Uganda – 14 Days of Gorilla Trekking & Waterfalls Safari

Meet your driver/guide at the airport and set off, with a picnic lunch, for the Murchison Falls National Park. The journey will take you through rural scenery and colourful villages. This is a full day’s drive, and a great introduction to the varying landscapes of Uganda. Settle into your room at the Nile Safari Camp and relax for the rest of the afternoon.

You can spend today enjoying game-drives in the national park, searching for elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe and more. In the afternoon you will go on a boat cruise on the river, getting up close to the falls themselves.

Today you will go on a hike to the top of the Murchison Falls to enjoy the waterfall from a different perspective. After lunch, head off on an afternoon game-drive to enjoy more wildlife in this pretty national park.

Depart south for the Kibale Forest, a full day’s drive, taking picnic lunches with you. On the right hand side you should enjoy views of the Rwenzori Mountains in the distance, known as the Mountains of the Moon.

Spend the morning tracking chimpanzees in the Kibale Forest – one of the best places in Africa to see these lively primates. In the afternoon you will visit the nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a haven for birdlife and butterflies.

Set off further south today for Queen Elizabeth National Park, a journey of around three to four hours. Settle into your room at Mweya Safari Lodge, which overlooks the park and in the afternoon go out on a game-drive to explore the surrounding area.

This morning you can go on a game-drive on the Kasenyi Track, an area which is one of the best places to look for big cats, as well as herds of elephants and solitary buffalos, and of course the fairly common Ugandan kob. This afternoon you will do a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, which is a lovely change of scene from being in a vehicle, and is best in the afternoons when animals such as elephant and waterbuck come to the water to drink. Birdlife along the shore is equally impressive, including malachite kingfishers, saddle-billed stork and pink-backed pelicans.

You will game-drive through the national park today to reach the southern Ishasha sector – famed for its tree-climbing lions. There are also good populations of elephant, buffalo and hippo here, and with only one camp in the area, you can really enjoy the wildlife to yourselves.

Depart the national park today and head into the rolling hills of south-western Uganda. It will take around four to five hours to reach the Buhoma area of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where you will search for the gorillas tomorrow.

Gorilla tracking day! You will have a briefing at the park headquarters nearby before being driven to the trailhead for your trek. The walk will take between one and three hours to find the gorillas and you can spend an hour with them once they’ve been located, watching them groom, eat and play. You will then trek out of the forest and be driven back to your lodge for a well earned hot shower and hearty dinner.

You will set off for Lake Mburo National Park today, located east of Bwindi, halfway between there and Entebbe. It should take around five hours to reach the park, and you will stay at the lovely Mihingo Lodge. Either relax for the afternoon enjoying the views, or go into the park for a game-drive or boat trip.

This morning you will go on a guided walking safari from Mihingo Lodge, learning about the birdlife, plants and smaller creatures such as warthog. In the afternoon you can choose from a game-drive or a boat trip on the lake.

Return back to Entebbe, stopping at the equator on the way to take photographs if you wish. Stay tonight at the Boma Guesthouse, and relax before your flight home tomorrow.

Going home after an amazing experience.