5 Days Gorilla and Wildlife Safari from Kigali: Bwindi and Big Five
The 5 days Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali is an amazing safari that starts in Kigali, Rwanda, and ends in Entebbe, Uganda. This Uganda safari will take you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you will be able to spend one hour with the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. During the safari, you will also visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will be able to spot various animals like lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, and warthogs, among others, during the game drives and boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.
Highlights of the safari
Day 1: Pick up from Kigali and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and departure to Kampala/Entebbe
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up from Kigali and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Depending on your location in Kigali, you will be welcomed by our driver guide, briefed about the safari and then start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will have en route lunch on the way, and upon arrival, you will connect to your lodge for an evening of relaxation as you prepare for your gorilla trek, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park
After breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will be allocated a habituated gorilla family and start trekking in the jungle, which takes about 2 to 7 hours, depending on where the mountain gorillas are located, because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking, you will be able to view other primates like L’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and different bird species, among others.
Once the gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them, which gives you a chance to watch them carry out their daily activities, learn about their behaviours, take pictures and record videos to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour with the mountain gorillas, you will trek back to the starting point, where you will meet up with your driver guide and then return to the lodge for relaxation or go for an optional cultural tour in the neighbouring communities, interact with the local people, learn about their culture and way of living, and enjoy their performances, among others. Later, drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
You will have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the way, you will have en route lunch and a stopover in the Ishasha sector, where you will be able to spot the tree-climbing lions lying in fig tree branches. Later, proceed to the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and upon arrival, check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
After an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the Kasenyi plains for a morning game drive, where you will look out for different animals like bushbucks, lions, leopards, hyenas, Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, and waterbucks, among others. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for an interesting boat cruise on Kazinga Channel, a 40 km long water channel that connects Lake Edward with Lake George. During the boat cruise, which takes about 2 to 3 hours, you will be able to view large herds of hippos in the water, view Nile crocodiles basking on the water banks, and spot different bird species, including flamingos, pelicans, cormorants, hornbills, and kingfishers, among others. You will later drive back to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and departure to Kampala/Entebbe
You will have an early breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver-guide to transfer to Kyambura Gorge or Kalinzu Forest for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest in search of the chimpanzees, which takes about 2 to 5 hours depending on their location. Once they have been located, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their habitat, which allows you to watch them feed, play, fight, groom young ones, take pictures and record videos.
After chimpanzee trekking, you will meet up with your driver-guide and start the journey to Kampala with lunch en route on the way. Upon arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your flight or drop you off at any place of advice. End of 5 days Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali
The tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit @ $800pp
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Park entrance fees/game drives
- Boat cruise on the Kazinga channel
- Batwa cultural tour
- Full board accommodation
- Meals at the lodge and en-route (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Full-time English-speaking driver guide
- 4WD safari Vehicle and fuel
- Pick up from Kigali and drop off in Kampala/Entebbe
- Bottled drinking water during the safari
The tour excludes
- Airflight tickets (International and domestic)
- Visas
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses like buying alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, souvenirs, crafts, telephone calls, laundry services, and hiring a porter, among others.
- Tipping and gratuities
