12 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primate Experience

Activities

• Game drives
• Boat cruise
• Top of the falls
• Zziwa rhino tracking
• Chimpanzee tracking
• Gorilla trekking
• Batwa cultural encounter
• Nature walks

Highlights

Day 1: Transfer to Murchison falls National Park – Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary-Top of the falls

Day 2: Game drive – Boat cruise

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking – Bigodi wetland visit

Day 5: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 6: Morning Game drive – Afternoon boat cruise

Day 7: Katwe crater lake – Afternoon game drive

Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking-Batwa cultural encounter

Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Day 11: Game drive – afternoon boat cruise

Day 12: Return to Kampala/Entebbe

Detailed Itinerary 

Day 1: Transfer to Murchison falls National Park – Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary-Top of the falls

After breakfast, our representative will pick you from the hotel and hit the road to Murchison Falls National Park. Along the way, make a visit to Zziwa Rhino sanctuary for your first Big 5 experience. Here, you will have an hour of on-foot rhino tracking in guidance of an armed experienced ranger. Actually, this is the only place in the country where you are able to enjoy this activity. Afterwards, you will have another stopover in Masindi in order to enjoy your lunch.

Later, proceed with your journey to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest National Park with lots of wonders. Upon arrival, you will head for a walk at the top of the falls for a clear view of the mighty falls before pouring down into the Victoria Nile. The sights and sounds of these falls will leave you great memories since you will also be able to take photos and videos for remembrance. Later, check in your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation

• Pakuba Safari Lodge

Day 2: Game drive – Boat cruise

You will have your breakfast early in the morning and go for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest Park. While here, lookout for wildlife including: lions, giraffes, elephants, leopards, buffalos, jackson’s hartebeests, etc. For any birders, there are also quite a number of birds to spot too during the drive like the Abyssinian ground hornbills, standard night jar, herons, etc. Later with your packed lunch, head to the dock for a boat cruise at the Victoria Nile. While at the boat, look out for aquatic animals like the crocodiles, hippos, otters as well as birds like the kingfishers, African fish eagle etc. You will also be able to spot other animals at the banks of the river as they quench their thirst like the elephants, waterbucks, warthogs, etc. Apart from the animals, you will as well enjoy the thunderous roars of the magnificent falls. Here, they make their way through an 8m gorge and falling at 43m to meet again the Victoria Nile. Later, head back to your lodge.

Accommodation

• Pakuba Safari Lodge

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park

After your delicious breakfast, you will depart right away for Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is quite long but incredibly scenic, passing through villages, lush green countryside and hills dotted with tea plantations. You will have lunch along the way and later continue to Kibale National Park which is one of the great rain forests in Africa. In fact, the park is popular for its primates like the chimpanzees, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, etc. During your chimpanzee tracking, you will be able to see them swinging in the forest trees and others feeding on the wild fruits. Upon arrival, do little but check into your lodge where you will have dinner and the overnight rest.

Accommodation

• Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking – Bigodi wetland visit

Have an early morning breakfast and later head to the park headquarters. While here, you will be briefed about the dos and don’ts while doing your chimpanzee trekking. In guidance of an experienced ranger, you will start your search for the chimpanzees within the forest. This can take you half a day depending on the movements of these primates. Actually, these primates are the closest relatives to the human being sharing 98% of their DNA. Besides, there are other primates in the area like the golden monkeys, baboons, L’ Hoest’s monkey, white and black Colobus, etc. Other animals here include; forest elephants unique from the common type and giant forest hogs. In addition, the park is one of the great rain forests in Africa and has the largest community of chimpanzees. Later after lunch, you will take a guided nature walk to Bigodi swamp sanctuary. This is a good site for birders and here watch out for the Great Blue Turaco, Papyrus Gonolek, herons and kingfishers among others. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.

