5-DAY PEARL OF AFRICA CHIMPS AND GORILLA
Your safari will start from the hotel or the airport. You will drive off to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Expect chimp trekking in the impressive Kyambura Gorge plus a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel. After exploring Queen, you will exit for Bwindi through the Ishasha area for tree-climbing lions sighting. In Bwindi, you will enjoy the ultimate gorilla experience then transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation and sightseeing. Thereafter, you exit for Entebbe Airport.
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Welcome to Uganda! Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met and greeted by our representative who will introduce you to your driver/guide. He will brief you and take you through your trip plan then transfer you to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for the classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds. You will stop for lunch en route then proceed into the beautiful Queen Elizabeth National Park: one of Uganda’s most outstanding treasures. Time permitting, you may proceed for an evening game drive after checking into your accommodation or else relax at your accommodation awaiting the next day’s activities.
Accommodation options; Katara Lodge/Mweya safari lodge (Luxury), Kasenyi Safari Camp/Ihamba Safari Lodge (Moderate), Simba safari camp (Budget)
Day 2: Chimp tracking and boat cruise along Kazinga Channel
Be up early, have breakfast and proceed for the Chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura gorge. The Kyambura Gorge is found on the eastern side of Queen Elizabeth National Park and it is home to habituated Chimpanzees plus other primates including Baboons, Monkeys and also bird species. The gorge is 1 km long and 100 meters deep. Kyambura landscape drained by the Kyambura River is one of the most impressive topography in Queen National Park. Today, you will spend the early part of the day tracking chimpanzees. Thereafter, return to the accommodation for lunch. After lunch, you will go for a two-hour launch trip on the Kazinga Channel which connects Lakes George and Edward and you will surely be fascinated by the concentrations of giant hippos, elephants, and crocodiles among others. You will also see many varieties of birds on the water
shores.
Accommodation options; Katara Lodge/Mweya safari lodge (Luxury), Kasenyi Safari Camp/Ihamba Safari Lodge (Moderate), Simba safari camp (Budget)
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Have breakfast then set off for Bwindi National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park – famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is about 70% though sometimes they are really hard to spot (most especially when they’re down in the grassland looking for prey). Hoping you get the chance to spot them, the sight will be spectacular! Continue to Bwindi which is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda; harbouring an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400species of plants. With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation, and relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience the following day.
Accommodation options; Mahogany springs (Luxury), Four Gorillas lodge (Moderate)
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After an early breakfast and a briefing by a ranger guide, you will enter the gorilla sanctuary for your adventure. The beauty of this rainforest is spectacular! The area offers a dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense, but crossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time is taken and the terrain varies with the movements of these great primates. Once you locate a gorilla group, you will be allowed an hour in their presence. The thrill of spending time observing these gentle and endangered giants is an awesome, exciting experience to be long-savoured. Return to your lodge. Have your lunch and thereafter check out for a transfer to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is framed by lush, green-terraced hills that reach a height of (2,200 – 2,478m) but it’s the 29 islands of various shapes and sizes scattered across the water that make it most magical.
Accommodation options; Bird nest Resort (Luxury), Hawks Eye (Moderate)
Day 5: Transfer back to Entebbe International Airport
Have a relaxed breakfast at the accommodation with a spectacular view of the Bunyonyi little islands just right in front of you and thereafter embark on your return journey to Entebbe Airport or the accommodation of your booking. Expect en-route stopovers in Mbarara town for lunch and the Uganda Equator line mark in Kayabwe for some memorable photos (if you didn’t stop on the first day) and maybe buy some art pieces of interest. Proceed with the journey arriving late afternoon/evening for drop off at the airport or accommodation of your booking. We do recommend a late afternoon/evening outbound flight schedule for this day (if flying out). We hope to see you (or any referral) on your next visit.
END OF TOUR