Moderately Priced 7 Day Gorilla – Chimpanzee Trekking – Wildlife Safari
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest – Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest – Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth Park at a moderate price using Quality Mid-Range Lodges
3 Parks in Uganda in 7 days – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you track Mountain Gorillas – Queen Elizabeth Park with its wildlife and Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee Trekking, topping it off with a Kibale Forest Park for Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, a visit to the Jungle Swamp in Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary and a crater lake – top of the world Hike.
The Perfect Gorilla – Chimpanzee Trekking – Wildlife Safari in Uganda that is one of the preferred Safari Tours in the Pearl of Africa.
Three of Uganda’s best parks in just seven days with activities that you cannot do in any other nation in East Africa, only in Uganda, a nation that is Africa- Concentrated into a Small Country.
Rwanda has doubled Gorilla Permits to 1500 USD while in Uganda the gorilla trekking permits are 600 USD – just another reason to take this moderately priced Safari in Uganda.
Safari Highlights:
- Gorilla Trekking – Buhoma Area – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Optional interactive Village Walk in Buhoma
- Tree Climbing Lions – Game Drive in Ishasha
- Explosion Crater Drive in Queen Elizabeth Park
- Lion Tracking Research
- Kazinga Channel Wildlife-Reptile-Bird Boat Ride
- Bigodi Wetlands – Jungle Swamp Hike
- Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
- Top of the World – Crater Lake Hike
Day 1 – Depart for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest:
Depart your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest at 6:30 am from your Hotel in Entebbe or Kampala as your Gorilla – Chimpanzee Trekking – Wildlife Safari begins.
The drive takes us to Southwestern Uganda and to the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – this is a nine-hour drive. Lunch will be taken on the road to Bwindi.
Reach Buhoma at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the late afternoon where we check in at the Lodge of your choice.
Alternate Starting Point: Start this Safari by flying into Kigali Rwanda where we meet you and take you to the Rushaga Area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Southern Area of
Dinner
Meal Plan: Lunch – Dinner
North Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Lodging Choices
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The Haven Lodge which is a community project along with Buhoma Community Rest Camp is the newest lodge in the Buhoma area. It consists of three cottages, one of them being a family cottage that sleeps four.
This is a mid-range lodge (at the upper end of the range)8888 in Buhoma that was built with the assistance of the US Government which often helps Tourism in various ways in Uganda.
All cottages come with a bath, the trained staff knows about customer service and the food is a harmonious blend of Western – Asian and African dishes that will delight you.
All cottages and the main lodge have an excellent view of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You Pay a bit more, but you will be glad The extra 100 USD for two is well worth it in terms of room, service, and quality of meals.
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Day 2 – Gorilla Tracking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest-Buhoma Area:
Breakfast at your lodge – pick up your packed lunch, get two liters of bottled water.
What to bring – your daypack, wear hiking boots, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt, wide-brimmed hat, cotton garden gloves to pull yourself up on branches and vines, light rain jacket or poncho.
At the park headquarters engage the services of a porter and help a Ugandan family (not included in price)– you can also buy a walking stick, get a carved one and have a carved memento of your gorilla trek.
Before going Gorilla Tracking you will be informed about the rules of Gorilla Trekking. We have also compiled some Mountain Gorilla Information Tips and Advice that will be helpful to prepare for this day’s Trek in the forest.
Gorilla Trek time is unpredictable since the gorillas move daily – it can be from two hours to five-plus hours – it is advisable to hire a porter for the day.
You have one hour with a mountain gorilla group for which we have permits and it is certainly a most unusual time and an event of a lifetime for most. Picture taking of the Mountain Gorillas might be a bit difficult – the key is taking many pictures – right lighting – flash is not allowed.
Buhoma: After gorilla trek, you can either simply relax or take an optional – not included mountain bike ride through the forest, a guided village walk, or guided nature trail hike (not included in price), or you might want to relax after Gorilla Tracking.
Option: Gorilla Habituation Experience in the Rushaga Area – all day Trek – 4 hours with a gorilla Family 1,500 Permits.
Dinner
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3 – Tree Climbing Lions – Queen Elizabeth Park:
Breakfast and leave for Queen Elizabeth Park – 1 ½ to 2 hours to the Ishasha region from Buhoma – 3 hours from Rushaga – this is the home of the 
famous Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha and where will take our first wildlife game drive. A game drive is about 2 1/2 to three hours in length and in Ishasha there are lots of things to see such as the tree-climbing lions, leopards, large herds of elephants, buffaloes, antelopes which include the beautiful Topi Antelopes.
After the game drive, we have lunch at Savannah Resort
After lunch, we continue to the Mweya area of Queen Elizabeth Park – our destination being Enganzi Game Lodge – 2 hours drive time.
Before we check in we take the scenic 27-kilometer Katwe Explosion Crater Drive – one of the most scenic drives where you see the ancient explosion craters, some of them filled with fresh water or salt lakes, others covered by savanna grass or forests – beautiful enough that they recently were featured in National Geographic. you can also see from this, the highest point of the park, a portion of the western rift escarpment, Lake Edward and Lake George, the Kazinga Channel, the endless savannah and the majestic, snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains of the moon. Along with the fabulous views, you will see some wildlife here such as elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes.
Dinner
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
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Enganzi Game Lodge-$$$:
Enganzi Game Lodge – with that affordable extra added touch Enganzi Game Lodge offers quality and yet is affordable in price.
Enganzi Game Lodge is the perfect base while exploring the scenic Queen Elizabeth Park with its wildlife, explosion craters, the vast Kyambura Gorge, the endless Maramagambo Forest and more.
The tented cottages come with a full bath and have extensive views down the Albertine Escarpment to Queen Elizabeth Park.
We have used this lodge for most of our mid-range Safari clients for over 4 years with excellent results at a value-added price.
Enganzi Game Lodge is also a family-friendly lodge open to children of all ages.
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Day 4 – Queen Elizabeth Park:
Breakfast before or after the game drive – you can begin your first game drive at the crack of dawn which is about 6:30 am here – that is also the time you can pick up a Uganda Wildlife Authority Ranger to go with us. Mornings are also a time where you see more of the predators return from their night of prowling and there is nothing like a Savannah Sunrise.
Optional: Lion Tracking Research: A drive in search of electronically collared lions with researchers. 50 USD
Lunch
3 pm: A Boat Safari ride on Kazinga Channel with the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. There are also crocodiles (crocodiles had been absent for a few thousand years but started to show up in the 1950s and have increased in numbers), countless of birds on the shore and overhead and in the water of the channel.
This is a pleasant boat ride where you can get some great pictures of elephants, antelopes, predators in late afternoon and buffaloes on shore. Hopefully, you will get an open-mouthed hippo shot with your camera.
Dinner
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 5 – Kibale Forest – Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary:
Breakfast
Drive to Kibale Forest which is a 2 hour plus Drive.
Check into the Lodge of your Choice in Kibale Forest – Luxury Lodges are 45 minutes away from the forest. Upmarket, Moderate and Budget Lodges are near to the Park.
Lunch
Afternoon Walk at Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary which is next to Kibale Forest and you just might see chimpanzees again and lots of birds are found there and the area is best known for the Large Blue Turaco.
Kibale Forest is also home to Forest Elephants who are hairier and smaller than their savannah cousins. They also have smaller tusks which allow them to roam the forests. You can also find Forest Buffaloes which are redder in color than the ones on the savanna.
Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary is a community project that has been put together quite well and entrance and guide fees benefit the local community.
Dinner
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
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A newer moderately priced lodge that gives its guests value plus for their money. We have used this lodge with great success on our safaris and our Clients have responded more than positively.
There are 4 cottages with an en-suite bath in a very private setting. The food is prepared in a thoughtful manner and the service is excellent.
There are much higher cost moderately priced lodges in Uganda that do not match what you receive at Isunga Lodge.
Isunga Lodge has an excellent track record when it comes to Customer Service, quality of the room, the meals that are provided for its guests.
Isunga Lodge is one of the lodges where we have had not one complaint from our clients.
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Day 6 – Kibale Forest – Chimpanzee Habituation Experience:
Early rise and breakfast as we prepare for the All-Day Chimpanzee Habituation Experience Visit in Kibale Forest –
you will need a daypack, 2 liters of water, packed lunch, light rain jacket, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt, hat – wide-brimmed one is best, a few granola bars would not hurt.
The habituation experience “CHEX” is being all day with a group of gorillas being habituated for visits by humans. You are with researchers – trackers, and others and you have your own personal guide during the day.
There are lots of things you will see and see besides the chimpanzee groups that are in the process of being habituated. It is a most interesting and memorable experience taken by few.
The Chimpanzee Habituation Experience is over during the late afternoon and your driver-guide will meet you and take you back to the lodge.
Dinner
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 7 – Top of the World Hike – return to Kampala:
Breakfast and then off for the top of the world hike where you pass by three crater lakes, pass through Tea Plantations, quaint villages and settlement, as you reach the top of the world area the views are simply breathtaking – the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon – Queen Elizabeth Park, the greater local area including the crater lakes before you – it is simply worth the 3 hour nature walk and hike. you do have a guide to point out things to you, explain and enlighten.
Lunch
Depart for Kampala and arrive around the early evening hours.
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch
Included in the Safari: Safari Vehicle and Driver-Guide with experience as a guide – all lodging, food, except sodas, beer, wine, tips, laundry. All Activities are included except where it states optional.
7 Days of Safari enjoyment in the Pearl of Africa with Kabiza Wilderness Safaris – enjoy your time in three of the best Parks in Uganda…
Contact us below if you are interested in this Gorilla – Chimpanzee Trekking – Wildlife Safari
