Uganda Gorilla Trekking, Safari, and Hiking Adventure

Day 1: Welcome to Uganda

Get ready to @DavidAttenborough all night long, baby, because we’re going full on WILD in Uganda: 

• Home of HALF the world’s Mountain Gorilla population as well as the world’s youngest median population age of just 15.7 years!
• Uganda is the land of opposites – go from misty volcanic mountains to hot savannahs in half a day.
• A Top 10 biodiverse country with 10 National Parks in a country that is smaller than Oregon.
• Freak out when you see a cardinal? You’re gonna lose your shit birding here.
• Okay THE NILE sources here, so that’s a thing.

Bust out your Swahili to navigate the city to your hotel – KIDDING. Official Explorer Chick reps will meet you at the airport and escort you to your safari vehicle. We’ll introduce you to your amazing driver who will also be your all-knowing guide. Off to your accommodation you go! Today is all about arriving and resting up for tomorrow.

You can arrive anytime today. Chill by the pool or take a nap as your adventurous wing-women roll in. Dinner is on your own. And the hotel has a nice restaurant out on their terrace overlooking Lake Victoria.

Drive Time: 15 minutes

Accommodation: Boutique Guest House in Entebbe. Shared 2 per room.
Meals: On Your Own

Day 2: Hop a Charter to Kidepo Valley National Park

When your life one day flashes before your eyes, Kidepo National Park will be a part of the cosmic blur. This place is HEART-BREAKINGLY SPECIAL and REMOTE AF, stretching across the tippy-toppy northernmost point of Uganda. There will only be a handful of people around and the wildlife 100% outnumbers the humans.

We’ll zoom back to the airport and hop a 10-passenger charter flight, taking off over Lake Victoria and heading northeast over Lake Kyoga. You’ll notice the landscape morphing into arid plains and suddenly wonder if there’s a glitch in the Matrix because BOOM, out of nowhere there’s a fat green oasis and golden savannah. That’s our park, mamacita.

Keep an eye out for wildlife as we fly, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and zebras. Kidepo is Uganda’s only park where giraffes and zebras roam together. Schwing!

We’ll taxi on Apoka airstrip and be met by a friendly guide who will transfer us to our lodge. Before we go inside, we’ll enjoy welcome drinks and peep the beasts lazing around the waterhole. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy the pool or kick back on your private veranda spotting wildlife.

Heavens to Betsy, we need to talk about this lodge

We sought out the most spectacular accommodation possible – because how many times will you go to Africa? A gorgeous 10-room lodge presents each pair of Explorer Chicks with a bougie bush hut, featuring private outdoor tubs cut into stone.

“The actual best shower of my life. Oh and it’s screened so you’re shampooing your hair while there’s some zebra hanging out. Or you’re soaking in the outdoor tub with zebra. So many zebra.” Direct quote from our founder who can no longer function outside of Uganda.

You’ll enjoy sprawling, wide open views of plains yet plenty of personal privacy, so everyone can comfortably free-ball it in the outdoor tub OR throw a bubble bath + wine party with your new Explorer Chick besties.

Did Becky just snort? Nah girl, that’s a warthog nosing around the watering hole. And is that soft glowing light the soul of Uganda? WHY WON’T DAVID ATTENBOROUGH RESPOND TO YOUR INSTA TAGS.

Just when you think life can’t get better, the sun taps out and diamonds spring into the sky.

Drive Time: 15 minutes

Fly Time: 2:15 hours

Accommodation: 5* Luxury Safari Lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. Includes Non-Premium Alcohol

Meals: B-L-D

Day 3: Game Drives in Kidepo Valley National Park

For the first time in your life Eye-Spy will not suck. Slather on the sun cream, shimmy into your layers and pack your mack-daddy camera lens because today is African Safari day! We’ll rise before dawn to peep the most diverse fauna of any Ugandan National Park: kudu, cheetahs, lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, spotted hyena, jackals, ostriches and many birds of prey.

After our early morning game drive, we’ll head back to the lodge to relax aka lay spread eagle in that effing outdoor bath again. Take time to read, nap, dance party with your Explorer Chicks or YouTube zebra mating calls.

But we’re not finished! We’re bookending the day with an evening game drive complete with a spectacular sundowner. There’s so much of this park to discover, from the rugged savannah to the 2,750m tall Mount Morungole to the Kidepo and Narus rivers.

