Gorilla safari in Bwindi and tree climbing lions

Gorilla safari in Bwindi and tree climbing lions: This safari is designed for travelers that would want to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas and also tree climbing lions on a safari to Uganda. The safari takes you to some of the most visited national parks in the country which are Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the southwestern part of Uganda and Queen Elizabeth national park in the western part of Uganda. The safari can be done at any time of the year because all these national parks are always open.

If you are in Kampala or if you are using Entebbe international airport, the safari will start from queen elizabeth national park where you will visit the Ishasha sector. On the first day of the safari, you will travel to the park and have an evening relaxing as you prepare to have a game drive through the Ishasha region the next day.

On the second day of your Gorilla safari in Bwindi and tree climbing lions, you will wake up to a morning breakfast and then meet your driver guide to take you through Ishasha sector of the park. While searching for tree climbing lions that are always las waiting for what to eat and also escaping the heat on the ground, you will be able to encounter different park animals such as Uganda kobs, elephants, lions, waterbucks, giant forest hogs, buffaloes, birds and much more.

In Ishasha sector, you will be able to encounter the rare tree-climbing lions lazily lying up on the branches of huge fig trees. At this moment you will be able to encounter them resting, taking photos, recording videos, and much more. Tree climbing lions are rare to find and so you will be one of the luckiest to watch them resting on trees as drive through the region. The other few tree climbing lions are found in Lake Manyara national park in Tanzania.

Encounter the tree-climbing lions in Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park

After a game drive through Ishasha sector, you will be able to drive back to the lodge for lunch, or in case you had checked out of the lodge in the morning, you will check out of the park and drive to Buhoma region with an enroute lunch. The road distance from Ishasha sector to Buhoma region is about 215km and this takes 3-4 hours. From Ishasha sector, you will drive to the Kanungu road and then to Ishasha river where you will enter Buhoma region through Butogota.

On arrival in Buhoma region, you will just check in the lodge and have an evening relaxing or do an optional activity. Gorilla trekking shall be done the next day and the activity does start early in the morning. You will wake up early for morning breakfast and then join your driver guide to transfer you to the sector offices where you will meet other trekkers. The park wardens are always ready to teach you about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity, group trekkers not exceeding 8 people, and then get armed ranger guides to lead you throughout the whole trek.

Gorilla safari in Buhoma is done on 5 gorilla families so you are likely to trek Rushengura, Habinyanja, Katwe, Mubare, and Muyambi. The gorilla trekking activity takes you through different trails of the park with opportunities of meeting different park animals. The moment the mountain gorilla family is allocated, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the gorilla family, watch the members do daily activities, take photos and learn about different gorilla habits among others. Later you will trek out of the jungle and then go collect your trekking certificate.

After encountering mountain gorillas, you can decide to visit the Batwa community in the evening where you will visit different communities and interact with them. The Batwa used to live in the Bwindi forest where they fed on meat from small mammals, fruits, and honey. They were evicted out of the jungle by the government and they decided to settle around the park boundaries. You will be led by the local guides who will take you to their homes where you will visit the elders and get to listen to their stories of long ago, traditional healers who will still use plants as local medicine, and then you will be entertained by the traditional dancers. You will drive back to Kampala the following day and get dropped off at the airport or any place of your choice.

When to have a gorilla safari in Bwindi and tree climbing lions

Travelers can have a gorilla safari in Bwindi and then visit queen Elizabeth national park for tree climbing lions at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months of June to September and December to February are the best for this safari because they are characterized by little and sometimes no rainfall which makes the favors transportation since the roads are passable, the trekking trails and game trucks are dry, and the vegetation is short and scattered giving clear views of the wildlife.

Travelers can still have a gorilla safari in Bwindi and visit Ishasha for tree-climbing lions in the rainy season of March to May and October to November and this favors the budget travelers because the accommodation facilities are at a huge discount as well as the safari. The rainy season is however characterized by little or no rainfall that makes the trekking trails/game trucks muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick giving unclear views of the wildlife and the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions. Travelers that want to fly to any of these parks might experience a delay in flight in case there is heavy rainfall.

packing list for Bwindi safari and climbing lions

What to pack

Travelers intending to visit Bwindi for a gorilla safari and then Ishasha sector for tree climbing lions should pack waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, gardening gloves, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved pants, a rain jacket, a sweater, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellents, drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, a camera and a pair of binoculars among others.

Getting there

The safari starts from Kampala/Entebbe and different routes can lead you to the park. Travelers can access the park from Kampala – Mubende – Fort Portal and finally Queen Elizabeth and the other route is from Kampala to Masaka, Mbarara, Kasese to the park. After visiting Queen Elizabeth national park, travelers shall then connect to Bwindi by passing through Ishasha sector and driving to Buhoma region on the northern side of the park with a journey taking 3-4 hours. Travelers can opt to fly to Mweya airstrip and later use road transport to Queen Elizabeth national park. The flights to Mweya airstrip are done by AeroLink Uganda, Bar Aviation Uganda, and Fly Uganda. There are daily flights at Kajjansi airstrip and Entebbe International airport to this park.