Exciting 8 Days Uganda Safari – Gorillas, Chimps and Wildlife
This 8 days Uganda safari will thrill you with activities like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, game drives, boat cruise and cultural tours in Uganda’s premier parks like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park.
The exciting safari also brings you close to a diversity of cultures and birdwatching excursions at affordable prices. No matter the season you visit Uganda, prepare to encounter the mountain gorillas and playful chimpanzees in their natural habitat. You will also see four of the popular Big Five animals, plains game, other small mammals and a variety of bird species.
Start your 8 days Uganda safari package by visiting Lake Mburo national park for an amazing an exciting wildlife safari. You will enjoy great sightings of a wide range of wildlife including abundant populations of zebras and giraffes as well as those not seen in any other park in Uganda such as impalas.
A remarkable trip will have you visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda’s best park and popular for gorilla trekking. You will be seeing the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat close range, Batwa people, and endemic bird species before transferring to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an amazing wildlife experience.
You will embark on thrilling game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, popular for its tree-climbing lions. While here, you will encounter a great diversity of wildlife such as buffaloes, and large population of elephants, kobs, warthogs, leopards and lions among others and boat cruise along the Kazinga channel will reveal a wide range of aquatic animals such as hippos, crocodiles, water bucks and a prolific birdlife.
Another road transfer to Kibale National Park also known as the primate capital concludes your amazing 8 days Uganda safari. It is home to approximately 1500 chimpanzees and expect to visit one of the 4 habituated chimp communities with a chance to spot other diverse primates such as red tailed monkey, L’hoest’s monkey, blue monkey and olive baboon among others which can be seen while trekking the chimpanzees.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 5: Game drives and boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel
- Day 6: Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland walk
- Day 8: Back to Kampala
Detailed Itinerary for 8 days Uganda safari
Day 1: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Wake up to a sumptuous early breakfast after a great night as you start your exciting 8 Days Uganda Safari. An early breakfast allows you to have enough time to start your road trip. Your diver guide will come and meet you at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala at about 7:00 am, have a short briefing about your safari and then drive west of Uganda to Lake Mburo National Park.
You will stop over at the equator to witness a water experiment and take amazing photographs. There are quite a number of craft shops and art galleries around the equator so you can buy souvenirs around here and then continue to the park.
Upon arrival at the park, you will have lunch at the lodge and set out for an afternoon game drive to sight diverse animals like herds of Zebras, impalas, giraffes, buffalos, warthogs and many more. Later in the evening, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight sleep.
Accommodation
- Luxury: Kigambira Safari Lodge/Mihingo Safari Lodge
- Midrange: Rwakobo Rock Lodge/Mantana Tented Camp
- Budget: Mburo Eagle Nest/Rwonyo Rest Camp
Day 2: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After early breakfast at around 6:30 am, you will start a scenic road trip Southwest of Uganda to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Mbarara town which is endowed with rolling hills and beautiful landscapes. You will see cultivated terraces on your way. Bwindi is Uganda’s premier destination and popular for gorilla trekking. It is home to half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. A visit to this great park offers you the opportunity to see the gorillas at close range in their natural habitat.
The drive to Bwindi takes about 5 hours before reaching the park and then check in at your lodge. Just relax the whole evening after the long trip as you get ready for the next day’s adventures. You will have dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation
- Luxury: Buhoma Lodge
- Midrange: Silverback Lodge/Engagi Lodge
- Budget: Buhoma Community Camp
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Your gorilla trekking adventure starts on this amazing day. Wake up to a sumptuous breakfast at 6:30 am (carry with you packed lunch) and your driver guide will transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing session. After briefing, you will step into the forest jungle to search for the mountain gorillas in the company of armed park rangers for your safety against any potential threat.
