18 Days Uganda wildlife safari with gorilla tracking – Budget Safari
This 18 Days Uganda wildlife safari with gorilla tracking tour shows the best highlights of Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. You will visit all the popular national parks that include a visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla tracking and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for Batwa Trail and Golden Monkey tracking.
Activities on this Safari
- Rhino tracking
- Murchison falls boat safari
- Game drives
- Chimpanzee tracking
- Bigodi swamp walk
- Sempaya hot springs
- Kazinga channel boat safari
- Tree climbing lions
- Gorilla tracking in Bwindi
- Batwa pygmies trail in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- Guided safari on foot in Lake Mburo National Park
Detailed safari itinerary for the 18 Days Uganda wildlife safari with gorilla tracking in Bwindi
Day 1: Airport arrival and transfer to your Hotel
Today upon your arrival at Entebbe Airport, you will be met by a representative from Gorilla Link Tours who will transfer you to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Depending on your time of arrival, you may go for optional activities in Entebbe that include a visit to the Botanical gardens
Journey Time: 10 minutes
Accommodation: Lake Victoria View Guest House
Meal Plan: Not inclusive
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park-Rhino Tracking at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
Today morning after your early breakfast, your guide will come to your hotel and brief you about your 18 days Gorillas and wildlife safari to Uganda. You will then transfer North of Uganda with Rhino tracking en route to Murchison Falls.
Rhinos used to freely live in Murchison Falls National park and Kidepo Valley National Park but got extinct during the war days. The sanctuary breeds white rhinos which will later be re-introduced into the national parks.
You will have lunch and after lunch you will proceed to Murchison Falls National park through Budongo Forest
You will get at the lodge in time for dinner and overnight
Journey Time: 7 hours (Excludes rhino tracking time and breaks)
Accommodation: Fort Murchison
Day 3: Sunrise wildlife game drive and Boat safari – Hike to the Top of the Falls
Today after early breakfast, you will cross the ferry to the Northern part of Murchison Falls for your sunrise game drive to have chance to seeing the early risers which include elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas and other animals that include hartebeast, oribi, Uganda kob, buffaloes, lots of giraffes among others. You will also be driven to hippo pool that is home to lots of hippos and birds. 
You will return to the lodge, have lunch and after lunch you will go for the boat safari at the bottom of Murchison falls. Look out for crocodiles, hippos, many birds and the animals that come to the river banks to drink water. These include elephants, giraffes, baboons, water bucks among others.
You will have great views of the falls, where you will get to a point for the hike to the top of the falls. The hike to the top of the falls offers great views of the Murchison falls and a visitor here will have great scenery for photography. Your guide will be waiting for you at the top to drive you back to the lodge
Dinner and Overnight
Optional Activities:
- Night game drives for the nocturnal animals
- Delta Boat safari on the Nile
Accommodation: Fort Murchison
Meal plan: All meals
Day 4: Optional chimpanzee tracking – Transfer to Hoima
Today after breakfast, you will transfer to Hoima. You may go for optional chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest. Then proceed to Hoima district in Bunyoro Kingdom, a perfect break between Murchison Falls and Kibale National Parks. Visit a market in Hoima town near the king’s palace. In the evening, you will be entertained by cultural dances by Banyoro people from the kingdom of Bunyoro.
Accommodation: Hoima Cultural Lodge
Meal plan: All meals
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale national park
Today after breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and proceed to Kibale Forest National Park, through the rolling hills of the Albert escarpment. Kibale Forest National park is home to the biggest number of primates in the whole world and is often referred to as the primate capital of the world. It is home to man’s closest cousin, the chimpanzees, and other monkeys that include black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys etc. The park is also a birder’s paradise since it is home to countless forest birds that can be seen on birding safaris
You will then check into the lodge, have lunch and relax the rest of the day or go for optional activities that include a crater walk.
Journey Time: 6 hours
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan: All meals
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and swamp walk
Today, you will wake up, have breakfast, and then your guide will drive you to the park head quarters of Kibale National park where you will be briefed about chimpanzee tracking. After the briefing, you will then head out into the forest with ranger guides in search of the habituated chimpanzees. The guide will explain their behaviors, what they feed on, and how they live. After you have found the chimpanzees, you will be with them for an hour, taking photos and ‘selfies’ with them before heading back to the lodge for lunch
After lunch, you will go for the Bigodi swamp sanctuary walk where you will enjoy the beautiful natural vegetation, see different types of monkeys and as a plus, see the countless bird life of the swamp. There are about 200 bird species here; the favorite being the Great Blue Turaco. Other birds include papyrus gonoleks and flycatchers.
