• Chimpanzees, Uganda

Itinerary Summary

Duration
14 Days
Price
£11300
When
Year Round
Destination
Uganda
Type
Tailor-Made
Duration Price When Destination Type
14 Days £11300 Year Round Uganda Tailor-Made
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Wildlife of Uganda Safari

Discover the highlights of Uganda with pristine national parks and track and spend time with Mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.

Discover the incredible sights and sounds of Uganda with this tailor-made safari, taking you to the spectacular national parks within the country for some of the best wildlife encounters in the natural world. Begin your trip with rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and witness the full force of the Nile as it thunders over the Murchison Falls. Track and spend time with the Mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and witness the delights of chimpanzees in the Kibale Forests.

What makes this trip extraordinary

  • Track and spend time with the chimpanzees of Kibale.
  • Searching for the tree climbing lions of Ishasha
  • Boat cruise to search for the elusive Shoebill
  • Meet the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Forest.
  • Rhino tracking in Ziwa

Embedded Video Overview

An exciting 14-day tailor-made highlights safari discovering Uganda's incredible wildlife,
from $13,221 per person sharing excluding gorilla permits and international flights

Day by day

Day by day

Day 1

Arrive Entebbe

Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, clear customs and exit arrivals halls where our representative awaits you for a meet and greet and there after transfer approx. 10mins to your Guest House for dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Hotel No 5 (D)

Day 2

Entebbe - Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary/Murchison Falls National Park

After a leisurely breakfast, drive four hours to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking. You will have lunch at in Masidi, before transferring to your lodge in Murchison Falls National Park (approximately three hours drive).

Overnight: Bakers Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 3

Murchison Falls National Park Morning Boat Cruise

This morning you depart on a shared cruise of the Nile delta – the area where the waters of the Victoria and Albert Niles meet and mingle. Papyrus channels reveal endless pods of hippo, lazy crocodiles survey our craft from their position on the bank, and as we near Delta Point, the chance of seeing elephant, buffalo and antelope on the shores increase. For the birders, this area is filled with a rich variety of water birds, and is an excellent spot for sighting Shoebill. Return to the lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon enjoy a game drive in the park.

Overnight: Bakers Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 4

Murchison Falls - Kibale Forest National Park

Today morning transfer approx 35mins to Bugungu airstrip for your sheduled flight to Kasese airstrip, where a vehicle awaits you and transfer approx 2hrs to your lodge. In the afternoon you can either go for a Bigodi Swamp walk or a cultural experience ($25pp) or just relax at the lodge. Your private driver will meet you later this evening driving from Murchison Falls.

Day 5

Kibale Forest National Park Chimpanzee Habituation Program

This morning, you enjoy a full day at the Chimpanzee Habituation Program. Departing with a packed breakfast and a packed lunch, this special program allows you to accompany Kibale`s researchers during their daily activities in the forest, a program that is designed to habituate the Chimpanzees. You follow the chimpanzees throughout the day in this 766 square kilometre tropical rainforest, a natural habitat for an amazing 13 primate species, and containing the highest primate density of any area on earth. As well as chimpanzees, you have opportunities to spot red colobus monkeys chattering and swinging through the ancient forest trees. Some of the trees are 50 to 60 metres (150 - 180 feet) in height and provide a majestic canopy for the profusion of rainforest life, including 325 bird species. Even though you may only rarely see them, the park is home to the largest population of forest elephant in Uganda, and is also home to buffalo, Ugandan kob, genet, civet, waterbuck and bushbuck.

Day 6

Kibale Forest - Queen Elizabeth National Park

This morning you set off from Kibale making your way southwards towards Queen Elizabeth National Park approximately 3 hour drive; on clear days you have stunning views of the Rwenzori Mountains (the Mountains of the Moon). This afternoon you join the Kazinga Channel boat Cruise. This is a fantastic boat safari renowned for its wildlife and bird viewing; a relaxing trip down the channel with chances of spotting elephant, buffalo, huge Nile crocodiles and much, much, more.

