14 Days Rwenzori Trekking, Chimpanzees, Wildlife & Gorillas

From Kampala, you will proceed for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, thereafter proceed for 7 days/6 nights rwenzori mountain trek along the central circuit trail. You will continue to Queen Elizabeth National park for both game drive and boat cruise where you spot multitudes of animals and bird species. The 14 days Rwenzori trekking , wildlife and primate adventure then ends with Gorilla trekking in  Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Detailed Itinerary For 14 days Rwenzori trek, chimpanzees, wildlife and Gorilla trekking safari

Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe Airport in Uganda

You will be picked up from the airport by the driver guide and transfer to Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Dinner and overnight at Cassia Lodge or Urban by City Blue Hotel on Full board.

Day 2: Kampala – Kibale National Park:

Have breakfast in Kampala and then drive to Kibale national park. The northern route is shorter and faster and has a distance of about 300 km with a tarmac road going to Fort Portal and also a distance of 36km to Kanyanchu. On arrival, you may visit the Crater Lake around. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee forest guest house.

Day 3: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest

After breakfast you will go for chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Kibale’s 795km2 National Park contains one of the most beautiful and with the most varying tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda. This is place to a number of forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primate coupled with chimpanzees. After trekking you will have lunch and then visit Bigodi wetland well known for various bird species. Return for lunch at the hotel and later transfer to Kasese town in preparation for the next day’s ascent.  Dinner and overnight at Rwenzori Mountains safari lodge.

Day 4: First day trekking to Nyabitaba (2650m high).

After the morning breakfast, you will start you first Rwenzori trekking by taking the Nyakalengija trial which covers distance of 1600m .this where UWA (Uganda wildlife authority) will take through a short briefing to begin the Rwenzori trekking. The trail will take you through Bakonjo homesteads in steep slopes of the mountain, banana plantations .continue with atrial near Mubuku River from where you will again cross river Mahoma before climbing progressively through the forest to reach Nyabitaba hut. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyabitaba hut.

Day 5: Trekking to John Matte Hut (3350).

After your breakfast, you will set off from Nyabitaba hut through a small trail and ascend down to Kurt Shafer Bridge just before the conjunction of River Bujuku and Mubuku. The forest progressively cracks into a bamboo region where the trail is slippery and moss-topped. A place of the massive lobelia groundsel vegetation and heather appears before the Nyamileju rock shelter before crossing a swamp to the hut. Dinner and overnight stay at John matte hut.

Day 6: Trek to Bujuku Hut (3900m)

After your morning breakfast, you will start trekking to Bujuku hut, trail smashes down to cross the Bujuku River and arrive at Inferior Bigo Swamp, home of massive lobelias. Cross the swamp to the Higher Bigo swamp before proceeding to Lake Bujuku where sights of the uppermost mountain Stanley in the west are to be viewed. Dinner and overnight stay at Bujuku Hut.

Day 7. Climb to Elena Hut (4541m)

Set off from Bujuku after your breakfast, the swampy path hikes the hills west of the lake, going through the supernatural groundsel gorge. Climb to Scott-Elliot Pass that is 4372m long. A metallic stepladder takes you over an exceedingly steep section after which the trail splits , the right trail goes up to Elena Hut and Mt Stanley over a steep rocky trail, while the left-hand  connects you to Scott-Elliot Pass and down to Lake Kitandara. Overnight: Elena Hut at the foothills of the Stanley Glacier.

Day 8: Climb of Mount Stanley (5109m) to Kitandara Hut (4027m)

If you not interested at reaching the summit, a more relaxing day hiking from Elena Hut (4541m) to Lake Kitandara (4023m). For those who interested, but also according to the elevation sickness, reflectiveness, ascending capacity and adaptation, hike a further three hours to Margherita peak (5109m) and later descend down to Kitandara Hut. Hike to the Elena glacier, before reaching on to the Stanley Highland. Hike and ascend to Margherita summit, the uppermost peak of the Rwenzori, the most exciting about the trekking Rwenzori. Use of ropes and Crampons may well be recommended. Be ready for a strong, difficult time in the mountains. Get back to the Scott-Elliot pass, sight the supernatural Bujuku Lake and Mt Speke a close range, and proceed to descend down to the Lake Kitandara. Dinner and overnight stay at Kitandara Hut (4023m)

Day 9: Climb to Guy Yeoman Hut (3260m ASL)

After breakfast, a sheer hike from the base of Mt Baker to the fresh field pass south parts of Rwenzori over the distance of 4280m .Outlook the Congo in the west and Mt Stanley in the north is very possible. From the trail, the boggy pass proceeds downhill, going through the rock housing at Bujangolo which is ahistorical excursion by the Duke of Abruzzi in 1906. Dinner and overnight stay at Guy Yeoman Hut.

Day 10: Descend down to Nyakalengija Trail Head (1600m) and transfer to queen Elizabeth National Park.

Morning breakfast and move down to the hiking starting point. Later, the porters and the climbing partly finally descend out of the Rwenzori Mountains. Trekking will be through a 6 hours walk that goes past the nearby Lake Mahoma and Nyabitaba and passes through the heather area and the Moss Zone. This may be the final hut in the Rwenzori Mountains or you could exit all the way if you feel energetic. Upon reaching you will drive to Queen Elizabeth national park for an afternoon boat cruise. The cruise is an amazing way to spot a number of animals such as hippo, buffalo, kob and the regular Nile crocodile and a remarkable bird watching on the water array. Many who love the launch cruise consider it the finest activity of their entire African safari.

Dinner and overnight at Enganzi lodge.(full board).

Day 11: Take a Wildlife Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park and drive to Bwindi Forest.

This is another good day for your Uganda Safari tour. Wakeup very early for your morning breakfast and set off for the a morning game drive to catch-up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts and you will most likely meet grazing Hippos, Elephants and Lions, spotted Hyenas, bush buck, water buck, stripped jackal, comical warthogs and the fierce leopard. You will have a morning game drive in the park and later drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Arrive in the afternoon. Overnight stay at Buhoma community Bandas. (full board).

Day 12: Gorilla Trekking Safari in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Set off early with guides after breakfast to track the Uganda gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will wipe out the difficulties of the potentially laborious trek. Come with jungle boots and rain jackets because the park is often wet. Use time in wonder watching the gorillas go about their activities. Each gorilla encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy to the extremes when adults are feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters play and swing from vines in a pleasantly good-humored show. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a magnificent green swaddle of dense rain forest, so ancient that survived the last ice age. A recently proclaimed World Heritage site, it is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and its unique, precious flora sustains roughly half of the world population of mountain gorillas estimated at 600. There is also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa in which these two apes live together.

Dinner and overnight at Buhoma community Banda’s. (Full board).

Day 13: Transfer back to Kampala

Enjoy breakfast as a routine and start a day’s drive back Kampala. First, you will stop in Mbarara for a lunch break and secondly stop at the Uganda Equator for a photo moment. You will be in Kampala in the evening and take an overnight stay at Cassia Lodge or Urban by City Blue Hotel.

Day 14: Airport Transfer.

After a relaxed breakfast, the driver guide will then transfer you to the Airport for your scheduled flight back home

End of the tour.