Combining Bwindi gorilla trekking and Murchison falls
Combining Bwindi gorilla trekking and Murchison falls: This safari takes you to Murchison falls national park which is the biggest park in the country and then Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which is home to endangered mountain gorillas. The safari starts in Kampala/Entebbe to Murchison falls national park where you get an opportunity to hike to the top of the falls, do a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, and then game drives where you see different wild animals.
Combining Bwindi gorilla trekking and Murchison falls
The safari later takes you to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where you encounter mountain gorillas in any of the four regions. The safari gives you an opportunity to do nature walks in the park or a community tour where you will visit the Batwa pygmies. This safari can be done at any time of the year but the best period is the dry season which happens from June to September and December to February.
Enjoy a superb boat cruise to the bottom of the falls
The safari starts with pick up from Entebbe international airport or your place of residence after taking some breakfast. You will be picked up by our driver guide who will transfer you to the Murchison falls national park. From Kampala/Entebbe to Murchison falls national park takes 4-5 hours of different stopovers and great views of the surrounding areas. While going to Murchison falls national park, you can pass by Ziwa rhino sanctuary which is the only place to find rhinos in the country. Fromm Ziwa rhino sanctuary, you will go straight to the park and on arrival, you head to the top of the falls where you wail have spectacular views of the River Nile and the landscape in Murchison falls national park. From here, you will go to your booked accommodation where you will have an evening relaxing while preparing for the game drive the following day.
On the second day of this Bwindi gorilla trekking and Murchison falls safari, you will wake up to a morning breakfast and later join your driver-guide to take you around the park for game viewing. Game viewing in Murchison falls national park is mostly done along the northern banks where a large concentration of wildlife lives. Game drives will expose you to animals such as giraffes, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, baboons, hartebeests, oribis, warthogs, hyenas, elephants, bushbucks, and lions among others.
From the game drive, you can return to your lodge for lunch, and later in the afternoon, you will head for a boat cruise. The boat cruise in Murchison falls national park is done in River Nile starting from Paraa dock to the bottom of the falls and back. The boat cruise takes about 2 hours of meeting hippos, crocodiles, elephants, antelopes, and water birds such as grey-headed kingfisher, African darter, giant kingfisher, black-headed lapwing, and shoe bill stork among others
On the third day of this safari, you will wake up and have a morning breakfast and then later start on your journey to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. The journey to Bwindi from Murchison falls gives rewarding views of the Rwenzori ranges, Lake Albert, Kibale forest, Lake George, and Lake Edward. When you arrive at Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, you will check in your booked accommodation where you will have an evening relaxing and preparing for gorilla trekking the next day
On day four which is the gorilla trekking day, you will wake up to a morning breakfast and then meet your driver guide to transfer you to the sector offices. Here you will meet other trekkers and park wardens who will teach you about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity, make groups not exceeding 8 people and get armed ranger guides to lead you through the whole trek. The search for gorillas can take 2-7 hours but the moment you meet the apes, you are given 1 hour to be around them, watch them do daily activities, take photos and learn about their habits.
After trekking mountain gorillas, you will go back to the lodge for lunch, and later in the afternoon, you take part in the nature walks activities or visit the Batwa community. The nature walks activities give you an opportunity to explore the national park on foot seeing different animals, birds and vegetation. The Batwa community tour will give you an opportunity to meet the short pygmies who used to live in the Bwindi jungles but are now settling at the park boundaries after the government evicted them. A visit to their community will enable you to earn about their culture, and also get entertained by traditional dancers.
Adventure lovers trekking Gorillas in Bwindi forest
Day five will be the last day of this safari and it starts with breakfast at the lodge later you check out to meet your driver guide for a transfer to Kampala/Entebbe. The journey from Bwindi to Kampala takes 9-10 with an enroute lunch and stopovers at places such as Igongo cultural centre, equator, and Mpambire royal drum makers. On arrival in Kampala/Entebbe, you will be dropped off at the airport or any place of your choice.
When to have a combined Bwindi gorilla trekking and Murchison falls safari
A safari combining Bwindi and Murchison falls can be done at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months are the best to have this amazing safari and they do happen from June to September and December to February. These months are characterized by little or no rainfall that keeps the trekking trails and game trucks dry, the vegetation is short and scattered with a good view of the wild animals and the roads leading to the parks are in good condition.
Travelers can still have a combined Bwindi gorilla trekking and Murchison falls safari during the rainy season and this favors the budget travelers because the lodges are at a huge discount. Accommodation facilities are very cheap in the rainy season and this is done to attract the few tourists that are in the park. Tourists should note that during the rainy season, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are in bad conditions.
