5 Days Uganda – Lake Mburo & Bwindi National Park safari overview

This safari takes you to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in the south-western part of Uganda, habitat for more than half the world’s population of mountain gorillas. Take a hike through the forest and encounter the gentle giants. Visit Lake Mburo National Park the smallest savannah park in Uganda that offers walking safaris bringing you closer to the wildlife.

Brief itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival at the airport
• Day 2: Drive to Rushaga
• Day 3: Gorilla tracking and optional Batwa experience
• Day 4: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park and afternoon boat cruise
• Day 5: Optional activities (walking safari, horseback riding, cycling) and  transfer to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at the Airport. Arrive at the airport and you will be picked up by the company representative and transferred to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Kampala >Rushaga. Today after breakfast, you will transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site and home to the famous Mountain gorillas making it the best place in Uganda for tracking these gentle giants. Arrival will be later in the afternoon for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Day 3: Bwindi. After breakfast, you will have your packed lunch ready then drive to the park headquarters for a briefing before the gorilla trekking activity. You will then be assigned a group to track a particular gorilla family. You will be led into the jungle by an armed ranger who will keep in touch with the monitoring team on the ground in order to easily locate the mountain gorillas. The activity takes between 3-7 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. Once you locate the gorilla family, you will be given one-hour time to watch them in their natural habitat playing, feeding, resting, and going about their daily life.

After the activity, you can opt to take a walk to the Batwa pygmy community. The Batwa were the first people who lived in the forest. The trail begins with a nature walk, hike through the forest as you learn from the first keepers of the forest. The experience shows you how they lived in grass-thatched houses, caves and hunted small animals for food. Other activities include the traditional dance, singing and storytelling, hunting demonstration, honey gathering and picking herbal medicine from the roots and leaves. You will later return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Bwindi>Lake Mburo National Park. Today after breakfast, you will check out and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park-Uganda’s smallest savannah park whose acacia woodland supports substantial herds of Burchell’s zebras and various antelopes. The drive takes about 5 hours arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon boat cruise. While on the boat cruise, you will see more animal species including hippos, crocodiles, and bird species such as the African Fish Eagle, Pied King Fisher, and African Finfoot in addition to the beautiful scenery and simple pleasure attached to being out on the water. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Lake Mburo National Park>Kampala. Depending on our flight time, you can choose to do any of the above-listed optional activities. The park is the only one where walking safaris are allowed in the company of an armed ranger. The walk gives you an opportunity to experience the nature of the park and get a close encounter with the animals. You are likely to catch sight of various antelopes, zebras, and buffaloes. You can also go horseback riding and cycling across the savannah with wonderful views of the park. These adventurous activities take you to different areas of the park seeing animals such as giraffes, warthogs, hippos, zebras, topis, elands, duikers among others. Later you will transfer to Kampala for optional drop off at the hotel or airport for your flight.

Accommodation is booked in accordance with your preferences and depending on your budget and availability.

Package includes

• Gorilla trekking permits
• Pick-up and drop-off in Kampala
• Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
• Services of an English speaking driver-guide
• All park entrance fees
• Bottled water (2 bottles per day)
• Meals included till dinner

Package excludes

• Activities not listed in the itinerary
• Laundry services
• Tips
• Travel insurance
• Visa fees