Adds on to your Uganda Gorilla Safari
Adds on to your Uganda Gorilla Safari. Apart from gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks, there are other activities that you can add to your gorilla trekking safari within the national parks even before leaving and in other safari destinations. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has nineteen habituated gorilla families and Mgahinga has one habituated gorilla family. There are a lot of interesting safari activities that you can add to your gorilla trek, and all you need to do is get a professional and trusted tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris. We can help you tailor the best Uganda Safari add-on activities in the different safari locations within the country.
Most Popular Safaris
3 Days Gorilla Habituation Safari through Kigali
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3 Day Murchison Falls National Park Safari
3 Day Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Safari
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8 Day Uganda Gorilla and Wildlife Safari
3 Days Gorilla Habituation Safari through Kigali
The highlights of the add-on activities include chimpanzee trekking, golden monkey trekking, bird watching, guided nature walks, cultural trips, boat rides, game drives and a visit to the Nile River, where you can carry out activities like white water rafting and bungee jumping among others.
Chimpanzee trekking and habituation
Chimpanzee trekking is one of the main activities that you can do after gorilla trekking in Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is carried out in different safari destinations and these are Kibale Forest National Park, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu Forest and Kyambura Gorge. Tourists have to first purchase/get the chimpanzee trekking permits to be able to trek chimpanzees in their natural habitat.
There are two sessions carried: one in the morning and the second in the afternoon hours. Just like gorilla trekking, there are rules and regulations that are followed when it comes to chimpanzee trekking and some of these include maintaining a distance of 7 meters, communicating in low tones, groups are to be in a maximum of 6 to 8 people and no tourist will be allowed to have access to the chimpanzees if they are sick.
Chimpanzee habituation, where you spend more time with the chimpanzees, can be added to your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda. The cost of the chimpanzee permit in Kibale is $250 per person and for more information about chimpanzee trekking, get in touch with us and check out our website.
Golden monkey trekking
Golden monkeys are found in Mgahinga National Park. Golden monkey trekking is one of the add-on safari activities for tourists visiting Uganda. Golden Monkey trekking can also be carried out in Bwindi, and tourists need to purchase a Golden Monkey trekking permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the current cost is $60 per person. Golden monkeys are endangered species that have to be protected at all times, and unlike the mountain gorillas, the golden monkeys are extremely playful, live in groups of 10 to 100 under the leadership of the dominant male, they feed on bamboo shoots, and the fodder that they live behind makes it easy to locate them. They also live in the lower parts of the park, and tourists get to spend an hour with the primates under the standard golden monkey trekking and 4 hours under the golden monkey habituation experience.
Bird watching
Both Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park are home to over 400 bird species with endemic birds that cannot be found in other areas, like the Collared Apalis, African green broadbill, emerald, common bulbul and Kivu ground thrush, among others. There are also migratory birds in both national parks and these are best seen during the months of November to April. Plan to go bird watching after gorilla trekking and do not forget to carry those binoculars to ease watching the birds in the different parts of the national parks.
Bwindi has 23 of the 24 endemic Albertine species. Some of the 350 bird species that are found in Bwindi include red-chested flufftails, dwarf honeyguide, Black-billed Turaco, Dusky Crimsonwing, Black bee-eater, Eastern Mountain greenbul, Red-chested flufftails and Handsome Francolin, among others.
Wildlife safaris/Game drives
Depending on how your itinerary and time, you can add game drives on your Uganda gorilla safari. Uganda has many, many game drive safari destinations in different locations; however, the park which is nearer to Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park is Queen Elizabeth National Park. Tourists can connect to Mweya from Buhoma, which is 160km and Ishasha sector, which is 64km away. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to the big four including leopards, the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, buffaloes and elephants. It is also home to other species, including forest hogs, Uganda Kobs, hippos, topis, mongooses, chimpanzees, bushbucks, waterbucks, crocodiles and warthogs, among others.
The other national parks that you can visit for wildlife viewing in Uganda include Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary, home to the white rhinos in Uganda.
Other activities you can enjoy in the national parks include boat rides along the Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, guided nature walks and cultural trips, among other activities.
Engage in community visits and activities
After gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga, you can take a guided walk to the nearby villages, where you can enjoy a close relationship with the locals and get to know more about their day-to-day lives. Many of the locals living around the national parks used to live in the parks before they were reserved and now help with the conservation of the mountain gorillas and their natural habitat.
The Buhoma community walk and cultural experience is one of the activities that can be organized upon request, and during this walk, you will not only be able to get close to nature and be part of the day-to-day activities of the locals, but you will be greatly contributing to the well being of the entire community. Meet the locals, get to know how they survive, learn how to make beer from bananas, meet the traditional healers and be entertained by the locals through traditional songs and dance.
