20 days Uganda wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions overview
20 days Uganda wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions safari starting from Kigali, Rwanda to all over Uganda’s best wildlife game drives in the nation’s top national parks and geological features that are unique to this location of the world for example the source of the river Nile, Murchison water falls; the strongest water fall in the world, mountain gorillas, the highest population of chimpanzees, Rothchild’s giraffes, Nile crocodiles, hippopotami, thousands of bird species, primate species, Africa’s big 5 game among others
Arrival and departure: Kigali- Entebbe
- Day 1- arrival, rest, city tour and travel to Uganda
- Day 2- golden monkey tracking & nature walk at Mgahinga
- Day 3- L. Bunyonyi and crater lake, scenery watching
- Day 4- gorilla trekking & Batwa experience at Bwindi impenetrable forest N.P
- Day 5- Tree climbing lions & game drives from Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth N.P
- Day 6- Kazinga channel boat cruise & scenery watching
- Day 7- chimpanzee tracking & forest walk at Kibale forest N.P
- Day 8- Semuliki hot springs & tropical forest walk
- Day 9- Murchison game drives & top of the falls
- Day 10- Game drives & boat cruise on R. Nile at Murchison falls N.P
- Day 11- game drives & transfer to Kidepo
- Day 12- game drive & hiking at Kidepo N.P
- Day 13- Karamojong culture experience to Sipi
- Day 14- Sipi falls & hiking
- Day 15- Mt. Elgon N.P
- Day 16- Mbale coffee tour & Jinja city tours
- Day 17- water sports & nature walks on the R. Nile
- Day 18- Kampala city tour & night life
- Day 19- L. Victoria shores, botanical tour
- Day 20- Departure
On arrival at Kigali international airport, you will be picked up by our guide from the airport and get to relax in the heart of Kigali town in the chilling city’s cafes or restaurants. You will then a city tour around Kigali’s eco parks, art and craft shops, malls and treks to Kigali hill to have a glance at the full city view that cascade to a thousand hills that harbor beautiful golf courses and hotels. Visit the genocide memorial site, museum and various traditional and historical sites which also have several souvenirs that you can buy and live on with beautiful memories. The city tour will depend on your time of arrival.
Accommodation: Mgahinga lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
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. 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. Along the hike, you will also observe other primates like the red tailed monkeys, white and black colobus monkeys, reptiles, Albertine rift endemics and many more bird species on nature walks the park.
Accommodation: Mgahinga lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day you will wake up to the sound of birds and a glance at the mist waters, hills and valleys at lake Bunyonyi. Some of the most amazing attributes of the lake are being the deepest crater lake in Africa, the 29 islands located in its waters which toured by use of a boat/canoe and safe waters with no crocodiles and hippos. Bunyonyi lake harbors over 200 bird species with the gray crowned crane being one of the most remarkable birds, breathtaking sceneries of the volcano mountains ad slopes of Muhavura will leave you stunned at this beautiful lake and its surrounding.
Accommodation: Bird’s nest @ Bunyonyi resort (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Arriving at the park headquarters, you will have a briefing on the gorilla behaviors, livelihoods and how to handle their reactions to the human presence. Mountain gorilla tracking expeditions into the tropical montane forests will last between 45 minutes to 3 hours before meeting the gorilla family you are assigned to and you will be allowed to follow and spend an hour with that gorilla family. Getting to find the mountain gorillas on a trek in Uganda is a 99% chance backed up by the gorilla population in this region. During this nature walk you will experience numerous primates, wildlife & bird species with particularly 23 Albertine endemics that are habitats to only the Albertine region.
Accommodation: Buhoma lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Continuing with the wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions, 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. Ishasha sector has many other wildlife game like; elephants, buffaloes, leopards, kobs, antelopes, wild dogs, hyenas, ostriches, waterbucks and glamour at some of the world’s most unique bird species as the park is the second best birding haven having more than 660 recorded bird species as their home. Savannah’s vast grasslands and its plains will keep you amazed at the wonderful wildlife game & expeditions along with beautiful scenes of the Rwenzori mountains.
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 experience you will have a glance at the world’s largest concentration of hippos which are numbered above 5,000 at the Kazinga channel, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, water birds and other land birds coming in to quench their thirst, elephants, lions and other land wildlife game like water bucks, giraffes, kobs, kudus among others also coming in onto the banks of the Kazinga channel to quench their thirst & the scenic views of snow capped mountain Rwenzori. On this wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions, you will also once again come across the equator landmark as it crosses through queen Elizabeth national game park.
Accommodation: Chimpundu lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day, you will head to Kibale national park known for chimpanzee tracking expeditions given having the highest population & concentration of chimpanzees in world numbering above 1,500 individuals in the park. Afternoon chimpanzee 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. Chimpanzees combined with gorilla trekking is a superb Africa primates excursion.
Accommodation: Primates lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Known as one of the most beautiful places in the East African region for its remarkable features and as a landmark position separating East Africa’s savannah grasslands and central Africa’s tropical forests thus having vegetation and forests of characteristics of both regions. Semuliki national park has hot springs that were a result of geothermal actions dating thousands of years back; these produce water fountains of over 100°C producing white mist and smoke in the forests. Semuliki game park therefore harbors both central African tropical forests and savannah grassland bird species recorded at 435 bird species along 11 primate species and 53 mammal species.
Accommodation: Semuliki safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
You will be amazed with vast elephant and giraffe herds with their playful young ones, lion prides, waterbucks, buffaloes, baboons, reptiles, numerous bird species among others on this wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions safari. Later on you will have a trek up to view the magnificent Murchison falls from above and watch the strongest falls on the planet, gashing 3,000 cubic litres of water per second 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.
