9 Days Double Gorilla Trekking Tour | Kibale | Bwindi & Queen

Our 9 Days double gorilla trekking tour is an incredible primates and wildlife tour that will take you to Kibale Forest National Park, also known as the primate capital, where you will be able to spend time with the chimpanzees and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you will get an opportunity to visit two different gorilla trekking families.

The safari will also take you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will be able to spot different animals, including the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, Uganda kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, topi, hippos, and Nile crocodiles, among others, during the game drives and boat cruise on the Kazinga channel.

Highlights

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

Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking experience and Bigodi swamp walk

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 5: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 7: First gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 8: Second gorilla trekking experience

Day 9: Departure flight to Entebbe

Detailed itinerary    

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

Depending on your time of arrival at Entebbe International Airport on the first day of the safari, you will be welcomed by a driver guide from Achieve Global Safaris, who will brief you about the safari and then drive to your hotel in Entebbe for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After breakfast on the second day, you will check out of the hotel and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kibale Forest National Park in western Uganda. The journey takes about 6 to 7 hours drive and on the way you will have a stopover for en-route lunch and also enjoy stunning views of the Rwenzori Mountain peaks, tea plantations, and crater lakes, among others. Upon arrival in the park, you will connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking experience and Bigodi swamp walk

After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer you to the Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and an experienced park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park takes about 2 to 5 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located and during the trek, you will be able to view other primates such as grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and bird species, among others.

Once the chimpanzees are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their habitat, which gives you a chance to learn about their habits, watch them feed, breastfeed and groom young ones, watch them fight and hunt, take photos and record videos.

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, where after you will go for a guided nature walk in Bigodi Swamp, spot primates like the L’hoest monkeys, grey checked mangabey, birds like the great blue turaco, and colorful butterflies, among others.

Later drive back to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Enjoy breakfast at leisure, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which takes about a 2- to 3-hour drive. On the way you will enjoy great views of the landscape, crater lakes, tea plantations, and more, and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will go for an afternoon game drive in the park where you will be able to view animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, lions, and leopards and spot different bird species, among others.

After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

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

After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise, which takes about 2 to 3 hours, you will get a chance to view elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes along the shores and view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water and aquatic bird species, including eagles, vultures, pelicans, hornbills, cormorants, and fish eagles, and kingfishers, among others.

After the boat ride you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight.

Day 6: 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 have a stopover in the Ishasha sector for a game drive where you will be able to view the tree-climbing lions lying in acacia/fig tree branches and other animals like buffaloes, elephants, topi, and Uganda kobs, among others.

After the game drive, you will have an en-route lunch and then proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and upon arrival, you will check in at the lodge for dinner and overnight.

 Day 7: First gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

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

After the briefing you will be allocated an experienced park guide and start trekking in the jungle in search of the mountain gorillas, which takes about 2 to 7 hours.

During trekking, you will be able to view different bird species, other primates, and plant and tree species among others and once the mountain gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them, which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their habits and behaviors, watch them carry out their daily activities, take photos and record videos.

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

Day 8: Second gorilla trekking experience

Enjoy breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing, after which you will be allocated another gorilla family to trek.

Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their habitat, watch them feed and breastfeed and groom young ones, take photos and record the incredible moments.

Later return to the lodge for relaxation or go for an optional cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the local people, learn about their culture, tradition, and way of living, and enjoy their traditional performances, among others. Dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Departure flight to Entebbe

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the Kihihi airstrip for your domestic flight to Entebbe airport. Scheduled flights with Aerolink Uganda depart from Kihihi airstrip at around 8:35am or 12:05am and arrive at Entebbe airport at around 11:25am or 14:25pm, respectively.

End of 9-day double gorilla trekking tour

The tour includes

• Gorilla trekking permits
• Chimpanzee trekking permit
• Domestic flight fare (one way)
• Park entrance fees/game drives
• Boat cruise fees
• Rhino tracking permit
• Lion tracking experience
• All activities included in the itinerary
• Services of a professional English-speaking driver guide
• Full board accommodation
• Pick up and drop off in Entebbe
• Vehicle and fuel
• Bottled drinking water

The tour 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.