Detailed Itinerary of the (Luxury) 4 Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife Safari

 Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

 The trip starts with a long journey from Entebbe town to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. From Entebbe town (Entebbe Airport) the driver will take Entebbe Express highway, to  connect to Masaka- Mbarara- Kabale Road,  then to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  Along the way, you will enjoy a 20 minutes stop over at the Equator (cross line) at Kayabwe,  before proceeding to enjoy a brief city tour  in Masaka City, Mbarara city;  and a  45 minutes lunch at Kabale town.  Thereafter, continue with your trip until you reach Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.   At Bwindi you will check in at one of the luxurious hotel/lodge- to rest and relax in preparation for the Gorilla tracking the following day.

Day 2: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural experience/community walk

 The primary activity for day two (2) is Gorilla trekking. However, one additional activity can be done on the same day provided it does not take long to locate the gorillas; and also on the tourist’s willingness and interest in exploring additional activity within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  Gorilla trek necessitates walking through the bushy jungle mountainous forest plus crossing boggy swampy areas, rivers; climbing and slopping the steep slopes of the mountain until the gorilla family in question is located.

On average, a gorilla trek lasts 6 hours, inclusive of one hour spent while interacting with the gorillas before returning to the base camp.  In this regard, the shorter it takes to locate the Gorilla family, the higher the chances for participating in one or two additional (2 to 3 hours) optional activity of choice.  Activities, such as, Bird watching, Flora and Fauna, Forest walk and Hiking, Batwa cultural experience,  community walk,  Mountain Biking, and Lake Mutanda visit can  (optionally) be carried out in addition to gorilla trek, on the same day.

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.  Drive from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to spend a night at Mweya Safari Lodge or another luxury hotel at Kyambura town.

Day 3: Game Drive at Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kalinzu Forest (Chimpanzee trekking)

 An early morning  Game drive, Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, and a Boat Cruise  on Kazinga channel (a channel joining Lake Edward and Lake George), all will be arranged for you in the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Your tour day will start with an early morning (5:45 am) breakfast, served at your luxury hotel/lodge.  After which, the driver will take you to the UWA park office, from where you will commence your game drive along with other related activities.

The Game drive will last between 4-6 hours. After the Game drive, you can proceed to Kyambura Gorge (approximately 200 metres deep to the bottom part of the valley) for Chimpanzee trekking. You will visit the UWA office at Kyambura gorge  to secure a Chimpanzee trek permit at USD 50 per permit by (foreign visitors), and UGX 30,000/= ( by foreign residents + East African State members).

Chimpanzee trekking lasts for 2-to-3 hours a day.  If time is still available, you can opt to visit any of these other stunning tourist attractions, within and around the gorge, based on your choice:  Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Colobus monkeys, Bird viewing.   Alternatively, you may choose to visit the nearby attractions, such as, the Twin Crater Lakes at Rubirize District (Bunyaruguru county) or Maramagambo Forest, the historical bat caves and big reptiles, such as, a python.  Also, you may encounter different animals, such as, elephants, hippos, antelopes, buffaloes, hyenas,

Lions, Leopards while moving to or from the gorge. Most likely, you will spend a second night at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day 4: Departure to Entebbe International Airport (brief city tour of Kampala city).

A return road trip to Entebbe Airport for a departure, back home.  During the return road trip, This trip will present more opportunities to take more pictures  and videos at the Equator line at Kayabwe, a brief tour of Kampala city- where you will see the Kabaka’s palace at Mengo, Buganda royal Tombs at Kasubi, Uganda Museum at Kitante, Uganda National Referral Hospital at Mulago, Makerere University, Uganda National Mosque at Mengo, Captain Lugard’s Fort at Mengo and Uganda Parliament, among others. Thereafter return to Entebbe Airport to commense your departure back home.

What am I expected to do on my game-drive day, in Queen Elizabeth National Park?

• To pay park entrance fees (per person per day + vehicle park entrance fees)

Park entrance fee is the amount of money payable by every visitor per day, together with the vehicle entrance fee, in order to secure access into the National park. Both, the park entrance fee per person and the vehicle entrance fees are paid on entering the park and valid for only 24 hours only.

• The amount of money charged as park entrance fee per person, per day, differs in terms of residential status: Foreigners are charged USD 40, while foreign residents pay USD 30, and East African citizens pay UGX 20,000. Similarly, children under 15 years of age also are charged differently based on residential status: children belonging to foreign non-residents pay USD20, while those of foreign residents pay USD10, and those of East African residents pay UGX 10,000 only.

Vehicles used by tourist visiting the park are required to pay different park entrance fees based on the type of vehicle:

• Foreign residents travelling in a four wheel drive (4WD) vehicles or a pick up, pay USD 50 as vehicle entrance fee per day, while East African residents using similar vehicle pay UGX 30,000 per day.
• Foreign residents travelling in a Ugandan mini bus, pay USD 50, while the East African residents pay UGX 30,000 as vehicle entrance fee.

(iii) Foreign residents travelling in Saloon vehicles are charged USD40, while East African residents pay

USD20 as vehicle entrance fees per day;

• Foreign residents riding a motorcycles, pays USD30, while the East African residents pay UGX

10,000, as motorcycle entrance fees per day

What is the cost of a Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park?

There are a number of things associated with Game drives: Day time Game drive;  Night time  Game drive;  using the UWA Vehicle will cost you USD 25 per person (foreign resident), and UGX 30,000 (East African Citizen).

Night time Game Drive using the UWA Vehicle will cost you USD 35 per person (foreign resident),and UGX 40,000 (East African Citizen)

Day time-guided game drive in a private vehicle will cost you USD 15 per vehicle (foreign resident) ,and UGX 20,000 (East African Citizen).

Daytime self drive – in a game drive costs USD 10 per vehicle by(foreign resident),and UGX 10,000 (East African Citizen)