6 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari

6 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari: Take a 6 days safari to two of the most visited safari destinations in Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Main highlights for your 6 days Bwindi Gorillas & Queen Elizabeth national park safari include; gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park, wildlife viewing and chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park.

Highlights for the 6 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Pickup and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest & Batwa Community Tour (Optional).
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Afternoon Game Drive.
Day 4: Morning game drive and evening boat cruise.
Day 5: Community Cultural Tour and Nature walk (Optional).
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking & Transfer back to Kampala.

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: Pickup and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Pickup & Transfer to Bwindi: Begin Day 1 of your 6 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Queen Elizabeth national park safari with an early morning breakfast in your hotel in Kampala city. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel where you will then embark on a long road trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Mbarara- Masaka Highway. The journey from Kampala to Bwindi impenetrable national park is quite a long, taking between 6-9 hours depending on which sector of the park you tracking gorillas from. You will have a stopover at the equator monuments in Kayabwe, Mpigi district. These two equator monuments mark the point where the equator runs through Uganda.

You will the Proceed to Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch. This epic cultural center is a good stop for many travelers on route to western Uganda and it is just 12 km from Mbarara Town. Igongo Cultural Centre was opened to the general public in 2010. While here, take a short tour of the center’s museum which has a lot to tell about western cultural history. You can also visit the Nkwanzi crafts and bookshop where you can purchase a few souvenirs for yourself.

After having a hearty meal, proceed to Bwindi where you will check into your accommodation, have dinner and your overnight stay.

Accommodation options include: Silverback Lodge/ Buhoma Haven Lodge/ Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge.

DAY 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest & Batwa Community Tour (Optional).

Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi: This is the day you have been anxiously waiting for. Have breakfast very early at you lodge as your guide will pick you up at 6am. You will embark on a short journey to the Parks headquarters in Buhoma. You are supposed to be at Buhoma at exactly 7am for a briefing by the park’s head ranger which will begin at 8am and then you will be put in groups of 8 individuals per group depending on the gorilla group you are going to track. Tracking begins at exactly 8:30 am hence endeavor to always keep time.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 15 habituated gorilla groups that are tracked from four trailheads. Of these 15 habituated gorilla groups, 3 are found in Buhoma area in the northwest part of the park; while 4 gorilla groups are situated in Ruhija in the eastern part of Bwindi and 8 gorilla groups in Nkuringo and Rushaga respectively, located south of Bwindi.

Each tracking group consists of strictly eight individuals with each group having a park guide and ranger. Tracking can take about 1- 6 hours depending how easily and quick the gorillas are spotted. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be give exactly an hour with them; hence you should maximize your time well and don’t forget to take lots of pictures without using your camera’s flash. The tracking trails can be very wet, steep and slippery thus you should wear a good pair of hiking boots.

Batwa Community Tour (Optional): After your tracking activity, you can proceed to have an optional hike to local communities and on this expedition, you can visit Batwa [pygmies] communities that have lived within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for many years.

Return back to your Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Evening Game Drive.

Transfer to Queen: Have breakfast at your lodge early in the morning and proceed with your transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is about 90 km away from Buhoma via Ishasha. You will drive for roughly 4-5 hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Buhoma in Bwindi, and about 7 hours if you are travelling from the southern sector of Bwindi.

Evening Game Drive: Upon your arrival in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will check into your lodge and proceed for lunch. You can rest for the afternoon at your lodge and later in the afternoon you will head out for an evening game drive in the park. You will have a chance to see lots of wildlife animals roaming in the park as they retire back to their dens for the night.

Later retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options include: Mweya Safari Lodge/ Park View Safari Lodge/ Pumba Safari Cottages.

DAY 4: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise.

Morning Game Drive: Have an early morning breakfast and proceed on a morning game drive in the park which begins at 6am. This morning game drive will give you a great chance to view nocturnal animals like leopards, serval cats and other wildlife such as African savannah elephants, hyenas, Uganda Kobs, heart beasts, giraffes, zebras and many more. Queen Elizabeth National Park is blessed with over 612 bird species thus making it a great destination for birding activities. While on your game drive, you may spot birds like the African skimmer, Chapin’s flycatcher, Shoebill stock, the great flamingos and Pink- backed pelicans.

Afternoon Boat Cruise: Return back to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, head out for a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel. The boat cruise starts at exactly 1pm and can take approximately 2 hours. During your boat cruise, you may sight lots of wildlife such as hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants and some species of birds like the great flamingos, Shoebill stock, Ibis and so many others.

Later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 5: Community Cultural Tour and Nature Walk (Optional).

Community Cultural Tour: After an early morning breakfast, you can have a cultural tour to the neighboring local communities and get to interact with the local Bakonjo people. While on the cultural tour, you will be taken through their historical and social lifestyle and also be entertained by local cultural groups in the community. Later head back to your lodge for lunch and rest for a while.

Nature Walk (Optional): Later in the afternoon you can choose to embark on a guided nature walk in the park. Guided nature walks in Queen Elizabeth national park will give you an opportunity to explore the park on foot. Great spots for nature walks in the park include the Mweya Peninsula and at the southern end of the park in Ishasha sector. You can enjoy a stroll along the Ishasha River where you can spot a variety of forest and savannah birds and mammal species.

Drive back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking and Transfer Back to Kampala.

Chimpanzee Trekking: After an early morning breakfast, head out to track chimpanzees in Kalenzu forest which is about an hour’s drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park. Chimpanzee tracking can take several hours between four to six hours or more since the chimps are always on the move, hence you are likely to finish this activity by noon. Head back to your lodge for lunch.

Transfer Back to Kampala: After having your lunch, you will transfer back to Kampala. Depending on your time of arrival in Kampala city, you can choose to go on a short tour of the city or simply have your driver/guide drop you off at any hotel of your choice; or at Entebbe International Airport in case you have to board your departure flight back home.

End of the 6 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari