10 Days Uganda Gorillas & Mount Rwenzori Hiking Safari Tour – Combining Uganda’s most unique experiences, this Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Rwenzori Hiking Safari is magical in its own way. It is an amalgamation of adventure, luxury, learning, and wonder.
Perfect for every kind of traveler. Undertake this Uganda safari trip and get closer to the world’s most endangered primates in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, climb on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain range – the Rwenzori Mountains, or explore Lake Bunyonyi, the continent’s second deepest lake.
Whatever you think of; this Uganda gorilla trekking & Rwenzori hiking safari presents it all in one package.
10-Day Uganda Wildlife & Rwenzori Climbing Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day 2: Lake Mburo National Park: Game Drive & Evening Cultural Tour
- Day 3: Lake Mburo to Lake Bunyonyi & Sunset Canoeing
- Day 4: Sunrise Boat Cruise & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 5: Gorilla Trekking & Batwa Encounter
- Day 6: Transfer to Rwenzori Mountains
- Day 7: Hike to Sine Camp
- Day 8: Sine Hut – Samalira Camp
- Day 9: Descend. Accommodation at the Base Camp
- Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe & Departure
Detailed 10-Day Uganda Wildlife & Rwenzori Climbing Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Pick up after breakfast from your accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe and begin a 4-5 hour drive to the southwest of Uganda. Lake Mburo National Park is one of the smallest and nearest parks to Kampala.
It is situated close to the highway that connects central Uganda to most destinations in southwestern Uganda, including Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Lake Bunyonyi, etc.
The first stop is made at the Uganda equator, located in Kayabwe Mpigi district, 80kms south of Kampala. While here, have a chance to observe and confirm that the world is indeed divided into two hemispheres, north and south, and be lucky to stand astride the earth’s division point and take pictures for memories.
From here, drive for another 2-3 hours until you arrive at Lake Mburo National Park via either Nshara or Sanga gates. Reach the hotel, check in, have lunch, and immediately proceed to Lake Mburo for the afternoon boat trip.
The boat departs at exactly 2:00 pm and offers endless opportunities to admire scenic views of the shimmering lake marked with hippos, several endemic and rare birds, crocodiles, and many mammals lined along the lake shores.
The Lake Mburo boat trip lasts about 3-4 hours, and after the cruise, join your driver at Rwonyo jetty who will drive you back to the lodge to refresh, have dinner, and spend the night.
Day 2: Lake Mburo National Park: Game Drive & Evening Cultural Tour
After breakfast, get ready to begin a sensational day exploring one of Uganda’s most adorable savannah parks, scattered with acacia trees. A sunrise game drive will expose you to the beautiful resident mammals and rare bird species.
Depending on your lodge, a game drive in Lake Mburo National Park is best started between 6:00 am – 6:30 am, just before the sun rises, to easily spot early risers and nocturnal animals as they return to their dens.
Lake Mburo’s permanent resident species include zebras, buffaloes, impalas, and recently introduced giraffes, as well as elusive leopards and lions. Other mammals to look out for are waterbucks, topis, elands, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, oribis, plus many primates and bird species.
The Lake Mburo game drive lasts approximately 3-4 hours, after which you return to the lodge before noon to relax and have lunch.
Rest in the afternoon, and organize for another unique community tour in the evening. This community tour allows you to experience the true Ankole way of life, daily activities, dress code, etc.
Alternatively, join the locals and participate in activities like cow grazing, milking, milk preservation activities, crafting local crafts, local hunting, or attend a night campfire with elders dubbed “ekitaramo,” where ancient stories are told, cultural songs are sung, and traditional dances performed.
Day 3: Lake Mburo to Lake Bunyonyi & Sunset Canoeing
Leave Lake Mburo National Park and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi – arguably the second deepest lake in Africa after Lake Tanganyika.
Travel through the sweeping landscapes of Ankole, which later introduce you to the towering highlands of the Kigezi region, and view part of the Virunga volcanoes that underlay the border of Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R. Congo.
Upon arrival, have lunch and in the afternoon take a pleasant sunset canoe trek; the boat cruise exposes you to up to 29 islands that make up this wonderful lake.
Also, visit the indigenous fishermen as they cast their nets in search of a day’s meal from this rich lake. Overnight stay at the shores of the lake.