After ogling all the magnificent beasts, our driver will pull the truck over and bust out sunset provisions, complete with a table, linens and some gin and tonics! Nibble on ground nuts and olives as the sun disappears behind the African plains.

We’ll then return to the lodge for a proper dinner, dusty and euphoric.

Accommodation: 5* Luxury Safari Lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. Includes Non-Premium Alcohol

Meals: B-L-D

Day 4: Hike to the Ik tribe in the Mountains

Rub all the blister balm on your feet and thighs because today is a HIKE – but with the best possible reward. We’ll be spending time with one of Africa’s most isolated tribes on top of Mount Morungole in Northern Kidepo.

The Ik tribe translates to “first to migrate,” which is testament to their ancestors who migrated from Ethiopia into Northern Kenya and finally Northern Uganda. The Ik people, population 10,000, are beautifully untouched by the Western World. The only way to reach their beaming faces is to schlep up a mountain. It’s go time.

We’ll hike for several hours, taking breaks as needed with plenty of time to enjoy our packed lunches. The topography will morph from open pasture and cattle herds to strenuous ascents, glorious plateau resting points, swampland and finally cloud-covered summit. It’s common not to see another soul on the hike up.

After arriving in the village and comparing boob sweat, we’ll experience one of the last true African lifestyles. Cultural dances, ancient traditions and thousands of smiling faces cannot wait to greet and welcome you.

We’ll spend an hour or so with our new friends, then hike back down to our truck to return to the lodge and relax before dinner.

Drive time: 3 hour drive round-trip

Hiking: 8 hours. Strenuous climb up Mount Morungule. 9,019′ Altitude. Strenuous

Accommodation: 5* Luxury Safari Lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. Includes Non-Premium Alcohol

Meals: B-L-D

Day 5: Fly to Queen Elizabeth National Park + Game Drive

After another perfect African morning and delicious breakfast, we’ll bid our beautiful lodge farewell as we take our safari south. We’ll hop a transfer to Apoka Airstrip once more to board a charter flight to Kasese. Next stop: Queen Elizabeth National Park!

Once we land, we’ll be met by our guides who will transfer us to our lodge. Rest up for the evening safari, which will give us our first glimpses of the paws, hooves and caws that rule the park. We’ll cruise through the Kasenyi Sector, then return to the lodge for dinner.

Flight time: 2 hours

Drive time: 30 minutes

Accommodation: 5* Luxury Lodge 2 minutes outside Queen Elizabeth National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. Includes Alcohol.

Meals: B-L-D

Day 6: Hike the Rwenzori Mountains, National Park

Eat up, hydrate, and pinch those nips because we’re tackling an all-day mountain hike! This trek meanders alongside the Munyambuli River through one of the most pristine forests in the world. Goliath trees tower above dense undergrowth that’s home to a kingdom of mammals and birds.

Our Uganda Wildlife Authority guides will explain everything you see and hear as we begin our hike at Trekkers Hostel, which is located in a small village near Queen Elizabeth National Park. We’ll walk a little over 2 km before reaching the park gates, followed by an 8.1 km trek from the park, into the mountains, and back again.

Though the Rwenzori Mountains are home to six of Africa’s 10 Tallest Peaks, the range is a hidden gem of Uganda, tucked away in a remote and sparsely populated Western stretch of the country. You’ll get gloriously unobstructed views while only hearing calls of the local monkeys or the breaths of your fellow Explorer Chicks.

Once we scramble back down, we’ll transfer back to the lodge, rest up and get ready for dinner.

Hiking: 6-7 hours, 7.8 miles, 3,028′ elevation gain. 7,785′ Altitude. Strenuous

Drive time: 30 minutes

Accommodation: 5* Luxury Lodge 2 minutes outside Queen Elizabeth National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. Includes Alcohol.

Meals: B-L-D

Day 7: Chimpazee Trek and Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel

Your breakfast will likely just taste like shapes BECAUSE YOU GOT CHIMPS ON THE BRAIN. Get ready to see your ugly cousins in their natural habitat – without the penny-stretching machine at the zoo. After meeting our guide, we’ll hike down to the Kyambura Gorge floor. What’s up with all that roaring and flopping? Oh those are just the resident hippos doing their thang in the river. And yes it’s just as freaky as it sounds.