Day 7

Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee Trek

This morning, you will have the chance to enjoy the beautiful Kyambura Gorge. Up to 500 meters in width Kyambura Gorge was formed by deep erosion by the Kyambura River, now flowing 100 meters below on the valley floor. The gorge forms a border between Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve. Inside the gorge is an isolated and contained cover of riparian forest. The gorge emerges between open savannah allowing the resident chimpanzee community a relatively restricted territory. Accompanied by an official UWA Ranger you will descend into the gorge and spend the morning on a nature walk. Here, you will spend time tracking for the remnant population of about 20 individual chimpanzees as well as the other primates that inhabit the gorge.

This evening you will transfer to the Ishasha section of Queen Elizabeth National Park to your lodge.

Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp (B, L, D)

Day 8

Ishasha Sector

Today you will explore Ishasha, the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth considered by some experts as one of the most alluring game viewing area of East Africa. It's an off-the-beaten-track destination that you will surely enjoy. We wake up early, of course, since this is the best time for observing nature. You start from the southern circuit in search of the elephants and we will drive over the plains of Ishasha in the open savannah. The southern circuit usually has large herds of buffalo, Uganda kob and topi. Near to the swamps of the southern circuit you might see even leopard. We continue and drive to the northern circuit which is the area near the main road known for its tree climbing lions. We look particularly at the many fig trees where lions like to stay. But we also visit the Uganda kob mating ground which is their preferred hunting area.

Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp (B, L, D)

Day 9

Queen Elizabeth National Park - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

A relaxing game drive this morning in search of the tree climbing lions, if you are lucky you may also see one of the resident leopards that are becoming a frequent sighting in the park. Late morning you leave the park and make your way southwards (picnic lunch provided) to the renowned Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Relax upon arrival and prepare for your first gorilla tracking experience in the morning.

Overnight: Gorilla Forest Camp (B, L, D)

Day 10

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

The Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi are part of a worldwide population of just 820. The gorillas you can track belong to one of three habituated family groups. For up to five years each, these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually brought them to tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day and allowed a few privileged visitors to interact with them. The gorillas are by no means tame, and are completely wild. Experienced guides will accompany you, many of whom have been involved in the habituation process themselves. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas' habits and information from the previous day to locate the group's whereabouts. Because of this, the time taken to track the gorillas varies enormously, from as little as half an hour to 9 hours.

Overnight: Gorilla Forest Camp (B, L, D)

Day 11

Second Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Your second day of gorilla tracking. A fantastic experience and one that we recommend you make the most of. Ideally try and spend as little time today behind the lens of your camera as possible so you can fully appreciate this once in a lifetime experience. This evening relax back at your lodge and reminisce on the adventures of the last few days.

Overnight: Gorilla Forest Camp (B, L, D)

Day 12

Bwindi Forest National Park - Mgahinga National Park

This morning you will transfer to Mgahinga National Park, approximately 1 hour by road. This park sits high in the clouds, its most striking features are its three conical, extinct volcanoes, part of the spectacular Virunga range. The volcanoes' slopes contain various ecosystems and are biologically diverse.

Day 13

Golden Monkey Habituation Experience

Early wake-up call this morning and transfer approx. 5mins to the park HQ for the start of your golden monkey habituation experience.

The Golden Monkey may not be the most well known primate, but is certainly an enjoyable, little creature that is worth visiting. It is a small curious monkey, golden in colour and loves to scamper around the trees. There is an estimated 3000-4000 individuals living in the bamboo forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, though researches claim that they are still very much endangered as they face the same difficulties as their cousins the Mountain Gorillas.

The Golden Monkey Habituation experience begins with your orientation before you are off with your Uganda Wildlife Authority Guide up into the bamboo forest, where you will join researchers and trackers that are habituating a group of about 100 individuals.

Day 14

Mgahinga National Park - Entebbe

Early today you will be transferred at to Kisoro airstrip for your scheduled flight to Entebbe where you will be picked up and driven to your guest house for relaxation.

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