Gorilla and game safari in Uganda
A 10-day adventure and wildlife watching holiday in Uganda on a small group fully guided tour, including one day of gorilla trekking in Bwindi and staying in lodges and camps.
Gorilla tracking and trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Rwenzori Mountains White water rafting River Nile Jinja town Chimp tracking Kibale Forest Fort Portal Two game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park Kazinga Channel, leading into Lake Edward Kigezi Highlands Lake Mburo National Park Rwenzori Mountains Kampala
Price
US $4500 excluding flights
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More info
Price based on two people sharing accommodation.
Group size is Maximum 6 people per guide.
15% Discount for children below 12 years.
Description of Gorilla and game safari in Uganda
This ten day Uganda adventure and safari holiday covers a lot of ground, and also a lot of water. Getting off to a fully immersive start, go white water rafting on the River Nile, starting at the adventure hub town of Jinja. Our wildlife adventures get off to a great start in Kibale Forest where we stay in a safari camp, giving us plenty of time to go in search of many of the forests’ mammals, including prolific primates. These include mangabey, colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys and we will also dedicate a day to chimp tracking.
This itinerary is created in a way that brings more and more excitement for wildlife lovers every day. Next stop is, therefore, Queen Elizabeth National Park, where two game drives will hopefully bring you in sight of four of the Big Five along with thousands of hippos and over 600 species of birds. The latter are best seen on your cruise along the Kazinga Channel, leading into Lake Edward.
Then, last but not least, the fauna finale of this holiday is the gorilla safari and trekking expedition that takes place in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to over half of the earth’s 800 or so mountain gorillas. Travelling in a small group means that we are able to organise the much sought after gorillas safari permits in advance, staying in a nearby mountain lodge that is at the heart of the small rural community here.
And for one more treat before you go, this trip also includes a visit to Lake Mburo National Park, which is conveniently close to Kampala for your departure, but also famous for its zebra, hippo and buffalo residents. This is a wonderful place to not only take a boat trip, given that there are five lakes in the park, but also a walking safari, following in the footsteps of the indigenous Bahima tribe, who herd the famed long-horned Ankole cattle in this region.
Price information
US $4500 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Price based on two people sharing accommodation.
Group size is Maximum 6 people per guide.
15% Discount for children below 12 years.
Check dates
2023: 4 Apr, 18 Apr, 2 May, 16 May, 30 May, 13 Jun, 27 Jun, 11 Jul, 25 Jul, 8 Aug, 22 Aug, 5 Sep, 19 Sep, 3 Oct, 17 Oct, 31 Oct, 14 Nov, 28 Nov, 12 Dec, 26 Dec
2024: 9 Jan, 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 20 Feb, 5 Mar, 19 Mar, 2 Apr, 16 Apr, 30 Apr, 14 May, 28 May, 11 Jun, 25 Jun, 9 Jul
2024: 9 Jan, 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 20 Feb, 5 Mar, 19 Mar, 2 Apr, 16 Apr, 30 Apr, 14 May, 28 May, 11 Jun, 25 Jun, 9 Jul
Travel guides
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Holiday information
Top tip:
Consider giving yourself an extra day in Kampala at the end of the trip. It is often overlooked, and a great way to experience modern sub Saharan Africa.
Trip type:
Small group tour, fully guided.
Activity level:
Moderate.
Accomm:
Camps and eco lodges.
Solo traveller:
Solo travellers welcome.
Included:
Gorilla permit, transport in 4WD, driver guide, accommodation, all meals except dinner on last day, national park entrance fees, drinking water, all activities in itinerary.
About this holiday company:
This Uganda based tour operator has been in the gorilla trekking business since 2002, and is wholly dedicated to responsible gorilla trekking, in their home country and also in Rwanda. A member of the Uganda Association of Tour Operators, their leader guides are also experts in hiking, birding and rafting. You get the picture. They’ve got this.
Dietary requirements:
Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requirements can be catered to on this trip. Let us know any requirements when booking and we will work with the hotels and lodges to ensure suitable meals are provided for you.
Primate specialist:
Typically trips are expertly guided by a leading specialist with a good knowledge of the area to be visited. Primates are the main focus of attention however most safaris also incorporate other fauna and flora highlights of the destination as well. Primate specialist trips are conducted by local guides and drivers.