Accommodation: Nile safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
10th day on this wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions, you will wake up very early in the morning and drive to Murchison falls national where you will set off with a game drives. Murchison falls game park has highest number of rothschild’s giraffes in the world, more than three- quarter of the total world population and numerous elephant and lion families, waterbucks, impalas, kobs, warthogs, hippos, buffaloes, crocodiles, leopards, hyenas, jackals among other mammals and more than 450 bird species recorded in the park. While on the boat cruise, you will have scene of various water birds like the shoebills, raptors, geese among others, hippos and a great number of huge nile crocodiles and many more mammals that approach the river banks to quench their thirst like buffaloes, elephants and the scenes are endless.
Accommodation: Nile safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Kidepo valley national park is one of the most typical of an African wilderness so vast and untampered grasslands that tend to dry when it’s hot and all green when rains set in. the park has the second highest number of bird species in Uganda recorded at 475 species in the park such ostriches, secretary bird, raptors and vultures, among others along with 83 mammal species such as elephants, zebras, buffaloes, rothschild’s giraffes, kobs, hartebeests, blue monkey, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, lions, wild dogs, jackals among others. Expect to enjoy views of large buffalo and elephant herds, nature walks and hike on higher altitudes to view vast scenes of the park and its wild game.
Accommodation: Apoka safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 13 transfer to Sipi falls
On this you will set off on a 9-hour road trip to the Sipi falls in eastern part of Uganda on the slopes of mountain Elgon. While on wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions safari, you will make a stopover at the Karamojong community residences called Manyattas which are huts constructed of mud, cow dung and grass thatching as one main hut is surrounded by numerous huts of extended members of the family, fenced with thorny logs and sharing one compound. You will learn more about the culture of these pastoralists and warriors before you embark on the journey to Sipi falls.
Accommodation: Rafiki safari lodge (0r a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 14 Sipi Falls
Day 14 will see you continue with the 3 different water falls (Sipi, Simba, Ngasire) that pour from cliffs as high as 95 meters and are separated by steep hillsides. Sipi 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: Sipi valley resort (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Starting your day’s trip 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. Hiking through the park and its forests, you’ll enjoy its wild game such as blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, de brazza’s monkey, leopards, elephant and cape buffaloes. Later you will have a tour on cultural sites and know about the Bagisu/ Masaba people that are custodians of that place most interesting their cultural dance, tunes and embalu adulthood initiation ceremonies.
Accommodation: Mount Elgon hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 16 Mbale & Jinja
Different from other parts of Uganda growing colonal and robusta coffee, Mbale specifically grows Arabica coffee from the ancient times and is one of the few places in the world that grow this type of coffee because of the fertile volcanic soils on the slopes of the Mountain Elgon. Our guide will take you to some traditional sites and be entertained by the Masaba people with their famous Imbalu dance and learn more about the essence of this tradition, art and crafts centers from different Ugandan traditions. Welcoming people of Mbale will make you feel at home and get you enjoying their local dishes such as matooke (bananas), cassava, millet, maleewa (a famous delicacy and soup prepared from soft bamboo shoots), ground nuts etc. Prior to evening hours, you will set off for Jinja town know as East Africa’s adventure capital.
Accommodation: Nile safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This section of the river Nile has numerous water falls for example Owen falls, Bujagali falls, Ripon falls, Itanda falls & Busowoko falls with clean white waters are the most entertaining on the river’s course throughout Africa offering the best bungee jumping point, water rafting, horse riding at the river banks, water surfing, swimming, canoeing, river boarding, quad biking around the river banks among others. You will also take a boat to reach the source of the Nile where 30% of the water emanates from underground streams and 70% from lake Victoria. Green sparsely forested areas will provide a chilling breeze for nature walks and relaxations that will grant you a memorable time at the source of the river Nile.
Accommodation: Whispers of the Nile (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 18 Kampala City
Kampala tour 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 for example the Kasubi tombs, Rubaga cathedral, Namirembe cathedral, Kaddafi mosque, Baha’i temple etc. Food and commodity markets around Kampala are so interesting and have a great reflection of how the county’s population survives; these will get you have some taste on fresh fruits, vegetables grown in the country and street food delicacies. 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: Golden Tulip (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 19 Lake Victoria shores & botanical gardens
This day will find you at the shores of lake Victoria in Entebbe and early in the morning after your breakfast you have a tour around Entebbe town and thereafter 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, bird watching safari; 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 foreign and indigenous. Tropical plants are categorized into indigenous and non-native fruits, medicinal, beverage, spices, ornamentals, timber, oils and important crop wild relatives, several of these threatened in the wild and agro-ecosystems.
Accommodation: Lake Victoria Serena hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 20 Entebbe for departure
On this day you will relax off the long trip as you prepare for departure time.
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Inclusions
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Golden monkey tracking permits
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- Park entry fees
- Cross border fees
- Airport transfers
- Transport 4×4 safari Landcruiser
- All activities indicated in the itinerary
- Government taxes
- Laundry
- Driver & guide
- Bottled drinking refreshments
Exclusions
- Travel insurance
- International flights
- Visa fees & processing
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol/liquor
- Tipping & gratitude
- Souvenirs & snacks
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Accommodation after the end of the trip
- Anything not mentioned
When is the best time for Uganda wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions?
Uganda’s summer time/ dry season months of June to August and December to February are the best for wildlife & gorilla trekking expeditions as the weather conditions during this time are perfect for a complete safari in all the popular game parks in the country. During these months, the savannah grasslands are dry and short easing sightings of wildlife animals and birds with other high chances of waiting for them at water bodies as they come in to quench their thirst. Speak to our travel experts at Travitude safari tours to organize a perfect safari itinerary.
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