9 Days Flying Gorilla Safari Uganda

Today is pure adrenaline! An adventure on the Nile. After safety briefings, tackle the world-class Grade 3–5 rapids of the White Nile with expert rafting guides and safety kayakers by your side. Between rapids, float through calm channels lined with birdlife and fishing villages. End the day with a hearty barbecue lunch on the riverbank before returning to Entebbe for an overnight stay, as you get ready for the flight to the Gorilla home the next day. Overnight: Latitude 0 Degrees/ The Boma Entebbe. Full Board

After breakfast, transfer to Entebbe Airport for a scenic domestic flight to Kihihi Airstrip (approx. 1 hr 15 min) at 1030. You will be transferred to Buhoma, on a 1 hour picturesque drive, to the the northern gateway of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the home of the Mountain Gorillas. Once you arrive, Check into your lodge nestled at the forest edge, with views of mist-covered hills and bird songs in the air. In the afternoon, stretch your legs with a Buhoma community walk. This immersive experience supports local livelihoods while giving you a rich sense of the culture around Bwindi and the people of Uganda. Overnight: Buhoma Lodge. Full Board

Wake early for a hearty breakfast before heading to the park headquarters for your gorilla trekking briefing. Equipped with a walking stick and guided by experienced rangers, you’ll set off into the thick forest for gorilla trekking searching for the awesome gorillas in their natural home. The trek can take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, depending on the gorillas’ movements, but the moment you come face-to-face with a mountain gorilla family, all effort melts away. Watch them feed, groom, and play just a few meters away, lock eyes with a silverback whose gaze feels deeply human. You have one magical and unforgettable hour in their presence, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. After this awesome Mountain gorilla encounter, trek back to the lodge. The afternoon is free to relax, enjoy a massage, or simply soak in the forest atmosphere from your veranda. Overnight: Buhoma Lodge. Full Board

Depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the southern Ishasha sector of the park, renowned for its tree-climbing lions, a rare sight found only here and in Lake Manyara, Tanzania. Keep your eyes on the giant fig trees where prides often laze during the day. Continue on an enroute game drive to Mweya sector, with lots of game sightings. Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge. Full Board

Rise early for a sunrise game drive in the open savanna of the Kasenyi sector, where predators are most active. With the golden light spreading across the plains, you’ll observe Lions often stalking Uganda kob (antelopes) in the grasslands, Elephants moving in family herds, sometimes with tiny calves, Buffalo herds grazing as birds perch on their backs, if lucky Leopards draped in acacia trees, Warthogs, water bucks, and hyenas wandering the plains. The Kasenyi plains are also a birder’s paradise crowned cranes, saddle-billed storks, and raptors circle overhead. Afternoon Kazinga Channel Boat Safari Head to the Kazinga Channel, In the heat of the afternoon, when many animals head to water, you’ll board a 2-hour boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel a natural waterway linking Lake Edward and Lake George one of Uganda’s richest wildlife spectacles; drift past hundreds of hippos, elephant herds drinking at the banks, Nile crocodiles, and a dazzling array of waterbirds including pelicans and kingfishers. Hippos in their hundreds, grunting and jostling in pods, Nile crocodiles sunbathing on the banks, Elephants wading in to drink and spray themselves, Buffalo cooling off, sometimes almost submerged. Enjoying watching birds as you glide by with Over 600 bird species recorded, including African fish eagles, kingfishers, pelicans, and cormorants. The boat gets remarkably close to the animals, perfect for an up-close game viewing. As the sun sets over the water, the scene becomes golden and serene. After disembarking, you can do a short evening game drive on your way back to lodge. Sunset often brings predators back on the move, and the lighting makes for magical photo opportunities. Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge. Full Board

In the morning venture into the dramatic Kyambura Gorge, nicknamed the “Valley of Apes.” This lush, tropical forest hidden below the savanna harbors a small population of wild chimpanzees. Your adventure begins at the UWA briefing point, where rangers explain the rules and history of this unique chimp community. You walk down into the gorge along steep, sometimes slippery trails. It feels like entering another world the air grows cooler, and birdsong fills the canopy. Begin the Search for chimpanzees where rangers follow calls, nests, and tracks to locate the chimps, If the chimps are found (small success rate), you’ll spend an hour observing them. Watch them swing through vines, groom each other, or crack nuts using simple tools, as you trek you are likely to encounter black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervets, and troops of baboons. After your trek that typically lasts 2–4 hours, you climb back up to the savanna plains, often rewarded with sweeping views over the Rwenzori Mountains in the distance. Proceed to Kibale Forest National Park the primate capital, with a high population of primates and particularly the chimpanzees, check into the lodge and prepare for chimpanzee encounter the next day. Overnight: Chimpundu Lodge. Full Board Altitude: 4,640 m

Kibale Forest, in western Uganda, is a lush tropical rainforest spanning over 700 km². It’s home to 13 species of primates, more than any other forest in East Africa, and harbors the largest population of wild chimpanzees in Uganda (around 1,500 individuals). The forest also shelters red colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, blue monkeys, and a spectacular array of birds, butterflies, and forest elephants. You chimpanzee trekking experience, starts with a hearty breakfast, then a briefing by the park officials on the protocol, Rand then chimp behavior, safety, and forest etiquette once. You have a ranger assigned to your group who will lead you into the forest for the trek that lasts 2–4 hours, depending on the chimps’ movements. Trails may be muddy, but the forest is enchanting, giant mahoganies, strangler figs, orchids, and butterflies at every turn. As you walk, you’ll hear the forest come alive: bird calls, monkey chatter, and sometimes the distant pant-hoots of chimps. Then you have a chimpanzee Encounter, when you finally find them, you’ll spend 1 magical hour observing them. Watch them: Feeding on figs, berries, or forest fruits; Grooming each other—a vital social ritual; Playing in the trees, juveniles swinging like acrobats.Displaying dominance adult males drumming on buttress roots and calling loudly.Chimps are highly active often moving between trees and ground, making the experience lively and thrilling. After amazing experience,Trek back to the visitor center, exhilarated and full of stories. Certificates are often awarded for completing the trek. And return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.

Nature Walk & Community Walk in Bigodi

Later in the afternoon, you will visit the Bigodi wetland for a nature walk that will expose you to lots primates, The walk often ends with a village experience: Visit local homes to see basket weaving, coffee roasting, or banana beer brewing, Listen to stories of how the wetland supports the community, Purchase crafts made by the Bigodi Women’s Group, which directly funds education and health projects. Overnight: Chimpundu Lodge. Full Board

Awake early with packed breakfast, and transfer by road  to Kasese Airstrip, passing through the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. Board your domestic flight to Entebbe at 0835 arriving at 1125. On arrival, continue to your outbound international flight. End of the 9 Days Flying Gorilla Safari Uganda