Affordable 16 days Gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari
Best 16 days gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari
16 days Gorilla trekking & River Nile Uganda safari gets you to Uganda’s most outstanding wildlife and natural features in the country’s top game parks. Enjoy a journey starting from the giant apes (mountain gorillas & chimpanzees), mountain Rwenzori snow caps, Africa’s big 5 game, source of the river Nile in Jinja, watching endemic bird species, culture, coffee tasting tours, crater lakes and rivers etc. You’ll also enjoy the Pearl of Africa’s wild and engage into the roots of this meaning found out spread in the savannah grasslands and western arm of the great rift valley.
Arrival and departure; Entebbe
- Day 1- arrival, rest & city tour
- Day 2- transfer to Mburo and walking safari
- Day 3- Golden monkey tracking and lake Bunyonyi
- Day 4- gorilla trekking and game drive at Ishasha sector
- Day 5- game drives and boat cruise at Kazinga channel
- Day 6- chimpanzee tracking, primates & birds at Kibale forest N.P
- Day 7- Semuliki hot springs & nature walks
- Day 8- transfer to Murchison, trek to top of falls & game drive
- Day 9- game drives, boat cruise on the Nile
- Day 10- transfer to Sipi falls
- Day 11- Sipi falls & hiking
- Day 12- mt. Elgon NP trekking
- Day 13- transfer to the source of the Nile and night life
- Day 14- water rafting, bungee jumping at the source
- Day 15- Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary
- Day 16- l. Victoria shores and departure
What to see on a visit Uganda 16 days' gorilla trekking & river Nile safari?
Great on this 2 weeks’ Uganda adventure journey will be numerous amazing untamed wildlife and geographical features nestled in the country’s grasslands. Another wonderful scene is the complex western arm of the rift valley that harbors testimony of thousands of years of combined volcanic- geological activities. Some of these features include the following;-
- Mountain gorillas- A type of ape classified under the eastern gorillas that has survived extinction in the last 4 decades. These gentle giants are only found in the Virunga massif that is shared among Rwanda, Uganda & DR Congo. Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which also has the highest number of mountain gorillas in the world.
- Chimpanzees- Another big apes found in Africa’s forests with Uganda’s forests having the highest concentration on the planet. Visit Uganda to enjoy their human like social life given having a 98% DNA similarity with humans.
- Golden monkeys- Being with golden hair and a unique nose print different from that of other primates. The golden monkeys species are only found in the Virunga massif that is part of Uganda’s volcanic setup.
- Murchison water falls- Are the world’s strongest water falls and watching them from above on a nature hike is a magnificent view like no other.
- Mtn. Rwenzori snow caps- During safari game in Queen Elizabeth national park & the great rift valley, you will have amazing sightings of Rwenzori’s shiny snow caps.
- Crater lakes- Queen Elizabeth national park has up to 52 crater lakes are a also great landmarks that contribute to the presence of birds & animals that quench their thirst on hot days.
- River Nile- An ancient spoken of river with its source in Jinja, Uganda and runs up to Egypt flowing into the Mediterranean sea. Visit the source of the Nile on this 16 days gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari for great memories.
- Lake Victoria- Africa’s largest & world’s second largest fresh water lake which is also contributes to the waters of the river Nile will host you on its beaches and resorts on this safari.
- Hot springs- Part & result of the geological features on the floor of the great rift valley are also testimony of the volcanic activity in the area. Hot springs in Semuliki national park are of hot water fountains heating beyond 100°C that connect to depths of geothermal rocks.
Detailed 16 days gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari itinerary
Day 1 Kampala city
The Kampala tour on the Gorilla trekking & River Nile Uganda safari will get you to various historical administrative, economic and cultural sites and centers in the city have affected the development of Uganda as a country. Food and commodity markets around Kampala are so interesting and have a great reflection of how the county’s population survives. Later on in the evening, you will have a nightlife experience in the bars and lounges of Kampala city till resting time as you wait for the next day.
Accommodation: Lake Victoria Serena hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day you will be at lake Mburo national park commonly known for its high zebra population, horseback riding safaris, walking safaris, game drives, biking/cycling safaris and community walks. Lake Mburo game park has 70 mammals and 332 recorded bird species and is richly gifted with various acacia and papyrus endemics such as the papyrus gonolek, papyrus yellow warbler, white-winged warbler and shoebill; as the acacia species are wide spread elsewhere in the park. Mammals include Burchell’s zebras, Nubian giraffes, hippos, leopards, buffaloes, topi, elands, antelopes, warthogs, bushbucks among others.
Accommodation: Mgahinga lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing, you will hike the volcanic mountains of the Mgahinga to a height of 2,500 meters above sea level in the bamboo forests of the montane region where these unique primates reside. Golden monkeys have orange-yellow like hair color that give them that distinguished golden look. When you reach their residence, you will be allowed to stay around them for one hour.
Golden monkeys live in families of hundreds and have a very playful character, they will keep you so entertained. Looking at them critically, you will notice their facial appearance that the golden monkeys have a nose so different from that of many other primate species.
Accommodation: Buhoma lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Getting to find the mountain gorillas on a trek in Uganda is a 99% chance backed up by the gorilla population in this region. After the trek, you will have an experience with the Batwa people who have for all their life time co-existed with the forest and its species. During this nature walk you will experience numerous bird species with particularly 23 Albertine endemics that are habitats to only the Albertine region. You will set out to the Ishasha sector of the Queen Elizabeth national park best known for its tree climbing lions and one of the only 2 destinations in Africa with lions have having this behavior.
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will head out to the Kazinga channel (a river connecting lakes Edward and George) for a morning boat cruise through queen Elizabeth national park. At this Gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari you will glance at the world’s largest hippo pods which are numbered above 5,000 at the Kazinga channel with Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants, lions, water bucks, giraffes, kobs, kudus etc. also coming in onto the banks of the Kazinga channel to quench their thirst. Following the boat cruise will be game drives around this channel and beyond into the vast savannah grassland to enjoy more game viewing at more lion, elephant and leopards among others
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Kibale national park known for chimpanzee tracking and for having the highest population & concentration of chimpanzees in world numbering above 1,500 individuals in the park. Afternoon tracking session starts at 14:00 and takes 2-5 hours with a more than 90% chance of meeting the chimpanzees; a forest walk that will come along with numerous sceneries of more than 370 bird species of grassland, forest, swamp and Albertine rift region endemics, 350 tree species and 71 mammal species. Other primates in the park include the L’hoest monkeys, colobus monkeys, blue monkey, olive baboon, red tailed monkey, vervet monkeys.
Accommodation: Kibale forest lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Semuliki national park has hot springs that were a result of geological actions dating thousands of years back; these produce water of over 100°C producing white mist and smoke in the forests. The Semuliki game park is an intersection of the east African grasslands and the central African tropical forests thus harboring numerous tree species of the west and central African forests and bird species having 435 bird species, 11 primate species and 53 mammal species.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Next will be the Murchison water falls where you’ll embark on a hiking experience up to view the magnificent water falls from above and watch the strongest falls on the planet, gashing 3,000 cubic liters of water per second. The water goes through an eight-meter corridor cascading down a 43-meter height into the “the devil’s caldron” forming a white mist and a signature rainbow producing a loud sound from the powerful force of the water of the river Nile.
Still on this Gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari, you will be amazed by the many elephant herds and their playful young ones, lion prides, rothschild’s giraffes, waterbucks, buffaloes, numerous bird species among others.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day, you will wake up very early in the morning and drive to Murchison falls national park where you will set off with a game drive till afternoon when you reach your booked lodge for lunch break. Thereafter lunch, you’ll head to the banks of the river Nile for a boat cruise towards the face of the Murchison falls. While on the boat cruise, you will have scene of various water birds e.g. shoebills, eagles, geese, hippos, huge Nile crocodiles etc. Mammals also approach the river banks to quench their thirst like buffaloes, elephants and the scenes are endless.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 10 transfer to Sipi falls
On this morning you will take a 6hrs & 30 minutes’ drive from Murchison to Sipi falls a journey that will give you another glance of Uganda’s geological and cultural potent such many volcanic plugs and massive rocks, and rocky hills standing above the savannah grasslands, lakes and rivers the northeastern flat plains of Uganda.
These along pastoralism and farming will continually send into your way numerous bird species that are part of Uganda’s hundreds of lowlands, highland and rift valley endemics. Some immigrants from Europe and the north pole especially during the summer times that is from June to September on the Gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari.
Accommodation: Mount Elgon hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 11 Sipi falls
on this day you will continue with the Gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari to 3 different water falls (Sipi, Simba, Ngasire) that pour from cliffs as high as 95 meters and are separated by steep hillsides. The falls are found outside mountain Elgon national park. During the hike you get across numerous other unnamed water falls across the steep slopes, a number of bird species as you hike along, can engage in fly fishing, biking among others. Later on you will visit the surrounding community for an agro-tour more so of the special indigenous Arabica coffee and coffee tasting sessions.
Accommodation: Mount Elgon hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Starting with a transfer from Sipi falls to mount Elgon national park while enjoying sights of the Elgon peaks, numerous water falls flowing from the mountain caldera, montane vegetation that cascades on the slopes of the mountain, volcanic plugs, basalt cliffs and many others volcanic features and rocks.
You will also go through the park and its forests enjoying its wild game such as blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, de brazza’s monkey, leopards, elephant and cape buffaloes.
Accommodation: Mount Elgon hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Still on the Gorilla trekking & River Nile Uganda safari in Jinja (commonly known as the adventure capital of East Africa) where the source of the river Nile is located way out of Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest lake) and continues to North Africa. River Nile has numerous water falls at the genesis of its course for example Owen falls, Bujagali falls, Ripon falls, Itanda falls, Busowoko falls etc.
Clean white waters of the river Nile at this point are the most entertaining of the river course throughout Africa offering the best bungee jumping point, kayaking, horse riding at the river banks, water rafting, swimming, canoeing, river boarding, quad biking around the river banks etc. River banks also host numerous bird species that can be experienced on nature walks thus being some of the best birders’ destinations in the region.
Accommodation: Whispers of the Nile (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 15 Ngamba Island
Early in the morning, you will embark on a journey to Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary also known as “chimp island” which has more than 50 individuals and located in Lake Victoria near Entebbe town. It was sanctioned to protect orphaned chimpanzees due to various human activities like poaching and encroachment into the wild places that may claim the lives of parents of these chimpanzees.
Accommodation: Lake Victoria Serena hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 16 Entebbe for departure
Another day at the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe, you will have a tour around Entebbe town and there after a walking tour at the cool 40.7 hectare botanical gardens along the shore of Lake Victoria. Botanical gardens are also common for biking/ cycling safari, monkey feeding, birding safari; the Pink-backed Pelican, Yellow-billed Stork, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Yellow White-eye, Purple-banded Sunbird, African Jacana, Lesser Jacana, Yellow-billed Duck, Glossy Ibis among others and 500 plant species including both non-native and indigenous.
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
What's the best time for a complete all inclusive gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari?
Perfect adventure in the pearl of Africa on a 16 days gorilla trekking & river Nile Uganda safari is best done during the country’s summer/ dry season months of June- August and December- February. Its during this season when you get to find paths/ roads in all destinations dry & maneuverable. While on safari game drives, wild animal viewing will also be easy since the savannah grasses are short and animals cannot hide. Start planning your safari in Uganda speaking to our travel experts to have a perfect tailor-made itinerary that will fulfill your wildlife inspirations with Travitude safari tours.
Inclusions
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- Golden monkey tracking permits
- Park entry fees
- Laundry
- Airport transfers
- Bottled drinking water
- Driver and guide
- Government taxes
- Transport 4×4 safari landcruiser
- All excursions indicated in the itinerary
Exclusions
- Travel insurance
- International flights
- Visa fees & processing
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol/ liquor
- Tipping & gratitude
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Accommodation after end of the of the trip
- Anything not mentioned in itinerary
Your safari route map
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