8 Days Eastern Lowland gorillas, wildlife and Chimpanzee Safari
This 8 Days Eastern lowland gorillas,wildlife and chimpanzee safari and wildlife experience in Queen Elizabeth national and primates experience in Kibale national park is one of the best ways of exploring the best destinations in East and Central Africa. The wild Lowland Gorillas can only be found in Kahuzi beiga national park, one of the only two parks in the world including Maiko national park. This park, Kahuzi Biega national park, has 2 dormant volcanoes within it including; mount Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Mount Biega (2,790 m) with 2 sectors; Highland (Open for visits) and the lowland (closed for visits). Kahuzi Biega national park has only 3 guerrilla groups habituated for visit by the tourists however; the park doesn’t only have lowland gorillas but a number of other animals like the Forest Hog, the forest Elephant, Antelopes and the bush duikers. The stop at Lake Kivu is mainly to reduce the long driving distance from Kahuzi Beiga national park to Queen Elizabeth national park however; you may take advantage of exploring the area as well. This trip also features Queen Elizabeth national park for a great wildlife experience and Kibale national park which is a home of the chimpanzees.
Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Bukavu
- Day 2: Lowland Gorilla trekking experience
- Day 3: Transfer to Lake Kivu
- Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
- Day 5: Lion tracking/Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
- Day 6: Transfer to Kibale national park
- Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi nature walk
- Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe and departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Bukavu
This first day of your safari is achieved if you are already in Kigali a day before or arrived in Rwanda very early to start your early morning drive in order to cross into the Democratic Republic of Congo before latest 3:00 pm. You will meet our company representative who will also be your safari guide throughout the trip with exception of Congo. It’s about 7-8 hours’ drive with en-route lunch. Proceed via Nyungwe forest which is one of the oldest and largest rainforest in Africa with a variety of primates inhabiting, have your camera ready for great views the area along the zigzag roads of Rwanda. Cross to Congo via Rusizi border where your Congo guide awaits you to proceed to your accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay
Accommodation and meals (Lunch and dinner)
- Luxury option: Orchid lodge
- Mid-range option: Panorama lodge
- Budget option: Hotel Elizabeth
Day 2: Lowland Gorilla trekking experience
After breakfast, drive to the park headquarters for briefing about the lowland gorillas. Thereafter with your packed food and water, depart to enter the park to start the search of the lowland gorillas, this can take 3-5 hours depending on the location of the lowland gorillas. After finding and viewing the gorillas for 1 hour, walk back to meet your driver to return to your accommodation with lasting memories of the lowland gorillas. Dinner and overnight stay at either lodge as above.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Kivu
After breakfast, drive back to the border to meet your safari guide and embark on your journey to Lake Kivu, this will take another 7 to 8 hours’ drive with en-route lunch and several stops for pictures before you proceed to Gisenyi where we find Lake Kivu. Arrive in Gisenyi late afternoon and connect to your accommodation to rest however, depending on your time of arrival, explore a bit of Lake Kivu before check-in for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation and meals (Full board)
- Luxury option: Kivu Serena Hotel for luxury
- Mid-range option: Palm garden Resort
- Budget option: Paradise Malahide Hotel
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Wake up quite early, enjoy your breakfast, check-out of the hotel then embark on your journey to cross to Uganda via Cyanika border and proceed to Queen Elizabeth national park. This is quite a long drive however filled with great views and experiences taking about 8 hours to reach Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda with en-route stop for lunch and refreshments. This is the best wildlife national park in the western part of Uganda. Connect to the park via Ishasha sector which is a home for the famous tree climbing lions and if you are lucky, you may spot them as you drive to your lodge on the other side of the park. Check-in your lodge; wait for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation and meals (Full board)
- Luxury option: Mweya Safari lodge
- Mid-range option: Parkview Safari lodge
- Budget option: Pumba Safari Cottages
Day 5: Lion tracking/Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
After early morning breakfast, drive to the park for your lion tracking and game drive experience in the Kasenyi area. Lion experience is an activity introduced in Queen Elizabeth national park to experience the lions. During a normal game drive, lions are hardly spotted so for a guaranteed opportunity; doing the lion experience is the best option. It takes about 2 hours and after a normal game drive is done. On a lucky day you may spot the leopard and hyenas as well however commonly spotted animals during a game drive include; the Elephants, Cape buffaloes, Waterbucks, Warthogs, Uganda kobs among others.
After your lunch, connect for an afternoon boat cruise along Kazinga Channel. Taking a boat cruise is a great experience in this park as there are many animals and birds that can be seen. Some of the land animals include the elephants and buffaloes on the water shores, there are a lot of hippos, crocodiles, and several water birds. The boat takes about 2 hours before you drive back to your lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight stay. Meals are based on full board
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale national park
After breakfast, connect to for a coffee plantation experience for about 2 hours and also visit some of the interesting crater lakes around the park before you embark on your journey to Fort portal with en-route lunch. Thereafter, continue to Kibale forest which is the best destination for Chimpanzee trekking in Africa. It’s a 3-4 hours’ drive from Queen Elizabeth national park with the several stops. Arrive at your accommodation for check-in, relax, wait for dinner and overnight stay
Accommodation and meals (Full board)
- Luxury option: Kyaninga lodge
- Mid-range option: Chimpanzee Guesthouse
- Budget option: Isunga lodge
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi nature walk
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the endangered chimpanzees and later enter the forest with the guidance of a park ranger along with your tracking gears, packed water and snacks. This trekking takes about 2-5 hours in search of the chimpanzees. On finding the primates, you will spend 1 hour viewing them while studying their behaviour and taking pictures. After tracking, return to the lodge for lunch and refresh.
In the afternoon after lunch, connect for a nature walk in Bigodi wetland, where you will get to enjoy walking through a wetland with a variety of bird species and spot other primates such as the vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys to mention a few. Later in the evening return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight at as above
Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe and departure
Have breakfast and transfer to Entebbe. It’s a 5-6 hours’ drive from Kibale national park to Entebbe with en-route lunch. Depending on your flight schedule, you will be dropped at Entebbe international airport for your onward flight back home. End of 8 Days Eastern Lowland gorillas, wildlife and Chimpanzee Safari
