18 Day Wildlife and Primate Safari in Uganda
Experience an array of species, ecosystems, environments, cultural interactions on our 18 Day of Abundant Wildlife Species and Primates in Uganda. For most travelers, wildlife, mountain gorilla trekking and chimpanzee tracking are the highlights of this safari. There are great chances to see various wild animals such as rhinos, tigers, hippos, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, and a variety of bird species.
Trip Highlights
Safari starts and ends in Uganda.
Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Gorilla Habituation Experience.
Chimpanzee Habituation.
Trek Rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Visit three game parks namely Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Enjoy boat cruises on the mighty Nile, Kazinga Channel, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo.
Community Nature Walk
Trip Summary
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
Day 2: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 3: Gorilla habituation experience
Day 4: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise at Kazinga Channel
Day 6: Game Drive and transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 7: Chimpanzee habituation experience
Day 8: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 9: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise on the mighty Nile
Day 10: Transfer to Kitugum
Day 11: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park
Day 12: Game driver and nature walk around the park environs
Day 13: Game drive and a community visit to the Karamojong
Day 14: Travel to Sipi
Day 15: Hike to Sipi Falls
Day 16: Transfer to Jinja
Day 17: White water rafting on the mighty Nile
Day 18: Transfer to Entebbe
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
You will meet our driver guide and transfer to your Hotel in Kampala or Entebbe, check in at your reserved lodge to relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Sheraton Hotel
Mid-range – 2 Friends Hotel Entebbe
Day 2: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Have you early morning breakfast, meet our driver guide at 7:00 am, transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, brief stopover at the equator for photography, continue with the journey with another stopover in Mbarara for lunch at Agip Motel, you will travel for 9 hours from Entebbe to Rushaga sector - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park arriving late in the evening.
Accommodation
Luxury – Chameleon Hill Lodge, Clouds Mt. Gorilla Lodge
Mid-range – Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort
Budget – Rushaga Gorilla Camp. Nkuringo Gorilla Camp
Day 3: Gorilla habituation experience.
Enjoy your early morning breakfast, meet our driver guide and transfer to the Park headquarters for briefing with a packed lunch and drinking water. After briefing you will accompanied by well trained guide, researchers and scientists into the dense forest of Bwindi searching for mountain gorillas upon seeing them, you will spend four hours with the gentle giants see how they play, interact, feeding, after filling your cameras with memorable encounter with mountain gorillas you will go back to your lodge relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Chameleon Hill Lodge, Clouds Mt. Gorilla Lodge
Mid-range – Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort
Budget – Rushaga Gorilla Camp. Nkuringo Gorilla Camp
Day 4: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Early morning breakfast will be served, check out of your lodge, meet your driver guide and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Check in at your reserved lodge, relax, have lunch and embark on an afternoon game drive to see many animals like buffalo, elephants, lions, topi, duikers among others. Return to the Lodge, relax, have dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Mweya Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Enganzi Game Lodge
Budget – Pumba Safari Cottages
Day 5: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise at Kazinga Channel.
Early morning breakfast at 6:00 am, meet your driver guide, you will start your morning game at 6:30 am to see tree climbing lions, leopard, elephant, buffalo, warthog, topis, bush bucks, duiker and many bird species, return to the lodge 11:30 am refresh up, relax, have lunch and embark on a boat cruise at 2:00 pm on Kazinga Channel to see elephant, hippos and crocodiles in and on the banks of the channel taking water and some animals swimming. The Kazinga channel is a wide, 32-kilometre (20 miles) long natural channel connecting the two Lakes; Lake Gorge and Lake Edward. This channel is among the most important features in Queen Elizabeth National Park (which is the most well-liked game reserve in Uganda covering an entire land area of 1,978 sq km). The channel has the wonderful view of the most important wildlife ventures within Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Kazinga channel comprises sections such as the North Kazinga in addition to the Kasenyi plains. It’s recognized that the plains of this channel offer breathtaking view points of spotting abundant wild animals. Through embarking on a game tracking voyage, you will have a better way to see the diverse wildlife living in this area within its very pristine natural environment such as buffaloes, elephants in addition to other wild animals that live within the grassland thickets in the Northern Kazinga near to Mweya. Return to the lodge late in the evening, refresh up, relax, have dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Mweya Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Enganzi Game Lodge
Budget – Pumba Safari Cottages
Day 6: Game Drive and transfer to Kibale National Park.
Early morning breakfast will be served, check out of the Lodge, meet your driver guide, embark on a morning game drive, and transfer to Kibale National Park arriving in the afternoon. Check in at your reserved lodge, relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Crater Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Primates Lodge
Mid-range – Kibale Forest Camp, Isinga Lodge
Budget – Rweteera Safari Park, Chimps Nest
Day 7: Chimpanzee habituation experience.
