This 3 Days Uganda Gorilla trekking safari via queen Elizabeth National Park is majorly for Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. This Gorilla Park can be accessed from different areas including via Queen Elizabeth National Park.
From Kampala/Entebbe, you can use the Kampala-Mbarara-Kabale route or Kampala-Mbarara-Queen Elizabeth-Ishahsa route to reach Bwindi forest park. A trip through Queen Elizabeth Park (Ishasha) offers tourists a chance to explore another of the country’s outstanding wildlife, the Tree climbing lions plus other savanna inhabitants like elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and baboons.
However, there is a limitation to the use of this route; it’s only possible when one’s tracking sector is either Buhoma or Ruhija but not Nkuringo or Rushaga. The former are closer to Queen Elizabeth National Park than the latter. All in all, this 3 day trip will take you for Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, a game drive in Queen Elizabeth park (Ishasha sector) for chances on tree climbing lions and other animals, a canoe/boat ride on the second deepest lake in Africa-Bunyonyi and a cultural visit to the communities near Bwindi Forest Park.
Tour Highlights
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi forest
- Game safari at Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth Park
- Tree Climbing lions
- Cultural/community encounters
- Lake Bunyonyi tour
Itinerary for 3 days bwindi gorilla trekking safari via queen Elizabeth national park
Day 1 – Drive to Bwindi, Ishasha tree lions game drive
Leave the hotel after breakfast at 7.00AM and drive to Bwindi Forest Park. Make a quick stop at the Uganda Equator crossing monument and another one in Mbarara for an early lunch. Continue with your drive through Bushenyi to Queen Elizabeth Park enjoying the views of the green tea plantations, crater lakes, the escarpment at Kyambura and the park at large.
Start the dirt Ishasha road and be on the lookout for some animals like the Elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, baboons and birds along the way. Use Ishasha gate to get into the game trails for chances on the lions resting up in the fig and acacia trees. After the game drive, exit the park and drive to Bwindi, arriving late in the evening.
Day 2 – Gorilla Trekking, Lake Bunyonyi Tour
Drive/walk to the park offices after your breakfast at the lodge. You are to go through a briefing session that prepares you for your long awaited adventure of a Gorilla trek in this impenetrable forest. With your packed lunch boxes, a walking stick and a porter, if you can hire one, the park guides and armed rangers will accompany/give you a lead to your allocated Gorilla family. Being a hilly terrain and the fact that there are no defined paths to follow when looking for the Gorillas, the trek comes with some kind of difficulty. On top of your walking stick and the porter, machetes carried by park rangers come in handy to cut/clear the vegetation that would be blocking the easiest way to a Gorilla family you are trying to locate.
After finding your Gorilla family and coming face to face with these giants, you will quickly forget about the difficulty with which you trailed through the forest to find them. You only realize how every step of the challenging trek you have had is worth the time you are spending with them. You are allowed an hour and at a distance of 7metres to observe them as you take photos after which you leave them to enjoy their privacy. Trek out of the forest and meet your driver to leave for the nearby Lake Bunyonyi for some relaxation after this marvelous trek.
Day 3 – Canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi and Depart for Kampala/Entebbe
Morning breakfast at the lodge, take a canoe or boat to enjoy a ride on the calm waters of this second deepest lake in Africa as you tour its different islands alongside the spectacular views of its adjacent terraced hills. Leave Bunyonyi to drive via the beautiful hilly town of Kabale, and you will be on your way back to Kampala/Entebbe. Kindly note that the return journey is not via Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have a lunch stop in Mbarara at Igongo Cultural Centre and country hotel. Leave Mbarara after lunch expecting to reach Kampala/Entebbe in the evening.
End of 3 days bwindi gorilla trekking safari via queen Elizabeth national park.