But we’re here for a different kind of beast. Listen closely for the calls (aka frantic screams) of the chimpanzees. Our guide will lead us through the forest looking to the trees with nests. The chimps’ daily routines are much like ours: wake, eat brekkie, find a spot to nap or bone. We’ll know breakfast is over when we feel the seismic THUMP of chimps hitting the forest floor and thundering across logs, over the river and up trees.

Your job is to ignore every instinct in your body and FOLLOW them. Could this throng of chimps bitch-slap us across the gorge? Well yeah, but isn’t that kind of the point of this trip? Scary AF. Exciting AF. Together AF.

After this out-of-body experience, we’ll wolf down lunch then cruise down the Kazinga Channel by early afternoon. The boat ride is a round trip beginning at the Mweya Peninsula and lasting around 3 hours. The Channel itself has one of the world’s largest concentrations of hippos, Nile crocodiles, buffalo, elephants and all kinds of birds. So if you’re not into cruises, you WILL be into the creatures.

Once we anchor ashore, our guides will take us back to our lodge for a well-earned rest before dinner.

Hiking: Varied distance. Steep climb in and out of Gorge. Easy to Moderate.

Accommodation: 5* Luxury Lodge 2 minutes outside Queen Elizabeth National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. Includes Alcohol.

Meals: B-L-D

Day 8: Lion tracking and meet the ladies of Ride 4 a Woman

Are you just laughing when you read this itinerary now? Yes, every day is ridiculous and perfect. Just remember, you deserve this. You deserve this glorious day of *say it with us* PREDATOR TRACKING. We’re partnering with Uganda Carnivore Program and using radio-telemetry to monitor the movements of large cats to ensure they don’t cross into “hot zones” that could endanger people or livestock.

It’s like an episode of COPS but with lions, leopards and hyenas. And you get a front-row seat. We’ll be ridin’ dirty with one of the scientists who is on a first-name basis with these felines. Learn why this conservation program matters and how it is critical in quieting the conflict between locals and lions.

After our tracking experience, we’ll head towards Bwindi for tomorrow’s gorilla encounter. As we drive south through the Ishsasha Sector, keep your eyes peeled for fig-tree climbing lions. Yes, those are real things.

Tonight we’ll stay in a truly special homestead called Ride 4 a Woman, a collection of guesthouses that support women and families of Buhoma and Bwindi. Your stay will help create jobs, teach local women new skills, provide safe drinking water AND allow access to microcredit for small business development.

You’ll surely enjoy your warm welcome.

Drive Time: 4 hours

Accommodation: Guest House. Shared 2 per Standard Room
Meals: B-L-D

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

“Literally the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. Nothing prepares you for when your Trekker takes the machete to the grasses taller than you. You see nothing. NOTHING. And then he touches your shoulder and points, Holy shit, they’re right there.” -Our She-E-O.

This experience is guaranteed to make you cry more than your wedding day. Sorry hubs/wife, gorillas are on another level. After we hike up our leggings and gulp down some breakfast, we’ll board an early morning transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing with the Uganda Wildlife Authority guides. These guides will have already cased the forest, and will know exactly where the gorillas slept the previous night. These guides will communicate with your team via walkie-talkie as we track the gorillas’ morning movements.

This can take time, sometimes hours or the entire day, depending on how ambitious the gorillas are feeling. For conservation purposes, we are allocated 1 hour of time with the gorillas. While we creep through the forest, keep your eyes peeled for antelopes and monkeys.

After we have our Jane Goodall moment, hold each other and ugly cry, we’ll return to the lodge where the ladies of Ride 4 a Woman wait to teach us how to pedal sew. For the next couple of hours, you’ll work side-by-side to create your very own souvenir sewn from African fabrics to take home. Afterwards the party moves to the kitchen where we’ll help prepare our farewell BBQ. Then all of us join together at the dinner table for a lively conversation.

Hiking: Varies based on Gorilla location. Park Rangers will assign guests to a group based on fitness level. Can be steep with overgrown trail. Example: 4 miles. 1,300′ gain. Moderate.

