6 Day Uganda Gorilla & Queen Elizabeth Safari

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and meet your safari representative. Transfer to your selected hotel in Entebbe and spend the remainder of the day resting after your international flight. If you arrive earlier, optional sightseeing around Entebbe can be arranged according to your interests.

Your safari guide will provide a briefing about the journey to western Uganda and the activities ahead. Use the evening to prepare your camera equipment, comfortable safari clothing and trekking items.

After breakfast, begin the journey toward western Uganda. The road takes you through towns, farms and attractive rural landscapes before reaching the Albertine Rift region. Lunch will be arranged along the route.

Continue toward Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda's best-known wildlife destinations. The park contains a remarkable variety of landscapes, including savannah grasslands, crater areas, lakes, wetlands and forested sections.

Depending on your arrival time, your guide may conduct a short evening game drive before proceeding to the lodge. Look for Uganda kobs, buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks and other animals. Enjoy dinner overlooking the surrounding wilderness.

Begin the day with an early wildlife-viewing drive. Morning game drives can be particularly rewarding because many animals are active before daytime temperatures rise. Your guide will select routes based on recent wildlife movements and local conditions.

Search for elephants moving across the savannah, herds of Uganda kobs and buffaloes grazing near the tracks. Lions may occasionally be found resting in the grass or watching prey, while leopards remain more elusive. After the morning game drive, return to the lodge for lunch.

Later, travel to the Kazinga Channel for a boat safari. The channel links Lake George and Lake Edward and supports impressive concentrations of aquatic wildlife. Hippos are among the most frequently observed animals, often gathered in large groups in the water.

Nile crocodiles can also be seen, while buffaloes and elephants sometimes approach the banks. The boat safari is especially rewarding for birdwatchers because numerous waterbirds and shoreline species inhabit the channel. Return to your lodge after the cruise.

After breakfast, enjoy another opportunity for wildlife viewing as you begin the journey south. Depending on the location of your accommodation and confirmed gorilla sector, the route may pass through the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Ishasha is famous for its tree-climbing lions, which are sometimes found resting in large fig trees. Sightings cannot be guaranteed, but the area also supports buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, topis and other wildlife. Continue toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The landscape changes dramatically as open savannah gives way to cultivated highlands and thick rainforest. Bwindi's ancient forest is one of Africa's most biologically important protected areas and provides habitat for endangered mountain gorillas. Arrive at your lodge near the relevant trekking sector.

After dinner, organize your hiking boots, waterproof clothing, gloves and daypack for the following morning.

Wake early, have breakfast and transfer to the appropriate park headquarters. Uganda Wildlife Authority personnel will register trekkers and conduct a detailed briefing. Participants are then divided into small groups and assigned to habituated gorilla families.

Enter Bwindi's rainforest accompanied by ranger guides and trackers. Gorilla trekking involves following the movements of wild mountain gorillas through their natural habitat. Because the animals move freely, the duration of the trek varies considerably.

You may walk along forest paths, cross streams and climb slopes while trackers look for footprints, feeding signs and other clues.

After breakfast, begin the journey back to Entebbe. Travel through the southwestern highlands before continuing across central Uganda. Lunch and refreshment stops will be made along the route.

If your flight schedule allows, stop around the Equator for photographs and an opportunity to browse local crafts. Continue to Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or to your hotel if you have an additional night.

Your 6 Day Uganda Gorilla & Queen Elizabeth Safari ends after combining one of Africa's greatest primate experiences with a rewarding traditional wildlife safari.

Why Combine Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth?

These two destinations complement each other exceptionally well. Queen Elizabeth offers the open landscapes many travelers associate with an African safari. Game drives and boat safaris provide opportunities to observe large mammals and numerous birds from a vehicle or boat. Bwindi is entirely different.

Instead of searching across open savannah, you trek on foot through dense forest to find one of the world's rarest great apes. The contrast between the two environments makes the journey particularly rewarding.

Mountain Gorilla Permits

Every participant in the gorilla trek requires a valid permit. Permits are issued for a specific date and sector, and their availability can influence the itinerary. We recommend reserving gorilla permits well in advance, particularly for June through September and the Christmas and New Year travel periods.

Once your permit is confirmed, accommodation can be selected close to the appropriate trekking starting point.

Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Possible sightings during this safari include:

• African elephants
• Cape buffaloes
• Uganda kobs
• Waterbucks
• Warthogs
• Hippos
• Nile crocodiles
• Baboons
• Monkeys
• Lions
• Leopards
• Spotted hyenas

Because these animals live freely in a natural ecosystem, specific sightings cannot be guaranteed.