Early morning breakfast will be served at the lodge after which you will transfer to Kanyanchu Tourism Center for briefing, and Chimpanzee habituation experience will start at 8am. The chimpanzee habituation experience allows you to accompany well trained armed guides and researchers as they follow chimpanzees during their daily activities, a process which helps chimps to get used to humans presence. After this experience you return to the Park Headquarter in the evening to receive your certificate. Return to your reserved Lodge to relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Crater Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Primates Lodge
Mid-range – Kibale Forest Camp, Isinga Lodge
Budget – Rweteera Safari Park, Chimps Nest
Day 8: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park.
After your morning breakfast check out of the lodge, transfer to Murchison Falls National Park for game viewing, arriving in the evening with a glimpse of some game viewing upon your arrival at the Park. Check in at your reserved lodge, relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Paara Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Pakuba Safari Lodge
Budget – Red Chilli Safari Lodge
Day 9: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise on the mighty Nile
Early Morning breakfast at 6:00 am, meet your drive to start a morning game drive at 6:30 am through the breathtaking savannah plains, where you will be able to see nonchalant animals like lions, leopards, cevats, elephants, giraffe, warthog, hippo, many bird species after the game drive at 12:00 noon you will drive back the lodge to have lunch, after lunch you will embark on an afternoon boat cruise on the Nile to see more animals like crocodiles, elephants, hippo on the banks of the river drinking water, the boat will take you to the bottom of Murchison Falls. Drive back to the lodge for relaxation, have dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Paara Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Pakuba Safari Lodge
Budget – Red Chilli Safari Lodge
Day 10: Transfer to Kitugum
After your early morning breakfast check out, meet your driver guide and transfer to Kitgum,
Day 11: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park
Early Morning breakfast will be served at the lodge, meet our driver guide, checkout of the Lodge, and transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park. Check in at your Lodge relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Apoka Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Nga’moru Wilderness Camp
Budget – Apoka Rest Camp
Day 12: Game driver and nature walk around the park environs
Early morning breakfast will served at 6:00 am meet our driver guide to start the morning game drive in the Narus valley to see animals at a close range namely zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda Kob, elands, buffalos, duikers, ostrich, many bird species, among others. Return to the Lodge at noon, have lunch and embark on an afternoon nature walk around Apoka Camp to see different species of animals on foot. Return to the Lodge relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Apoka Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Nga’moru Wilderness Camp
Budget – Apoka Rest Camp
Day 13: Game drive and a community visit to the Karamojong
Early morning breakfast will served at 6:00 am meet our driver guide to start the morning game drive in the Narus valley to see animals at a close range namely zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda Kob, elands, buffalos, duikers, ostrich, many bird species, among others. Return to the Lodge, have lunch and embark on a community visit to the Karamojong mayantas to see their lifestyle, cultures, dressing and their cultural dances. Return to the lodge, refresh up, relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Apoka Safari Lodge
Mid-range – Nga’moru Wilderness Camp
Budget – Apoka Rest Camp
Day 14: Travel to Sipi.
Early morning breakfast will be served, meet our guide and depart by road to Sipi waterfalls - Mount Elgon, this journey takes you through the main town of Kotido and Soroti arriving late in evening. Check in at your reserved lodge, relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Sipi River Lodge
Mid-range – Sipi Falls Resort
Day 15: Hike to Sipi Falls
Early morning breakfast will be served, meet your drive guide and transfer to the sipi waterfall climbing trail to see all three waterfalls at sipi. Return to the lodge, relax, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation
Luxury – Sipi River Lodge
Mid-range – Sipi Falls Resort
Day 16: Transfer to Jinja
Day 17: White water rafting on the mighty Nile
Early morning breakfast, meet our driver guide and transfer to the starting point of your adventure, upon reaching there you will be briefed about the rules and regulations of rating on the mighty Nile. Considered one of the best one day white water trips in the world, no safari to Uganda would be complete without truly experiencing the Nile from its source. Rafting on one of the longest and best rivers in the world is one of the most exciting adventures on the Nile. Enjoy warm water, safe pools to swim, islands full of birds and fisherman in dugouts combined with fun and white water adventure to make this the perfect family and friends’ day out on the Nile. Return to the Lodge in the evening refresh and embark on Sundowner Boat Cruise on the Nile
Sundowner Boat cruise
Nothing beats an African sunset and particularly one over the Nile. Salute the end of another great day with good company, good food. Don't forget to bring your cameras to capture not just the sunset, but an array of birdlife, crocodiles, and monitor lizards.
Day 18: Transfer to Entebbe
Early morning breakfast, meet our driver guide check out of your lodge and transfer to en-route to Entebbe International Airport for your home bound flight. Depending on the time of flight, a Luncheon for “meat lovers” will be organized at either the Carnivore restaurant in Kampala of Gaucho Grill along Entebbe road.
Check-In at Entebbe International Airport for your home bound flight
END OF TOUR
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Airport transfers on first and last day
Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
Services of an English speaking driver guide
Fuel for the whole trip
Accommodation and meal plan as per the itinerary
All park entrance fees
Drinking water while in the vehicle
WHAT IS EXCLUDED
Pre and post tour accommodation
International airfares
Uganda Visa (USD50.00) which can be paid on arrival at the Airport
Personal items for example drinks and laundry
Tips and Gratuity
