10-Day Uganda Safari with Gorillas, Chimps and Lake Bunyonyi

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Day 01

Arrival in Entebbe

• On your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, our guide will be waiting to warmly welcome you to the Pearl of Africa, brief you about the safari, and then transfer you to your hotel, where you will relax, have dinner, and prepare for the next day's journey.

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Day 02

Transfer to Kibale National Park via Fort Portal

• After breakfast, you will embark on a 358 km drive to Kibale National Park in southwestern Uganda, taking 5-6 hours. Have a stopover at Fort Portal, Uganda's tourism city, for a delicious lunch, and visit Amabele GaNyina Mwiru caves, known for their breast-like features. The breasts are believed to have belonged to a king's daughter named Nyina Mwiru, who refused to marry a spouse her father, the king, had chosen for her. The king decided to cut off her breasts, and they have been dripping milk since that day. From this, the locals called this place AmabeleGaNyinaMwiru, loosely translated as

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Day 03

Chimpanzee Trekking and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

• After breakfast, transfer to the Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a briefing from the park ranger about the chimpanzee trekking experience. He will then lead you through the trails as you look out for white and black colobus, red-tailed monkey, or the grey-cheeked mangabey. The ranger will also give you details on the traditional uses of the plant species within the forest. When the chimps are sighted, you are given one hour to spend with them in their natural habitat, watching them play, eat, feed, and mark their territories. Chimps are our closest living relatives, sharing 98.7% of our DNA. After the trekking, you will return to the lodge for lunch and embark on a journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a 59.8 km drive taking about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Arrive in the evening for check-in, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 04

Kasenyi Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Launch Cruise

• After having breakfast, undertake a 2-4 hour morning game drive in the Kasenyi sector of the park, which is filled with a wide variety of animals, such as the Big Five mammals, including cape buffaloes, lions, leopards, and African elephants. Other mammals include topi, giraffes, and antelopes, among others. Retreat from the activity for lunch.
• In the afternoon, gather at Paraa jetty for a boat ride on the 40 km Kazinga Channel that connects Lake George to Lake Edward. This cruise gives you the opportunity to see, at closer range, the highest concentration of water-submerged hippos in the world, surrounded by different species of birds, plus crocodiles basking on the water banks. The cruise also offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. Retreat from the activity for relaxation at your lodge, have dinner, and overnight.

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Day 05

Ishasha Game Drive and Transfer to Bwindi

• After breakfast, check out from your lodge and embark on a game drive as you exit the park. You will have the game drive in the far southern part of the park in the Ishasha plains for the tree-climbing lions, topis, warthogs, and buffalos, among others. You will exit the park and start a 175.2 km journey of about 5 hours and 45 minutes, arriving at the park in the evening for check-in, relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 06

Gorilla Tracking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

• After breakfast, have your lunch packed and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing from the park ranger about the gorilla tracking experience. He will then lead you to where the gentle gorillas are. The tracking takes from 2-8 hours. When they are contacted, you will spend one hour with them, learning about their way of living and watching them feed their young ones and eat, among other behaviours. Retreat from the activity for relaxation and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, the second deepest lake in Africa and the first in Uganda.

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Day 07

Lake Bunyonyi Canoeing, Nature Walk, and Zip Lining

• After breakfast, undertake a canoe ride on the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. It has 29 islands, including the upside-down island and Akampane Punishment Island. You will be taken through the history behind the several islands and enjoy the sight of different bird species - a retreat from the activity for lunch and relaxation. Then undertake a nature walk, where you will explore the surrounding areas in the company of the guide. You can visit communities around the lake, pass through terraces and farmlands, listen to the sweet sounds of different bird species, enjoy the cool breeze, and take beautiful pictures. Return to the lodge for relaxation and have an exciting, fun activity of zip lining on the beautiful lake - a retreat from the activity for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

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Day 08

Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park and Cultural Tour

• After breakfast, you will embark on a 272.2 km drive to Lake Mburo, taking about 5 hours and 13 minutes. You will have clear views of rolling hills, local markets, and local homesteads, among others. You will arrive in the late afternoon for lunch and check-in, then have a cultural tour watching the herdsmen milking their cattle. You will see the long-horned cattle of the Ankole region, and you will hear different historical stories of the Ankole community. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

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Day 09

Walking Safari and Boat Ride in Lake Mburo

• After breakfast, you will go for a walking safari in the park. Lake Mburo National Park is the only park where one can track different animals on foot since there are no lions and elephants. You will see animals like zebras, Uganda kob, impala, and antelopes, among others. Return for lunch.
• In the afternoon, you will go for a boat ride on the lake. Lake Mburo forms part of a 50 km long wetland system linked by a swamp together with 13 other lakes in the area, and 5 of these lakes lie within the park's borders. The park is also blessed with over 315 bird species and is probably the best place to see acacia-associated birds like black-bellied bustard, bare-faced go-away bird, mosque swallow, and Ruppell's starling. Retreat from the activity for dinner and overnight.

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Day 10

Return to Kampala via the Equator

• After breakfast, check out from your hotel and embark on a 3-4-hour journey to Kampala. You will have a stopover at the equator for snapshots, a water experiment, and a delicious lunch, then continue with the journey to Kampala, arriving in the evening, and then transfer back to your hotel.