This 13 Days Wildlife and Gorilla Tracking safari certainly offers you a memorable adventure while on your Uganda tour. You will be able to do white water rafting along Nile River, bird watching which extends to Lake Bunyonyi. Furthermore, Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable rain forest as well as a trip to the extremely exciting Murchison Fall National Park which has a range of tourist activities that a visitor can take on.
Detailed Itinerary for 13 Days Wildlife and Gorilla Tracking.
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport.
Your guide will pick you either at your hotel or at the airport and transfer you to your hotel for dinner and overnight at Sheraton hotel Kampala.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park en-rout rhino tracking.
After breakfast, you will drive north of the country to Murchison via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola to track the rhinos. In Uganda, rhinos were depleted in the early 1980s, after a period of civil war and severe poaching. The sanctuary has now been established to breed black and white rhino in phase one and two to restore Rhino populations in Uganda so that they can be re-introduced to their natural habitats. You will then have lunch at the sanctuary or Kabalenga hotel before proceeding to Murchison. Dinner and overnight at pakuba safari lodge.
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park.
After breakfast, you will go for an early morning game drive where you may have chances of viewing lions, giraffes, hartebeests, buffaloes, elephants, Bohor reed-buck, as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For the bird lovers, you can come across the Sported Morning Thrush, silver-bird, Buff-bellied warbler, Black-headed batis, Black-headed gonolek, Vitelline- masked weaver, Green-winged pytilia, Blue-naped mouse-bird, Secretary bird, Black-chested snake eagle, Tawny and Marshal eagles, Northern and Southern Carmine bee-eaters, and many others.
In the afternoon, you will go for a boat trip to the foot of Murchison Falls where the Nile thunders through a small seven-meter gap or down the river to the delta where the Nile empties into Lake Albert. The banks of the Nile are home to many species. You may see huge Nile crocodiles, hippos, and other wildlife that may come down to drink from the river. You will have a tasty evening meal before retiring back to your lodging. Dinner and overnight pakuba safari lodge.
Day 4: Transfer from Murchison Falls National Park to Kibale National Park.
After breakfast, you will depart Murchison Falls for Kibale Forest National Park. This park is known for the highest number of primate species in Africa. The activity starts in the morning hours and there is also another lot for the afternoon, depending on the time of your booking and itinerary. When trekking chimpanzees, you may come across other primates including phoestes, red-colobuses, blues, red-tailed, and grey-cheeked Mangabeys in the canopies of the dense forest.
You will also spot birds, butterflies, and many small insects. The guides provide explanations about primates and other forest's fauna and flora, ensuring that your walk is both informative and enjoyable. You will have dinner and an overnight stay at mountains of the moon hotel.
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking at Kibale National Park.
In the morning, you will go for a chimpanzee tracking in the forest. Later in the afternoon, you will go for a guided nature walk through Bigodi Swamp. The wetland is managed by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Organization formed in 1992 with the aim of achieving social and economic development for local communities. The swamp is a home to about 137 bird species. Immerse yourself in a hearty meal and relax in your room hotel Mountains of the moon hotel.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After breakfast, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving in the afternoon. For the sixth day, you can relax at the hotel or go for a late evening game drive. Enjoy your dinner and your overnight stay at Enganzi safari lodge.
Day 7: Morning Game drive and Boat cruise after lunch.
In the morning, you will have a game drive to the Kasenyi area to look for lion prides and other wildlife like the waterbuck, Oribi, and Uganda Kob that mate around the area. You will return to the lodge for breakfast. Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s most popular and certainly one of the most scenic safari attractions. It stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of mount Rwenzori range in the north, along the shores of Lake Edward, to the remote Ishasha River in the south. It incorporates a wide variety of habitats that range from savanna and wetlands to gallery and lowland forest. This gives the park the diversity of bird species of over 550 and a list of 95 mammal species.
