7 Days Road Trip Uganda
This road trip will enable self guided traveller to experience the western and south-western natural biodiversity areas of Uganda.
It is an expedition that will make you engage in activities like chimpanzee trekking at Kibale national park, gorilla trekking at Bwindi impenetrable park and game drive and boat ride experiences at Queen Elizabeth national park.
You will additionally interact with the Batwa, one of the indigenous races of people to have settled in Uganda.
Tour highlights
- Kibale chimpanzee tracking Activity
- Game drive and Boat cruise at Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Bwindi Gorilla trekking experience
- Batwa Encounter
Detailed Itinerary:
Day1: Vehicle pick up and Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Our staff will deliver the rental vehicle at the airport or your place of abode, you will then drive straight to Kibale forest National park through Kampala-Mityana-Mubende- Fortportal highway. Lunch time will find you on the way and most probably, you will have it in Mubende Town.
It has a few sumptuous restaurants to enjoy some local foods, Matooke and a Luwombo of either meat or chicken will do you great.
You will reach Kibale forest national park area in the evening where you will check in at your lodge, have dinner and rest for the night.
Travel Distance: From Kampala or Entebbe to Kibale forest National park is about 315 km
Travel Time: about 6hours
Day2: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary Tour
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will drive to Kibale Forest national park headquarters to start your chimpanzee trekking experience. First, you will be briefed about the guidelines of the experience and then descend into the tropical rainforests of Kibale.
It will take you about 30-1 hour to reach the locality of the chimpanzee community. The chimpanzees are very vocal animals and as you hear the loud screams in the forest, you will know that they are within sight.
The interaction with the chimpanzees is bananas because of their cunning and playful nature. You are advised to carry a binocular and camera to get the best of your chimpanzee trekking experience.
The binocular will aid you to clearly see the chimpanzees on the tree canopies and the camera for capturing every moment that will take place. You will spend one hour with the chimpanzees and then lead out of the forest.
At the completion of the chimpanzee trekking experience, you will go for lunch at either your lodge or any restaurant of your choice around. In the late afternoon, you will visit Bigodi Wetland sanctuary.
The sanctuary is a home to over 100 species of birds and numerous primate species like red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys, colobus monkeys that migrate from Kibale forests.
You many also opt to visit the nearby communities around to interact with the local people and support them by buying commodities like craft items and fruits.
In the later evening, you will drive back to your lodge for a night stay.
Day3: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Afternoon Game drive
In mid morning, you will check out of your lodge and drive to Queen Elizabeth national park. En route, you will be rewarded with amazing view of the mountain of the moon.
You will reach Kasese in the afternoon and have lunch in the town. After the meal, you will enter Queen Elizabeth national park and do a short game drive in search of the common mammals. In the evening, you will check in at your lodge, have supper and sleep for a night.
Travel distance: From Kibale National park to Kasese (QENP) is about 103km
Travel Time: about 2hours
Day4: Morning Game Viewing and Kazinga Channel Launch cruise
After breakfast, you will go for a game drive in kasenyi plains. The plains are high breeding places of ungulates like Uganda kobs, elands and topis attracting predators like lions, leopards and hyenas.
Other animals to see in these short grassland expanses are elephants, buffaloes, warthogs and different bird species.
You will do your game drive till noon and then get back to your lodge for lunch and prepare for the afternoon launch cruise.
You must be at Mweya dock by 2pm to start your boat ride experience. You will be briefed about the activity and then begin the sail which starts from Lake Edward through Kazinga channel to Lake George and back.
Along the Kazinga channel, there are lots of animals that linger around, namely; hippos, crocodile, water birds, and elephants and buffaloes on its shores. The boat ride takes about 2-3 hours, so you will be back by 5pm in the evening and head to your lodge of abode.
Day 5: Ishasha Tree Climbing Lion Tracking and Slope to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
In the morning, you will leave Queen Elizabeth national park through the southern route. When you reach the southern area of the park, you will stop by Ishasha sector, a renowned habitat of tree climbing lions. After an hour of sighting the lions, you drive out of the park to head to Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
You will have lunch in Kihihi town and then proceed your journey till you reach Bwindi area where you will spend a night in a lodge you will have booked.
Travel distance: From Queen Elizabeth National park to Bwindi impenetrable national park is about 181km
Travel time: about 3hrs30mins.
Day6: Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Experience and Community Walk
At dawn, you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park head offices to catch up with the 7:30 gorilla trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will walk into the forest of Bwindi in a group of six people led by a park ranger in search of the only mountain gorillas still left in the world.
It will take you about 2-6 hours to find the gorillas since they are always on the move looking for food and shelter. You are advised to carry enough drinking water and dry food to keep you conditioned due to the strenuous nature of the activity.
As you reach the locale of the gorillas, you will watch them feed, play and communicate among themselves. You will too take pictures and videos of them.
You are restricted to only an hour with the gorillas. At the death of it, you will lead out of the forest and it will be the end of your tracking experience.
You will drive to your lodge for lunch and take a short rest to recharge your batteries for the next activity in the evening. When the evening clocks, you will drive to the local villages in Bwindi.
There are very many races of people around the forest but the most captivating ones are the Batwa pygmies. These are little in stature and lead a primitive life. You will visit their local herb pharmacies, social places like markets and bars.
The village tour will end with some bit of entertainment (music, dance and drama) from a women and children group in the community. You will then get back to your lodge for dinner and night stay.
Day7: Drive Back to Kampala and drop off the vehicle
This will be your last day of the road trip where you will drive to the central of Uganda. You will have lunch in Mbarara and then continue to Kampala or Entebbe for the Vehicle drop off.
Travel distance: From Bwindi (Kisoro) to Kampala or Entebbe is approximately 507km
Travel Time: About 10 hours.