Reviews
16 Reviews of Gorilla and game safari in Uganda
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 10 Aug 2022 by Shelly Blancq
The itinerary was amazing, our guide is now a friend and Uganda could not have been more beautiful... Out of the dozens of trips in my life, this one was the best. Read full reviewReviewed on 05 Feb 2022 by Edward Fritz
The entire Gorilla experience! From the breathtaking views driving up to Bwindi, to settling into your amazing room at Rushage Gorilla lodge, to the anticipation of the gorilla tracking and finally the realization of coming face-to-face with a gorilla family. An experience and adventure of a life time. Read full reviewReviewed on 07 Sep 2021 by Naheed Finch
It was a great holiday in every sense. Seeing nature in its element was a reminder of how we should cherish it. Read full reviewReviewed on 02 Mar 2020 by Monika Wood
Our goal was to get an idea about Uganda, it's people, scenery and - of course - see the Chimpanzees and Gorillas. We have absolutely met that goal and will always have fond memories of our time there. Read full reviewReviewed on 22 Nov 2019 by Steve Papania
The most exciting part of the holiday was the gorillas. Read full reviewReviewed on 29 Jul 2019 by Angela Reader
The most memorable part of the trip was the gorilla trekking. Read full reviewReviewed on 26 Jul 2019 by Giselle Hagenmayer
The most memorable part of the Uganda Gorilla trip was being ferried up the vertical incline of the mountainside by the 12 porters it took...The porters worked incredibly hard for 6 hours. Both times I did get to see the gorillas for the allotted hour. Read full reviewReviewed on 26 Jan 2019 by Sharra
Every day there was a new highlight. Walking through the forest and getting the first glimpse of a silverback gorilla was surreal. I was a little surprised by all the wildlife we got to see throughout our travels. Read full reviewReviewed on 05 Jul 2019 by Joubert Krige
The most memorable and exciting part of the holiday was coming face to face with gorillas was an unforgetable moment, along with chimpanzees, tree climbing lions and the shoebill. Read full reviewReviewed on 04 Nov 2018 by Victoria Lloyd-Gent
Like most people seeing the mountain gorillas was a dream come true. Utterly thrilling. But the holiday we built around the gorilla tracking brought so many wonderful and unexpected delights that we fell in love with Uganda Read full reviewReviewed on 24 Jul 2018 by Lea Newnham
It was brilliant. A lot of the credit would go to having our safe, empathetic, politically and culturally aware driver guide Faruk. Read full reviewReviewed on 10 Jul 2018 by Surie Dobie
I can go on and on but let me end by saying everything was awesome! Read full reviewReviewed on 19 Mar 2018 by Mandy Williams-Ellis
The whole holiday was memorable but the gorilla and chimpanzee encounters were definitely the most exciting and extraordinary. Read full reviewReviewed on 30 Jan 2018 by George Gay
The two trekking experiences - chimpanzee and gorilla - were by far the most memorable. Memories that will last forever. Read full reviewReviewed on 25 Dec 2017 by Maria Papalouka
Gorilla tracking and Chimpanzee habituation was my most memorable moment. I had a great time. It was a dream that came true. The tracking of these gorgeous animals was once in a lifetime experience. But also I met friendly smiling people everywhere. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
During the course of this trip we get to use renewable energy most of the time since most of the places we stay at use solar power. All places we choose to stay in during the Gorilla tracking experience use solar power for lighting, charging, and boiling water. They also use Eco-toilets which are also environmentally friendly.In the mountainous regions of Bwindi forest fresh water can only be got from streams in the valley and so it is expensive to collect up the mountains. Our visitors are advised accordingly so as to use the available water sparingly. Rain water is also collected in plastic tanks from every roof at the accommodation facilities and this provides the biggest source for water in such areas.
En-route to the Bwindi forest from Queen Elizabeth National Park we get to support the Chimpanzee community project for conservation of the Chimps in this region. This work is solely done by the local people with the help of donations from visitors touring the region. In addition, “Bwindi” meaning a muddy swampy place full of darkness by the local community is a home of over 10 species of primate of which we find the endangered Mountain Gorillas which have since attracted conservation efforts driven by the tourism activities in the region. Whenever one visits the forest they contribute 60% of their park fees to the community projects, 20% to improve park management and 20% to ecological monitoring and research aimed at conserving the remaining wildlife in this forest. Therefore you directly contribute to the conservation of the primate species during this adventure.
People
In the regions of Bwindi like Nkuringo or Buhoma, there are local libraries and craft shops owned by local people and our visitors get an opportunity to walk through these places and support the people. This is very good because you get crafts at the manufacturers cheaply that in the city and also see how they are produced. There are cultural centers like Igongo in Mbarara district which houses most of the traditional artefacts of the western region in Uganda and this gives the visitor a bigger picture of the tradition eve without visiting all the places.During the Gorilla tracking and village walks, we encourage the visitors to use local porters or helpers to carry their luggage and this provides direct employment to the local community since they are paid a wage directly for their service. Others who benefit like this are the village guides during the village walks since they are natives and know the routes more than us, we employ them to guide us so that the visitors get to see most of the places there is. This is all done on top of the guide provided who must ensure Harmony and smooth interaction of the locals with the visitors so that there is mutual respect for one another.
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