This route pairs a gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with Uganda's best-known savannah park. After the trek you drive north through the Ishasha sector, known for lions that rest in fig trees, to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth is where you get the classic safari element of a Uganda trip. Game drives cover open grassland with elephant, buffalo and Uganda kob, and the boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel - the waterway linking Lake George and Lake Edward - is one of the best places in the region to see hippos and waterbirds up close.
Five days gives each part of the trip enough time without the rush of a shorter itinerary. The drives through south-western Uganda are long but scenic. Accommodation is mid-range throughout, upgradeable to luxury.
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BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST
Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (permit included)
Drive through Ishasha, home of tree-climbing lions (sightings not guaranteed)
Kazinga Channel boat cruise for hippos and waterbirds (included)
Forest and savannah wildlife on one trip
A long drive to the Bwindi area, with stops on the way. Rest at the lodge ahead of tomorrow's trek.
Start with a briefing at the park office, where rangers assign you to a gorilla family. Trackers head out first to locate the group; you follow with your ranger guide. Depending on where the gorillas have moved, the walk can be short or take several hours over steep, muddy slopes. Once you find them, you have one hour with the family.
Drive north to Queen Elizabeth National Park, usually through the Ishasha sector, where your guide checks the fig trees for resting lions as you pass.
A morning game drive across the savannah for elephant, buffalo, kob and predators. In the afternoon, a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel brings you close to large groups of hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds, with elephant and buffalo often at the water's edge.
The drive back to Entebbe for onward travel, with stops along the way.
Planning tip: see our guide on Gorilla Trekking in Uganda: How It Works and How to Prepare.
Accommodation: Four nights at mid-range lodges near Bwindi and in Queen Elizabeth National Park, upgradeable to luxury.
Vehicle: 4x4 safari vehicle
Gorilla trekking runs all year. The drier months, roughly June to August and December to February, make trails less slippery and are the most popular, so permits sell out earlier. The wetter months still see treks every day.
Full Bwindi Impenetrable Forest destination guide »
There is no guarantee, but Ishasha is known for this behaviour and guides know which fig trees the lions favour.
As soon as your dates are fixed. Permits are limited per family per day and often sell out months ahead in busy periods.
Send us your travel dates and group size and we'll confirm availability and pricing.