Accommodation

• Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Day 5: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After an early morning breakfast, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is 3 hour’s drive away from Kibale National Park. You will drive Southwest through Fort portal and the Albertine Escarpment of the Western Rift Valley and you will have lunch on the way. In fact, this park was named after Queen Elizabeth the second and it has variety of wildlife species. These include; the impalas, kobs, forest hogs, elephants, buffaloes, tree climbing lions, cape buffaloes, etc. Besides, the park contains 600 bird species making it a must visit destination for birders to Uganda. You will arrive the Park in the evening, have dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Accommodation

• Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 6: Morning Game drive – Afternoon boat cruise

Early in the morning have your breakfast, proceed for a morning game drive to the Kasenyi plains. Here, look out for Cape buffalos, herds of elephants plus the big cats: lions, leopard (not easy to spot) among others. Return to the lodge for some rest and lunch. Later, head for a 3-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel that connects Lakes George and Edward. During this activity, the sight of wildlife including giant hippos, elephants and crocodiles among others will fascinate you. You will also be able to spot out different species of birds at the water shores. You will have dinner and overnight at your accommodation.

Accommodation

• Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 7: Katwe crater lake – Afternoon game drive

You will have your morning breakfast and head to the Katwe crater lake. This is a basically a crater lake where salt is extracted in Uganda. While here, you will be able to interact with the salt miners thereby discovering different salt mining methods. Later in the afternoon after lunch, you will go for the game drive through the Ishasha sector where you will be able to view the tree climbing lions. This Park is blessed with wonders that cannot be found anywhere else in the Country. Actually, apart from Uganda you are able to spot the tree climbing lions in one other country which is Tanzania in Lake Manyara National Park.

Accommodation

• Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Have breakfast in the morning then set off for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have a chance of spotting the tree climbing lions though sometimes are hard to spot most especially when they are down in the grassland looking for prey. You will continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda. With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation, relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience early in the morning the following day.

Accommodation

• Gorilla closeup lodge

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking-Batwa cultural encounter

You will have breakfast and then head to the park headquarters and here you will receive some briefing on the dos and don’ts before the trekking. Thereafter, you will enter the gorilla sanctuary for your adventure with the ranger’s guidance. The area offers dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken and the terrain vary with the movements of these great primates. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be allowed an hour in their presence enjoying their daily day activities. The experience of coming face to face with these peaceful giants is very overwhelming. Later you will head back to your lodge, freshen up, have lunch and in the after go for the Batwa cultural encounter. These people will tell you their forest stories, learn about their culture, learn their dances as you join them in dancing and much more. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation

• Gorilla closeup lodge

Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park-Nature walk

Early morning after breakfast transfer to Lake Mburo, a small but rich park seated on an area of 371 sq km. Lake Mburo National Park is home to a big number of antelopes, Zebras, warthogs, reed bucks as well as a number of bird species. On your way, you will go through the rolling terraced hills of Kabale and have a stop in Mbarara for lunch. After, you will continue to the park reaching late afternoon. Later you will head for a nature walk through the park in the presence of an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger/guide. Take the Trail to the top of the hills and see Lake Mburo and beyond and from this vantage point, you will have a great view of 9 of the twelve lakes surrounding Lake Mburo National Park. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation

• Igongo Safari Lodge

Day 11: Game Drive-Afternoon boat cruise

After an early morning breakfast, you will set out for a game drive through the park where your eyes will be fed with amazing sights and wildlife. These include; Impalas, Kobs, sitatungas, waterbucks, topis, zebras, buffalos, etc. After, you will head back to your lodge for lunch with preparation for an unforgettable experience on the boat ride along the lake and while here, you will see different animals like the crocodiles, and hippos among others.

Accommodation

• Igongo Safari Lodge

Day 12: Return to Kampala/Entebbe

After breakfast, you will drive out of the park with stopovers in Masaka for lunch and at the Equator, refreshments, take photographs and purchase some souvenirs. You will arrive Kampala/Entebbe late in the evening.

End of Safari Tour

Best time to visit

All the above parks can be visited throughout the year and all the activities can be enjoyed any time of the year.