7 Days Gorilla Trekking and Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 1: Destination: Queen Elizabeth national park

Upon arrival in Uganda, our driver and guide will welcome and usher you into our vehicle and off to south western Uganda through Mityana, Mubende, Fort portal and finally Kasese. This 7-8 hour journey will be characterized by a stopover for lunch, wash rooms but also you will have a chance of seeing roadside markets selling fresh fruits, vegetable and food stuffs; banana and tea plantations, pass through another national park, Kibale as well as the new Equator spot at Kikorongo. You will continue to the park entrance and our driver will help with all the park clearances then proceed to your lodge.

You will check-in, shower if you saw wish and later in the afternoon (around 4:30 pm), you will start an afternoon/ evening game drive which will last up to about 7:45pm in the evening.

Day 2

Wake up about 5:45am, freshen up and sit down for a light breakfast and at 6:30am, embark on an early morning game drive. This excursion to last 3 hours or slightly more will enable you view wild animals as they begin there day. Cape buffalo, elephant, giraffe, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Oribi, lion and leopard (if lucky), warthog, hippopotamus, monkey, giant forest hog among others. You will also see amazing resident and non-resident bird species such as martial eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, African skimmer, chapin’s flycatcher, pink-backed pelican, white-winged warbler, papyrus gonolek, papyrus canary, corncrake, lesser and greater flamingo, shoebill stock among others. You will also see explosion crater lakes at Katwe (these are extinct volcanoes north of Mweya)

After a lunch break, you will get into the vehicle and off to a boat safari spot; this excursion might start at 2:30pm. The safari along the Kazinga channel( It’s a channel which separates 2 lakes Edward and George on the Ugandan and DRC borders) where you will see lots of other birds, swimming hippos, elephant, crocodile, fishing community and villages, a cool breeze and a great landscape on both the Ugandan and Congo’s sides. You will return and relax at the lodge; swim if you so wish or just enjoy the park environment.

Day 3

Wake up for breakfast and thereafter drive to Ishasha sector, a true wilderness experience in this southern sector of the park; here you will have a chance to see tree-climbing lion and they go about their game from atop tree branches;  you will drive back to the lodge for lunch or have it at another nearby hotel. After a lunch break, you will go to track chimpanzee until late in the evening then return to the lodge.

Day 4

Destination: Bwindi/ Mgahinga national parks

Wake up, freshen up and sit down for breakfast. We shall check out of our rooms, get into the vehicle and drive further southwest to either Bwindi or Mgahinga national parks (depending on gorilla permits secured). We shall arrive late afternoon, check-in, sit down for a lunch break and relax. In the later part of the evening, we may choose to do a brief walk around the park as part of the preparations for the following day’s trekking.

Day 5

Wake up, have breakfast and thereafter go a gorilla briefing session to last about 30 minutes. You will be grouped accordingly, and each group will have a lead guide. All trekkers will also be accompanied by porters (these are support staff who help carry extras such as parked lunch, water etc).

Gorilla tracking is a captivating and unforgettable experience; it’s one of those unique safaris where you will come so close to mountain gorilla in a natural and forested environment. Be prepared to walk for some distance in the usually muddy, wet, slippery, ascending and descending terrain. However, this walk is no doubt exciting, amazing and enjoyable as it’s also learning, question and answer session. You will also see other rare flora and fauna along the trek.

Day 6

Wake up, have breakfast, check out of the lodge and drive east to Lake Mburo national park. You will stop over for lunch at Igongo cultural centre and hotel. After your lunch, continue and get cleared to enter Lake Mburo national park. After our clearance, we shall begin a game drive in which you will also see lots of amazing flora and fauna including the zebra ( this is the only park hosting this black and white stripe animals).

We shall check in at our lodge, shower and relax then go for a walking safari. This safari is equally exciting as you are even closer to nature and what it has to offer.

Day 7

Wake up, have breakfast and drive back to Kampala with a stopover at the Equator for a demonstration. We shall continue to Kampala and finally Entebbe international airport for our flight catch back home.

Proposed meal plan: Multi course meals freshly prepared from local produce, ensuring that you take away warm homely memories of Ugandan taste and hospitality. Free WIFI is also available. We may also cater for clients with special diet but prior notification is required

Proposed vehicle: 4*4, air conditioned safari vehicle

Safari highlights: Ground transportation including airport pick and drop, all park entrances and activities as per package and itinerary, accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

End of safari