8 Days Impenetrable Bwindi Safari
8 Day Classic Primate Safari by Road, a great tour to experience Uganda’s wildlife in both rainforest and Savannah. This Uganda Safari trip takes the most famous western circuit from Entebbe through Lake Mburo (one night) to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you’ll trek the elusive mountain gorillas. From the mountain jungles, the tour traverses through Queen Elizabeth National Park’s savannah plains before whisking you off into the primate capital of the world, Kibale Forest.
Bwindi Forest Gorilla Trekking Highlights
- On this week-long Uganda safari you’ll experience the Mountain Gorillas in the majestic Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
- Before getting to the lost chimps of Kyambura Gorge, you’ll pass by the open savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives and a chance to see the famous tree-climbing lions.
- Your first stop will be an experience with the rare mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
- After this experience, you will visit a community to experience the life for everyday Ugandans in their community and remnants of the cultural practices.
Impenetrable Bwindi Safari Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Kampala
Arrive at Entebbe airport where an Aerolink member of staff will assist you with the check-in and transfer to your 07:45am (arrival 10:05am) or 12:30pm (arrival 14:35pm) domestic flight to Kasene, check-in time is one hour before the flight. Once in Kasene you will be received by your driver-guide. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and the morden Kyambura Gorge Lodge. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks on the veranda that overlooks the savannah plains with the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains in the distance.
Accommodation: Kyambura Gorge Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 2
Queen Elizabeth National Park - Kazinga Channel
The Kyambura Gorge is an extraordinary natural environment and forms a stark contrast to the surrounding grasslands. Here you can track the chimpanzees. The chimps are quite mobile and viewing can be unpredictable but the walk itself is enchanting. In the afternoon take a cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which flows between Lakes Edward and George. Kazinga is home to one of the greatest concentrations of hippos in Africa. Herds of elephant, buffalos and other animals come to drink at the river banks. The channel is a magnet for waterbirds, with great flocks of pelicans and other birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle.
Accommodation: Kyambura Gorge Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3
Kazinga Channel - Kalinzu
Second chimpanzee trek in Kalinzu, a forest reserve 30 minutes’ drive from Kyambura Gorge Lodge where there is a community of about 40 habituated chimpanzees. You can also visit various community projects from the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT) including: Kyambura Gorge Buffer, Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative, Kyambura Wetland Restoration, Kyambura Dance Group, Kyambura Community Playground and much more.
Accommodation: Kyambura Gorge Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4
Kalinzu - Queen Elizabeth National Park
Join a local scientific researcher on his daily game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park to locate and record the behaviour of a lion pride he is studying. Transfer by road to Ishasha Wilderness Camp.
Accommodation: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Take an early morning game drive for the best opportunity to see game. What you see depends on the season, but the Kasenyi Plains are excellent for sighting lion and large herds of Uganda kob. The Mweya Peninsula is one of the best places to look for leopard, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets.
Accommodation: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Your safari now continues to the primeval Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Travelling via Ishasha – subject to road conditions – you can observe the unusual behaviour exhibited by the tree-climbing lions. The long journey through the rapidly changing landscape takes you to Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, which looks across to the towering trees of the forest. Depending on when you arrive, there may be time to explore the lodge grounds with its clear mountain stream or visit a local village.
You can also visit the Bwindi Bar a VSPT project located just 3 minutes from the lodge. They serve chilled drinks and delicious snacks. A few minutes at Bwindi Bar will give you an insight in to what life in Bwindi Community is like.
Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7
Full day at Bwindi
After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi Forest requires stamina and can often take most of the day.
Accommodation: Bwindi Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8
Entebbe and departure
Transfer from Bwindi Lodge to the Kihihi Airstrip. Leave with the 09:45am (arrive at 11:25am) or 14:05pm (arrive at 15:55pm) flight to Entebbe and connect to your departure flight.
Impenetrable Bwindi Safari Gallary
Included in the Kenya Luxury Safari
- Overnight at Hotel on bed and breakfast
- Full board accommodation on safari
- Game drives in 4×4 safari Land Cruiser
- All parks and conservancies entry fees
- Services of an English-speaking driver-guide
- A pair of binoculars in every safari vehicle
- All transfers, including to and from
- Flying Doctors Medical Evacuation Cover (AMREF)
- All relevant government taxes and levies
Exclusions
- International flights
- All meals and drinks not specified
- Tips and gratuities (tipping guideline US$10.00 per person per day)
- Visa
- Travel Insurance
Safari Booking Form
Uganda Travel Tips
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Highly recommended! Joseph created a fantastic, customized tour for my family. He listened to our many criteria and put together a wonderful package. He was always available and very responsive. Since we were on a safari that utilized flights within Kenya, there was no opportunity to enjoy Joseph's company (as others have commented). However, he made it a point to come to the airport at the start of our adventure and make sure we were all set. This was a small gesture that epitomized his character (I don't think this would have happened with a large tour provider). March 2023
This was our first safari and such an unforgettable experience. Communication with Joseph, the tour operator, was quick and easy. The proposed itinerary he provided was informative and we were able to easily modify it before finalizing everything. We enjoyed all the places we stayed at and there was something unique about each one. The game drives were just wow (super sawa sawa!). The tour guides/drivers (John in Kenya and Rajam in Tanzania) put in a lot of effort in finding the animals at the top of our list (leopard, rhino, calves, as well as a cheetah hunt and the most awesome selfie with an elephant). Each game drive was unique. There were so many encounters that left us awestruck—we’re still ooh ahhh-ing over our pictures and processing everything we experienced. Joseph was with us for the whole trip; he was quite knowledgeable about birds, which was a bonus. He also assisted with logistics (providing documents quickly for visas needed prior to arrival, getting us through border crossings, and arranging dinner reservations at a restaurant we wanted to go to prior to taking us to the airport). This was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had and we have White Plains Safaris to thank for that. They are reliable, prompt, friendly, and well worth the money. February 2023
Our experience with White Plains Safaris and Joseph was amazing! The service was impeccable since the very beginning: during the reservation process, Joseph was extremely helpful, flexible and very honest. After booking, he supported us in any way he could, including paying for our Visas as we had some issues doing that online by ourselves! He was also very helpful in creating the itinerary, which proved to be amazing as it offered great game drives and diversity of landscape. Things kept being perfect throughout our trip; the accommodations he had reserved were very nice and always positioned perfectly, to avoid extra driving. During the game drives he was very accommodating and always asking for our feedback to make sure we had the best time. He brought us in amazing spots thanks to his unstoppable Land Cruiser and we got to see many animals including 3 leopards from very close! We also enjoyed his company very much and he was always able to answer our questions and providing interesting insights on the animals, the parks and Kenya in general. We always felt safe and well taken care of, so I would (and will) strongly recommend Joseph and White Plains to anyone looking for a good time in Kenya and Tanzania. January 2023
White Plains Safari provided me with an incredible experience, they were really easy people to get to know and it felt like I had made another friend at the end of my trip. Their service was excellent, they were really outgoing and did their ultimate best to show us everything they could, even if it meant going out of their way in order to do so, they were very reliable and I personally had no concerns regarding their reliability. In terms of the tour itself, I would one hundred percent recommend my trip to Kenya to anyone, especially with White Plains Safaris. White Plains Safaris helped make my trip an experience I will never forget. May 2022
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Milan Nanavati, USA
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Esperanza Florendo, USA
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Matteo Fogli, Germany
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Shaun, Great Britain