I’ll Start by saying this: My trip to Uganda was one of the best trips I’ve ever had and I would absolutely recommend everyone to visit!

Summary:

We organised an all inclusive trip (meals, hotels/lodges, driver/guide, transport and park entry fees). The company we used (Adventure in the Wild Safari) I picked because my friends had used it a couple of months previous, and said how amazing they were. I didn’t even look anywhere else. The recommendation was enough for me.

We picked the ‘mid-range’ package but I can only imagine what the high-range was because the standard of accommodation and food at the lodges was top notch. The company were great at tailoring to my needs, at first I wasnt sure if it would be just me or 2 or 3 or 4 people, and we weren’t sure if we would be there 5, 6 or 7 days, and we had to make time for a Covid test to come back to Qatar so they fit that in too. They were very quick to respond to my questions and had no problem chopping and changing the itinerary every time I thought about a different adjustment.

So below is a summary list of what we did with some pictures and then at the end I have some prices, and the itinerary we went with from the company. There was a lot of driving (resting for us, driving for our guide) each day between different lodges but honestly it didnt matter to us one bit. The views everywhere every day were amazing, tea fields, ‘irish’ potatoes and mountains everywhere. Most of the roads were good quality too.

Day 1:

From arrival we got picked up at the airport in our safari type jeep and our guide (Jonan, who was great) drove us across the country to our first stop: Chimpanzee forest guest house. It was butterfly breeding season so they were literally everywhere and the views were amazing. Such a great place to stay.

Day 2:

Chimp trekking and drive to Queen Elisebath/Kinanga National Park and stay in Elephant Hab Lodge

Day 3:

Game drive in Queen Elisebeth/Kinanga National Park and boat trip in Kinanga river. Stay again in Elephant Hab Lodge. There was an orphanage nearby so we invited them to come dance for us. We bought them some coke and popcorn and gave a donation too, of course. The kids all had very big smiles but it was a sad situation to witness too.

Day 4:

Drive to Bwindi and stay in Gorilla Mist Camp. We went for a run in the village and some locals joined in. When we sat down for dinner their was a couple who were just arriving back from hiking for their lunch! They had been out for 8 hours (and they did see the gorillas in the end). Its not technically guaranteed to see gorillas but they will do everything they can to get it done.

Day 5:

Early start for the highlight of the trip. Gorilla Hike. We were out for 3 hours and met a family of 11, where 9, including 2 silverbacks, and a mother and child, were present when we stumbled across them. We also visited the local pigmy people after and made a donation too. Then we drove to Lake Bunyoni. We had a swim in the lake and drank the night away with the locals.

Day 6:

Drive back to the airport, with a little stop at the equator on the way.

Prices:

Gorilla Hiking ($700) Can be cheaper during off peak months. This was included in our overall price.

Chimpanzee Trekking ($200) can be cheaper during off peak months. This was included in our overall price.

All inclusive tour: approx. $2000 for 1 person (including above permits), $1900pp for 2, etc….

Beer: Cheap! about $1 for big bottle (3,500 Ugandan Shillings)

Visa: $50 and needs to be done online, unless you are from 36 countries (including ireland) which is free and no need to do anything.

Itinerary:

6 DAYS GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARI

Rate when 4:

$1750 Mid-range

DAY 1: KAMPALA – KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

Your guide will pick you up from the Entebbe international airport to start your 6 days Gorillas and wildlife safari. You will then embark on your journey to Kibale Forest national park enjoying your lunch enroute. Drive through the shorter northern route that has a distance of about 300km with a tarmac road going to Fort Portal and also a distance of 36km on murram to Kanyanchu. On arrival you will check-in to the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.

Accommodation options: Chimpanzee forest guest house /mountains of the moon hotel/Isunga lodge (mid-range)

DAY 2:  CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN KIBALE FOREST

After breakfast you will go for Chimpanzee trekking.  Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Kibale’s 795km2 National Park contains one of the most beautiful and with the most varying tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda.

This is place to a number of forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primate coupled with chimpanzees. After trekking, you will have lunch and drive to Queen Elizabeth national park, arriving in the evening. Dinner and overnight at Elephant Hab Lodge or Park view safari lodge.

DAY 3: MORNING GAME DRIVE AND AFTERNOON LAUNCH CRUISE

Go for an early morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park where you will spot a lot of wildlife including African elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, impala, among others and a lot of birds. Return to the lodge for breakfast, relax a bit and enjoy your lunch. In the afternoon, go for a launch cruise along the Kazinga channel inside Queen Elizabeth Park where you will come up close with hippos, crocodiles among other aquatic life and an array of birds on the bay! Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight. 

DAY 4: TRANSFER TO BWINDI VIA mbarara for covid-19 test

Enjoy your breakfast and embark on your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National park passing via Mbarara where you will do your PCR Covid-19 test enroute.  Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable national park where you will check-in to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options:  Ichumbi Gorilla lodge / Gorilla mist camp / Rushaga Gorilla Camp

Drive time: Approximately 7-8  hours (depending on tracking location)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 

DAY 5: GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI and transfer to lake bunyonyi

Have an early morning breakfast and head to the park headquarters for briefing by the ranger guides before embarking on your gorilla trek. Head into the forest and trek until you find the gorillas. Gorilla trekking can take 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. After finding the gorillas in Bwindi, you will be allowed only 1 hour and then return to your lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon go for an optional batwa community walk.  Later you transfer to Lake Bunyonyi one of the deepest and most beautiful lakes in Uganda dotted with several islands.

Accommodation options: Bunyonyi rock resort (mid-range)

DAY 6: TRANSFER BACK TO Entebbe

Enjoy an early morning breakfast and transfer back to Entebbe with a stopover in Mbarara for lunch, arriving in Kampala in the evening. Drop off at the airport Entebbe marking the end of your 6 days Gorillas and wildlife safari. Flight departing on 24 July at 23:10

End of tour

Price Includes

• Gorilla trekking permits at $700 Per Permit
• Chimpanzee trekking permits at $200 per permit
• Park entry fees
• Kazinga boat cruise
• Accommodation in Twin rooms and meals
• Drinking water during the trip
• Transport in a customized safari vehicle
• All activities on the itinerary
• A professional safari guide

Contact for Safari: +256 775 218880 (Contact them directly on whatsapp and you will probably get a quick reply).

We did have to pay online upfront before arrival, which I would normal be hesitant about but since I had friends that used them just a couple months previously, we were happy to do it and had no problems.