5 Days Gorilla & Wildlife Safaris
from $1500 per person
This 5-day safari is perfect for travelers seeking an unforgettable combination of gorilla trekking and classic African wildlife experiences. Explore Uganda’s lush landscapes, encounter endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, and enjoy exciting game drives in search of elephants, lions, buffaloes, antelopes, and other wildlife. The combination of primate encounters, savanna wildlife, spectacular scenery, and authentic cultural experiences makes this one of Uganda’s most rewarding short safari adventures.
Prices are indicative and may vary depending on travel dates, accommodation, gorilla permit availability, group size and current UWA tariffs. Please contact us for a confirmed quotation.
Safari Details: 5 Days Gorilla & Wildlife Safaris
Overview
Duration: 5 Days / 4 Nights
Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Safari Type: Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife Safari
Start Point: Entebbe International Airport or Kampala
End Point: Entebbe International Airport or Kampala
Main Activities: Gorilla Trekking, Game Drives, Boat Cruise, Wildlife Viewing, Photography, Cultural Encounters
Accommodation: Luxury, Mid-range, or Budget Safari Lodges
Best Time to Visit: June to September & December to February
The 5 Days Gorilla & Wildlife Safari combines Uganda's most iconic wildlife experiences into one unforgettable adventure. This safari takes travelers to Queen Elizabeth National Park for classic African game viewing and to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for a once-in-a-lifetime mountain gorilla trekking experience.
The journey showcases Uganda's remarkable diversity, from open savannah plains filled with elephants, buffaloes, lions, and antelopes to the dense tropical rainforests that shelter nearly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Along the way, visitors enjoy scenic landscapes, crater lakes, rolling hills, local communities, and unforgettable wildlife encounters.
This safari is ideal for travelers seeking both traditional wildlife safaris and extraordinary primate experiences within a short timeframe.
Detailed Itinerary: 5 Days Gorilla & Wildlife Safaris
Day 1: Kampala or Entebbe – Queen Elizabeth National Park
After an early breakfast, meet your professional safari guide and begin the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda.
The drive takes you through picturesque countryside landscapes, local villages, rolling hills, and agricultural communities. Along the way, enjoy scenic views of tea plantations, crater lakes, and the distant Rwenzori Mountains.
A lunch stop will be made en route before continuing to the park. Upon arrival, enjoy a short evening game drive depending on your arrival time.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda's most popular savannah park and supports a rich diversity of wildlife including elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, and numerous bird species.
Accommodation: Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast, depart for a morning game drive through the park's vast savannah plains.
The early hours provide excellent opportunities to spot wildlife as animals are most active before the day becomes hot. Search for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, hyenas, lions, and leopards while enjoying spectacular views across the park.
Return to the lodge for lunch before heading out for an afternoon boat cruise on the famous Kazinga Channel.
The Kazinga Channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and hosts one of Africa's highest concentrations of hippos. During the cruise, you may also encounter crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, and a variety of bird species gathering along the shoreline.
Accommodation: Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, depart Queen Elizabeth National Park and travel toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The journey passes through the Ishasha sector, famous for its tree-climbing lions. Depending on wildlife movements and luck, there may be opportunities to spot these unique predators resting in fig trees.
Continue through the scenic Kigezi Highlands, characterized by terraced hillsides, valleys, and traditional villages. Arrive at Bwindi in the afternoon and check into your lodge.
Spend the remainder of the day relaxing and preparing for the following day's gorilla trekking adventure.
Accommodation: Safari Lodge near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing by Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers.
You will then enter the dense rainforest in search of one of the habituated mountain gorilla families. Gorilla trekking can take anywhere from a few hours to most of the day depending on the location of the gorillas.
The trek itself is an adventure through ancient rainforest filled with birds, butterflies, unique vegetation, and occasional sightings of other forest animals.
Once the gorillas are located, spend one unforgettable hour observing them in their natural habitat. Watch silverbacks, mothers, infants, and playful juveniles as they interact within their family group.
After the trek, return to the lodge for relaxation and celebration of this extraordinary achievement.
Accommodation: Safari Lodge near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Kampala or Entebbe
After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kampala or Entebbe.
The drive takes you through beautiful countryside landscapes and local communities. A stop will be made at the Equator crossing for photographs, souvenir shopping, and refreshments.
Lunch will be served en route before continuing to Kampala or Entebbe, arriving in the late afternoon or evening depending on traffic and road conditions.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Trip Includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Accommodation as per itinerary
- All meals as specified in the itinerary
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle
- Professional English-speaking safari guide
- Park entrance fees
- Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel
- Airport transfers
- Bottled drinking water during the safari
- Government taxes and conservation fees
Trip Excludes
- Visa’s at boarder points
- Charter flights
- Travel insurance
- Air transportation
- Drinks, Laundry
- Telephone calls
- Tips and any other personals extras that are not included in the itinerary.
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What our travelers say
Robert KVerified
Bucket list seeing the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Just an awesome trip . Everything went smoothly from booking to the end . All was as promised never missed anything , always on time , friendly etc. resort that was recommended was perfect , great food , comfortable . Saw the gorillas easily all was perfect . Jonathan the owner even took me in Kampala to buy the right clothes , took me him self . Noel and driver were excellent , never an issue they really cared. I trust this company , will use them again and highly recommend .
