8-Day Custom Safari (Big 5) & Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Your guide meets you at the arranged starting point before travelling towards Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The day is planned around the main stops on the route. The plan follows the route agreed with your driver-guide and leaves time for appropriate short breaks. Your driver-guide can advise on sensible photography stops and the amount of daylight remaining before check-in. Keep drinking water, any personal medicine and a lightweight layer in the vehicle rather than packed deep in your main bag. Allow for changes to road conditions and the timing of park activities, particularly after heavy rain.

Begin with rhino tracking before continuing from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary towards Murchison Falls National Park. Leave enough time for the onward transfer. Trackers guide the walk towards rhinos on the sanctuary. Keep the recommended distance and let the ranger decide how close the group approaches. If you want a particular optional activity, mention it before departure so permits, travel time and extra charges can be checked. The order of short stops may change, but the principal destination and overnight base stay the focus of this stage. The park combines broad savannah with the Nile and its steep-sided waterfall.

Remain in the Murchison Falls National Park area, where the schedule allows another opportunity for a wildlife drive. Your guide looks for mammals and birds along permitted tracks, changing the route as light, road conditions and sightings allow. If you want a particular optional activity, mention it before departure so permits, travel time and extra charges can be checked. The order of short stops may change, but the principal destination and overnight base stay the focus of this stage. The park combines broad savannah with the Nile and its steep-sided waterfall.

Begin with a wildlife drive before continuing from Murchison Falls National Park towards Kibale National Park. Leave enough time for the onward transfer. Your guide looks for mammals and birds along permitted tracks, changing the route as light, road conditions and sightings allow. Chimpanzee tracking requires a permit and a ranger-led walk; sightings and walking time vary. Rain is possible in the forest, so a light waterproof layer and suitable shoes help.

The route continues from Kibale National Park towards Queen Elizabeth National Park. Keep the main stops realistic for the distance involved. The plan follows the route agreed with your driver-guide and leaves time for appropriate short breaks. Keep drinking water, any personal medicine and a lightweight layer in the vehicle rather than packed deep in your main bag. Allow for changes to road conditions and the timing of park activities, particularly after heavy rain. If you want a particular optional activity, mention it before departure so permits, travel time and extra charges can be checked.

Begin with a wildlife drive before continuing from Queen Elizabeth National Park towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Leave enough time for the onward transfer. Your guide looks for mammals and birds along permitted tracks, changing the route as light, road conditions and sightings allow. Keep drinking water, any personal medicine and a lightweight layer in the vehicle rather than packed deep in your main bag. Allow for changes to road conditions and the timing of park activities, particularly after heavy rain.

Remain in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park area, where the schedule allows another opportunity for gorilla trekking. After the ranger briefing, enter the forest on foot. The distance to the gorilla group changes with its movements, and the terrain can be steep. Follow ranger instructions throughout the permitted observation period and keep noise low.

The route continues from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park towards Kigali. Keep the main stops realistic for the distance involved. The plan follows the route agreed with your driver-guide and leaves time for appropriate short breaks. The journey on day 8 forms part of a 8-day programme, so avoid adding unplanned detours that would reduce time at Kigali. Your driver-guide can advise on sensible photography stops and the amount of daylight remaining before check-in.