Combining gorilla treks, chimpanzee treks, and wildlife in a 6 days trip is the best way to exhaust all the adventure experiences in one package from the savannah to the lowlands and highlands. Let us dive through the entire packages of gorilla treks, chimpanzee treks, and wildlife and see how we can combine them all.
Gorilla treks
Uganda is the epitome of any gorilla trekking experience in the world because it harbors more than half of the entire world’s population of mountain gorillas. The gorillas are the largest primate species. The Virunga conservation area is the only place on earth harboring the endangered mountain gorillas. This conservation area starts from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda to Rwanda. It consists of national parks like Bwindi and Mgahinga of Uganda, Virunga of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Volcanoes of Rwanda.
Gorilla trekking is the process of searching through the forests for a chance to spot endangered mountain gorillas. This process can take you about 2-4 hours depending on the particular gorilla family being trekked. Trekking the mountain gorillas begins with a briefing before heading out to the part for trekking. The briefing involves reciting the rules and regulations, checking the gorilla permits, and grouping the visitors in groups of 8 people among other things. After the briefing, you will be led by a professional and experienced guide ranger who will take you through the forests to the habitats of the mountain gorillas.
Upon locating them, the visitors will spend an hour with the mountain gorilla watching them as they roam around the mountain slopes with their daily chores and activities. On your trekking adventure, you will encounter several other animal species like vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, and giant forest hogs to mention but a few.
In Uganda, gorilla trekking is only possible in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These two combined harbor over 559 individual gorillas accounting for more than half of the entire mountain gorilla population. There are over 51 gorilla families in both of these parks with about 25 families habituated and ready for trekking daily.
Chimpanzee treks
Uganda harbors over 5,000 chimpanzees and this is the most for all the East African countries and Africa. Chimpanzees have over 95% of human DNA proving that they are close human cousins. Trekking chimpanzees is one of the most interesting activities to do in Uganda as it takes the visitors deep into the tropical rainforests for an encounter with the chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee trekking involves walking through the forests to the habitats of these primates. For any trekking, a pre-trekking briefing is always conducted to prepare the visitors for the best chimpanzee experience ever. After passing through all the requirements for this trekking experience, visitors will head out to the forest with the lead of the ranger guide to the natural habitat of the chimpanzees. This trekking through the forest normally takes about 2-3 hours for the chimpanzees.
Upon location of the chimpanzees, visitors will quietly enjoy a special hour with the chimps as they jump from tree to tree, feed, and care for their young. The habituated chimpanzees are very free and unbothered by the presence and sometimes come so close to the visitors.
Wildlife
Wildlife safaris in Uganda take you the visitor to the deeply hidden gems of the savannah national parks. Uganda is a country gifted by nature from the rolling hills down the savannah plains to the valleys and water bodies, the pearl of Africa has everything to offer on a wildlife safari. Visitors can enjoy morning and evening game drives where they will encounter several savannah dwellers such as the big 5, hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, and antelopes to mention but a few.
Visitors can also take on boat cruise experiences on the numerous water bodies in the country such as Lake Mburo, Victoria Nile, and Kazinga Channel among others. Here travelers can encounter aquatic species such as hippos, crocodiles, fish species, and other animal and bird species on the shores such as buffaloes, waterbucks, and elephants. These normally frequent the waterbodies to quench their thirst.
Combining gorilla treks, chimpanzee treks, and wildlife in a 6 days trip
Combining these activities is very possible with the help of a good and trustworthy tour operator who will arrange your package. The most exciting combination is from Kibale National through Queen Elizabeth National Park and finally to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Kibale National Park is ideal to start with because it is located on the main road from Kampala the capital city. The park is the primate capital of the world hosting about 1,500 chimpanzees. From here, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the closest savannah park for an amazing wildlife experience. This park is the most popular in the country hosting a variety of wildlife species such as four of the big 5 animals like lions, buffaloes, elephants, and leopards.
There are also other animals such as hyenas, waterbucks, antelopes, and warthogs to mention but a few. Queen Elizabeth National Park also hosts the Kazinga Channel, a water channel connecting Lakes George and Edward harboring crocodiles and the largest population of hippos in the country. The tree-climbing lions of Ishasha can also be spotted in the park and are the highlights of the park. Travelers can then transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the exquisite adventure of the mountain gorillas.
The distances between the three national parks of Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, and Bwindi Impenetrable are quite minion. Thus, ensuring that visitors can enjoy the numerous activities of these national parks by combining them on their 6 days tour.