7 Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where your representative will welcome you to Uganda. After completing immigration and collecting your luggage, transfer to your selected hotel in Entebbe.

The remainder of the day is reserved for relaxation. Travelers arriving earlier can choose an optional excursion around Entebbe. Your safari guide will provide an overview of the upcoming journey, including the wildlife destinations, expected road conditions and preparation for gorilla trekking.

After breakfast, meet your driver-guide and begin the journey toward western Uganda. Travel through changing countryside as urban surroundings give way to farming communities, small towns and rolling hills. Lunch will be arranged along the route.

Continue toward Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda’s most diverse wildlife destinations. The park forms part of the Albertine Rift and includes grasslands, woodland, wetlands, crater areas and lakes. Depending on arrival time, enjoy an introductory game drive.

Possible wildlife includes elephants, Uganda kobs, Cape buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs and baboons. Continue to your lodge for dinner.

Wake early for your first full wildlife-viewing day. After breakfast or an early cup of coffee, depart for a morning game drive. The cooler morning hours often provide productive wildlife viewing. Your driver-guide will use knowledge of recent animal movements to select suitable tracks.

Watch for elephants feeding among bushes, herds of Uganda kobs and buffaloes crossing the savannah. Lions inhabit Queen Elizabeth National Park and can sometimes be seen around areas containing large numbers of antelopes. Leopards and spotted hyenas are also present but are more elusive.

Return to your lodge or another suitable location for lunch. In the afternoon, transfer to the Kazinga Channel for a boat safari. The channel links Lake George with Lake Edward and supports an impressive concentration of aquatic wildlife.

Hippos are frequently observed in large groups. Nile crocodiles may be seen resting along the banks, while elephants and buffaloes sometimes approach the water. The channel is also outstanding for birdwatching. After the cruise, return to your lodge.

After breakfast, depart Queen Elizabeth and continue toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Depending on your lodge and confirmed gorilla trekking sector, the route may pass through the Ishasha region.

Ishasha is particularly famous for its tree-climbing lions. Although sightings are never guaranteed, searching the large fig trees for resting lions can add another exciting dimension to the journey. The area also supports elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and topis. Continue south toward Bwindi.

The scenery gradually changes from open savannah to cultivated hills, valleys and dense forest. Arrive at your lodge near the trekking sector specified on your gorilla permit. Spend the evening preparing your trekking clothing and equipment.

Today provides the signature experience of your 7 Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari. Wake early and transfer to the appropriate Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing center after breakfast. Rangers explain trekking procedures, conservation regulations and appropriate behavior around mountain gorillas.

Participants are assigned to habituated gorilla families before entering the rainforest with trackers and ranger guides. Bwindi is mountainous, and trekking can involve steep or muddy trails. Conditions depend on rainfall and the location of your assigned gorilla family.

A porter is highly recommended. Porters can carry your daypack and provide valuable assistance on difficult sections. Mountain gorillas move naturally through their territories, so there is no fixed trekking duration. Eventually, trackers will identify the family’s location and your ranger will guide you closer.

Under standard gorilla trekking arrangements, visitors are normally permitted to spend up to one hour observing the habituated family. Watch quietly as the gorillas continue their daily activities.

A powerful silverback may remain close to the family while adult females feed and younger gorillas climb through vegetation. Seeing an infant clinging to its mother or juveniles playing near a huge silverback can be particularly memorable. After your permitted viewing period, begin the return trek.

Meet your driver-guide and return to your lodge.

After the physical demands and excitement of gorilla trekking, enjoy a more relaxed day around Bwindi. Depending on your interests, you may participate in an optional community experience, guided nature walk or birding excursion.

Community tourism can provide valuable insight into life around the national park and the relationship between local livelihoods and gorilla conservation. Alternatively, spend the day enjoying your lodge and the beautiful forest scenery.

Having this additional day makes the seven-day itinerary significantly more relaxed than a shorter gorilla and wildlife safari.

After breakfast, begin your return journey to Entebbe. Travel through southwestern Uganda with lunch and refreshment stops along the route. Where flight schedules permit, stop at the Equator for photographs and souvenir shopping.

Continue to Entebbe International Airport for your departure or to your hotel if you are extending your stay. This concludes your 7 Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari.

Why Combine Wildlife and Gorilla Trekking?

Uganda’s greatest advantage as a safari destination is its diversity. A conventional game drive allows you to search across open landscapes for elephants, antelopes, buffaloes and predators.

Gorilla trekking is entirely different. You leave the safari vehicle and enter a dense rainforest on foot, following trackers in search of one particular gorilla family. Experiencing both within the same week gives travelers a much broader appreciation of Uganda’s wildlife.