Compare 2 Days Lake Mburo Wildlife Safari by Kagera Safaris vs 3-Days Uganda Mountain Gorilla Trekking Safari by Africa Adventure Vacations

Day 1: Travel to Lake Mburo NP – Uganda Wildlife Safari

Journey time – 4 hours

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Up market – Mihingo Lodge; Mid-range – Rwakobo Rock; Budget – Eagles Nest

Today morning after an early breakfast we will leave for the Lake Mburo wildlife safari early morning after your breakfast. The tour will take you through Uganda’s countryside with our first stopover being the drum makers stalls along the highway. Here you will watch briefly the process of making drums and other crafts before proceeding to the Equator monument.

Our next stopover will be at the Equator monument, you will have an opportunity to take photos in both the southern and northern hemispheres on the monument. Later you will watch a small water experiment and shop for crafts from the various stalls some of which support vulnerable women and children.

We will then arrive at in the park in time for lunch. We shall have lunch at our lodge and prepared to leave for a boat trip on the stunning Lake Mburo located inside the park. The boat safari can take about an hour or more as you look out for the Crocodiles busking in the sun, schools of hippos, numerous birdlife like pelicans, malachite and pied kingfishers fishing, herons, cormorants, and the flamboyant fish eagle.

Day 2: Morning Game drive &travel to Kampala – Wildlife Safari

Today morning after an early breakfast, we leave for a morning game drive in search of Impala, Buffaloes, Topi, and the largest herds of Zebras in Uganda, recently Giraffes added to the mammal list in Lake Mburo having become extinct in the years past. Enjoy the varying scenery in the national park.

We shall exit the park and have lunch at the Equator monument on the way back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport.

Optional activities – horse ride and Squad bikes

Day 1: Pick Up From Your Hotel In Kampala City | Entebbe Airport – Meet And Greet – Drive To Bwindi Forest National Park–Spend The Evening At Leisure

Meal: Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge (Mid-Range)

On this day, you will be met by our company representative and your assigned English-, French-, Spanish-, or German-speaking safari guide at your Kampala residence or hotel, or upon your arrival at Entebbe international airport for a meet and greet, and be briefed about your 3-day Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari. Have all your travel bags packed into the vehicle, and then begin your adventurous journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

On your way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, you will stop at the Kayabwe equator landmark, which is thought to divide the world into two halves: the Northern and Southern hemispheres. While at the equator landmark, you will see the water experiment, which is done to show how forces move differently on each side of the planet and to prove the difference between the two hemispheres. For example, water drains from the funnel in a clockwise motion in the northern hemisphere, whereas it drains down in an anti-clockwise motion in the southern hemisphere.

Here, the sun rises and sets rapidly, and the temperatures and weather are largely constant all year through. While at the Equator landmark, take some memorial photos with one foot in the southern hemisphere and another one in the northern hemisphere, which will give you an opportunity to take a photo while standing on both sides of the world at the same time. It is also said that while standing at the equator line, your body weight is reduced by about 3 kg, so you will have a chance to prove this statement right or false.

After the water experiment, have a cup of coffee and then proceed with your journey to Igongo cultural center in Mbarara city to have lunch. Tour the museum, one of Uganda’s richest heritages with the history, traditions, and lifestyle of the Ankole people and southwestern Uganda that will take you centuries back into the lifestyle of the people of western Uganda. Thereafter, proceed with the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where you will arrive in the evening to check in at your booked lodge and spend your evening relaxing. Dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park – Mountain Gorilla Trekking Experience – Drive Lake Bunyonyi

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Bunyonyi Rock Resort (Mid-range)

Day 2 of the 3-day Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari. Wake up early (0600am) to organize yourself and arrange the necessary equipment for mountain gorilla trekking, such as cameras, binoculars, and insect repellents, Dress appropriately for mountain gorilla trekking, such as long khaki or jean trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, water-resistant hiking boots, a rain jacket, heavy-duty gloves, and round hats.

Have a heavy breakfast, get your packed lunch boxes, get enough drinking water and meet your safari guide to be transferred to the park information offices to be briefed about mountain gorilla trekking dos and don’ts, how to behave in the presence of mountain gorillas and the expectations, be allocated a mountain gorilla family to track, and get the ranger guides. We would recommend you hire a porter to help you carry your packed bag and other items you would need during the mountain gorilla trek. Begin your forest walk in search of the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats after a pre-mountain gorilla trekking session.

The time taken before encountering your allocated mountain gorilla family is not known. However, it may be anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours depending on the movements and location of the gorilla family, therefore, you should be physically and mentally prepared to walk a long distance through the forest that is made of hills and with no clear walking trails that are only made at that particular time of tracking by your guide depending on the direction that can easily lead you to the location of the gorilla family. That is why it is recommended to carry enough water to keep you hydrated and snacks to keep you energized since you use a lot of energy when walking through the forest in search of mountain gorillas.

Once you encounter the mountain gorilla family, the excitement of seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat will outweigh the hardship you went through while searching for them. A mountain gorilla family can be made up of several members, such as the giant silverback, who is always the head and protector of the family, mothers, infants, and juveniles. The time you will spend with the mountain gorillas, you will get to know much about their behaviors, how they socialize and be excited by their actions, like the playful babies, mothers grooming their babies, and Mr. Silverback watching the situation silently as he is ready to protect the family from any kind of attack.

You will spend a maximum of one hour with the mountain gorillas, and you will be free to capture as many photos and record videos as you want to keep your great memories with the mountain gorilla family in the jungle. After an hour with the mountain gorilla family, return to the trekking start point to receive your mountain trekking certificate in appreciation of your contribution towards the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda. Have refreshments and lunch, and then drive to Lake Bunyonyi to relax. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Lake Bunyonyi – Morning Boat Canoeing On Lake Bunyonyi – Return To Entebbe International Airport

Meal: Breakfast / Lunch

Today, wake up at your convenient time, be served breakfast, and then go for your morning boat canoeing safari on Lake Bunyonyi, which takes approximately 2 hours of exploring the lake and visiting different islands in the lake with a local canoe guide who is well experienced with the places and all the things around. Lake Bunyonyi is framed by 29 islands of different sizes across the water, making its view the most magical.

Each of the 29 islands on Lake Bunyonyi has its own unique and interesting story behind it, which your local guide will narrate to you during the canoeing safari, such as the Akampene island, also known as the “punishment island,” which was used by the Biga community to punish girls who would get pregnant before official marriage by isolating them there to die as a way to teach a lesson to the rest not to make the same mistake.

As a result, poor men who could not afford to pay the bride price would travel to this island in order to obtain free wives from those who could have been exiled to this island. In an African society, it is a disgrace for a girl to get pregnant before her official marriage, and this would cause the family to lose community respect. So, this made parents strict with their girl children as a way of protecting them.

After canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi, return to the lodge to check out, and then start your return journey back to Entebbe international airport to prepare for your return flight. On your way back to Entebbe international airport, you will have a stopover at Igongo cultural museum to have lunch, relax for some time, and later proceed with your drive straight to Entebbe international airport to prepare for your return flight or check-in and freshen up. This will be the end of your 3-day Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari.