professional tour guides. From the airport, you will be transferred to your Murchison Falls National Park.
On your way to the park, you will branch off to Ziwa rhino sanctuary. In Nakasongola District, near Nakitoma Village is where you will get a moment to track these beautiful animals. The white Rhinos became extinct in Uganda’s national parks in 1980, but conservationists and the government through Uganda wildlife authority took the few that had remained and transferred them to the sanctuary for better protection. There are about 18 rhinos in the sanctuary at the moment and there is a plan to reintroduce them in Uganda’s game parks in the future.
Lunch will be at the sanctuary before proceeding to the Murchison falls national park. you will enter the park and drive to the top of Murchison falls. At the top of Murchison Falls “also known as Kabalega Falls”, the Nile forces its way through a gap in the rocks that is only 8 meters wide, and tumbles 43 meters before flowing westward into Lake Albert.
Later, you will continue to your lodge with a short evening game drive. When you reach your lodge, you will check in and relax as you enjoy the wildlife views from the pool side of the lodge, Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation:
- Chobe Safari Lodge
- Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Red chili rest camp
Meal Arrangement: Lunch and Dinner.
Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Boat Cruise, plus evening game drive.
After an early morning breakfast, you will leave for an early morning game drive looking for the early morning riser. As you head out for the game drive, you will be in position to spot animals like the buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, Rothschild giraffes, Oribi, Kobs and waterbucks together with some bird species along the way with some feeding together with the big animals.
Later you will then head to Paara cruise point for a boat cruise along the Victoria Nile. You will have a private boat to cruise to the bottom of the falls. This Boat ride on Victoria Nile goes for 3 hours and you will be able to see some Nile crocodiles, numerous hippos, as well as various bird species. After you will return to the lodge for lunch and relax at the pool as you wait for the evening game drive.
The evening game drive will take you to see the animals as the walk back to their resting habitats and caves. You will have more opportunity to see them resting under trees and others hiding out. You will also have beautiful picture moments of the sunset and later after your evening adventure drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation:
- Chobe Safari Lodge
- Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Red chili rest camp
Meal Arrangement: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabath National Park
Today you will wake up on early breakfast and depart Murchison falls National Park heading to Queen Elizabeth National Park. you will drive through major towns like Hoima and Fort Portal where you will have lunch from, then proceed to the park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park’s diverse ecosystem which includes sprawling Savannah makes it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.
On arrival, you will check in at your lodge, have dinner and relax for the night.
Destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation:
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Buffalo Safari Lodge
- Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Meal Arrangement: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 4: Experiential Lion and Leopard tracking and afternoon boat cruise.
On this day, after your breakfast, you will head out to the Northern section of the park “Kasenyi planes”. While there, you will interface with the predators under the guidance of a ranger guide and researchers who drive around the park with radiation trackers. These trackers help them to find lions that have radio collars placed around their necks. The lion tracking experience takes about 3 hours and later on, you will return to the lodge for lunch as you prepare for the afternoon boat criuse along the Kazinga Channel.
Breifly: Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most visited national park in Uganda with thousands of hippos that populate shorelines of Kazinga Channel. The open savannah dotted with Acacia and Euphorbia trees provide a habitat for elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs and big herds of buffaloes.
The boat safari along Kazinga channel gives you an amazing view of water loving animals such as the water buffaloes, Elephants, hippos, crocodiles and bird species on the shores of the channel such as fish Eagle among others.
You will then return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation:
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Buffalo Safari Lodge
- Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Meal Arrangement: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu Forest Reserve, and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
On this day, be up early, have breakfast, and drive out to the nearby Kalinzu Forest Reserve. The Forest is home to habituated Chimpanzees plus other primates including baboons, monkeys, and also bird species. Today, you will spend the early part of the day tracking chimpanzees here. Thereafter, you will drive southwards to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Upon arrival in Bwindi, you will check in at your lodge for relaxation and overnight stay as you wait for Gorilla tracking the following day.
Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation:
- Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge.
- Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
- Gorilla closeup lodge.
Meal Arrangement: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural experience
On this adventurous day, you wake up on an early morning breakfast and report to Bwindi Park headquarters for a short briefing with the leader tracker/ ranger guide before you start on your day activity. From here you will head into the montane forest for an encounter with the mountain gorillas.
Always watch out for their voices and listen to them grumble and the young as they swing from tree to tree, and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant male; the silverback.
It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rain forest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. The beauty of this rainforest is spectacular and it offers a dramatic steeply forested landscape which is incredibly dense, but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists.
You will look for these endangered species and finding them will depending on the last nesting location of the previous night. The time taken to track the gorillas can be range from 4 to 7 hours or beyond. Once you locate a gorilla group, you will be allowed only one hour in their presence. The thrill of spending time observing these gentle and endangered giants is an awesome, exciting and one in a life experience to be long savored.
Later, you will have a community visit to the Batwa group that are the first people to
live in this forest and still reside there regardless of the many years of
civilization. You will be amazed by their traditional dance, homes, dress-code and
way of life. You will then return back to the lodge for dinner and rest till the following day.
Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation:
- Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge.
- Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
- Gorilla closeup lodge.
Meal Arrangement: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 7: Return to Kampala/ Entebbe to catch flight
On this day, you will have a relaxed breakfast at your lodge and drive through the hills of Kabale as you live this beautiful part of the world heading to Kampala/ Entebbe International Airport. You will have a stopover in Mbarara for lunch and also stop over at the Equator line that separates the earth into two different parts i.e, the North and Southern hemisphere. You will take some pictures and buy some souvenirs, then finally drive straight to Kampala/ Entebbe International Airport for your flight back home.
Meal Arrangement: Breakfast and lunch with mineral drinking water.
End of your 7 Days Gorillas and Big 5 Wildlife Uganda Safari