Main Info
This Uganda tour exposes you to one of the best Wildlife National Parks in Uganda – Queen Elizabeth National park, the ‘birder’s paradise’ and yet offers you the highlight – Gorilla Trekking.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.
Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.
As well as its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history. There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy storytelling, dance, music and more. The gazetting of the park has ensured the conservation of its ecosystems, which in turn benefits the surrounding communities.
Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park is truly a Medley of Wonders! Come tour Uganda, for your best life safari experience in Uganda. Secure Uganda Gorilla tour, with Lakato Safaris contact us .
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park description
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is situated in the South Western part of Uganda, on the boundary of the Albertine Rift Valley, on an elevation array from 1.160 m to 2.607m. This is a genuine tropical rainforest, spread all over a series of steep ridges and valleys.
The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and is situated along the Democratic Republic of Congo border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift. It comprises 331 square kilometres (128 sq mi) of jungle forests and contains both montana and lowland forest and is accessible only on foot. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.
The forest is one of the richest ecosystems in Africa. In the local language “bwindi” “mubwindi” means “dark place”, referring to the impenetrable nature of the thick forest.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve was set up in 1942 and later on renovated to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1992. In 1994, it was acknowledged as the world Heritage site. What makes Bwindi Impenetrable is the fact that it covers an area of about 327km2 of scrambled vegetation draped over an intensively fissured landscape of the steep, haughty ridges as well as the slippery valleys and high.
The park is inhabited by a population of about 400 individual mountain’ gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), known as the Bwindi population, which makes up almost half of all the mountain silver back gorillas in the world. The rest of the worldwide mountain gorilla population is in the nearby Virunga National Park. A 2006 census of the mountain gorilla population in the park showed that its numbers had increased modestly from an estimated 300 individuals in 1997 to 320 individuals in 2002 to 340 individuals in 2006.
There are 11 species of primates, including chimpanzee, the monkey variants such as Hoest’s, red-tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus, olive baboon. Specially, Bwindi is home to about 400 Gorilla beringei*, a half of the total remaining world population. There are 346 species of birds registered (Bwindi contains 90% of all Albertine Rift endemics, hard to experience in any other place in East Africa) and 200 species of butterflies.
Silver back Gorilla tracking in Uganda is the park’s main tourist attraction. Tourists wishing to track gorillas must first obtain a permit to do so. Selected gorillas families have been habituated to human presence and the number of visitors is tightly controlled to prevent degradation of the habitat and risks to the gorillas. When and how to secure gorilla permits in Uganda.
Tourists can visit the park any time throughout the year, although conditions in the park are more difficult during the rainy season. Available tourist accommodations include lodges, tented camps, and cheaper rooms run by the local community, located near the Buhoma entrance gate. The park is in a remote location, and reaching the park involves a long difficult journey
Access: 7 hours drive from Kampala to Kabale. Kabale to Buhoma Park HQ takes 3-4 hours and may require 4WD. Kabale – Ruhija – Buhoma takes about 3 hours. The public does not use this road much and a 4WD is needed. Our vehicles
Costs:
Luxury: $2845.USD per person when sharing the room
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: $480.USD
Budget: $2,230.USD per person when sharing a room
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: $150.USD
Itinerary
Your arrival will be a warm welcome by our company representative then taken for refreshments and depending on time of arrival, you will check in at your hotel then acclimatize. There is an option of going for a city tour or staying behind to relax while recovering jet lag. Briefing about your safari is also done today and final payments if any. Overnight at your hotel (Biraj Hotel for Budget or Mystil Hotel for luxury - BB).
Get an early start for Bwindi which is about 8 hours journey from Kampala or more. You will get a stopover at the Uganda Equator which not only helps you to stretch but also to watch the Uganda Equator water experiment and also shop for souvenir then continue to lunch en route and drive through the Switzerland of Africa, with the road winding through many hills and valleys, with distant views of the volcanoes. Arrive late afternoon with and check in. Time permitting; go for a guided nature walk in the thick forest rich in birds, butterflies and monkeys. Alternatively go for a short stroll around the Lodge. Overnight at Buhoma Community Camp if Budget or Buhoma Lodge if luxury (FB).
Go gorilla tracking (subject to permit availability at time of booking), walking up steep densely forested hills before finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation. An inspiring moment! Tracking in Bwindi requires stamina and can often take most of the day. Overnight at Buhoma Community Camp if Budget or Buhoma Lodge if luxury (FB).
Breakfast early then drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Depending on the gorilla family you visited, you may enter the park through the famous Ishasha Sector which offers guests an opportunity to spot the Tree Lions by luck. If entering through other gates too… this park offers unique wildlife and much more to see since wildlife can be spotted in many areas of the park. Lunch enroute, arrive late afternoon for dinner and overnight. Mweya Safari Lodge for Luxury or Simba Safari cottages Camp for Budget (FB).
Early coffees then we start off the day early enough to try and find the cats in action. Head to the mating ground of the Uganda Kobs where we shall search for lions and leopards trying to look for what to eat, also to see are elephants, buffaloes and other wild animals in their natural habitat plus many unique and interesting birds. Return for late breakfast if not taken before then relax around the lodge till lunch. (The lodge areas offer very nice views of the park and also offers many birding opportunities to residents). In the afternoon we take on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural channel between Lake Edward and Lake George. Thanks to the abundant birdlife that is sighted, and the elephants, buffaloes and hundreds of hippos that are cooling off at the shores, this cruise will definitely be one of the highlights of your safari. Return early evening for overnight Mweya Safari Lodge Luxury or Simba Safari cottages Camp for Budget (FB).
Early breakfast then check out with packed lunches as today we are heading back to Kampala. But before heading to Kampala, we still give you the chance to say goodbye to this lovely park through the following ways. The morning options are *either a forest walk in Maramagambo OR a Chimpanzee trek in Kyambura Gorge before we head to Kampala. The Maramagambo Forest is famous for the Blue Lake, Unique trees and Bat Caves while the Kyambura Gorge is famous for its view – the Gorge and the Wild Chimpanzees. One can choose to go in and search for the chimpanzees in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve which is a beautiful gorge completely covered with tropical rainforest (this option comes at extra fee). By late morning we will depart for Kampala with a packed lunch via Fortportal with a lunch stop enroute. Arrive in Kampala early evening, and we shall drop you off to your Hotel. (Biraj Hotel for Budget or Mystil Hotel for luxury - BB).
The airport transfer of today will be given to you by our friendly drivers at the time of your flight. If the airport transfer is late, then we shall also offer a city tour around Kampala’s famous and historical sites then drop you off to the airport in time for your flight and see you off.
