8 Days Gorilla Safari And Photography Tour

Detailed Itinerary of your 8 Days Gorilla Photography Safari

Day1: Transfer to Kibale National Park Day

As you start your Uganda safari prepare to take photos of Uganda’s beautiful and green countryside along the way. You will have lunch at Fort Portal town and then be taken for a tour of the town and the headquarters of the historical Tooro Kingdom. Fort Portal is small town but located in an area with perfect climate which has resulted in beautiful scenery. The town remains green all year round.).

Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking and nature walk along the Bigodi Swamp

After early breakfast, you will head for briefing from the Kibale National Park offices regarding the rules and requirements while tracking chimpanzee. After the briefing, you will be given walking sticks and led into the forest to find the primates. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park takes between 3 to 5 hours. It is a different experience from gorilla trekking because chimps are more vocal and love to spend time on top of trees. They are also more mobile and might require that you follow them for a long time before they settle down to allow good photography. You will return afterwards to your hotel for lunch and rest. Later in the evening, you will go for a walk around the Bigodi swamp walk to spot other primates and several species of birds.

Day 3: Head for Queen Elizabeth national park – game drive in Ishasha
After breakfast, you will head early to queen Elizabeth national park in time to go for the first game drive which is at the Ishasha sector. The Ishasha sector is world famous for tree climbing lions and off course other great mammals, primates and antelopes. The lions prefer resting on top of trees because it helps them escape insect bites and see potential prey. The tree climbing lions of Ishasha are rare. Tanzania also has tree climbing lions in Lake Manyara but tourists can also see them in Kruger National Park. However, the best place to see them is in Queen Elizabeth National Park.  After this first game drive, you should now head back to your lodge for rest.

Day 4: Second game drive and boat cruise

You will wake up early to take breakfast ready for a long eventful day. The guide will take you for an early morning game drive at the Kasenyi plains with the purpose of catching up with nocturnal animals retreating to their dens after a busy night of hunting. The morning is also the best time to spot the early risers like birds and other mammals. You should be able to see hippos, lions, leopard, buffalos and antelopes of various kinds. After the game drive, drive back for lunch, rest and then set off at 2.00 pm for a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. This is the meeting point for all of the animals in the park especially during the dry season. Get ready to see a collection of bird species that could rival any you have seen elsewhere. You will also see water dwelling animals like crocodiles and hippos plus all the others you spotted during your previous drinking by the water banks. After this you, should be tired and ready to go back for a rest or take walk around the lodge.

Day 5: Visit Maramagambo forest – Transfer to Bwindi Forest national park
You will wake up early morning as usual to a sumptuous breakfast at your lodge. Our guide will take you to Maramagambo forest which is home to chimpanzees and cave bats. While in the dense forest, look out for birds, forest hogs, dwarf antelope and several other primate/monkey species. The bats attract pythons to their caves and if you are lucky, you could spot a battle between predator and prey. Chimpanzee trekking is not open in Maramagambo because they are not habituated. However, you may be lucky to spot some along the trails. After having enough of the Maramagambo forest, you will then head off for Bwindi impenetrable forest national park with lunch taken along the way.

Day 6: Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi – Visit to the Batwa Pygmies
You will wake up very early to take your breakfast before heading out to the park offices for briefing at 7:00 am. During the briefing, the park Rangers/Guides will share information about the requirements and rules for gorilla trekking. The meeting is compulsory and it is also at this time that you get to be assigned a gorilla family and porters. How are gorilla groups allocated? Gorilla groups are allocated taking into account your overall fitness. Porters are there to help you carry extra luggage or heavy equipment. Now that you are ready, head to the forest to track your gorilla group along with 7 other tourists. You will go through thick forest, steep and muddy areas before finally meeting the family. Follow instructions from the head guide and take as many photos as you can in the one hour allocated. Stay calm and do not make sudden movements. The memory of the time spent with the gorilla family will always remain with you because watching a family of mountain gorillas is very different from any other wildlife experience.

After your one hour with the gorilla family, you should return back to the starting point where our guide will drive you back to your hotel for rest and lunch. After some rest, you will be taken to visit the Batwa pygmy community who once lived side by side with the gorillas in the forest. They have now been resettled elsewhere to allow for mountain gorilla conservation activities in the park. The Batwa will let you know if their resettlement was successful or not while also entertaining you with cultural stories and dances.

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

After a long night of resting, you should wake up for late breakfast before starting the journey to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is arguably Uganda’s most beautiful lake. It has got several beautiful islands, romantic shores and is a sanctuary for countless bird. Lake Bunyonyi is an excellent destination for relaxation after a long safari. You will enjoy relaxing by the lake shores, go boat riding, island hopping and touring the local fishing villages.