RU 08: 7 Days Safari to Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth & Kibale National Park

Day 1
Depart from Kampala by road and head south-West to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will have a short stop at the Equator for an informative talk as well as a photographic opportunity. We will continue to Mbarara where were we will stop for lunch. Your drive will take you through Uganda rolling green hills through the highlands, also known as the ‘Switzerland of Uganda’. Your road will then head even higher to where you can see the triangular peaks of the Virunga volcanoes of Rwanda and the Congo. We then drop down into a valley, to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home of the mountain gorilla. Tonight you will sleep to the sounds of the mountain rainforest.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort/Buhoma Community Bandas (Full Board)
Day 2
Up relatively early for a hearty breakfast to give you the energy needed for gorilla tracking. Before 8:00 am report to the ranger station for registration and a talk by one of the rangers; the guides will then take you through the bush pushing your way through the undergrowth, parting thick creepers, to track the gorillas. (This trek can take from half an hour to 5 hours – a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as a sturdy pair of walking shoes) Sit in the forest among the gorillas, listening to them grumble to each other, and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant male; the silverback. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rainforest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. It’s amazing to think there are only about 650 of these beautiful creatures left!
If you have the energy this afternoon, take a guided walk on the Munyaga River trail, which is an ideal short walk. This trail leads to three delightful crystal clear waterfalls, and there is a profusion of tree ferns, epiphytic ferns, orchids and Bwindi’s colorful array of butterflies. Here you may also see birds and primates from the forest edge.
OR If you have the afternoon free, how about a guided village walk – see how the Ugandans live!
Overnight at Gorilla Resort/Buhoma Community Bandas (Full Board)
Day 3
We will depart early with our packed lunch for Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will drive through the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth known as Ishasha, famed for its tree-climbing lions. Ishasha is a remote and beautiful extension of Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will see buffalo, topi and hippo among other species. It is a fabulous sight to see the lions draped from the trees and nowhere in Africa do you stand a better chance of seeing this than in the large low-limbed fig tree of Ishasha.
After checking in and having some time to relax, we will head for a late afternoon game drive. We often spot Elephants, waterbucks, warthogs, hippos and others.
Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge/Institute of Ecology (FB)
Day 4
This morning we will leave for the 08.00am chimp trek in Kyambura Gorge. These delightful apes, more closely related to humans than to any other living creature, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. We will return to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel gives you the opportunity to view wildlife up close: hippo’s huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, buffalo linger in the shallows. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle billed stork and many others. After this wonderful afternoon, a slow drive back to Lodge.
Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge/Institute of Ecology (FB)
Day 5
Following breakfast and a morning game drive, we will depart to Kibale Forest National Park. We will leave the park via the Northern Crater Area, with beautiful lake and rich grasslands which are set deep in the crater valley; this is truly the most breathtaking scenery in the park. We will then continue to Fort portal town arriving in the late afternoon. Tonight you will sleep in Ndali Lodge/Rwenzori View guest house prior to your chimpanzee tracking in the morning.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge/ Rwenzori View Guest House/Kanyankyu Ecological site (FB)
Day 6
A relatively early morning start, to report to the ranger station in Kibale National Park at 08.00am to track habituated chimps – these delightful apes, more closely related to humans than to any other living creature, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. The incredibly diverse forest is home to over 13 species of primates including red Colobus monkey, the rare L’Hoest, blue monkey, grey mangabey, pottos, black faced vervet monkeys, baboons and also bush-babies.
A network of shady forest trails provides much to delight botanists and butterfly lovers, while birders are in for a treat with 335 species recorded including the endemic Prirogrine’s ground thrush. The elusive forest elephant, smaller and hairier that its savannah counterpart, moves seasonally into the developed part of the park, while other terrestrial mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog and a half dozen antelope species.
If you have energy in the afternoon, you will go for a guided walk in Bigot Swamp to look for different bird species like the Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue Throated Roller and other rare species and also find the fruiting trees, which attract Narina Trogon, Pied Hornbill, Yellow Spotted, Hairy Breasted and Yellow-Billed Barbets.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge/ Rwenzori View Guest House/Kanyankyu Ecological site (FB)
Day 7
After breakfast we will depart to Kampala arriving in the afternoon.