9-Day Gorilla Trekking, Chimps, Big 5 & Big Cats Safari

Day 1: Entebbe to Murchison Falls National Park 

Drive northwest to Murchison Falls National Park through the Rhino Sanctuary after your early-morning breakfast, where you will have the chance to go rhino trekking. There are 15 rhinos that have been reintroduced after being exterminated by poaching in the 1970s. 

It may take an hour and a half for a local ranger guide to lead you on foot to a close encounter with the rhinos. After lunch, proceed to Masindi Town before continuing to Murchison Falls National Park and arriving at your accommodation late in the day.

Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner , Lodge: Paraa Safari Lodge

Day 2: Murchison Falls National Park

Rise early in the morning to take your open-roof car on a game drive along the northern bank of the River Nile, where you will have a fantastic opportunity to see and capture the variety of species. Your tour guide will be able to point out elephants, lions, cape buffalo, Rothchild's giraffes, hartebeest, waterbuck, oribi, bushbuck, bohor reedbuck, hyenas, and, if you're lucky, leopards. 

After lunch, take a peaceful boat ride up the Victoria Nile to the base of the falls, stopping only a few meters from the "Devil's Cauldron," and marvel at the herds of hippos and crocodiles. Along the 17-kilometer length, you might also encounter elephants, waterbuck, and Uganda Kob. Numerous bird species, including the goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelicanbee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant, and the endangered shoebill stork, are also found in this area. You have the option of continuing to the top of the falls after snapping pictures of the picturesque Murchison Falls, where you will have an incredible perspective of the falls!

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Paraa Safari Lodge

Day 3: Murchison Falls to Kibale Forest National Park

Start your travel to Kibale Forest National Park after breakfast. Drive through the green countryside, going through traditional homesteads, farms, and Tea Estates, to Fort Portal in the south via Hoima. On the way, you will stop for lunch. In the late afternoon, you will arrive at your lodging. Arrive at your accommodation and settle in for the evening.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Papaya Lake Lodge

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking - Cultural Village Walk in Bigodi

Go in quest of chimpanzees close to Kanyanchu this morning. Chimpanzees live in groups of roughly 100 people; find more about the physical and behavioral characteristics we have in common. Visit the golden monkey, olive baboons, red Colobus, white and black Colobus, grey checkered mangabey, and blue monkeys, among other primates. 

Later, with the assistance of one of our knowledgeable field guides who speaks English, discover the evocative village of Bigodi. 

Depending on the group's pace, the walk could last between three and four hours. You will first go see a traditional healer who will be happy to offer his knowledge of spirits, herbs, plants, and regional medicines based on your interests. Second, the guests will go to the residences of elderly men and women who share fascinating tales about their traditional lives and about birth, marriage, ceremonies, and clans. Find out more about their history and the problems they have as a rural community in developing Uganda. Along the route, you will also have the opportunity to learn about the Ugandan educational system, stop by a nearby church, and explore Bigodi's trading center, a center of rural activity.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Papaya Lake Lodge

Day 5: Kibale Forest to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After having breakfast at your lodging, travel through the mysterious Rwenzori Mountain Range to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You may see some animals as your knowledgeable driver guide leads you around the game park.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park - Game drive and Boat cruise

After a cup of coffee, start the day with a game drive across the Kasenyi plains, where you might come across Cape buffalo, lions, elephants, bush bucks, Uganda Kob, topi, Defassa waterbuck, and more. Later, you'll go back to the resort for a late breakfast and unwind while you wait for lunch. You will take a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon to see hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, and a variety of bird species, including red-chested pelicans, papyrus gonoleks, pink-backed pelicans, malachite kingfishers, yellow crowns, water thick-knees, yellow-billed storks, and shoe bill stock, among others. After dinner, stay the night at the lodge at your reserved place.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge

Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi impenetrable Forest

After breakfast, travel to Bwindi National Park through the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is renowned for its resident tree-climbing lions. Though they can often be very difficult to notice (especially when they're down in the grassland searching for prey), there is a roughly 70% probability that you will see one of these lions. 

We sincerely hope you have the opportunity to see them; it will be a breathtaking sight! reaching Bwindi National Park, keep going. Mountain gorillas have a large habitat in Uganda called Bwindi. It is home to 400 of them, or about half of the world's population, as well as numerous habituated groups that may be followed.

With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation, relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience the following day.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Engagi Lodge/ Similar

Day 8: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Forest

After an early breakfast, head to the start of your gorilla trekking expedition for a briefing. You will then be led by skilled gorilla trackers up the volcanoes' slopes. The gorilla tracking will commence in the location where the gorillas were first observed the previous day. The anticipation of the thrilling event that lies ahead is great, and the gorilla forest's splendor and its creatures are interesting even though the journey can be physically taxing. Being only a few meters away from man's distant cousins while they feed, rest, play, and bond with their young is humbling. Follow the mountain gorillas in the impenetrable forest, and discover their natural habitual and the many species they share it with. You are allowed an hour with the gorillas before sloping down back to your lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Lodge: Engagi Lodge/ Similar 

Day 9: Transfer to Entebbe

After breakfast, leave your bags at the hotel and be driven back to Entebbe to catch your flight home. Along the way, there will be stops at the Equator where you can take pictures while standing in two hemispheres simultaneously and the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers where you can observe ceremonial drums being made using age-old techniques.

Meal plan: Breakfast & Lunch