Combine Ethiopia Trip with Uganda Gorilla Trek Combo

Are interested in spending some days in Ethiopia after proceeding to Uganda to visit the Mountain gorillas, here is the best way to Combine Ethiopia Trip with Uganda Gorilla Trek Combo. Combining an Ethiopia trip with a Uganda gorilla trek can create a diverse and exciting African adventure best trip for those who love culture and primates. On this trip you will need to book the flights with Ethiopian airlines connecting from your home country to Ethiopia and from Ethiopia to Uganda.

Here’s a suggested itinerary for Combine Ethiopia Trip with Uganda Gorilla Trek Combo: This itinerary allows you to experience the rich history and culture of Ethiopia while also encountering the incredible wildlife and natural beauty of Uganda, including the unforgettable gorilla trek.

Duration: Approximately 2-3 weeks, depending on the time you want to spend in each destination and your travel pace.

Itinerary:

Ethiopia (Week 1-2):

1. Addis Ababa:
   • Start your journey in the capital city of Ethiopia.
   • Explore the National Museum, Holy Trinity Cathedral, and Merkato (the largest open-air market in Africa).
   • Try traditional Ethiopian cuisine, including injera and doro wat.
2. Lalibela:
   • Fly to Lalibela, known for its rock-hewn churches, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
   • Spend a couple of days exploring the unique religious sites.
3. Gondar:
   • Fly to Gondar and visit the Royal Enclosure, Fasil Ghebbi, and Debre Birhan Selassie Church.
4. Simien Mountains National Park:
   • Take a trekking excursion in the stunning Simien Mountains.
   • Witness breathtaking landscapes and endemic wildlife.
5. Axum:
   • Explore the ancient city of Axum, known for its obelisks and historical sites.
6. Tigray Region:
   • Visit the rock churches of Tigray, a hidden gem in Ethiopia.
7. Bahir Dar and Lake Tana:
   • Relax by Lake Tana and visit monasteries, such as Ura Kidane Mehret.
   • Take a boat trip on Lake Tana to see hippos and birdlife.
8. Ethiopian Rift Valley:
   • Explore the Rift Valley lakes, like Awasa and Langano.
   • Enjoy water-based activities and beautiful scenery.
9. Return to Addis Ababa:
   • Return to Addis Ababa for your flight to Uganda.

Uganda (Week 2-3):

1. Entebbe:
   • Arrive in Entebbe, Uganda’s international gateway.
   • Visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Center and Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
2. Kampala:
   • Explore the capital city and its vibrant markets, cultural sites, and nightlife.
3. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park:
   • Drive or fly to Bwindi.
   • Embark on a gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi to see these incredible creatures in their natural habitat.
4. Queen Elizabeth National Park:
   • Go on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
   • Spot lions, elephants, hippos, and various bird species.
5. Kibale Forest National Park:
   • Visit Kibale Forest for chimpanzee trekking and other primate encounters.
6. Murchison Falls National Park:
   • Travel to Murchison Falls for more wildlife viewing and boat trips to the falls.
7. Jinja:
   • End your trip in Jinja, where you can enjoy white-water rafting on the Nile River and visit the source of the Nile.
8. Return to Entebbe/Kampala:
   • Return to Entebbe or Kampala for your international departure.

Details of the activities to do in Uganda.

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda is done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, for you to be allowed to go for the gorilla trek you will need to have a gorilla permit which costs USD800 for the foreign non residents, USD700 for the East African Residents and USD90 for the East African Citizens, this gives you an opportunity to spend one hour encounter with the mountain gorillas. You can as well opt for a 4 hour encounter experience that is Gorilla Habituation which costs USD1500 per person per trek, this is gives an opportunity to spend more time with the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Forest National Park

Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda

Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda is done in Kibale Forest National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kalinzu Forest and Budongo Forest close to Murchison Falls National Park. The chimpanzee tracking is done in the morning and afternoon and we can book for you the permits and organize this trek for you depending on the itinerary and timing of the activities. For the normal chimpanzee tracking, a Chimpanzee permit costs USD250 for the foreign non residents, USD200 for the residents and USD30 for the citizens this gives you one hour encounter with the chimpanzees. You can as well do the chimpanzee habituation experience which gives you a half day encounter with the chimpanzees; this is only done in Kibale Forest National Park

Golden Monkey Trekking

Golden Monkey tracking is only done in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Golden monkey tracking permit costs USD100 giving you an opportunity to spend one hour encounter with the Golden monkeys, then a Golden monkey habituation permit costs USD140 giving you 4 hour encounter with the Golden monkeys.