Day 4: Sunrise Boat Cruise & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Undertake a sunrise lake excursion with a motorboat to view the various communities that live on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi; have breakfast and later transfer to the Ruhija sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi National Park is one of the few destinations that harbor an amazing population of endangered mountain gorillas with a rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which include evergreen and bamboo forests, open grassland, marshlands, and health. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking & Batwa Encounter
Have an early breakfast at 6:30 am and by 7:30 am be ready at the park headquarters to attend a pre-trek briefing by the head ranger. In this briefing, you will be told what to expect and how you are expected to behave while trekking and during the one-on-one encounter with a given gorilla family.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park involves hiking through thick and boggy jungles searching for the rarest primates on earth. The experience lasts for approximately 1-8 hours depending on the movement of the allocated gorilla family.
You are only allowed to stay with the gorillas for one hour before returning to the park headquarters and then back to the lodge for refreshments and lunch.
Relax for the rest of the afternoon at the lodge, admiring the cool breeze from the forest, and later in the evening, join a local guide to visit Batwa communities located on the edge of Bwindi Forest.
Learn about their history, enjoy their songs, traditional dances, and buy some of their crafts not only as your souvenirs but also as a way of giving back and supporting local projects.
Day 6: Transfer to Rwenzori Mountains
This morning, check out of your lodge and embark on the journey to the Rwenzori Mountains – the highest mountain in Uganda, located on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park along the Uganda-D.R. Congo border.
You can choose to take an en-route game drive in Ishasha sector to explore the magnificent tree-climbing lions.
Ishasha is the southernmost sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park and is famous for its significant population of tree-climbing lions, the safari highlight in this section of the park as well as Uganda at large.
After the game safari to explore tree-climbing lions, continue the drive to your lodge at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges.
Day 7: Hike to Sine Camp
This first day’s adventure starts from an altitude of 1,450m ASL and hikes up to 2,596m ASL where you will spend the night. Stay either at Sine Camp or Kalalama camp, which is a little bit higher at 3,134 meters.
At this point, you have magnificent views of the lower slopes of Rwenzori, as well as Lake Albert and Queen Elizabeth National Park’s savannah plains.
Start the hike by climbing through the valley floor, characterized by afro-montane forest zones with tall trees endemic to this altitude. Numerous primates can be spotted in this montane forest, including blue monkeys, as well as birds, and the magnificent Enock’s falls.
Sine hut is just across the river, 6km away on a steep climb. While here, climbers have the chance to sit outside by a campfire to admire splendid views of the waterfalls, forests, and hear different ancient stories associated with the mountain.
Day 8: Sine Hut – Samalira Camp
Leave Sine camp in the morning and begin an ascent via a zone of bamboo forest. It is quite a steep hike, but trekkers are soon rewarded with adorable and pleasant views below them. There are small pockets of forests and numerous bird species along this hike.
The sound of Rwenzori Turaco, a famous endemic bird of this region, can be heard quite clearly, as well as several other species of birds. You will reach the heather zone located at an altitude of 3,000m ASL, associated with giant heather trees that are tall and gigantic to a height of 15 meters or more.
If you stayed at Sine camp the previous night, pass through Kalalama camp at 3,147 meters, a scenic place with views of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake George.
Trek via the beautiful mossy ridge, through heather forests located at 3,515 meters, and later descend to a breathtaking valley dotted with lobelia plants. Take another short ascent from here straight to Kyravilla and slope again through moss-covered ridge up to Samalira hut where you will spend the night.
Day 9: Descend. Accommodation at the Base Camp
On this last day of the 10-day adventure, start with a steep descent through a bamboo zone and later into the afro-montane area teeming with various species of birds and primate species.
Trek through Omusita Resting Area and descend up to where you join a path along R. Nyamwamba, characterized by flora, forest mammals, birds, etc. Proceed down until the park headquarters, have some snacks, and transfer to your lodge at the foothills of the mountain where you will spend the night.
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe & Departure
After breakfast, leave the Rwenzori area and begin a long trip back to Kampala for an overnight stay or drive straight to Entebbe International Airport if your flight leaves on the same night.
End of 10-Day Uganda Wildlife & Rwenzori Climbing Tour.
