Golden Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park

7 Days Uganda safari

7 Days Uganda safari (Lake Mburo, Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkeys and Lake Bunyonyi)        

This 7 Days Uganda safari (Lake Mburo, Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkeys and Lake Bunyonyi) is an extraordinary safari that starts and ends in Uganda. The Uganda safari will take you to Lake Mburo national park where you will enjoy great views of abundant wildlife species including buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, elands, impalas, topi, oribi, waterbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, warthogs among others. The safari will also take you to Mgahinga gorilla national park in southwestern Uganda where you will get an opportunity to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in their natural habitat. From Mgahinga gorilla national park you will connect to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale which is the deepest freshwater lake in Uganda and second deepest lake in East Africa after lake Tanganyika in Tanzania.

Highlights of the 7 days Uganda safari

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Kampala

Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park-afternoon boat cruise

Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park

Day 5: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Day 6: Boat cruise/canoeing and cultural tour

Day 7: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Kampala

Depending on your arrival time at Entebbe international airport on the first day of the 7 days Uganda safari, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to a hotel in Kampala for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park-afternoon boat cruise

After breakfast on the second day of the 7 days Uganda safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel and then start the journey to Lake Mburo national park which is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda. The journey takes about 4 to 5 hours drive and on the way you will have a stopover at the Equator in Kayabwe where you will buy souvenirs and take photos. From the equator you will proceed the journey to the park and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for lunch. After lunch you will go for an evening game drive where you will be able to view different animals like buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, elands, waterbucks among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park

Morning game drive          

On the third day of the 7 days Uganda safari, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to view animals when they are most active. During the game drive you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, zebras, elands, waterbucks, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, topi, oribi, bush bucks and different bird species while on a Uganda Safari.

After the game drive you will drive out of the park and start the journey to Mgahinga gorilla national park which is located in southwestern part of Uganda. On the way you will have en-route lunch in Mbarara town and then continue the journey with spectacular views the country side, terraced farmlands, Kigezi hills among others. Upon arrival in Bwindi impenetrable national park you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park

Gorilla trekking

After an early breakfast on the fourth day of the 7 days Uganda safari, you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to go for a gorilla trekking briefing where you will be told about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest with an experienced park guide who is well conversant with gorilla trails to follow. Trekking of mountain gorillas in Mgahinga gorilla national park takes about 3 to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are located because they like to move from one area to another in search of food. During gorilla trekking you will be able to view different bird species, other primates like black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, view different tree and plant species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found you will be able to spend one hour with them which gives you a chance to observe their habits, lifestyle, watch them feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, take photos and record videos to show people back home after the safari. After the interesting moment with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will awarded a certificated in participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

7 Days Uganda safari
Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga

Day 5: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Golden monkey trekking

After breakfast on the fifth day of the 7 days Uganda safari, you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about golden monkey trekking. After the trekking you will be allocated a park guide and start trekking in the jungle in search of the golden monkeys following trails of leftover leaves and bamboo shoots. During trekking which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours, you will be able to view other primate species, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, view different plant species among others. Once the golden monkeys are located you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their presence which gives you an opportunity to watch them play, feed, jump up in tree branches, learn about the behaviors, take photos among others. After the one hour with the golden monkeys you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale which is the deepest fresh water lake in Uganda and second deepest in East Africa. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

7 Days Uganda safari
Golden Monkey Trekking

 Day 6: Boat cruise/ canoeing and cultural tour

After a relaxed breakfast on the sixth day of the 7 Uganda safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for an interesting boat ride/ canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi. During the boat cruise which is done in a dugout canoe you will be able to explore some of the 29 islands such as the punishment island, enjoy the beautiful scenery, terraced farmlands, rolling hills, view different water birds like herons, kingfishers, animals among others.

After the boat cruise you will return to the lodge for lunch where after you will either relax at the lodge or go for an optional cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the Bakiga and Batwa who live in the neighboring villages, learn about their lifestyle, culture, way of living, tradition, visit their homesteads, enjoy their traditional entertainments among others. In the evening you will have dinner at the lodge and overnight.

Day 7: Transfer back to Kampala

On the last day of the 7 days Uganda safari, you will enjoy a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and your driver guide will pick you up to transfer back to Kampala. You will have en-route lunch in Mbarara and then continue the journey to Kampala arriving in the evening and upon arrival you will dropped off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight or dropped off at an place of convenience depending on your schedule.

End of 7 days Uganda safari

Tour includes         

  • Gorilla trekking permit
  • Golden monkey trekking permit
  • Park entrance fees/ game drive
  • Boat cruise fees
  • Full time English speaking driver guide
  • Full board accommodation
  • Pick up and drop off to Kampala
  • 4WD pop up safari vehicle and fuel
  • Bottled drinking water

Tour excludes 

  • Air flight tickets
  • Visas
  • Life insurance
  • Optional activities not included on the itinerary
  • Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.

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