9 Days Uganda primates and wildlife Safari
Detailed itinerary.
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Murchison falls national park via Ziwa rhino sanctuary
Depending on your arrival time at Entebbe airport, our company representative/driver will pick you up and bring you to Murchison Falls National Park, en way to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is 3 hours’ drive from Kampala and offers rhino trekking experiences.
After the activity, you will have lunch before continuing on to Murchison Falls National Park, where you will drive to the top of the falls for spectacular views of the waterfall. Connect to your lodge to recuperate after reaching the top of the falls. Dinner and overnight stay. Pakuba Safari Lodge for mid-range, or Parkside Safari Lodge for budget.
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
On the second day of the safari, after an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge for a morning game drive where you will be rewarded with great views of animals such as buffaloes, Uganda kobs, Oribi, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, Jackson’s hartebeest, giraffes, and predators such as hyenas, lions, leopards, and various bird species, among others. Following the game drive, you’ll return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will have a thrilling boat tour to the bottom of the falls, where you will be able to see vast herds of hippos in the water, Nile crocodiles lounging on the banks, and other species like as elephants, buffaloes, and warthogs sipping water along the shoreline, as well as water birds. After the boat excursion, which takes around 2 to 3 hours, you will return to the lodge for dinner and slumber, as described above.
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.
On the third day of the safari, after breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and meet your driver guide for the travel to Kibale National Park, widely known as the Primate Capital. En-route lunch will be provided, as well as opportunities to snap photographs, stretch your legs, and enjoy breathtaking views of the gorgeous environment, including the Rwenzori mountain ranges, Lake George, crater lakes, and tea plantations. Upon arriving at Kibale National Park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Kibale Forest Lodge (budget) or Chimpanzee Forest Lodge (midrange).
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
On the fourth day of the safari, after an early breakfast, you will meet your driver guide and be transferred to the Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a chimp trekking briefing. Following the briefing, you will begin hiking into the bush in search of the habituated chimpanzee family. During the journey, you will be able to see additional primate species like as red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, grey checked baboons, many bird species, and tree species, among others. Once the habituated chimps are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, where you will be able to observe their behaviours and habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, hunt, play, fight, mate, rest, take photos, and record the moments to show people back home after the safari.
After an hour with the chimps, you will walk back to the park headquarters, where you will meet your driver guide and return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will check out of the lodge and begin your drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can experience breathtaking views of the gorgeous environment, crater lakes, Rwenzori mountain ranges, tea plantations and more. Upon arriving at Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Queen Elizabeth Bush Camp (budget) or Elephant Hab Lodge (midrange).
Day 5: Morning game drive/ optional lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise
On the fifth day of your safari, you will enjoy an early breakfast before your driving guide picks you up from the lodge for an exciting game drive over the Kasenyi plains. During the wildlife drive, you will see elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, warthogs, predators such as lions and leopards, and a variety of bird species. Following the game drive, you’ll return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will proceed on an exciting boat tour down the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise, you will be able to enjoy stunning views of the beautiful scenery and landscape, as well as see animals such as elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, and waterbucks drinking water along the banks, large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, and aquatic bird species, among other things. After the boat excursion, which lasts around 2 hours, you will return to the lodge for dinner and stay, as described above.
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
On the sixth day of the safari, after breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and be picked up by your driver guide to begin your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will make a stop in Ishasha sector to see the tree climbing lions, who will be lying up on acacia/fig tree branches if you are lucky. After the wildlife drive, you will have en-route lunch and then head to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Community Rest Camp (budget) or Buhoma Haven Lodge (midrange).
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking
On the seventh day of the safari, after an early breakfast, you will bring a packed lunch and meet your driving guide at park headquarters for a briefing on the laws and regulations to be followed while hiking. Following the briefing, you will begin walking in the forest, which will take between 30 minutes and 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are found, since they tend to wander from place to place in quest of food. During the trip, you will be able to see additional monkey species, as well as a variety of forest birds and plant species. Once the mountain gorillas are located, you will be permitted to spend one hour with them in their natural environment, where you will be able to see them going about their daily routines, learn about their behaviours and habits, snap photographs, and film the magnificent moments.
After the one-hour encounter with the gentle giants, you will return to the park headquarters, where you will be rewarded with a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, and then meet with your driver guide to go on an optional cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the batwa people, learn about their behaviours, and way of life, among other things, before returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight as previously stated.
Day 8: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
On the eighth day of the safari, you will have a leisurely breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet your guide for the trip to Lake Mburo National Park, travelling through Kabale and Ntungamo towns and stopping for lunch along the way.
Upon arrival, you will embark on an evening game drive to see creatures such as buffaloes, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, impalas, Uganda kobs, and waterbucks, among others. After the wildlife drive, you will go to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Arcadia Cottages (midrange) or Eagles Nest Lodge (budget).
Day 9: Morning game drive and departure
On the last day of the safari, after breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and meet your guide for a morning game drive around the park, where you will be able to see any of the species you may have missed the day before. After the wildlife drive, you will leave the park and begin your journey back to Kampala, stopping for lunch at the Equator along the way. After lunch, you will continue your journey to Kampala, arriving in the early evening. Your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or at any other location advised.
End of 9 days Uganda primates and wildlife safari
Includes
• Gorilla trekking permit @ $800 pp
• Chimpanzee trekking permit @ $200 pp
• Park entrance fees/ game drives
• Boat cruise fees
• Rhino tracking
• Full time English speaking driver guide
• Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
• All meals at the lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• Pick up and drop off to Kampala/ Entebbe
• 4WD pop up safari van and fuel
• Bottled drinking water
Excludes
• Air flight tickets and Visas
• Life insurance
• Lion tracking experience
• Optional activities not included on the itinerary
• Tipping
• Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter among others.