You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Optional Activities:
Chimpanzee Habituation: Instead of the regular chimpanzee tracking, one can go for full day chimpanzee habituation with the researchers. You will spend the full day with the chimpanzee, learning in detail about them. The chimpanzee family that is being habituated will in future be open for chimpanzee tracking
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan: All meals
Day 7: Transfer to Semuliki Valley National park
Today after breakfast, you will be transferred to Semliki Valley National park, which is famous for the hot bubbly Sempaya hot springs. The hot springs are very hot and you may be able to boil eggs, cook plantain and sweet potatoes from the springs which you can eat.
You will check into your lodge, relax or go for optional activities
Journey time: 3 hours
Accommodation: Ntoroko Game Lodge
Meal plan: All meals
Day 8: Visit to the hot springs – Transfer to Queen National Park
Today after breakfast, you will go on a hot springs trail to Sempaya hot springs. On the trail, look out for birds and some animals. You will then proceed to Queen Elizabeth National park, one of the most popular national parks in Uganda. The park is home to countless birds that include palm nut vulture, wattled lapwing, pink backed pelicans, malachite kingfisher, African fish eagle, and animals like elephants, lions, buffalo, warthogs, different types of antelopes.
You will get to the lodge in time for lunch and relax in the evening.
Journey Time: 3 hours
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal plan: All meals
Day 9: Early morning game drive and Boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Today after early breakfast, your safari guide will pick up from your lodge to go for a morning African safari game drive for about 3 hours. On the game drive, expect to see elephants, buffalos, hyenas, lions, leopards, warthogs and a variety of other animals over the Ugandan sunrise. You will go for the game drive at the Kasenyi area that has different well maintained game drive tracks.
After the game drive, you will return to the lodge, have lunch and after lunch, you will be transferred to Mweya to go for the boat safari on the Kazinga channel to see the different animals that come to drink water at the banks of the river. The Kazinga channel connects Lakes Edward and George.
You will see lots of hippos, crocodiles, buffalos, monitor lizards, water bucks and the different bird life that decorate the river banks. The birds include the African fish eagle, marabou stork, spoon bill, etc. After two and a half hours on the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal plan: All meals
Day 10: Transfer to Ishasha for Tree Climbing Lions
Today after breakfast, you will be transferred to the Ishasha sector, Southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Ishasha is famous for tree climbing lions and they are only found in two places in the whole world. You will get to there, go for a game drive in Ishaha and return to the lodge
Journey Time: 3 hours
Accommodation: Enjojo bamboo huts
Meal plan: All meals
Day 11: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today morning, you will go for a mini game drive at the Ishasha sector before proceeding to Bwindi Impenetrable National park, which is home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas and other animals that include forest elephants and buffalos, duikers, chimpanzees and other monkeys. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a UNESCO world heritage site too.
Journey Time: 3 hours
Accommodation: Broadbill Forest Camp
Meal plan: All meals
Day 12: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park
Today is the day you have been waiting for…the day for Gorilla Tracking. You will have an early breakfast, and after, with your packed lunch and lots of water, your guide will transfer you to the park head quarters to be briefed about the dos and don’ts of gorilla tracking. Mountain gorillas are endangered and coming face to face with the giant gorillas is a once in a life time adventure that is forever memorable. You will head out into the forest with the ranger guide, following the tracks of the gorillas and where they nested the previous night. Once allocated, you will be allowed to be with the gorillas for one hour, taking photographs and taking in the gorilla moments.
You will return to the offices for a small ceremony before returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight,
Journey Time: 10 minutes one way
Accommodation: Broadbill Forest Camp
Meal plan: All meals
Day 13: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla national park
Today, you will say goodbye to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park and transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This will be after early breakfast. Mgahinga Gorilla National park is a very small park in Uganda but its size should not be underrated because it is home to mountain gorillas (one gorilla family for gorilla tracking), golden monkeys, three horned Rwenzori chameleon, and countless birds, some which are endemic and can only be found here. One can also go hiking one of the Volcano Mountains which are part of the five Virunga ranges and it is amazing for the Batwa pygmy trail too for pygmies who lived in the forest before it was gazetted as a national park.
Journey Time: 4 hours
Accommodation: Lake Chahafi Resort
Meal plan: All meals
Day 14: Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Today after breakfast, you will be transferred to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offices to be briefed about golden monkey tracking. Golden monkeys are also endangered and the trek is as great. You will trek them through the bamboo forest as you watch them jump from one tree to another.