Gorilla Habituation Experience

Gorilla Habituation Experience is a gorilla activity done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park that involves trekking/walking and hiking through the forest to search for semi-habituated mountain gorillas which leave together in a given gorilla family group but are not used to human presence, once you find them you will participate in activities geared to making these mountain gorillas get used to human presence. Gorilla Habituation Experience gives you an opportunity to spend much time with the mountain gorillas that is four hours encounter different from the one hour encounter during the normal gorilla tracking. This experience is unique given the fact it gives you an opportunity to learn more about mountain gorillas. It is done is a group of 4 visitors tracking a given semi-habituated gorilla group.

Wildlife viewing

You will be able to do various game drives in savannah national parks of Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and Uganda’s most popular National park Queen Elizabeth National Park, wildlife to see includes tree climbing lions, Buffaloes, Elephants, warthogs, Giraffes, Zebras, Leopard, among others.

Experiential Tourism Activities

Experiential tourism activities is one of another item you should not miss including in your itinerary, these include lion tracking, Mongoose tracking, Hippo Census and Bird counts these are all done in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Depending on the time you have on your safari you will you do one of the activities which normally give you a great up-close experience with animals in their natural habitat.

Cultural experiences

Uganda is ranked among countries with most diverse cultures with more than 50 ethnic tribes and languages, you will be able to enjoy various cultural experience, you will be able to visit many communities in various national park part of your itinerary where the local community will share with you the hard experience of living near the park and how they have managed to co-exist peacefully with wildlife you will as well enjoy the cultural encounters and traditional dances.

Mountain Hiking and Cycling

Mountain Hiking and cycling is another amazing adventure activity that you can add onto your safari to Uganda. Uganda is a land of various hills, mountains and various highlands giving you a great opportunity for hiking activities and cycling. Mountains include Elgon, Rwenzori, Moroto, Sabinyo, Muhavura and Gahinga among others which are common for hiking.

Bird watching

With over 1000 recorded bird species in Uganda, Uganda is one of the best destinations for birding in Africa; it is home to various migrant birds and Albertine endemics with the Shoebill as one of the must see bird specie the major birding areas include Bwindi Forest, Mabamba swamp, Mubwindi swamp, Bigodi wetland and Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park among others many birds as well can be spotted during game drives in various national parks. Some of the Birds include, Collared pratincole, Palm-nut vulture, Pel’s fishing-owl, Rare Swamp flycatcher, Gray crowned crane(Uganda’s National bird), Giant Kingfisher, Giant Heron, Shoebill stork, Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Nightjars, Marabou stork, Black headed lapwing, Back-bellied Bustard ,Swamp Fly catcher, Giant Heron, African Jacana, Secretary Bird among others.

Boat Safari excursions

With various lakes and rivers in Uganda boat trips and excursions is one of another top Uganda safari activity to do, Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, River Nile Excursions to the top of the falls and the Delta give you an opportunity to enjoy wildlife up-close and various water animals in Murchison Falls National Park.

What is the best time to Visit Uganda

The best time for visiting Uganda is during the months of December to February and then June to October which is relatively drier than March to May and November. Uganda is crossed by the equator making it experience a modified equatorial type of climate with two rainy seasons and because of this people tend to associate drier seasons to be the best time to visit Uganda. This is true because when it is raining, it becomes hard to drive through the park for wildlife viewing because of the heavy rains that make the trails too slippery.

Combine Ethiopia Trip with Uganda Gorilla Trek Combo by planning and booking through Eco Adventure Safaris

At Eco Adventure Safaris we are committed to the well-being of our staff and guests as well as to having a positive impact on the communities and wild places that our operations reach. Contact us here on how to Combine Ethiopia Trip with Uganda Gorilla Trek Combo.