7 Day Safari to Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth & Kibale
Day 1: Arrival
On arrival at Entebbe International Airport you will be met and driven to your accommodation.
Day 2: Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Your safari guide will meet you and set off for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This scenic drive takes you through the grasslands of Ankole, famous for its long-horned cattle. Continue through the highlands of Kigezi with their beautifully terraced hills usually referred to as "Switzerland of Africa".
Here you will have a lunch break and an opportunity to stretch your legs. Continue with the journey through beautiful scenery sighting the volcanic Virunga Mountains on a clear day. Arrive in Bwindi National Park in the evening. This park is the home of the rare mountain gorillas. There are also a wide variety of primates to see in this dense green forest, including the Blue monkey and Red-tailed monkey .
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Approximate driving time: 8-10 hours
Day 3: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Forest
Very early in the morning, after breakfast and guides' briefing, set off for your Gorilla tracking activity in the forests of Bwindi. Gorilla tracking can be strenuous; you will need to carry a packed lunch, drinking water, wear comfortable boots or jungle shoes suitable for steep muddy slopes, put on ear plugs for those who feel uncomfortable with jungle sounds and take a rain jacket. The park rangers will have walking sticks available for those that require one. Return to the camp exhilarated to relive the encounter with friends over a drink.
If you have the energy, go for a village walk to see how local people live and visit the medicine man!
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Depart early with a packed lunch for Queen Elizabeth National Park. 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. You 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 trees of Ishasha.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Approximate driving time: 5 hours
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, go for a morning game drive on to the rolling plains where you can view lions, giraffe, hartebeest, buffalo and elephant as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For the birders these areas support Secretary Bird, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles, Carmine and Swallow-tailed Bee-Eaters, to pick just a few. This is a beautiful drive across Borassus Palm Forest and grassland savannah down to Lake Albert where the Albert Nile heads north to the Sudan.
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, while 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, take a slow drive back to the accommodation.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth to Kibale National Park
Following breakfast and a morning game drive, depart to Kibale Forest National Park. 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. Continue to Fort Portal town, arriving in the late afternoon.
After lunch you will go for a guided walk in Bigodi 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.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Approximate driving time: 4 hours
Day 7: Chimpanzee tracking and departure
A relatively early start to report to the ranger station in Kibale National Park at 8am 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 monkey, blue monkey, grey mangabey, pottos, black-faced vervet monkeys, baboons and 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.
After lunch, depart to Kampala arriving in the evening. Transfer to your accommodation or to the airport for your flight back home.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Approximate driving time: 7 hours
Approximate price US$3260 per person sharing
Group discounts, budget and luxury accommodation options available. Single supplements apply.
Inclusions:
- The cost of all ground transportation
- Full time safari guide
- Park entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
- Boat trip
- Gorilla permit
- Chimpanzee tracking
- Nature walk
- All game drives
Not Included:
- Flights
- Visa fees
- Airport taxes
- Items of personal nature like laundry and bar bills
- Beverages
- Tipping and any extra expenses not included above
Accommodation:
Unless a specific accommodation is requested, we reserve or recommend a luxury or mid-range facility - reasonably-priced, charming hotels/lodges with private bathrooms, hot water, good service and value. Prices are based on two persons sharing a double or a twin-bedded room. We make every effort to arrange shared accommodation for single travelers when requested to do so. If the request cannot be honored, a single supplement will apply.
Food:
The cost of the tour includes most meals. Check the program to see where food is included and where not.
Journey times:
All journey times are close approximations, as you can never quite guarantee what will happen on the African roads. We could be in for a bumpy ride on parts of the route (which adds to the excitement of being on safari!), we may encounter roadworks and of course, there are the photo stops. Either way, you can be certain that although you may be seated for long periods at times during the trip, you will be passing some spectacular countryside and there will always be something of interest to see along the way!
Guide:
Your guide will be a professional and experienced English-speaking guide (local).
Gorilla permits:
Only when payment has been received can permits for gorilla tracking in the relevant National Park be purchased. Getting a gorilla permit is not a guarantee of seeing a gorilla. Local conditions sometimes mean that access to the gorillas is made impossible at short notice. We are unable to accept liability for any circumstance that might lead to gorilla viewing being cancelled, whether it is closure of the National Park or borders, absence of the gorillas, or security changes. Refunds are at the discretion of the relevant authority and we cannot accept liability for them. We shall do our utmost to obtain a refund and, if a refund is paid by the relevant authority, we shall pass it on to you. Note that the chances of seeing the gorillas stand at 98%.
Insurance:
It is essential that you have appropriate insurance for the type of holiday being taken. Such insurance should fully cover death, personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation in the event of accident or illness or death, cancellation or curtailment of the holiday and loss of, damage to, or theft of your personal property. Activities with a greater inherent risk, such as mountaineering, animal tracking on foot, and white-water rafting should be covered.
Items to bring:
- Small daypack
- Mosquito repellent (containing DEET)
- A rain jacket
- A jumper/sweater for chilly evenings
- Swimwear
- Sunglasses
- Sun protection
- Long-sleeved top and trousers for Gorilla tracking
- Binoculars
- Hiking boots and flip flops
- Spending money
- And of course, don’t forget your camera!
