Overview
This wildlife and primates safari takes you on a wonderful journey of uncovering Uganda’s most stunning attractions.
From walking with rhinos, seeing lots of savannah wildlife, and spending some face-to-face time with mountain gorillas, your safari will be a fully immersive experience. The savannah parks offer great opportunities to see elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, hippos, and much more while the forest parks will allow you to get a closer encounter with chimps, gorillas, and several other primate species.
In all the various places, you will have a chance to experience the local culture directly from the people.
Take a look at the detailed itinerary to get a better idea of how a safari such as this would flow for you. And keep in mind that it can be customized to suit your specific needs.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Airport pickup
Our driver/guide will be waiting at Entebbe International Airport to pick you up and then transfer you to your accommodation for the night.
Accommodation: Papyrus Guesthouse
Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner
Day 2: Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park
Your day will begin with a scenic drive to Murchison Falls National Park – northwest of Jinja. The journey will take approximately 8 to 9 hrs with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino Tracking. From Ziwa, you will stop for lunch in Masindi Town.
After your lunch, you will continue to Murchison Falls National Park, and have a chance to stop by the ‘top of the falls’ where you can see the Nile’s beauty perfected. This is where the Nile compresses from a width of 50 meters into a 7-meter canyon that forms the waterfall after which the park is named.
From here, you will continue to your accommodation where you will rest for the night.
Accommodation: Fort Murchison
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Wildlife game drives in Murchison Falls NP
Early morning, your guide will take you for a wildlife safari game drive on the northern bank of the River Nile. Here, you will spot Elephants, Lions, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena, and if you are lucky, the leopard.
You will return to your lodge for breakfast, rest, and lunch before heading out for the afternoon boat cruise.
The boat cruise takes you upstream on the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just a few meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”.
While on the boat cruise, you will have a chance to marvel at the hippos floating in the water, and crocodiles as well as elephants, waterbuck, Uganda kob, and many other animals over this 19 km stretch of the Nile.
For bird-watching enthusiasts, there are many chances of seeing bird species like the Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, Brown pelican, Red-throated bee-eater, various kingfishers, Fish eagles, cormorant, and the rare shoebill stork.
After the boat cruise, you will return to your accommodation.
Accommodation: Fort Murchison
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Drive from Murchison Falls to Kibale National Park
After your breakfast, you will be driven to Kibale National Park via Hoima and Fort Portal. This drive will take a total of around 6 hours with interesting landscapes, green countryside, traditional homesteads, tea plantations, and much more.
You will have lunch in Fort Portal and then continue to your accommodation where you will relax and await the next day’s activities.
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park.
After early morning breakfast, your driver/guide will drive you to the Kibale National Park office where you will be briefed about the activity of tracking chimpanzees in the wild.
You will then go on a guided primate walk in search of chimpanzees and 12 other primates including l’ Hoestes, Red colobus, blue, red-tailed monkeys, brown monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabey.
The park rangers will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates but on all the forest fauna and flora, and will ensure that your walk is informative and enjoyable.
After finding the chimps, you will spend 1 hour with them before heading back to the park offices.
You will go back to the lodge for lunch & refreshments.
After lunch, you will visit the community and take a walk in Bigodi Swamp – which is the home of the great blue Turaco bird. The swamp is home to around 200 bird species and 12 primate species.
In the evening, proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain ranges for much of the journey. (Drive time: approx. 3-4hrs)
Accommodation: Bush Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Wildlife game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, you will go for an early morning wildlife safari game drive in this park. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forests, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.
With the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop, you will have excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, cape buffalos, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kobs, Topi, and bushbuck.
After lunch, you will go for a 2–3-hour boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This take will take you through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. Many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge.
This launch cruise offers a great opportunity for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with more than 600 different species.
Accommodation: Bush Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After your breakfast, you will be driven from Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a 6-hour journey passing through the Kigezi Highlands, an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa”. The journey takes you through terraced hills and winding roads to the Bwindi Forest. You will have a stopover in Kabale for lunch.
Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge / Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable N.P
Today is the big day! Prepare yourself for an encounter with the gentle giants; the rare mountain gorillas.
For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their trip. You will go into the forest in groups of no more than 8 in search of mountain gorillas. En route, your guide will point out previous signs of gorilla activity such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots.
Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo. Upon finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them, after which you will be led back to the starting point.
Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge / Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Drive back to Kampala.
After an early breakfast, your driver/guide will drive you from Bwindi to Kampala. This is a long drive of approximately 9 hours that will take you from the cooler mountainous altitude of the Kigezi Highlands to the lower undulating landscape of Ankole and Buganda, with large farms and plantations dotted with villages and small towns.
You will have several stopovers along the way, including the equator crossing in Kayabwe for some pictures. Depending on the schedule of your next flight, a few more stopovers can be added by your guide.
You should reach Kampala in the early evening hours with enough time to freshen up before your flight out of Uganda.
Accommodation: None
Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch
