7 Days Gorillas, Chimps & QENP Uganda

At 8.00am we will start with the 4 hour chimp walk – during which you may also get to see 10 other primates! It can also be in the afternoon at 2.00 pm depending on availability. Kibale NP is also known for all the butterflies and birds. In the afternoon we will walk through Bigodi Swamp (home to a community based project).

Early morning we will leave for Queen Elizabeth NP. We will travel through Fort Portal and reach the Bush Lodge in Queen Elizabeth NP at midday, with a stunningly beautiful view over Kazinga Channel. You will check in at your accommodation and have lunch, and in the late afternoon (4.00-7.00pm) we will go on a game drive. Driving time: ± 4,5 hours

This day is for a game drive on the plains of Queen Elizabeth NP, with thousands of Ugandan kobs, lions, elephants etc. Also on the programme is a two hours launch trip on the Kazinga channel where we will see all the animals from the waterside. In the evening we will go on a game drive to the mating grounds of the Uganda Kobs. The day ends back at the Bush Lodge, enjoying a great view of the park.

After breakfast, you will depart Queen Elizabeth N.P towards the south, passing the southern sector of the National Park. This part is called Ishasha and is famous for the tree climbing lions. Along the way you will stop for some animals and also stop at Savannah Resort in Kihihi for Lunch. We will continue the journey through Rukugiri District passing villages, cultivated farms, hills before you reach Bwindi later in the evening. Check in at the accommodation, dinner and overnight at your booked lodge/hotel.

The day of gorilla tracking! You will travel by car to the starting point of Bwindi Impenetrable NP. Once there you will first receive a briefing (7.45am) and at 8.30am you will start the tracking. Once you have found the gorillas, you will be able to spend up to one hour with them! You will be expected back to the starting point by 7.00pm at the latest. Being physically fit is recommended. It is always best to hear from other visitors, and this is Stella and Trudy’s story: “At a distance of about fifteen feet a mountain gorilla with her baby appears. She comes out of the bushes, looks at me and lies down. My presence does not seem to bother her. She just wants to rest, whether I am there or not. I can almost touch her. My heart dances with joy. I am in a good position to take pictures, so I let my camera do its work. It is the thrill of a lifetime. I cannot but agree with the American zoologist George Schaller, the first to study gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes, who once said: ‘No one who looks into the eyes of a gorilla, gentle and vulnerable, can remain unchanged.”

Early in the morning after breakfast we will travel back to Kampala. On the way back to the city you will have lunch in Mbarara town, and after Masaka there will be an opportunity to a stop at the Equator for photo shoots and buying souvenirs and have tea or coffee. We will then bring you to a guesthouse, campsite or hotel of your choice in Kampala or Entebbe – or, if you continue your holiday somewhere else or back home, we will bring you directly to Entebbe airport for an onwards flight. Driving time: ± 9 hours