Compare 7-Day-Kyambura, Bwindi and Kibale by Volcanoes Safaris vs 3 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking Adventure by Valiant Safaris

Day 1

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Ndali Lodge

Arrive at Entebbe airport where an Aerolink member of staff will assist you with the check in and transfer to your 07:45am (arrival 10:05am) or 12:30pm (arrival 14:35pm) domestic flight to Kasese, check in time is one hour before the flight. In Kasese you will be welcomed by your expert guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your journey.

Transfer to Ndali Lodge, approximate transfer time of 2 hours. The lodge has amazing views of the ancient volcanic landscape, the Bunyaruguru Crater Lake and the Rwenzori Mountains beyond. After your long journey enjoy the swimming pool, walk around the lodge garden and grounds or simply relax on the terrace.

Approximate Travel Times: Flaying 2 hours; Driving 2 hours

Please book flights arriving no later than 09:00am

Day 2

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Ndali Lodge

Spend the morning tracking the exuberant chimp families in the Kibale forest. Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor, is a thrilling experience. Though they can be difficult to spot, you will be in no doubt of their presence as the forest is alive with their noisy calls.

In the afternoon, explore the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. The reserve is abundant with butterflies, plants, animals and, in particular, birds. Spectacular birds like Great Blue Turaco and rare Papyrus Gonolek will be of great interest to birders. The swamp is also home to more elusive animals such as Red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope.

Day 3

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route, take a short walk in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and take in the views of this magnificent mountain range. Alternatively, drive straight to the park and take a game drive. What you see depends on the season, but the Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lion and large herds of Uganda kob. The Mweya peninsula is one of the best places to look for leopard, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets.

Time permitting, visit the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative and its coffee processing station or the wetland reserve to spot birds. Both projects were set up and are run by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT).

Approximate Travel Times: Driving 2 hours

Day 4

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Kyambura Gorge Lodge

The Kyambura Gorge is an extraordinary natural environment and forms a stark contrast to the surrounding grasslands. Here you can track one of our closest animal relatives: the chimpanzee. The chimp population is quite mobile and viewing can be unpredictable but the walk itself is enchanting.

In the afternoon take a cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which flows between Lakes Edward and George. Kazinga is home to one of the greatest concentration of hippo in Africa and herds of elephant, buffalo and other animals come to drink at the waters edge. The channel is a magnet for waterbirds, with great flocks of pelicans and others birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle.

Also in Kyambura Gorge you can visit various community projects from the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT) including: Women’s Coffee Cooperative Tour, Reclaimed Wetland Tour, Bee-Keeping Fence Visit, Omumushaka Dance Group Performance, Empundu Playground Visit and much more.

Day 5

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge

Your safari now continues to the primeval Bwindi forest. Travelling via Ishasha – subject to road conditions – you can observe the unusual behaviour exhibited by the tree-climbing lions. The long journey through the rapidly changing landscape takes you to Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, which looks across to the towering trees of the forest. Depending on when you arrive, there maybe time to explore the lodge grounds with its clear mountain stream or visit the local village.

Approximate Travel Times: Driving 6 hours

Day 6

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge

After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring

and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi forest requires stamina and can often take most of the day.

Alternatively there are other activities and excursions on offer in and around the national park:

Take a guided walk in the rainforest, home to several endemic bird species, clouds of butterflies and rare plant life. This walk offers excellent photographic opportunities and the knowledgeable guide will provide a great insight into this globally important habitat.

Walk through the local village, and learn about community life and Bwindi Community Hospital that started as a health clinic under a tree and now provides vital medical and educational services to over 60,000 people. Also take a tour of our local tea processing operation at the lodge which enables guests to see the various different methods for tea growing and at the end of the tour taste some of our own grown tea! The Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust supports both projects.

Discover the traditions of the Batwa Pygmies, and learn about the native tribal inhabitants of the forest. The indigenous people of Bwindi forest, though no longer resident in the forest, still practice many of their traditional hunter-gatherer skills.

Day 7

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge

ransfer from Bwindi lodge to the Kihihi airstrip. Leave with the 09:45am (arrive at 11:25am) or 14:05pm (arrive at 15:55pm) return flight to Entebbe and connect in time for your return flight.

Approximate Travel Times: Flying 2 hours; Driving 2 hours

Please book return flights departing after 08:00pm

Day 1:  Local Flight, Entebbe to Kihihi – Bwindi Impenetrable NP

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

In time at Entebbe airport by 07:30, your flight to Kihihi airstrip in Kisoro will set off. Look out the window, for Uganda is one of the most beutiful country in the world seen from above. You’ll definately catch sight of the beautiful Rwenzori mountain ranges, tea plantations, numerous lakes and rivers and the magnificent Virunga Volcano moutains just before you land in Kisoro.

In Kisoro, you’ll be picked and driven through Kisoro town up-to your lodge just outside the Bwindi Impenetrable NP. Check-in, have lunch and relax or take a walk around the African villages around the park, your choice.

uganda gorilla trekking safari Jungle adventure

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventure in Bwindi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner + Drinking Water

Today is your Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari D-day. Wake early morning and have you breakfast, get your packed lunch and get to the trailhead before 7:30 AM.

Gorilla trekking starts at 08:00 after a briefing at the park headquarters, you will hike through the dense steep forest searching for the gorillas depending on where they were seen making nests the previous evening.

The gorilla trekking can last 2-7 hours depending on how soon you find the gorillas, this is influenced by the location they stayed overnight. Trekking can be a tasking adventure, but coming to a facial closeup with these close relatives to human is a reward worthy to earn.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in southwestern Uganda edge at the edge of the great east African Rift Valley. It is a home to over 400 species of mountain gorillas about half of the world’s population. Many of these are habituated in families that are daily visited by tourists. The forest is also a home to over 350 species of birds and 400 flora species.

Aerial Bwindi View Gorilla tour Uganda

Day 3: Fly Kihihi to Entebbe

Meals: Breakfast

The last day of your safari starts with a drive to Kihihi Airstrip, where you will board a return light weight flight to Entebbe, on the flight from Kihihi to Entebbe you will be able to see several stunning scenery from above. Upon arriving Entebbe international airport check in for your onward flight back home.

We believe you have enjoyed your holiday in the most hospitable country, the Pearl of Africa!