Gorilla Tracking Tour & Wildlife in both Uganda & Rwanda
Overview
Spend a fortnight in the African Jungles viewing the Gorillas and the wild game in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley on this well planned 15 day Gorilla Tracking Tour. This cross border itinerary will see you cross from Uganda into Rwanda to track the Golden Monkeys. After tracking the Golden Monkeys you will return to Uganda to proceed with your safari with game drives in Lake Mburo and highly engaging adrenaline adventures in Jinja town to crown of the incredible tour.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
- Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Day 3: Game drives and afternoon boat cruise at Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park via Hoima town
- Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Nature walk at Bigodi wetland sanctuary
- Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 7: Morning game drives and afternoon boat cruise
- Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi National Park via the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 9: Gorilla Tracking
- DAY 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda
- DAY 11: Golden Monkey Tracking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 12: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day 13: Transfer to Jinja
- Day 14: Quad biking, Bungee jumping, white water rafting and a visit to the source of the Nile in Jinja
- Day 15: Transfer to Kampala/ Entebbe
Gallery
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
You will be met by our guide or driver upon arrival at Entebbe Airport who will drive you to your hotel for your overnight stay.
Depending on your arrival time you could opt for a city tour of either Entebbe or Kampala.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
After your early morning breakfast your driver who will be working as your Gorilla Tracking Tour guide will pick you up from your hotel to start off your safari.
You will be driven to Murchison Falls National Park with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Enroute to Masindi town. Track the Rhinos at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary an activity that will take at most 2 hours depending on the feeding location of the Rhinos.
Stopover in Masindi for lunch prior to checking into your lodge or hotel
Day 3: Game drives and afternoon boat cruise at Murchison Falls National Park
After your early morning breakfast you will depart for a fun filled 4 hour morning game drive of Murchison Falls National park after which you will retreat back to your lodge. Some of the animals you expect to see during your morning game drive include; elephants, Lions, Rothschild Giraffe, waterbucks and a variety of Savannah woodland birds among others.
Lunch will be served at the lodge after which you will depart for your afternoon boat cruise. The boat cruise is a 3 hours ride along the River Nile with great sightings of Crocodiles, Hippos and Buffaloes.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park via Hoima town
Wake early in the morning right in time for your early morning Gorilla Tracking Tour breakfast and departure to Kibale National Park. The drive to Kibale National park will take about 8-10 hours thus necessitating the early departure from your lodge at Murchison Falls National Park
You will have your lunch En-route to Kibale National park
Arrival and check in at the lodge where you will spend the evening relaxing. Dinner will be served at the Lodge.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Nature walk at Bigodi wetland sanctuary
After your morning breakfast you will transfer to the briefing point where you will meet the park rangers that will guide you on the Chimpanzee Tracking trail. Kibale Forest National Park supports a biggest primate concentration in the world and you will come into close proximity with other primates like Red Colobus Monkey, L’Hoest Monkey and the Grey Cheeked Mangabeys.
The park also boasts of an impressive birdlife with over 335 bird species reported to have been sighted at the national park.
The Chimpanzee trekking experience takes anywhere between 2-5 hours with hikes through the forested landscape of the park. You will stay in close proximity with the Chimpanzee for an hour after which you will return to the lodge for your lunch.
In that afternoon you will step out and connect to the Bigodi wetland sanctuary for an afternoon nature walk. During the nature walk you expect to observe plenty of bird species and some primates like the Vervet and L’Hoest Monkeys. You will return to the lodge in the evening for your dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After an early morning breakfast you will depart Kibale National Park for Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will experience some memorable afternoon game drives with our experienced Gorilla Tracking Tour Safari guides. Queen Elizabeth National park has a variety of Animals with four of the famed big five and these include the lions, leopards, Elephants and Buffaloes.
Day 7: Morning game drives and afternoon boat cruise
Breakfast will be served early in the morning after which you will depart for your morning game drive in search of Lions, Elephants, Leopards and Hippos. You will later return to the lodge for your lunch and relax for about two hours prior to setting off for the afternoon boat cruise.
