Safari Overview
The 10-day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari combines three of Uganda’s safari destinations with primates, wildlife and birding encounters in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The 10-day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari starts and ends at Entebbe International Airport you shall have a chance to encounter the chimpanzees in their natural habitats in Kibale National Park as well as birding tours where you will spot a variety of bird species, later, you will experience the scenic beauty of Queen Elizabeth National Park with diverse wildlife species including elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, crocodiles, waterbirds and monitor lizards. Your last destination will be Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is home to almost half of the world’s mountain gorillas, with over 460 mountain gorillas. You will have a chance to get up close with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats, thus creating an adventure of a lifetime. Below is the highlight of the 10-day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari.
Highlights of the 10-Day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari
- Day 1: Arrival and Pick-up
- Day 2: Mabamba Birding experience
- Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Day 4: Full-day Birding Experience
- Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 6: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat safari
- Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 8: Full-day Birding Experience
- Day 9: Gorilla Trekking Experience
- Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe International Airport and Departure
Details of the 10-Day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari
Day 1: Arrival and Pick-up
On this day, you will be picked up by our representative, who will be your driver/guide for the next 10 days. Your guide will take you through a briefing about the 10-day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari, including the destinations to visit, accommodation centers and activities to do on safari. Later, you shall drive to the hotel for relaxation as you prepare for the next day’s birding safari. Enjoy a relaxed dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Mabamba Birding experience
Enjoy a mouthwatering breakfast at the Hotel and later proceed for a full-day birding expedition at Mabamba Bay wetland for a shoebill encounter in Entebbe. Embark on a canoe ride taking you for about 3 hours, giving you a chance to spot a variety of bird species, including papyrus Gonolek, Purple Swamphen, African Jacana, Malachite Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Marabou Stork, White-faced Whistling Duck, African Fish Eagle, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Wood Sandpiper, Pied Kingfisher, Common Moorhen, Red-knobbed Coot, Black-winged Stilt, African Reed Warbler, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Black-headed Heron, Great Egret, and Saddle-billed Stork. Later, return to the lodge for a relaxed evening.
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the hotel and later embark on a thrilling 6-hour Journey to Kibale National Park in western Uganda. Kibale National Park is Uganda’s premier chimpanzee trekking destination, consisting of over 1500 chimpanzee individuals and over 435 bird species, making it a birder’s paradise. At Kibale, you will have a chance to spend time with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as well as spot different bird species. Arrive at the lodge and check in for your dinner and accommodation.
Day 4: Full-day Birding Experience
Rise early and enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the lodge and later proceed for a full day birding experience around Bigodi wetland swamp which is home to over 200 bird species you will have a chance to spot a variety of bird species including the spot Green-breasted Pitta, Red-chested Owlet, Scally-breasted, Pale-breasted and Brown Illadopsis, Red-caped and Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Fire-crested and Brown-chested Alethe, Forest Robin, Buff-spotted, Brown-eared and Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Red-winged Francolin, Black-billed Turaco, White-naped and Afep Pigeon, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Yellow-whiskered, Cabanis’s, Yellow-throated, Red-tailed and Little Greenbul. Return to the lodge for a peaceful evening and dinner.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have an early morning breakfast at the lodge and embark on a thrilling chimpanzee trekking experience in Kibale National Park. You will have a briefing at the visitor’s information centre about chimpanzee trekking, including the rules and guidelines to follow while observing the chimpanzees in their natural environment. Embark on a thrilling chimpanzee trekking experience, taking you through the tropical rainforests in search of the chimpanzees. You will have a chance to encounter the chimpanzees for 1 hour, and later head back to the starting point for chimpanzee trekking certificates.
After the chimpanzee trekking experience, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park with a stopover at the Uganda Equator for photo moments. Proceed to the park, arrive at the lodge and check in for a relaxed evening, dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Safari
After an early breakfast, embark on a guided morning game drive in the northern part of the park where you will have a chance to spot and get up close with diverse wildlife, including elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and different bird species. The morning game drive takes about 3 hours and returns to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, embark on a thrilling afternoon boat safari taking you along the Kazinga channel, which connects Lake George to Lake Edward, giving you a chance to spot a variety of wildlife, including crocodiles, leopards, waterbucks, elephants, buffaloes, and different bird species. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the lodge, and later you will embark on a 4-hour journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwestern part of Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda’s premier gorilla trekking destination, consisting of over 400 mountain gorillas, which is half of the total population of mountain gorillas. The park is also home to over 350 bird species, where you will have a chance to spot a variety of birds. You will have a chance to trek and find the gorillas in their natural environment, and a gorilla trekking experience takes about 5 hours, including 1 hour of encounter. Arrive at the lodge and check in for your dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Full-day Birding Experience
Early morning breakfast and trek to Mubwindi Swamp for a full-day birding experience where you will be able to spot Black Goshawk, Augur Buzzard, Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Handsome Francolin, Olive (Rameron) Pigeon, Bronze-winged Pigeon, Black-billed, Ruwenzori, and Ross’s Turacco, African, Barred Long-tailed, and African Emerald Cuckoos, Red-chested Owlet, Narina and Bar-tailed Trogons, Black and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, Blue-throated Roller, White-headed Wood hoopoe, Gray-throated, Double-toothed, and Yellow-spotted Barbets, Western and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Thick-billed and Dwarf Honeyguides, Rufous-necked Wryneck, Tullberg’s, Speckle-breasted, Elliot’s, and Olive Woodpeckers. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking Experience
Enjoy a heavy breakfast at the lodge and carry your packed lunch for your gorilla trekking adventure. Drive to the visitor’s information center where you will have a briefing about gorilla trekking, including the rules and guidelines to follow while observing the gorillas in their natural habitats. On your gorilla trekking encounter, you shall be granted 1 hour of encounter with the gorillas as you watch them play and learn more about their way of life. Later, you will descend back to the starting point, where you will be awarded gorilla trekking certificates and return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe International Airport and Departure
After a mouth-watering breakfast, you will check out and take a scenic drive as you transfer to Entebbe International Airport via the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe district, where you will have a lunch stop and later proceed to the airport and conclude your 10-day Gorilla Tour and Birding Safari