You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Optional Activities:
Batwa Pygymy Trail
Instead of Golden Monkey tracking, you can choose to go for the Batwa trail, which takes about 3-5 hours. Batwa used to live in the forest before they were re-allocated. On the trail they take you to Garamba cave where they used to hide when they attacked people outside the forest. You will learn about their life style when they were in the forest, how they hunted, gathered food, used giant ferns to comb their hair and how they used forest plants for medicine
Hike a Volcano Mountain
Alternatively, you may hike one of the three Volcano Mountains. These magnificent volcanoes offer great views are Muhabura (The guide), Gahinga and Sabinyo volcano mountains.
You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Journey time: 30 minutes
Accommodation: Lake Chahafi Resort
Meal Plan: All meals
Day 15: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi (A place of many birds)
Today after breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest lake in Uganda and second deepest in Africa. You get at the lodge, have lunch and after lunch you will go for a canoe ride to some of the islands that include the punishment island. Bunyonyo means a place of many small birds which are quite many at the lake. It is also the only lake in Uganda that has cray fish. After the canoe ride, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Journey Time: 2 hours
Accommodation: Birdnest Nest, Lake Bunyonyi
Meal Plan: All meals
Day 16: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park – Boat Safari
Today after breakfast, your guide will transfer you to Lake Mburo National Park through the rolling hills of Kabale often referred to as the Switzerland of Africa. Lake Mburo National park is a small park and rarely visited but this park is rich with antelopes, forests, birds and lakes. It is one of the two parks that is home to zebras and giraffes and the only park that has impalas in Uganda. You will get to the lodge in time of lunch, and after lunch you will go for a boat safari on the lake. You will see hippos, Nile crocodiles, different water and swamp birds that include the African Fin foot, kingfishers, African fish eagles, herons and so on.
Journey Time: 3 hours
Accommodation: Eagles’ Nest
Meal Plan: All meals
Day 17: Guided Safari on foot- Equator moment – Transfer to Entebbe
Today after early breakfast, at 7am, you will go with a ranger guide for a guided nature walk in park. Walking past animals at a close range is absolutely beautiful. The ranger guide will help identify the different animals, which droppings or foot prints belong to which animal.
You will then proceed to Entebbe with en route lunch at and stop over at the equator where you will be able to stand in two hemispheres at the same time.
You will get to your hotel in time for dinner and overnight
Journey Time: 5 hours (Excludes stopovers and breaks)
Accommodation: Lake Victoria View Guest House
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch
Day 18: Entebbe airport Transfer
Today is the final day of the 18 days Uganda safari. You transfer to Entebbe airport for your outbound flight.
Dates
This is a private tour; departure organized for anytime throughout the year subject to the availability of accommodation and transport.
Extension Tours
If you want to extend your tour to one of our other destinations or if you’d like to add a few side trips to the itinerary, kindly let us know.
Gorilla and chimp permits
It is not possible to ‘reserve’ gorilla and chimpanzee permits. Therefore we can only buy them after your booking and down-payment and it all depends on availability.
Hotel booking
The bookings with the hotels mentioned in the program depend on availability. Reservations only made after your booking.
In case the mentioned hotels are not available during the requested period, we will do our utmost best to book a hotel in the same class for you (of course we will only do this after consulting you). It is not possible to ‘reserve’ gorilla and chimpanzee permits. Therefore we can only buy them after your booking and down-payment and also it all depends on availability.
Transport
Our standard offering for mid-range tours is a 4wd minibus with pop-up roof for easy safari viewing. All passengers will have a dedicated window seat. Your professional and courteous driver/guide will be at your disposal for questions or translations.
Tour Package Including:
- Transport in a 4WD minivan with pop-up roof for excellent safari view.
- All fuel for the tour.
- English speaking Ugandan driver/guide.
- Accommodation as listed in the program.
- All breakfasts and dinners included.
- Packed lunch for the gorilla tracking.
- Park-entrance fees according to the program.
- All activities described in the itinerary.
- 1 chimpanzee permit per person (a US$ 150 value).
- 1 gorilla permit per person (a US$ 600 value).
Excluding:
- International air fares and entry visa Uganda.
- Meals that are not part of your accommodation.
- A porter for during the gorilla tracking (someone who carries your day pack).
- Personal (medical/travel) insurance.
- Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver/guide, porter, hotel staff, etc.
- All expenses of personal nature (e.g. drinks, laundry, optional activities, souvenirs etc.)
This tour tailor made to suit budget and luxury travellers.
Important:
Please note the gorilla tracking in this itinerary done in Rwanda as well or in the other sectors of Bwindi or Mgahinga
Gorilla tracking is dependent on the permits availability at the time of your booking. Gorilla permits in all parks are on a very high demand and we advise that you book them as early as possible.
Inquire now for rates
When you book your trip with Gorilla Link Tours to any of our destinations, Gorilla Link Tours will donate US$ 5 per person to persons with Albinism.