5 Days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari
The 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari is an amazing safari that will take you to Queen Elizabeth national park where you will be able to view different animals like the elephants, waterbucks, lions, leopards, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, Nile crocodiles, hippos, warthogs, topi, bushbucks among others during the game drives and boat cruise on Kazinga channel. The safari will also take you to Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural environments and Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale.
Highlights of the 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Day 1: Pick up and transfer Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 2: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park via Ishasha sector
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 5: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Depending on your location on the first day of the 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari, our driver guide will pick you up from the hotel, brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Queen Elizabeth national park. The journey takes about 7 hours’ drive and on the way you will have en-route lunch and enjoy spectacular views of the local people, farmlands, traditional homesteads, Rwenzori Mountains, tea plantations with stopovers to take photos and stretch your legs. Upon arrival in Queen Elizabeth national park you will connect to the lodge, check in for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive,
After an early breakfast on the second day of the 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will have great views of the sunrise, big four mammals which are lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, other animals like waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, views of different bird species among others. After the game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch.
Afternoon boat cruise, after lunch you will drive to the landing site near Mweya safari lodge for an incredible boat cruise along Kazinga channel which is a 40km long channel that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat trip which lasts for about 2 hours you, will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, elephants, warthogs drinking water along the banks, view water birds like yellow billed stork, cormorants, hornbills, African skimmer, kingfishers, fish eagles among others. You will also be able to see the fishermen along the shores preparing their fishing gears for night fishing, take beautiful pictures among others. After the boat cruise you will go for an evening game drive where you will be able to view some of the animals that you missed in the morning and later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
After breakfast on the third day of the 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On the way you will have a stopover at Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Ishasha sector is famously known for the tree climbing lions which will be viewed lying up in acacia/fig tree branches during the game drive. Ishasha sector also harbours other animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs among others. After the game drive you will have lunch where after you will proceed the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park, upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Gorilla trekking,
After an early breakfast on the fourth day of the 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will carry packed lunch and your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is knowledgeable about the gorillas and well conversant with trails in the jungle. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will have views of animals like forest elephants, buffaloes, other primates like l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, different bird species like African harrier hawk, crowned hornbill, African green pigeon, blue headed sunbird among others. Once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their habitat which gives you an opportunity to watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, observe their behaviours, take great photos and record the breath-taking moments to show people back home.
After the one-hour encounter with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district which is the deepest fresh water lake in Uganda and second deepest lake in African after Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. Upon arrival, you will connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Boat cruise and departure to Kampala
After breakfast on the last day of the 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your guide to go for an amazing boat ride on the Lake where you will be able to explore some of the 29 islands such as the punishment island, view bird species among others, have spectacular views of the terraced farmlands, Kigezi hills, traditional homesteads among others.
After the boat cruise, you will meet up with your driver guide and start the journey back to Kampala with en-route lunch on the way. After lunch you will continue the journey with another stopover at the Equator where you will buy souvenirs and then continue the journey to Kampala arriving early evening and upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of advise.
End of 5 days Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Lion tracking experience
- Park entrance fees/ game drives
- Boat cruise fees
- Professional English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Tour excludes
- International air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
