This 5 days Uganda gorillas and game drive safari from Kigali will take you to the exciting game drives safaris in Uganda incorporated with gorilla experience. The 5 days Uganda gorillas and game drive safari from Kigali will take you to Queen Elizabeth National park for the amazing game drives searching for tree-climbing lions and other sightings of the wildlife and boat cruise safaris at Kazinga channel and thereafter take you to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park for the amazing experience of gorilla trekking

The highlight for 5 Days Uganda Gorillas and game drive safari from Kigali

Day 1: You will be picked up from the Kigali international airport or Kigali city and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 2: Morning game drives and afternoon boat cruise safaris Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Day 4: Gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience

Day 5: Drive back to Kigali International airport

Detailed itinerary 

Day1: Pick up from Kigali airport

On the 1st day of our 5 Days Uganda Gorillas and game drive safari from Kigali, you will be picked from Kigali international airport or at your hotel and start the wonderful journey to queen Elizabeth National Park which is found in the western part of Uganda. The journey will provide you with the beautiful sceneries of Rwanda’s rolling hilling before you cross the Katuna border and then to Kabale with a lot of terraced hills and have lunch in Kabale town. You will drive through Kabale and then to Byarugulu which is a place with several crater lakes. Here, you will start enjoying the magnificent sights of the rift valley escapements as you are entering the medley of wonders, a name given to Queen Elizabeth National Park because of its great wonders. Once you have entered the park, you will check-in at your lodge for relaxation and then leave to the Kasenyi plains or Mweya in the northern side of the park for the evening game drive to spot various wildlife species such as lion, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and explore the mating ground for Uganda kobs on this evening game drive and then return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay

Point of stop:  Queen Elizabeth National Park

Journey time: Approximately five to six hours (5-6)

Accommodation /lodging options: Mweya safari Lodge (Luxury), Buffalo Safari Lodge (midrange), and Pumba Cottages (budget)

Meal plan: Lunch and dinner

Day 2. Morning game drives and afternoon Kazinga channel safari boat cruise.

In the morning of the second day of your 5 Days Uganda Gorillas and game drive safari from Kigali, you will wake up early in the morning, have a cup of coffee, and later head for the morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park to see for the animals that you might have missed the previous days evening game drives. Common sightings here include the caped buffaloes, warthogs, hyenas, waterbuck, and elephants including several bird species. This will last for approximately 2 to 4 hours. After this lovable activity, return to the lodge, relax, have lunch and then depart for the afternoon adventures boat cruise trip or adventure at the famous Kazinga channel. Kazinga channel is known for its large concentration of hippopotamus in the whole of the African continent, with huge Nile crocodiles seen busking on the channel banks and the channel it’s known as the haven for a large number of bird species which can be sighted nearby while on the boat cruise. Kazinga channel also is a concentration of other large mammals especially the African elephant which may be seen swimming in the river, buffaloes, and other antelopes. The boat cruise takes 2 hours and thereafter this explorative boat cruise, retire to your lodge for relaxation and thereafter go for the Katwe community tours in the evening and retire to your lodge for overnight stay.

Accommodation /lodging options: Mweya safari Lodge (Luxury), Buffalo Safari Lodge (midrange), and Pumbi Cottages (budget)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 3: Transfer from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi

After having your morning breakfast, you will start your journey now to the home of the endangered mountain gorillas our closest relatives in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is found in the southwestern part of Uganda and it harbors more than half of the total mountain gorillas remaining in the whole world. Seeing gorillas is a life-changing activity since these great apes are not common within the world, seeing the endangered mountain gorillas is something that is truly rewarding to the clients. From Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will arrive at Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park in time, check-in at your booked hotel, relax, and have dinner and overnight stay.

Point of stop:  Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Journey time: Approximately four to five hours (4-5)

Accommodation / lodging options: Silverback lodge (Luxury), Bakiga Lodge (midrange) and Ride 4 a Woman (budget)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 4: Early Morning Gorilla trekking and evening Batwa cultural experience

After your early morning breakfast at the lodge together with your packed lunch, you will walk up to the park headquarter for briefing before you go to the long waited for adventure activity “Mountain Gorilla trekking activity”. At the briefing point, the guide will take through what ought to do and not to do while in the forest searching for mountain gorillas and even after seeing them. From briefing, you will be allocated the habituated gorilla family that you’re going to trek and then taken to the starting point of your gorilla family. Gorilla family allocation is done basing on your choice which may be influenced by the state of your physical fitness, your interests, and maybe your age. This means that you will need to inform the guide of your choice of gorilla family before you start the activity of gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking activity sometimes becomes so strenuous and therefore you need to adequately prepare and you need to have a certain level of fitness.

Gorilla trekking as well can last between 30 minutes to 5 hours and thus you need to extremely prepare for that. While waking into the forest searching for the endangered mountain gorillas, your guide will keep you informed by providing you with informative stories about the ancient trees in the forest, the encountered birds in the forest, and other wildlife species until you land on the given habituated gorilla family. Upon seeing the habituated gorilla family, you will be allowed to see the gorillas, do photograph, and ask any question that you would like to know about the gorillas about the gorilla activities and after one hour, you will again walk back to the headquarters to receive your certificate showing your successful completion of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. After this, you will return to your lodge relax, have lunch and go out for the Batwa cultural experience where you will immerse yourself in the short pygmies residing around the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Retire to your lodge over dinner and the overnight stay.

Accommodation /lodging options: Silverback lodge (Luxury), Bakiga Lodge (midrange) and Ride 4 a Woman(budget)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 5: Transfer back from Bwindi to Kigali airport

In the morning unhurriedly, you will wake up and have breakfast and after breakfast, you pack your belongings and drive back to Kigali International Airport to catch your departing flight and this marks the final moments of your 5 Days Uganda Gorillas and game drive safari from Kigali.

What is included

• Gorilla permits per person to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park
• Bottled mineral water for the whole tour
• Ground transportation using our four-wheel-drive popup safari vehicle for the whole trip
• 2-hour boat cruise safari at Kazinga channel
• Park entrances fees to queen Elizabeth national park
• Free masks and Sanitizers
• Accommodation for the 4 nights
• Airport transfers.

What is excluded

• Air ticket and visa fees
• Soft sodas and alcoholic drinks
• Laundry services
• Personal expenses
• Any other activity outside the itinerary

Cost of Bwindi Gorilla permit

Gorilla trekking is competitive tourism activity in the whole world and because of this the permits are expensive but rewarding especially after you have seen the endangered mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas live only in Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda. Uganda s gorilla trekking permits are cheaper as compared to those of Rwanda and visitors will have to pay USD700 for the gorilla trekking permit per person per ticket. This comes with the ranger fee, park entrance fee, trackers, fee, and a certificate at the end of it. The tour also includes accommodation and transportation from Kigali to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and back.