Maltes TravellerHighly recommended We had a wonderful experience with Jonathan. He welcomed us at the airport and took great care of us from the moment we arrived until the end of our trip. The selection of hotels was impeccable, and the route he designed was perfectly planned. Jonathan is extremely knowledgeable about wildlife and went the extra mile to make sure we saw lions and all of the Big Five during our visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park. He was always attentive, patient, and eager to make our experience unforgettable. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide — highly recommended!
bharti nExceptional experience, enriching and truly unforgettable. From the moment we landed we received a warm welcome. Jonathan was friendly and readily available to answer any queries throughout our trip. He was incredibly accommodating with our requests to visit schools, residences ensuring that we achieved everything we wanted from the trip. We had a great time with Jonathan and driver Isaac. Jonathan was very funny and very knowledgeable he became part of the family and the time just flew whilst we were there, we felt safe at all times. The food at each venue catered for all our needs. Definitely leant a lot on this trip. Just need to be aware that food ordered in restaurants do take a long time as they make it from scratch so if pushed for time might be advisable to pre order. We had unforgettable holiday and this company went above and beyond to make every moment special. I would recommend them to anyone.
vjparGreat service from this local company We done a road trip across East Africa from Uganda to Tanzania. Jonathan and his team facilitated our trip across Uganda and Kenya which proved to be a very enjoyable experience. Guided knowledge provided by Jonathan was excellent as was his humor and wit. We always felt safe and informed, he managed the journey very well indeed. We would definitely use Jonathan's services again.
Adam John SmithMagical Uganda Safari Journey – February 2025! I had an unforgettable experience with Ababa Uganda Safaris! From the moment I arrived, everything was well-organized, and the team was incredibly friendly and professional. The tour guides were knowledgeable, sharing fascinating insights about the wildlife and culture. Seeing gorillas up close in Bwindi and exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park was a dream come true. The accommodations were comfortable, and every detail was taken care of. I truly felt immersed in Uganda’s beauty without any stress. If you're planning a trip to Uganda, I highly recommend Ababa Uganda Safaris for a seamless and memorable adventure!
MadhviVerified
.gorilla trek Our KQ flight was horribly delayed. From 2.30 pm to arriving @ almost 3 am the following day. Jonathan kindly arranged for airport pick at this early hour of day and even rescheduled our departure for bwindi so we could get some rest. That was very accommodating.the drive to bwindi was a long drive -11 hrs- n he informed hotel of our late arrival. The lodge he chose for us was good and comfortable. However the vehicle for transporti g us could be better as it was quite hot without air conditioning. Gorilla trek was good but tough. Overall Ababa safaris were very accommodating. I wouldrecommend them. The hotel in Kampala- Speke hotel leaves a lot to be desired
mo-marvinSuch a wonderful experience!! My family and I contacted Jonathan to help us plan our first Murchison Falls safari. Jonathan arranged our transport from Kampala, with a stop at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary and guided game drives through Murchison falls. Ronnie, our professional driver and guide, was very knowledgeable and paid close attention to details to make us comfortable. He met with us a day before takeoff to answer any outstanding questions and recommended a time for us to set off to avoid any traffic. His experience made our trip even more enjoyable because we knew what to expect for entry fees into the park, where to stop to use clean washrooms, eat good food, and also what side of the boat cruise to sit on for the best views! We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, job, rhinos, buffaloes and many other animals. We would definitely go with them for our next safari in Uganda! They had great communication, value for money, professionalism, knowledge of the industry and were very reliable.
Katelyn OA must-hire company! Punctual, professional, great communication. We used Ababa Safaris for a trip from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park. I would HIGHLY recommend! Our driver picked us up in a large safari vehicle with a pop up roof. The driver was very punctual and had excellent communication while preparing for the trip and during the trip. Ronnie took us to a nice restaurant for a rest stop that had clean bathrooms and good food. He was friendly with many people we met along the way at the Rhino Sanctuary, on the safari trails, and at our chosen lodging. It felt as though he had good connections with people, which we took as a good sign. Ronnie was very knowledgeable about the best places to see the animals and gave us a great safari experience. As the person in the family who does much of the planning, it was a very enjoyable experience to hand all of that over to Ababa and really get to enjoy myself.
HoehlenhonkAnimals and beautiful nature in Uganda and Rwanda From being picked-up from Entebbe airport in the middle of the night until the drop-off eleven days later in Kigali it was a perfect tour. Jonathan, our guide, and the driver Moses was a perfect team - very friendly, knowledgable and always in time. We visited Entebbe for a tour through the botanical gardens and the zoo, did safaris and boat trips in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth NP and did trekkings to the chimpazees in Kibale and to the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The primates are a must visit when you travel to this region. It's expensive but worth every dollar. The safari parks are of course not as rich in animals as for example the Masai Mara. But they are much cheaper, there are much lesser tourists and nevertheless it doesn't become boring regarding animal sightings. We saw a lot of different antelopes, beautiful giraffes, lions, many elephants, buffalos, a lot of hippos and crocodiles and much more. The choice of hotels was very good, simple and cheap where there was only a short overnight stay and a bit more expensive where it was worth to spend the money for staying close to the places of interest, e.g. close to the starting point for primate trekkings or in the middle of QENP and Murchison NP for not loosing game-drive-time.
Dilip PUGANDA SAFARI WITH ABABA We had a nice holiday with ABABA SAFARI in Uganda it was a nice experience in Uganda and the travel agent as well especially Jonathan was our tour guide very nice person he was always very helpful and kind. we traveled about 1200km but had no problem I am a vegetarian and wherever we go he always arranges something for me i recommend them at and competitive price I give them a 5-star