You will then go for an afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. There hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, buffaloes linger in the shallows, and a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the shores. Great White and Pink-Backed pelicans, Great and Long-Tailed cormorants, Open-Billed storks, African jacanas, and Malachite and Pied kingfishers are commonly seen in the area so prepare your cameras. Later in the evening, you will have dinner and your overnight stay at Enganzi safari lodge.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
After breakfast, you will depart Queen Elizabeth and head for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park passing Ishasha sector which is famous for the tree climbing lions arriving in the afternoon and relax at the lodge as you prepare for the gorilla trekking the following day. Dinner and overnight at Bakiga lodge. Or silver back lodge.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
In the morning, you will have to wake up very early to get ready for gorilla trekking. The guide will drive you to the headquarters for a briefing before you set off in the interior of the forest. Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare mountain gorillas. It is perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on this planet. There are now only 700 of the creatures left in the world. The tracking may take between 2 to 8 hours but it is well worth the effort. For the gorilla trekking, it is important to establish rules that you are required to follow for your safety during the trip.
On the way to the gorillas, a maximum number of eight visitors may visit a group of habituated gorillas in a day. This minimizes behavioral disturbances to the gorillas and the risk of their exposure to human-borne diseases. Always wash your hands before you head out to the gorillas. Whatever you bring into the forest should be carried back with you. On you visit, you will be taken to where the guides left the gorillas the day before. From there, you will follow the gorillas trail to find them. Look out for the gorillas nesting sites along the way. When you approach the gorillas, the guide will inform you when to get your cameras ready. Please always keep your voices low. You will also be able to observe the great bird life and other wildlife in the forest.
When you are with the gorillas, you must stay in a tight group when you are near the gorillas. Do not eat or drink while you are near the gorillas. Sometimes the gorillas charge. Follow the guide’s example, crouch down slowly. Do not look the gorillas in the eye; wait for the animals to pass. Do not attempt to run away. Running away will increase the risk of attack. Flash photography is not permitted. When taking pictures, move slowly and carefully.
Do not touch the gorillas. They are wild animals. The maximum time visitors are allowed to spend with the gorillas is one hour to limit their disturbance. If the gorillas become agitated or nervous, the guide will end the visit early. After the visit, keep your voices low until you are 200 meters away from the gorillas. You are also required to follow these general health rules. Remember gorillas are very susceptible to human diseases.
The following are ways to minimize the risk your visit might pose to them. Respect the limit imposed on the time that visitors are allowed with the gorillas each day. This minimizes the risk of disease transmission and stress to the group. If you are feeling ill or you have a contagious disease when you are already in the park, please volunteer to stay behind. An alternative visit will be arranged for you or your money will be refunded as per gorilla reservation guidelines.
If you feel the urge to cough or sneeze when you are near the gorillas, please turn your head away and cover your nose and mouth in order to minimize the spread of bacteria or viruses. If you need to go to the toilet while in the forest, please ask the guide to dig you a hole and ensure that you cover it when you have finished. Any breach of those rules may lead to termination of gorilla trekking without any refund.
There are always park guides with you who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the gorillas. The rain forest is spectacular as it offers a dramatic, heavily forested, and dense landscape crisscrossed by numerous animal trails, allowing access for tourists. Recorded mammals there include the endangered mountain gorilla, the rare golden monkey, the buffalo, elephant, black-fronted duikers, bushbucks, leopards, giant forest hogs, as well as other animals. Dinner and overnight at Bakiga lodge or silverback lodge
Day 10: Transfer from bwindi Impenetrable National Park to lake bunyonyi.
After a hearty breakfast, you will be driven to Lake Bunyonyi the deepest lake in Africa, its located in the south west of Uganda. You will arrive in the afternoon for relaxation and refreshment. After, go for a canoe ride to explore the lake by visiting different islands like punishment island, leprosy island and many more. Dinner and overnight at Rock resort hotel.
Day 11: Transfer to Jinja.
After morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Jinja eastern part of Uganda, en-rout visit Ssezibwa fall. Dinner and overnight at hotel triangle.
Day 12: White water rafting or visit source of river nile.
After morning breakfast, you will either go for white water rafting or visit source of river Nile depending on your travel interests, after lunch transfer back to Kampala. Dinner and overnight at Sheraton hotel Kampala.
Day 13: Kampala city tour and transfer to the airport.
Touring Kampala is very interesting, you will visit places like Uganda martyrs’ shrine Namungongo, Kasubi tombs, Uganda museum, cathedrals, the craft center and later drive to the airport to catch your flight back home.