Accommodation: Guest House. Shared 2 per Standard Room
Meals: B-L-Celebratory Dinner

Day 10: Farewell Uganda

After an early final breakfast, you’ll board a transfer to Kihihi for your charter flight back to Entebbe airport. On our flight back from Bwindi, you’ll be gifted the best goodbye hug from Uganda. A gorgeous view of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You’ll wonder how you managed to find ANYTHING in all that dense greenery – snap some photos or just enjoy the view.

We’ll then return to the hotel where it all started. You’ll have access to all of the hotel’s amenities and the use of a day room.

There will be time for a farewell dinner before your final transfer to your evening flight out.

*Sniff
We hope…
*Tear
…to see you soon…
*Snot Bubble
…for more boundless adventures!

Drive Time: 2 hours

Flight Time: 1:40 hours

Meals: B-L-D

*Explorer Chick reserves the option to modify trip itineraries at the discretion of your tour director as necessary due to weather, conditions, illness, injury, group dynamics, or other unforeseen incidents.

• 3 Nights Luxury Safari Lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park. Shared 2 per Cottage. First 8 Guests will have single beds in shared Cottages. Last booked guests or paired travelers will share a King bed.
  • Remote, small, intimate property with only 10 Cottages total hosting 20 guests maximum.
  • Each cottage boasts a sitting area, en-suite bathroom and private veranda.
  • Large outdoor stone bathtubs outside each cottage big enough for 4 to enjoy the view panorama views over the Narus river valley and surrounding savannah. Simply ask for a bubble bath and a bottle of wine.
  • Large swimming pool carved from the rock.
  • Large open-aired communal building with a bar, lounge area, and dining area overlooking a watering hole.
  • Laundry service included and Wifi in communal building.
  • Non-premium brands of Alcohol included.
• 3 Nights Luxury Lodge 2 minutes outside Queen Elizabeth National Park. Shared 2 per Room – Single Room or 2 Room Cottage.
  • Small Intimate property with only 10 rooms total hosting 22 guests maximum.
  • Each cottage boasts a sitting area, large bath tubs as well as showers and are spaced out along the hill top offering privacy and tranquility.
  • All rooms overlook Lake Kikorongo from the veranda. Watch for elephants and Bison.
  • Eco-friendly pool with sweeping landscape views.
  • Large communal area with an extensive lounge area, outdoor seating, and well-stocked bar.
  • Laundry include and Wifi in communal building.
  • Alcohol included.
• 2 Nights Guest House in Buhoma supporting women and families in Buhoma/Bwindi. Shared 2 per room. Twin beds.
  • Standard, efficient rooms with en suite bathrooms.
  • Rooms are traditionally furnished using products made on site.
  • Wifi in communal area.
  • Coffee and tea service all day.
  • Open-aired bar and restaurant on site. Alcohol available for purchase.
• 1 night in Boutique Guest House in Entebbe. Shared 2 per room. Wifi, pool, bar, restaurant, laundry.
  • Shared Day Room on Day 10 to use before departures.
• Guided Gorilla Trekking and Permit.
• Guided Chimp Trekking and Permit for Kyambura Gorge.
• Game Drives – 2x Kidepo Valley, 2x Queen Elizabeth.
• Hike and Visit to the IK Tribe on Mount Molungore.
• Lion Trekking with the Uganda Carnivore Program.
• Boat Safari on the Kazinga Channel including drinks and snacks.
• Guided hike in the Rwenzori mountains.
• 3 Domestic flights. Entebbe to Kidepo on Day 2, Kidepo to Kasese on Day 5, Kihihi to Entebbe on Day 10.
• All Park Fees.
• All meals as indicated in itinerary: B-9, L-8, D-9.
• Airport Transfers.
• A commemorative Explorer Chick shirt.
• Private Explorer Chick land-transportation throughout itinerary.
• A detailed Travel Guide with everything you need to know for your trip.
• Local English speaking Driver/Guides throughout the full itinerary.
• One experienced Explorer Chick Leader ensuring your trip is seamless and unforgettable!
• The freedom to enjoy your vacation and mindlessly wander!
• Small Group experience! Your Explorer Chick Adventure is exclusive and limited to 11 women.

