5 Days Gorillas And Game Safari: Explore Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi National Parks
4.9
37 Ratings
Kampala
Embark on a thrilling 5-day adventure in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi National Parks. Experience game drives, boat cruises, and gorilla trekking. Book now!
Duration: 5 days
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Day 1: To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After Breakfast, you will drive to Lake Bunyonyi located on the Eastern side of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Your guide will make stopovers at the Equator for photograph and lunch in Mbarara town. You will then drive past banana plantations, Farms and beautiful hills of Kigezi for your overnight at Broad Bill Forest Camp orCrater bay Cottages in Kabale town.

DAY 02: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park

After your early morning breakfast, your guide will drive you to Ruhija Park headquarters for briefing and joining others for gorilla trekking. You will start your trek which can take from 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of mountain gorillas on that particular day. Once you have found them, you will be around one hour of observation and photography before returning back to the park headquarters for certificate and overnight at Broad Bill Forest Camp or Crater Bay Cottages at Lake Bunyonyi.

DAY 03: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park located in western Uganda arriving in time for Lunch at Bufallo Safari resort. This will be followed by a short relaxation and an evening game drive in the savannah plains of Kasenyi where wild animals like buffaloes, elephants, antelopes and big cuts such as lions and leopards can be spotted depending on your luck. Return to your lodge for overnight.

DAY 04: Morning Game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

This morning you will head to back to the plains of Kasenyi for a morning game drive to try to find what could have missed the previous day. Lunch will be served at the lodge and after you will head to the jetty along kazinga channel for the afternoon boat cruise. This cruise offers you chances of viewing animals like: hippos, water birds, elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles and many other wildlife which flock the channel for drinking water.

DAY 05: To Kampala/Entebbe or Airport

After morning breakfast, you will drive back to Kampala\ Entebbe International Airport for your next flight out.

End of Tour

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for extra cost
• You’ll be dropped off at the airport (or hotel)

What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Local guide
  • Private tour
  • National Park fees
  • Round-trip private transfer
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • TripAdvisor Experiences brokerage fee
  • USD600.00 Gorilla Permit per person per trek
  • Local taxes
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
  • Professional guide
  • 4 nights accommodation
  • Driver/guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
  • Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
  • All activities
What's Not Included
  • Excess luggage charges (where applicable)
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Embark on a 5-Day Gorillas and Game Safari adventure, starting with a journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park for animal spotting and a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel, renowned for having the world’s highest hippo population. On a good day, the boat trip offers the opportunity to witness more wildlife species than you would during a standard game drive. Over 600 species of birds have been reported here. The safari will then proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you can track habituated mountain gorilla families for an unforgettable experience. This explorer excursion begins and concludes at Entebbe International Airport.

Similar to other 5 Day Gorillas and Game Safari programs:
• Accommodation is part of the package
• Small Group Safari: Maximum 12 members per group
• Departures can be scheduled for any day
• The tour is subject to personalization
• Individuals traveling alone may participate
• Participant’s age requirement: 15 years or older

