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3-Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Safari Tours

4.4/5  –  394 Uganda Reviews

Uganda has so much scenic variety and wildlife diversity that the biggest dilemma when booking a 3-day safari can be choosing which highlight to visit. Or perhaps not! For anyone who places gorilla trekking near the top of their travel bucket list, the choice is probably easy. Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks are the most budget-friendly places in Africa to see wild mountain gorillas, and both are popular for a 3-day tour. But there are other great options in Uganda too, from chimp trekking in Kibale National Park to Big Five safaris in Murchison Falls National Park. Here we explore the pros and cons of them all.

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5 Questions About 3-Day Uganda Safaris

1. Is 3 days enough time to see gorillas in Uganda?
2. Where should I go on a 3-day safari in Uganda?
3. What kind of accommodations can I expect?
4. What is the best time of the year for a trip in Uganda?
5. How much will a 3-day safari in Uganda cost?
 
 

5 Questions About 3-Day Uganda Safaris

Answered by Philip Briggs

Is 3 days enough time to see gorillas in Uganda?

“Yes, it is. Assuming that you travel by road rather than using domestic flights, 3 days is the minimum duration of a gorilla trekking safari out of Kampala (the capital city) or nearby Entebbe (site of the main international airport). This is because it’s at least a 10-hour drive from Kampala or Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, so you need to spend 1 night at a lodge close to the trekking trailhead on either side of your gorilla visit. That said, while it is perfectly possible to track gorillas on a 3-day road safari out of Kampala or Entebbe, it will be quite a rushed trip that involves a lot of driving. If you don’t fancy spending the best part of 2 full days traveling from and to Kampala/Entebbe, you could consider flying, which is more costly but cuts down the travel time. Alternatively, you could extend your itinerary to incorporate visits to Queen Elizabeth and/or Kibale National Parks. Quite a number of Uganda gorilla safaris now start and end in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. This is because the drive from Kigali to Bwindi or Mgahinga is shorter (between three and six hours, depending on where you’ll be trekking) but gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are far cheaper than in Rwanda (US$800 per person as opposed to US$1,500).”

1

Where should I go on a 3-day safari in Uganda?

“Although gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Mgahinga is the most popular 3-day Uganda safari itinerary, there are plenty of other worthwhile options. A top choice for those hoping to see the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) in 3 days is a safari that combines 2 nights in Murchison Falls National Park with a lunchtime stop to track white rhinos at Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch. A highlight of Murchison Falls is a boat trip to the base of the falls along a stretch of the Nile inhabited by hippos, crocodiles and plenty of tropical birds. Elephant, buffalo and giraffe are often seen from the boat or on game drives north of the river, where you also stand a fair chance of encountering lion and, if you are very lucky, leopard. Another popular option for a savannah safari is Queen Elizabeth National Park, which also hosts four of the Big Five (no rhino). Overall, however, Queen Elizabeth’s location makes it better suited to being paired with nearby Bwindi on a longer itinerary than being the subject of a stand-alone 3-day visit. If you want to see great apes, but gorilla trekking stretches your budget, an excellent option would be chimp trekking in Kibale National Park. Kibale is also notable for its beautiful crater lakes and diversity of forest monkeys and birds. Finally, if wildlife ranks lower on your priorities than adventure activities and walking, a great 3-day combination would be white-water rafting on the Nile River near the city of Jinja (on the shore of Lake Victoria) and a visit to Sipi Falls on the foothills of Mt Elgon.”

2

What kind of accommodations can I expect?

“Uganda has accommodations to suit most tastes and budgets. If you’re looking to cut costs, the most affordable option is generally camping. This can be done at organized campsites in and around most national parks and other tourist attractions. When it comes to lodges, these range from comfortable and unpretentious mid-range tented camps to exclusive state-of-the-art installations that exude bush chic. While the quality of your accommodations will generally reflect the cost of your safari, you’ll almost always be booked on a full-board basis that includes all meals.”

3

What is the best time of the year for a trip in Uganda?

“The best time to travel in Uganda is during one of the two Dry seasons, which run from June to August and December to February. Travel conditions are also reasonably good in September and October, but less so during the main rainy season, from March to May (April is the wettest month in most parts of the country). Travel during the rains is most difficult if you’re going to be tracking gorillas or chimps. This is because the rainforest floor tends to be very muddy and slippery during the rains, and there’s also a higher chance of storms disrupting the experience (though this can happen at any time of year). Rain is less of a consideration overall if you’ll be traveling to a savannah reserve such as Murchison Falls or Queen Elizabeth.”

4

How much will a 3-day safari in Uganda cost?

“A 3-day Uganda safari might cost anything from US$650 per person to more than US$2,500, inclusive of all park and activity fees, accommodations, meals, transport, and services of drivers and guides as required. That’s a pretty wide price span, but it reflects the varied options available for 3-day safaris. The first big factor in determining the price of a tour package will be whether it includes gorilla trekking. If it does, the price will have to incorporate a trekking permit, which costs US$800. This means that the very cheapest 3-day gorilla safaris work out at around US$1,450 to US$1,700 per person. By contrast, a 3-day budget safari to somewhere like Murchison Falls will work out far more cheaply, typically around US$700 to US$900 per person. Other big factors that influence the cost of a safari are the quality of accommodations you’re booked into, and whether any domestic flights are involved.”

5

Uganda Reviews

4.4/5 394 Reviews
Expert
Mark Eveleigh  –  
United Kingdom UK

Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 700 titles for Condé Nast Traveller, Travel Africa, BBC Wildlife and others.

Fantastic Wildlife and Some of the Friendliest People in Africa Make Uganda Unbeatable
5/5

I spent a month travelling around Uganda with a self-drive, expedition-prepared Landcruiser and visited almost every national park in the country. Uganda was a revelation! I had not expected such a richness of wildlife nor such great...

Full Review

Expert
Sue Watt  –  
United Kingdom UK

Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.

Great Apes, Great Landscapes, Great Adventures
4/5

Most people understandably come to Uganda for its gorillas. Almost half of the world’s population of around 1,060 mountain gorillas lives in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla national parks, and spending that precious...

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Leah  –  
Canada CA
Reviewed: Oct 23, 2024
A beautiful country with exceptional service industry and private wildlife encounters
5/5

We travelled through Uganda and Tanzania over three weeks. The time we spent in Uganda was incredible. The country is a lot quieter to travel through, which makes the game drives feel intimate when you have the wildlife all to yourself...

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Val  –  
Australia AU
Reviewed: Oct 12, 2024
A new adventure every day
5/5

We toured Uganda for 17 days mid range accommodation. We took many game drives, launch trip on Kazinga Channel, gorillas and Chimpanzee trekking, plus visted Lake Bunyonyi and local villages. We had the most amazing holiday with many...

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Joe Breedon  –  
United States US
Reviewed: Sep 28, 2024
Uganda is an unrivaled destination to see mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants,&hippopotamus's.
5/5

The people of Uganda were amazingly hospitable. Dav Safaris provided an excellent 7-Day safari to several major National Parks where we saw a wide variety of large animals and birds. The highlight for us was trekking mountain gorillas in...

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Balint  –  
Hungary HU
Reviewed: Aug 27, 2024
Exceptional beauty and poverty.
4/5

I visited the western half of Uganda that is full of green and wonderful. Murchison and Queen Elizabeth National Parks provide the opportunity to meet lots of wild species, and In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest you can visit gorillas. The...

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All 394 Uganda Reviews