We bring to you this 9 days Semuliki, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and gorilla safari in Uganda, as one of Uganda’s top safari experiences. The Semuliki, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and gorilla safari shall take you to Semuliki National Park for an outstanding safari in Uganda. Then visit Kibale Forest National Park for chimpanzee trekking safari tour and Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive and boat safari. You will then visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, for the most exciting gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.
This amazing 9 days Semuliki, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and gorilla safari is worth taking for your African journey into Uganda.
Gorilla Safari in Uganda Itinerary:
Day 1: Kampala – Semuliki National Park
Leave Kampala after breakfast for the fascinating drive through papyrus swamps and thick jungle of the Nile Delta to Semuliki National Park just above the mighty Rwenzori Mountain ranges. Get your afternoon lunch in Fort Portal.
Proceed to Semuliki National Park. This is a home to 53 mammals of which 27 are large mammals. 11 species are endemic to the park, including the pygmy antelopes and the two flying squirrel species. It is also home to the peculiar water chevrotain, known as the ‘fanged deer’.
Dinner and overnight stay at Semuliki Safari Lodge (high-end facility). Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner.
Optional Activity: Night Game drive for the Big Cats
Day 2: Wildlife Tour Semuliki National Park
Morning after your breakfast is dedicated for a game drive, a park that is home to forest elephants and buffaloes which are smaller versions of their savannah-dwelling relatives. It is also a home to over 53 mammals of which 27 are large mammals. 11 species are endemic to the park including the pygmy antelopes and two flying squirrel species. It is also home to the peculiar water chevrotain, known as the ‘fanged deer’.
Afternoon will be for a boat ride along Lake Albert for an amazing birding opportunity. Look out for the Snowy-headed Robin-Chat, Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat, Red-eyed Puffback, White-tailed Robin-Chat, Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Capped Wheatear and Common Stonechat among others.
Dinner and overnight stay at Semuliki Safari Lodge (high-end facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 3: Semuliki – Kibale National Park
Get on a morning search for the rare shoebill stock in the wildlife reserve and then a visit to the Sempaya hot springs. Sempaya Hot Springs are Semuliki’s most famous attraction. The male spring, known as ‘Bintente’, measures 12m in diameter and is set in a lush swampy clearing.
The female spring ‘Nyasimbi‘, meaning ‘the female ancestors’, is a boiling geyser (103°C) which spurts bubbling water and steam up to two meters high. The steam cloud can be seen from as far as 2km away. Local people used to cook their food in these boiling pools. Thereafter, continue to Kibale with an afternoon or evening guided nature walk in the crater lakes area.
Dinner and overnight stay at Ndali Lodge, in a stunning location overlooking a dramatic crater lake and the fabled ‘Mountains of the Moon’. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking Kibale
In the morning you will have breakfast and then transfer to Kibale headquarters for briefing before setting off for your chimpanzee trekking tour in the forest. This forest walk will be guided to provide information not only on chimpanzees and primates but also on other small organisms, which makes it interesting.
The walk will reward you with other primate species like grey-cheeked Mangabeys, colobus and red-tailed monkeys and a variety of butterfly species. After tracking the chimps, you will go for a nature walk to the Bigodi swamp, to see unique flora and fauna, in the afternoon. Meals and over night at Ndali Lodge (Lodge facility). A stunning location overlooking a dramatic Crater Lake and the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”. Meal plan: (B, L, D)
Day 5: Kibale National Park – Queen Elizabeth Park
Begin your morning with a visit to ‘Amabeere Ga Nyinamwiru caves’ and Nyakasura Falls in Fort Portal. Thereafter, you will drive southwards into Queen Elizabeth National Park, while enjoying sightseeing and game viewing en-route.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth Park – Still on Gorilla Safari in Uganda
Dawn a game drive in Uganda’s best national park, where all the big game can be seen in abundance. The park is famous for giant African elephants and kobs, but expect to see some rarer animals like giant forest hogs and bushbucks. There are more than 638 recorded bird species in the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After lunch, enjoy a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel which connects Lakes Edward and George, for large numbers of buffaloes and hippos.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury facility) or Enganzi Safari Lodge. Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 7: Queen – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today’s drive is through what is probably East Africa’s most spectacular scenery, the highland rain forests which reach to the volcanoes in which the famous mountain gorillas live. A visit to the bat cave close to Maramagambo forest or a glance of Kyambura gorge is a must!
Make a game drive through Ishasha sector on your way to Bwindi Impenetrable in search of the tree climbing lions. Later on, drive to Bwindi via the beautiful scenery of tea plantations. This is the lushest highland rainforest on earth, filled with primates and exotic birds.
The afternoon is spent on a foot safari through the local communities living around the park.
Dinner and overnight stay at either Buhoma Lodge, Mahogany Springs or Gorilla Safari Lodge (high-end facilities). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi – Part of Gorilla Safari in Uganda
Begin the day with breakfast and get ready for gorilla trekking experience, which begins at 8:00a.m with a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority staff. Ensure that you carry along your rain jacket, drinking water, snacks and jungle boots among other important gear.
The guides will lead you inside the jungle to see the shy primates for a group you have been booked for. So, do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare mountain gorillas, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only 650 mountain gorillas left in the world! The tracking may take between 2 and 6 hours, but it’s well worth the effort.
Dinner and overnight stay at either Buhoma Lodge, Mahogany Springs or Gorilla Safari Lodge (high-end facility). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 9: Bwindi – Kampala/Entebbe
Return to Kampala, then Entebbe, with lunch en-route and a stopover at Igongo Cultural Centre to explore the lifestyle of the Ankole and Bahima. Thereafter, proceed to the Uganda Equator crossing before your evening departure back home. Meal Plan: B & L.
Gorilla Safari in Uganda Inclusions and Exclusions
Includes
- Airport transfer- drop
- Transportation by a 4wd safari Land Cruiser
- Chimp permits
- Boat trip in Queen & Semuliki
- Igongo Cultural Village visit
- Crater walk
- One Gorilla permits per person to be secured and paid for in advance
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Park fees
- Services of English speaking Driver/guide.
- Enroute lunches
- Hot springs visit
- Game drives
- A boat ride along Lake Albert
- Park fees
Excludes
- Night game drive in Semuliki,
- Expenses of personal nature like; Visa, drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, porter fee while trekking, personal insurance and tobacco.