Overview
This 7-day group adventure holiday takes you on an exciting journey to explore the wonderful wildlife and mountain gorillas, as well as the mighty river Nile.
You will visit Jinja for rafting among the rapids of the Nile, and then go to Queen Elizabeth for wildlife before continuing to Bwindi for your face-to-face encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas. In all the various areas, you will also get to experience the different facets of local Uganda culture directly from the locals.
Take a look at the detailed day-by-day itinerary to get a better idea of how a safari like this would work for you. Keep in mind that all our safari packages are fully customizable and we can personalize them to fit your specific needs.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Airport pick up
Our driver/guide will be waiting at Entebbe International Airport to pick you up and then transfer you to your accommodation for the night.
Accommodation: Papyrus Guesthouse
Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2: White Water Rafting Adventure in Jinja
Early in the morning, after your breakfast, you will be driven to Jinja for a white-water rafting experience which can either take a full day or half-day depending on your choice.
This is one of the most exciting rafting trips on earth going up to 31 km and includes a fantastic barbeque lunch and complimentary drinks after the trip.
Accommodation: 2 Friends Guesthouse, Jinja
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After your breakfast, you will then head west and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park via Fort Portal.
The journey will take around 8 hours as you go through the Ugandan countryside with many small towns, villages, roadside markets, and lush greenery.
You will have a stopover in Fort Portal town for lunch before continuing to Queen Elizabeth N.P. This last drive will follow the epic backdrop of the mystical Rwenzori Mountain ranges.
You will reach Queen Elizabeth in time for an evening game drive where you will spot some animals such as elephants, hippos, and buffalos among others. You will then check in at the lodge and wind down from the day’s excitement.
Accommodation: Bush Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Wildlife viewing & Boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth N.P
After breakfast, you will go for an early morning wildlife safari game drive in this park. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forests, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.
With the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop, you will have excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, cape buffalos, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kobs, Topi, and bushbuck.
After lunch, you will go for a 2–3-hour boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This take will take you through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. Many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge.
This launch cruise offers great opportunities for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with more than 600 different species.
Accommodation: Bush Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After your breakfast, you will be driven from Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a 6-hour journey passing through the Kigezi Highlands, an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa”.
The journey takes you through terraced hills and winding roads to the Bwindi Forest. You will have a stopover in Kabale for lunch.
Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge / Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today is the big day! Prepare yourself for an encounter with the gentle giants—the rare mountain gorillas.
For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their trip. You will go into the forest in groups of no more than 8 in search of mountain gorillas. En route, your guide will point out previous signs of gorilla activity such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots.
Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo. Upon finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them, after which you will be led back to the starting point.
In the evening, you will go for a community visit and cultural experience of the local Bakiga and Batwa tribes that live close to Bwindi. You will learn about their lives, history, and traditions.
Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge / Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 7: Drive back to Kampala
After an early breakfast, your driver/guide will drive you from Bwindi to Kampala. This is a long drive of approximately 9 hours that will take you from the cooler mountainous altitude of the Kigezi Highlands to the lower undulating landscape of Ankole and Buganda, with large farms and plantations dotted with villages and small towns.
You will have several stopovers along the way including the equator crossing in Kayabwe for some pictures.
You should reach Kampala in the early evening hours with enough time to freshen up before your flight out of Uganda.
Accommodation: None. (Last day)
Meal plan: Breakfast & Lunch
End of Tour