  • Minimum drinking age is 18 years
  • A minimum of 02 people per booking is required
  • A maximum of 12 people per booking
  • The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
  • Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
  • A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Kampala
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(37 Ratings)
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775emersonp
Jun 1, 2024
Immerse yourself into the soul of East Africa - Jason made my experience an altogether dream, his domain knowledge of not only the parks and animals you encounter, but his local knowledge of customs and places will make you feel right at home: from teaching you the local dialet so you can suprise your hosts to taking you to the local pork spot to immerse yourself in the tastes of how east Africa really lives, you won't regret you amazing journey with him and it is likely to leave a lasting impression on you for time to come. His dedication to making your experience unforgettable is bar none and I am truly honored to have experienced the sights and sounds fo this amazing place with the affection and warmth that Jason brings to the work he does.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B3350mikenc
May 31, 2024
3 Day Gorilla Trek Uganda - I was not sure quite what to expect, I wrote a list of bucket list seeing gorillas in the wild was on that list. Throughout I found communication with Denis was great, from initial enquiries, sending through money, obtaining my permit and then airport transfer. This was all seamless. The trek itself with Patrick was amazing, the long drive to Bwindi and back to Kampala went past quick. Mainly due to Patrick good driving and insightful conversation about, himself, Uganda, gorillas also neighbouring countries. He negotiated any issues and traffic with ease. The trek itself was everything I hoped for and will live long in my memory a truly magical experience. I would fully endorsed this company and recommend them to all, thank you very much.
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177andrewc
May 31, 2024
Trip of a Lifetime for any Animal lovers. Great Experience, Great Company, Great staff and Great lodges and food....I want to go - Trip of a Lifetime and a dream trip for both my girlfriend and I as Animal lovers. Denis the contact in the office who answered every question of which there were many in the 70/80 emails we exchanged day or night, I met him before heading to the airport on the way home and he is every bit the gentleman as he is via email an absolute legend. BUT the stand out our driver Patrick both in his driving and love for his job contacts and genuine care that you have a trip of a lifetime. He was amazing during our whole trip and I consider him a friend. The trip was seamless with Gorilla trekking/Safari Game drives/Safari boat cruise and Chimpanzee trekking squeezed into the 6 days I gave them. Tiring but amazing 6 days. The lodges were beautiful and the staff in them would do anything for you. Highly recommend this company and this tour to anyone.
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Erince9033up
May 29, 2024
Experience of a lifetime - I had such an incredible experience with *** tour company. From the second I inquired about this tour, I was contacted by a coordinator via WhatsApp who went through every detail with me, including accommodation, itinerary, and payment. the communication was perfect and put my mind at ease as an American traveling to Uganda for the first time. The coordinator assured me that we would see gorillas after I messaged him concerned about the fact that some people had gone gorilla trekking in Uganda years prior and did not see them. He told me that now Bwindi has trackers that go out early in the morning to help us know exactly where to go. Our driver Godwin picked us up from Kigali at our requested location at the exact time we were expecting him. He was professional, kind, and very flexible with our requests of wanting to stop by the lake once we entered Uganda. He made the border passing easy and made our ride as comfortable as possible. He also stayed at the same lodging and assisted us with getting to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for our gorilla trekking and back. We spent about 2.5 hours hiking in the forest before reaching the gorillas and spent an hour observing them up close. It was truly breathtaking. Godwin also provided a lot of insight about the culture and history of Uganda during the drives and we left feeling as though we had made a new friend. I would definitely recommend this company for anyone hoping to have a top tier, stress-free experience.
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Bwamikir2023
May 11, 2024
Exceptional tour guide Jason! - I saw all kinds of animals of how they eat, protect their lives, in water and on land i.e hammer cop which builds the largest nest in the whole world. Jason our guide who took us through the tour is so knowledgeable, energetic, punctual,very experienced in driving, friendly and above all he is knowledgeable about wildlife in the park and birds. I highly recommend encounter africa safaris with Jason as the guide.
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Williamwq8278tv
Mar 27, 2024
Animals! - Fun experience! Our driver Obed was very knowledgeable about all the animals and birds we saw, including all the bird calls. He went out for extra time on the safaris to make sure we could see all the animals we could see. We found the tree climbing lions, elephants, hippos, gorillas, and even the rare leopard! Thank you Obed and the rest of the staff that helped me with my delayed flight!
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Trek04451954945
Mar 24, 2024
5 days Gorilla and Safari Park - Fantastic experience from start to finish. Upon an online enquiry, Denis got in touch and organised the entire trip for me and my father, nothing was too much for him and I definitely had many questions! He created our itinerary which was perfect and replied instantly to every message. Stephen our driver and guide for the 5 days picked up us on time from Entebbe,we had a huge 8 seater vehicle to ourselves and he was extremely friendly and really made our trip. He gave us knowledge about Uganda and even stopped at certain spots to point out monkeys etc. A stop at the equator was great and I managed to pick up some lovely local artwork. The gorillas were amazing, an hour and a half hike untill we found them, and Stephen was waiting to take us back to the hotel. We then drove on to Queen Elizabeth Park, and Stephen took us on 2 game drives, pointing out things we may never have seen! Hotel was lovely, really 5*, incredible food and pool and huge rooms with double beds. River safari was fantastic and got up close to Hippos and elephants. I would highly recommend Encounter Africa Safaris, the organisation and hospitality was amazing, ensuring our safety at all times. A 5* experience and thanks again to the team who made it so special for us. An unforgettable trip 😊
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Odyssey222124
Mar 22, 2024
Our African Encounters - We had a great time on this trip a lot to do with our driver Stephen who was excellent. As well as being knowledgeable there wasn’t a thing he didn’t do to make our trip that bit more special even using his own monies to set up a SIM card for my daughter. The Goriila experience was awesome as were the night, day and river safaris. I’m The. Buffalo Lodge iwas better than many of the five star hotels I have stayed in. I would highly recommend this trip and company and to request Stephen as your driver.
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Kellymannion
Mar 18, 2024
A wonderful and exciting trip - We had a great time with Encounter Africa Safaris. Our guide Obed was a delight and really made sure we had the best time. We got so lucky with our trip, we were fortunate to see so much of the wildlife in Bwindi and queens national park. We did gorilla trekking then went to ishasha to search for tree climbing lions and then to another sector in Queens to see more wildlife and do a boat cruise. It was incredible! Highly recommend.
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Hansjoergs2024
Feb 17, 2024
Back in Africa - Great Trip! Monica organised everything perfectly! I guess nobody in Europe could have organised in a better way. Our driver Jason was polite, on time, very well educated (even at university) and could give us a deep insight of the challenges of Ruanda and Uganda, not only in terms of nature but also politics and day to day life; Jason was a very routines driver and we always felt very safe in his car which was also in perfect shape. Without Jason the trip would not be as it was. The lodges selected were perfect, except of Arcadia Lodge which clearly falls behind the category of the previous lodges we stayed in ( Gorilla Height Lodge and Elephants Plain Lodge). Great thanks to Monica and Jason to make our trip unforgettable! If ever back in Africa we definitely reach out to the two of them
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June 2024
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