9 Days double gorilla trekking tour
9 Days double gorilla trekking tour
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 Ishasha sector, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, Uganda kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, topi, hippos, Nile crocodiles among others during the game drives and boat cruise on Kazinga channel.
Highlights of the 9 days double gorilla trekking tour
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, 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 on the third day of the safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer to Kanyachu Visitors Centre for 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, 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, 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 l’hoest monkeys, grey checked mangabey, birds like the great blue turaco, colorful butterflies among others. Later drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
On the fourth day, you will have 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 2 to 3 hours drive. On the way you will enjoy great views of the landscape, crater lakes, tea plantations among others 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, leopards, 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 on the fifth day 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, warthogs among others grazing in the open savannah plains, view predators like lions, leopards and hyenas. After the game drive you will drive return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on 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, antelopes along the shores, view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, aquatic bird species including eagles, vultures, pelicans, hornbills, cormorants, fish eagles, king fisher’s 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 on the sixth day of the safari, you will 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 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, Uganda kobs among others. After the game drive, you will have 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 on the seventh day of the safari, you will 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 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, 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, 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
On the eighth day of the safari, you will have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing where after 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, 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, way of living, enjoy their traditional performance among others. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Departure flight to Entebbe
After breakfast on the last day of the safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to 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 days double gorilla trekking tour
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
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.
