Activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda
Activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda; Gorilla trekking is the major activity in Uganda that attracts big numbers of tourists and it involves moving deep into the forest in search of the habituated gorilla families and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in two national parks Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. There are a number of interesting activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda including,
Activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking is the second best done activity and one of the activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is done in different areas including Kibale forest national park, Kalinzu forest, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park and Toro-Semuliki wildlife reserve. Chimpanzee trekking in all destinations starts early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest with a park guide in search of the chimpanzees which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where they are located. During trekking you will be able to view other primates species, view bird species, animals, plants among others and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural environment where you will be able to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them carry out their daily activities, take photos and record videos.
Golden monkey trekking
Golden monkey trekking is an active and adventurous activity to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda. Golden monkey trekking is only done in Mgahinga gorilla national park and it starts early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest in search of the habituated golden monkeys which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on their location. During trekking, you will follow trails of leftover bamboo shoots, fruits, leaves and once the golden monkeys are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to watch them feed, play, jump up in tree branches, take photos and record the breathtaking moments to show people back home after the safari.
Game drives/ game viewing
Game drives is another interesting activity to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda. Game drives are commonly done in savannah national parks like Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo valley national park and Lake Mburo national park. During the game drive you will be able to explore the national parks in a pop up safari van with a professional driver guide who will help you to spot different animals like the tree climbing animals in Ishasha sector, leopards, cheetahs, buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, giraffes, bushbucks, warthogs, zebras, topi, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, hippos, elands, impalas among others.
Birding
Uganda is one of the top birding destinations in that it harbors over 1,085 bird species including 25 Albertine rift endemic, water birds, forest birds and migratory birds. There are different birding areas in Uganda including Queen Elizabeth national park, Kibale forest national park, Mabamba swamp, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Semuliki national park, Mgahinga gorilla national park, Murchison falls national park, Kidepo valley national park, Lake Mburo national park among others. during birding which is best done early in the morning or in the evening, you will be accompanied by an experienced bird guide who will help you to view different bird species including the elusive shoebill stork, Fox’s weaver, standard-winged nightjar, Shelley’s crimsonwing, great blue turaco, African green broadbill, short tailed warbler, green-breasted pitta, handsome francolin among others.
Boat cruise
Uganda is gifted with a number of waterbodies which offer the interesting boat cruise activity which you can engage in after gorilla trekking in Uganda. Boat cruise is done on different water bodies like Lake Victoria, Lake Bunyonyi, Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park, source of the Nile, Albertine Nile in Murchison falls national park, Lake Mburo national park among others. During the boat cruise you will be able to view different animals like hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs among others drinking water along the shores, view water birds like hornbills, cormorants, kingfishers, bee-eaters, fish eagles among others.
Hiking/ nature walk
After gorilla trekking in Uganda, you can engage in an interesting nature walk where you will be able to explore the national parks on foot with the company of an experienced park guide and an armed park ranger to protect you from dangerous animals. During the guided nature walk, you will get up-close and personal with different animals, view colorful butterflies, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, take beautiful pictures among others.
Community tour
Community tour is an exciting activity where you will be able to interact with the Batwa people/ pygmies who used to live in Mgahinga and Bwindi forests before they were gazetted into national parks. During the community tour, you will be able to learn about the local peoples culture, history, lifestyle, way of living, their hunting and gathering skills, visit their farmlands, homestead, medicine man, magician, listen to ancient stories, enjoy traditional entertainments among others.
There are other interesting activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda including sport fishing which is done in Murchison falls national park and Lake Mburo national park, mountain climbing where you will be able to climb mount Rwenzori, mount Sabyinyo, mount Gahinga or mount Muhabura, lion tracking experience among others. For more information about activities to do after gorilla trekking in Uganda, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris.