You might need to carry along a walking stick if you are not physically fit. Porters are usually available at the headquarters to carry your luggage for as low as $ 20. Trekking these gentle giants may take between 2 and 6 hours before finding a habituated gorilla family. Once you find them, you will be allowed a maximum of one hour in their presence seeing them feeding, grooming and playing. These are thrilling moments that will stay with you forever.
After your trekking experience, you will return to the lodge to rest and later in the evening take a cultural tour to meet one of the distinctive tribes known as the Batwa people. You will interact with them, learn about their history and culture before you retire to the lodge.
Accommodation
- Luxury: Buhoma Lodge
- Midrange: Silverback Lodge/Engagi Lodge
- Budget: Buhoma Community Camp
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Enjoy an early breakfast and then transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha sector, a popular region of the park where you can see the tree climbing lions. This park has a wide range of wildlife species such as buffaloes, elephants, lions, waterbucks, hippos and many others. Upon arrival, you will have lunch at the lodge and then embark on a late afternoon game drive where you will sight a great diversity of wild game. After the game drive, you will retire to the lodge, have dinner and an overnight sleep.
Accommodation
- Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge
- Midrange: Elephant Plains Lodge
- Budget: Kazinga Channel Resort/Simba Camp
Day 5: Game drives and boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel
Start the day with a sumptuous breakfast at 6:00 am and immediately embark on an early morning game drive to see early morning risers like lions, solitary buffaloes, kobs, elephants and many more. This is a great time to easily see animal drama at close range; a leopard or lions hunting down their prey or ungulates grazing in the plains.
After the morning game drives, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch and get ready for the afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga channel. The channel is a habitat for a great diversity of aquatic animals such as crocodiles, hippos and land animals can also be seen around the banks grazing or drinking water.
It also offers a great opportunity for bird watching as it habours a variety of bird species such as malachite kingfishers, pink backed pelicans, and many more. You will later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation
- Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge
- Midrange: Elephant Plains Lodge
- Budget: Kazinga Channel Resort/Simba Camp
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Wake up to a sumptuous breakfast and embark on your last game drive in Queen Elizabeth NP. You will also visit the baboon cliffs and enjoy scenic views of the landscape.
You will return to the lodge for lunch and embark on another scenic 2 to 3 hours’ drive to Kibale National Park also known as the primate capital. Arrive in the evening, check in at your lodge, have dinner and an overnight sleep.
Accommodation
- Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge
- Midrange: Primate Lodge
- Budget: Isunga Lodge
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland walk
On this day, wake up to a sumptuous breakfast and your guide will be there just in time to pick you and transfer to the park headquarters – the Kanyanchu visitor centre for briefing. You will carry a backpack with enough bottled drinking water. After briefing at around 8:00am, you will step into the forest jungle in the company of an armed park ranger guide to look for the playful primates.
Seeing the chimpanzees in their natural habitat is a once in a lifetime experience that sticks with you forever. You will be allowed a maximum of one hour once you find them. You will also see other primates such as grey checked Mangabeys, LHoests monkeys, bush babies, among others as well as a number of bird species.
After the tracking excursion, you will return to the lodge for lunch and embark on an afternoon Bigodi wetland walk to meet the local community that owns this amazing project, see numerous bird species and animals like bush pigs, otters, baboons among others and then return to the lodge for dinner and overnight sleep.
Day 8: Back to Kampala
By now, we hope that you have covered every activity in your itinerary. After a hefty breakfast, you can pack up your bags, check out of the lodge and embark on a scenic road trip to Kampala via Mubende. Enjoy the beautiful and scenic views on your way. You will also enjoy lunch in Mubende town and thereafter continue to Kampala or Entebbe for your onward flight back home.
End of your exciting 8 Days Uganda Safari
Included
- Transfers in Safari Land cruiser
- Accommodations and meals as per itinerary
- Park Entrance fees
- Boats rides and Game drives
- Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
- English speaking driver/guide
- Activities included as per itinerary
Excluded
- International flight
- Visa fees
- Personal Insurance
- Drinks and tips
- Activities and items not included in the itinerary