5 Days Gorillas, Lions and Kazinga Channel Safari

Your safari begins with a morning departure from Kampala or Entebbe with your driver-guide. You travel west through rural settlements, farmland and scenic stretches of the western region, with a possible stop at the Equator for photographs and refreshments.

As you near Queen Elizabeth National Park, the landscape opens into grassland, woodland and wide savannah plains. The park is one of Uganda’s most diverse wildlife areas, with elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, waterbirds and several predators.

You reach your lodge in the afternoon, check in and have lunch according to your package. If time allows, you can relax or arrange a short evening game drive, although the main wildlife activities are planned for the next day. Dinner at the lodge rounds off the day.

Rise early for breakfast, then head into the park for a morning game drive while the animals move across the savannah to feed and drink. With your guide you explore the Kasenyi Plains and surrounding areas, looking for elephants, large herds of buffaloes, Uganda kob and warthogs, and for lions and other predators, as sightings depend on animal movements and conditions.

After lunch and a short rest, you take the afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which links Lake George and Lake Edward. Watch hippos gathering in the water, crocodiles on the banks, and elephants and buffaloes coming to drink, along with African fish eagles, kingfishers, herons and other waterbirds. The cruise brings you closer to the aquatic habitats that make the park distinctive. You return to the lodge for dinner.

After an early breakfast, check out and travel to the Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for lions that sometimes rest on the branches of large fig trees. You enjoy a game drive through Ishasha’s plains, woodland and riverine habitats while your guide looks for lions and other wildlife, including elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, topi and many birds.

Tree-climbing lion sightings cannot be guaranteed, because their location and behaviour change daily, so the drive focuses on exploring the habitat and finding a variety of wildlife.

You then continue south through the hills, cultivated slopes and rural communities of southwestern Uganda, with the landscape becoming greener and more mountainous as you near the rainforest. You arrive at your lodge near your gorilla trekking sector in the afternoon or early evening, where your guide reviews the meeting point and clothing for the next morning, followed by dinner.

After an early breakfast, you transfer to the Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing point for the centrepiece of your safari. After registration and a briefing by the park rangers, you join your assigned group and enter the forest with trained guides to search for a habituated mountain gorilla family.

Bwindi has dense vegetation, towering trees, tangled vines and steep slopes, and the trek can take several hours depending on where the gorillas are. It can be demanding on steep or muddy trails, so sturdy footwear, a waterproof jacket and reasonable fitness are recommended, and you can hire a local porter to carry your daypack.

When your gorilla family is found, you normally have up to one hour to watch them feed, groom, rest and interact, perhaps including the silverback, mothers with their young and playful juveniles. Follow the rangers’ instructions, keep the required distance and avoid flash photography or touching the animals. Visitors with a potentially infectious illness should not trek.

After the trek you return to the briefing point and your lodge. Depending on the length of the trek, you can relax or add an optional locally guided cultural visit, arranged in advance and possibly at extra cost, before dinner.

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge, then check out and begin the return journey to Kampala or Entebbe. As you leave Bwindi, take in the last views of forested hills, terraced farmland and rural settlements, with a stop for lunch and refreshments on the way.

If you are flying out of Entebbe, allow plenty of time for the road transfer and check-in. Because the drive is long, an early departure is advisable, and a night near Entebbe may suit you better if your international flight is early or the connection is tight. If you prefer less road travel, you can request a domestic flight from the airstrip serving your Bwindi sector, subject to availability, baggage limits and cost, coordinated in advance.