*Does NOT include Tips for your Drivers, Local Guides, Porters, and hotel staff. (Suggested tips per guest: $20/Gorilla Guide, $25/Gorilla Porter, Safari/Driver Guides $10-15/day, Lodge Staff $5/night)

*Packages do NOT include your airfare, Visa, alcoholic beverages exclusive of itinerary, travel insurance, meals exclusive of itinerary, or costs for additional activities.

*Does NOT include your Explorer Chick Guide’s Tips – Tipping your Explorer Chick Guide is optional, but customary. If you wish to recognize your Explorer Chick Guide for exceptional service we recommend you tip we recommend you tip them 10-25% of your trip costs.

You will receive a Travel Guide attached to your booking confirmation with all the information you’ll need to prepare for your epic trip.

Visa: Tourist Visa is required for entry which can be obtained online or upon arrival in Entebbe.

Vaccination: Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is required.

Arrival/Departure:

Your adventure begins and ends in Entebbe, Uganda (EBB).

Day 1: Arrival anytime today. You will be met by our driver at the airport who will transfer you 15 minutes to our Boutique Guest House in Entebbe. Unwind and relax poolside. Dinner is on your own.

Day 10: Departure. We will depart Bwindi early in the morning for our flight back to Entebbe. We’ll have shared Day Rooms available at our Day 1 hotel with full access to their amenities. Lunch and Dinner will be provided. Airport Transfers will be provided.

Optional Add-Ons: Pre and Post tour rooms at our Rendezvous Hotel in Entebbe are available at booking for an additional $175/night/single room and $199/night/double room.

We require a minimum of 5 Explorer Chicks for this trip. Please confirm your trip is guaranteed before booking airfare. 2022 Departure is CONFIRMED.

DAILY UGANDA HIKING:

Your Uganda Adventure is ACTIVE! You betcha. When we’re not on a game drive, we’re on our feet. And for good reason. You’re going to need them to reach a few of the far flung places you’ll be experiencing.

You’ll be hiking in a hot, tropical, humid environment that might see a random rain shower and our favorite, insects. Long sleeves, pants, hats, long socks, and boots are necessary for hiking.

• Day 4: IK Tribe Visit. 8 hours. Strenuous climb up Mount Morungule. 9,019′ Altitude. Strenuous.
• Day 6: Rwenzori Mountains. 6-7 hours, 7.8 miles, 3,028′ elevation gain. 7,785′ Altitude. Strenuous.
• Day 7: Chimpanzee Trek: Varied distance. Steep climb in and out of Gorge. Easy to Moderate.
• Day 9: Gorilla Trek: Varies based on Gorilla location. Park Rangers will assign guests to a group based on fitness level. Can be steep with overgrown trail. Example: 4 miles. 1,300′ gain. Moderate.

We highly recommend training prior to your adventure. The itinerary is packed full of hiking. You should be comfortable with hiking up to 8 hours in a day carrying a backpack on uneven, steep, jungle mountain terrain in higher altitude.

You should be training on rough and rugged terrain – not perfectly paved sidewalks. Also, find steps, a hill, or the StairMaster and get to climbing! Your quads, booty, and calves will thank you.

Train your tootsies! Do not show up with brand new hiking boots or trail shoes. You should be spending hours upon hours in your boots leading up to your adventure to break them in. Better to suffer blisters at home than to miss out on a hike due painful hot spots on your feet. This is our number one injury. Don’t let it happen to you!

Please consider your ability to meet the physical demands very seriously. It is for the safety of both you and our group. All Explorer Chicks will be required to sign an Acknowledgement of Physical Demands as part of their waiver upon booking.

Still not convinced that THIS is the adventure for you?

We’ve rounded up some of our most popular blog posts, so you can get to know us a bit better and learn what really goes down on your Explorer Chick Adventure.

• Remember How it Feels to Play
• You are NOT Alone
• The Power of Explorer Chick
• What Does an Explorer Chick Look Like?
• We are ALL IN
• We Do Dumb Stuff
• The Explorer Chick Purpose
• The Traveler vs. the Tourist
• 6 Benefits to Booking with a Tour Company

You can always reach us by email with more questions! Info@ExplorerChick.com

To protect your travel investment and your hide, we highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. World Nomads is our trusted travel insurance provider. Receive an no-hassle, online quote in less than 2 minutes.

Questions? We love them! Check out our FAQ’s page first. You’ll probably find your answer there.

You can also send us an email. Info@ec-old.design-works.com