The Batwa and Garama cave visit in Mgahinga is the best way to learn how the Batwa lived in the forest before it was gazetted off. The forest was where they used to get their food by gathering fruits and hunting wildlife, but in the early 1990s, they were evacuated, which led to the loss of their home. The Garama cave is deep in the forest and this was used by the Batwa people as a reinforcement centre during the raids from the Bafumbira. The cave, at the moment, acts as a cultural performance centre for them.
Taking on the Batwa and Garama cave walk gives you an insight into how the Batwa live and are organized in their various communities.
Boat ride safaris in Uganda
Boat rides and other water activities are some of the add-on safari activities to the Uganda gorilla trek safari you can engage in, and these are carried out in the different safari destinations in the country. Below is a list of water activities you can engage in at the different safari destinations.
The launch trip along Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best ways in which you can watch the different animals and bird species lining the shoreline, especially during the dry season and some of the animals to look out for include leopards, lions, waterbucks, hippos, elephants and cape buffaloes among others.
Enjoy the Nile Delta boat ride along the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park. While on this cruise, you get to see a lot of wild animals, which include crocodiles, hippos, elephants, hartebeests, waterbucks, giraffes and bushbucks, among others. The ride will take you near the waterfalls where you have a clear view of the 43 meter cascading waterfalls that have a permanent rainbow.
Spot fishing in Uganda is carried out on both fresh and salty water bodies; however, you will need to first get a fishing permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to be able to participate in the activity. We advise tourists to always carry their personal fishing equipment and bait. With a hired boat, you will be taken to the different areas where you can do sport fishing and on your adventure, you might catch some fish species, including Nile Perch, tilapia, catfish and mudfish, among others. Note that this is a catch-and-release activity so that the sustainability of the fish species is maintained.
White water rafting that is done along the Nile River on the Itanda Falls is the best activity for adrenaline junkie tourists. You don’t need to have prior experience with the activity because there are instructors available to take you through the procedures and securely buckle you with the safety gear before the start of the activity. There are different levels that are involved when it comes to white water rafting and you can stop at whatever level you wish because the waves and tides keep on getting stronger at the different levels.
Bungee jumping is another water activity that is carried out along the River Nile in Jinja. With security measures taken and instructions from the instructors, a rope will securely be tied to your feet before you jump off the cliff, touching the bottom of the Nile. There will be a boat waiting for you at the bottom of the cliff, but note that this activity is not for the faint-hearted.
Kayaking and tubing can also be carried out along the River Nile in Jinja for tourists who do not wish to participate in adrenaline activities like bungee jumping and white water rafting.
Mountain climbing
After gorilla trekking in Mgahinga and Bwindi, you can try out your mountaineering skills by climbing one of the many mountains that are found in Uganda. The commonly hiked mountains in Uganda include Mountain Rwenzori ranges, Mount Elgon, Mount Sabinyo, Mount Muhavura and Mount Gahinga.
Mount Rwenzori is the highest and longest mountain in Uganda and is commonly known as the Mountain of the Moon because of the snow-capped peak that is iced throughout the year. It is quite challenging, and tourists have to at least be physically fit and acclimatize to enjoy the Rwenzori hike to the Margherita peak.
Mount Elgon, located in the Eastern part of Uganda along the border of Uganda and Kenya, is one of the Mountains you can hike while on a gorilla safari to Uganda. You can also hike the Sipi Falls found in Kapchorwa, which is a known destination for many couples on a honeymoon. The Falls are three and each of these provides the best views of the surrounding areas when you get to the top.
Mount Gahinga, Sabinyo and Muhavura are part of the Virunga chain mountains which are found in Mgahinga National Park. The hike on one of these three volcanic mountains provides some of the best views of the national park and the countries Rwanda and DRC.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking, which is carried out in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is one of the activities you can carry out after gorilla trekking. The Ride4 a Woman initiative is one of the initiatives that was set up to improve the livelihood of women by renting out bikes to tourists who participate in the exercise, and all the money that is collected from hiring out the bikes is placed back in the community and to maintain the bikes. The exercise can only be carried out with a guide who takes you on the different riding tracks and shares knowledge about the forests, communities and wildlife within the park. You need to, however, book the bikes in advance since there are not so many bikes for renting.
A visit to Lake Mutanda and Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mutanda are some of the best places to visit and relax after gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga. Lake Bunyonyi is filled with many small islands and cultivated fields and these can be visited while on a boat ride. It got its name from the numerous bird species that are found along the Lake and some of the activities that are carried out along Lake Bunyonyi include boat rides, bird watching, swimming and exploring the Islands. Lake Mutanda offers a relaxing view of the surrounding areas, and since both lakes are bilharzia-free, tourists get a chance to swim as they watch the bird species.
While gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done solely, when you have to add on, it becomes more interesting and unforgettable. Get in touch with us at Encounter Africa Safaris to help you plan a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda and the add-ons in your itinerary.