11 Days Uganda Birds & Primates

The 11 days Uganda birding and gorilla trekking safari is an adventurous safari that starts and ends in Entebbe, Uganda. The safari will take you to Mabamba Swamp, where you will be able to spot the prehistoric shoebill stork, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park.

During the safari you will have great views of wildlife, including elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, impalas, topi, and oribi, among others, which will be viewed during the game drives and boat cruise. You will also engage in an adventurous chimpanzee and gorilla trekking experience where you will be able to spend time with the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in their natural environment.

Highlights of the 11 Days Uganda Birding and Gorilla Trekking Safari

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Entebbe

Day 2: Birding in Mabamba Swamp

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Day 4: Uganda Chimpanzee trekking safari and Bigodi swamp walk

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 6: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 8: Uganda Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 9: Birding in Mubwindi and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Day 10: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

Day 11: Walking safari and departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary     

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to the hotel in Entebbe

Depending on your arrival time at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by our driver guide, who will brief you about the safari and then transfer you to the hotel in Entebbe for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Birding at Mabamba Swamp

After an early breakfast, you will carry a packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Uganda’s Mabamba Swamp for a birding experience, where you will be able to view the illusive shoebill stork and other bird species like the double-toothed barbet, long-tailed cormorant, black crake, African pygmy goose, and common sandpiper, among others. After birding at Mabamba, you will return to the hotel for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel to transfer you to Kibale National Park. The journey takes about a 6- to 7-hour drive, and on the way you will have an en-route lunch and enjoy stunning views of the farmlands, Rwenzori Mountains, tea plantations, Lake Gorge, and crater lakes, among others. Upon arrival in Kibale National Park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp

Chimpanzee trekking,

After an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will be divided into a group of 6 people, where each group will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest.

Trekking of chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park takes about 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During the trekking safari you will be able to spot other primates such as grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and hoest monkeys; some bird species; and plants, among others.

Once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, which helps you to learn more about their behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, fight, hunt, enjoy the juveniles playing up in the trees, take photos and record the moments. After the face-to-face encounter with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the park headquarters, where you will meet up with your driver guide to return to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, you will go for an interesting nature walk in Bigodi Swamp, where you will be able to view different bird species like the white-breasted Negrofinch, yellow-spotted barbet, grey-winged robin-chat, primates, plant species, and beautiful butterflies; enjoy the cool breeze; and relax your mind, among others. After the swamp walk, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda. On the way you will enjoy great views of the landscape, crater lakes, tea plantations, and more, and upon arrival you will have lunch.

After lunch you will go for an afternoon game drive where you will be able to view animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, and bushbucks and view different bird species, among others. After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive/lion tracking,

You will have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in the Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will be rewarded with great views of large herds of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, and warthogs, which will be grazing in the open savannah plains view predators like lions and leopards if you are lucky, and a variety of bird species, among others. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for lunch.

Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

After lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise on the Uganda Kazinga channel, a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise, which takes about 2 hours, you will get a chance to view elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs drinking water along the shores; view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water; see water birds like martial eagles, papyrus gongs, pelicans, hornbills, African skimmers, cormorants, African spoonbills, fish eagles, and kingfishers, among others; and also view fishermen organizing their fishing nets along the water banks. After the boat ride you will return to the lodge for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the way you will pass through the Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will get an opportunity to spot the tree-climbing lions, which will be lying up in fig tree branches.

After the game drive in the Ishasha sector, you will have lunch, and after that, you will continue the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and upon arrival, you will check in at the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

 Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla trekking,

After an early breakfast, carry your lunch box and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of gorilla trekking.

After the briefing you will be divided into groups of 8 people, where each group will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is knowledgeable about the mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on their location and during trekking you will be able to view forest birds, other primates, and plant and tree species, among others.

Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them, which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their lifestyle, behaviors, and habits; take photos; watch them carry out their daily activities; and record the fascinating memories to show people back home.

After a breathtaking encounter with the gentle giants, you will trek back to the park headquarters, where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and then meet up with your guide to return to the lodge for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Birding in Mubwindi swamp and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After an early breakfast, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Mubwindi Swamp for birding, where you will be able to view different bird species, including dusky crimson, yellow-streaked greenbul, handsome francolin, dwarf honeyguide, African green broadbill, archer’s robin-chat, regal sunbird, black goshawk, and African emerald cuckoo, among others.

After birding, you will return to the lodge for lunch, where after you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Mburo. Upon arrival in the park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 10: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

After an early breakfast, meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive in the park, where you will be rewarded with great views of animals like waterbucks, elands, buffaloes, zebras, impalas, topi, and giraffes, among others, which will be grazing in open savannah plains with due. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, you will go for an interesting boat cruise where you will be able to view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs drinking water along the shores, and water birds like kingfishers, bee-eaters, and fish eagles, among others. After the boat cruise you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 11: Walking safari/birding and departure to Kampala

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to go for a walking safari in the park where you will get up-close and personal with different animals and spot bird species like the black-bellied bustard, bare-faced go-away bird, brown-chested lapwing, red-faced barbet, and blue-headed coucal, among others.

After the guided nature walk, you will meet up with your driver guide and start the journey back to Kampala with an en-route lunch on the way and a stopover at the Equator, where you will buy souvenirs and take photos.

Upon arrival in Kampala, your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or drop you off at any place of your choice.

End of 11 days Uganda birding and gorilla trekking safari

Includes

• Gorilla trekking permit
• Chimpanzee trekking permit
• Birding in Mabamba swamp
• Mubwindi birding
• Park entrance fees/game drives
• Boat cruise fees
• Lion tracking experience
• All activities included in the itinerary
• Services of a professional English-speaking driver guide
• Full board accommodation
• Pick up from Kampala/Entebbe and drop off in Kigali
• Vehicle and fuel
• Bottled drinking water

Excludes                     

• Air flight tickets
• Visas
• Life insurance
• Optional activities not included on the itinerary
• Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, cigarettes, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.