At 4 pm you will depart for a 2 hour boat ride on the Kazinga Channel a 32 km water stream that connects Lake Edward to Lake George where you expect to experience sightings of Buffaloes and elephants that normally come to quench their thirst on the banks of the Kazinga Channel.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi National Park via the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast you will depart your Gorilla Tracking Tour lodge headed for Bwindi Forest National park a drive that will see you traverse through Ishasha and area south of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Ishasha plains are famed for their tree climbing Lions which can only be spotted on a good day as there no definite guarantees of finding the Lions up the trees. But sights of Elephants and Buffaloes are a common feature on the route. You will arrive at Bwindi in the evening right in time for your dinner and overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Day 9: Gorilla Tracking
Early morning breakfast will be served at the Lodge after which you will transfer to the park headquarters for briefing for allocation of your Gorilla tracking groups and meeting the rangers. You will connect to the trail head and enter the forest on foot in pursuit of the gigantic primates that have come to be popular known as the Mountain Gorillas. The Gorilla tracking experience takes anywhere between 2-6 hours depending on the location of the Mountain Gorillas on a particular day. You are allotted a time frame of one hour to stay with the Gorillas in their natural habitat and observe their peculiar habits as the young ones play about and the some feeding on leaves.
After your close encounter with the Gorillas you will return to the Lodge.
DAY 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda
After you morning breakfast you will transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda a drive that will see yout tour guide navigate the beautiful Kigezi highlands.
After arriving in Rwanda you will check into the Lodge or Hotel for your lunch after which you will embark on afternoon visit to the iby’iwachu cultural village for local musical performances by a local musical cultural troupe.
Dinner and overnight stay at the Lodge
DAY 11: Golden Monkey Tracking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Early morning Gorilla Tracking Tour breakfast will be served at the lodge after which you will set off for the Kinigi visitors center for briefing. With the help of the park rangers you will head to the park open fields to start tracking the Golden Monkeys
Golden Monkey tracking takes anywhere between 1-2 hours after which you will return to your lodge to pack up and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi.
Day 12: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Morning canoeing at Lake Bunyonyi after which you will transfer to Lake Mburo for a game drive and an evening boat ride. Some of the animals you expect to see during your game drive include zebras, elands, waterbucks and antelopes.
Dinner and overnight stay at a Lodge in Lake Mburo National park
Day 13: Transfer to Jinja
After your early morning breakfast you will transfer to Jinja with stopovers at the Equator for a photo opportunity.
You will also have a stopover in Kampala for your lunch en-route to Jinja.
Arrive and Check in at your lodge/hotel
Day 14: Quad biking, Bungee jumping, white water rafting and a visit to the source of the Nile in Jinja
Jinja town is famed for its adrenaline adventures and these include white water rafting, bungee jumping and quad biking. You have a wide array of Gorilla Tracking Tour activities to choose from including a boat ride to the source of the Nile for a photo opportunity at that actual starting point of the world longest river.
You can also opt to visit the communities where you will mingle with the locals and get to know some of their cultural values and norms.
Day 15: Transfer to Kampala/ Entebbe
After you breakfast you will transfer to Kampala or Entebbe for your departure flight. Depending on your time schedule we can have a brief stopover at the Sezibwa Falls en-route to Kampala/Entebbe
END OF TOUR
Route Map
Inclusions
WHAT IS INCLUDED
- Airport transfers on first and last day,
- Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Services of an English speaking driver guide
- Fuel for the whole trip
- Accommodation and meal plan as per the itinerary
- All park entrance fees
- Drinking water while in the vehicle
WHAT IS EXCLUDED
- Pre and post tour accommodation
- International airfares
- Uganda Visa (USD50.00 which can be paid on arrival at the Airport
- Personal items for example drinks and laundry
- Tips and Gratuity