BRIEF ITINERARY
Day 1 | Arrive Entebbe
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport where you will be met by our representative and transferred to the Boma Hotel (or similar) to overnight. Depending on your arrival time, a half day trip to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary may be arranged at an additional cost. Other options include boat cruises on Lake Victoria or the Uganda Wildlife Education Center in Entebbe, where there are a variety of visitor’s programs including behind the scenes work with the animals.
Day 2 | Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park | Buhoma Lodge
Today you'll be transferred to the Entebbe domestic airport for your flight to Kihihi airstrip, near Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. For the next three nights your home will be the Buhoma Lodge. The flight takes just over an hour and upon arrival you will be met by our representative and driven to Buhoma Lodge, located on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The drive to the lodge is through local villages, mountain roads, and lovely scenery making for very interesting drive!
Day 3 | Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park | Buhoma Lodge
Today is the day you've been waiting for: tracking mountain gorillas in the dense jungle! You will have an opportunity to be within a few yards of these magnificent apes, sharing in their daily lives and experiencing their day-to-day activities. Mountain gorillas are extremely rare with only an estimated 850 remaining in the wild. This is an experience you won’t soon forget!
Day 4 | Second Gorilla Trek or other activities | Buhoma Lodge
Depending on individual preferences there are a variety of different itinerary options for this day. Embark on a second gorilla trek, enjoy a guided forest walk, visit a Batwa pygmy, or simply relax and explore the nearby Buhoma village.
Days 5 & 6 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Depart Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and travel by road (2-3 hours) to Ishasha in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Time permitting, during our drive from Bwindi to Ishasha, we may visit a Community Project on the border of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here the local people allow you to enjoy some time in their homesteads and visit the local elephant trench project – which stops elephants coming into the village and raiding crops. Spend the next 2 days on game drives in the Ishasha area, looking for the huge herds of buffalo, elephant, Uganda kob and of course the famous tree-climbing lion typically found in the area.
Day 7 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | Mweya Lodge
Continue north to the Mweya area of Queen Elizabeth National Park, also rich with wildlife. The many nearby crater lakes and mountain ranges provide a beautiful backdrop for your journey. Enjoy a leisurely boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You may encounter herds of elephant, many birds, buffaloes and antelopes, large groups of hippos, and crocodiles basking on the shore. The cruise also provides a spectacular view of the beautiful Mweya Peninsula and life in local fishing villages set along the banks.
Day 8 | Kibale Forest National Park | Primate Lodge
This morning you travel to the Kyambura Gorge to enjoy chimpanzee trekking and then continue north to Kibale National Park, about 3 hours by road. On a clear day you may get views of the Rwenzoris in the distance. Two nights spent in the area to allow time for chimpanzee tracking in the forest. You can also join a guided forest walk, visit the Bigodi Swamps, or the Vanilla Farm close to Ndali Lodge.
Day 9 | Chimp Trekking in Kibale Forest National Park | Primate Lodge
This activity will generally take place in the morning. We'll arrive at the Kibale Forest National Parks’ headquarters to meet your guides for your morning’s chimp trekking experience. The forest is alive with noise and you should be lucky enough to see the habituated chimps during your trek. In the afternoon, you can also join a guided forest walk, visit the Bigodi Swamps, or the Vanilla Farm close to Ndali Lodge.
Day 10 | Return to Entebbe
Depart after an early breakfast for the drive back to Entebbe, stopping for curio shopping on the roadside and a quick photo stop at the Equator. Arriving back in Entebbe in the late afternoon. The rest of the evening is at your leisure.