8 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
This 8 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari is an adventure like no other , taking you deep into Africa’s most iconic rainforests and savannahs. Trek through Bwindi Forest – home to half of the word’s remaining mountain gorillas, embark on game drives in Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth National Park and track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.
Highlights of 8 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
Day 1: Arrival
Day 2: Entebbe to Lake Mburo National Park – Game Drive
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking Experience
Day 5; Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Safari
Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest
Day 8: Departure
Detailed Itinerary of 8 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
Day 1: Arrival
Our driver will pick you up from Entebbe International Airport, and be driven to your hotel in Entebbe where you will have the rest of the day at rest, dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Paprus Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Entebbe to Lake Mburo National Park – Game Drive
After an early breakfast, embark on a journey to Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda, passing through vast cultivated plains, banana plantations, and cattle farms. Have a brief stop at Mpambire, before making another stop at the Equator for some great photo opportunities.
Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch and later go for a game drive to encounter resident wildlife such as buffaloes, impalas, zebras, elands, warthogs and bushbucks among others. Optionally, enjoy a one-hour boat safari on Lake Mburo to observe crocodiles, hippos, and diverse water birds, or take a horseback safari (not included in the package).
Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Wake up early for breakfast and go for an early morning game drive in Lake Mburo National Park, offering you a last chance to see impalas, buffaloes, zebras, and elands among others. Later embark on the scenic drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, your journey through western Uganda unfolds across rolling hills, expansive tea plantations and tropical rainforests, leading towards the majestic Virunga Volcanoes.
Enjoy en-route lunch and continue to the park, check in at your lodge and spend the rest of the day at rest. Enjoy dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking Experience
Wake up early for breakfast and by 7:30 am, you arrive at the park headquarters to join other trekkers for a briefing session about gorilla trekking dos and don’ts. Then head into the forest looking for mountain gorilla on a trek of approximately 2 to 5 hours or more depending on the movement of the gorillas and where they spent their previous night.
Once you locate the gorilla troop, you will have one hour of being in presence of the primates, watch them play, feed, groom each other, and observe their life in the wild, their social dynamics and their sheer size and awe-inspiring power. Avoid flash photography.
Later trek back to the starting point to pick your gorilla trekking certificates, and return to your lodge for an evening of rest, reminiscing on the day’s experience.
Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After a leisurely breakfast, check out of your lodge and head to Queen Elizabeth National Park another amazing wildlife safari destination in Uganda. Along the journey you will drive through the Ishasha Sector, renowned for the rare tree climbing lions which you will see lounging on tree branches.
Enjoy lunch at your lodge after checking in and have a short rest. In the afternoon you will go for your first game drive exploring the savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Accommodation: Katara Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Safari
Start the day with an early morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most biodiverse wildlife sanctuaries in Uganda. The drive along the Kasenyi tracks offers prime opportunities to get up close to some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife, making it a must-experience on a classic Uganda Primates safari.
Expect to encounter large herds of elephants and buffaloes, an array of antelope species including Uganda kob, topi, and bushbucks.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a Kazinga Channel boat cruise. As your boat glides through the tranquil aters, you will see elephants ad buffaloes cooling off long the shores, while waterbuck and Uganda kobs graze nearly. Nile crocodiles lurk stealthily in the shallows waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Keep your camera ready, as this is one of the best places to witness predators and nocturnal creatures emerging as the afternoon fades into dusk. The birdlife along the Kazinga Channel is spectacular, with flocks of African fish eagles, kingfishers, herons and storks gracing the skies and shoreline.
After the experience, you will drive to Kibale Forest National Park arriving in the evening, check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Turaco Treetops
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest
Wake up early and arrive at the Kibale Forest Visitor Centre by 07:30 Am to embark on another exhilarating primate tracking adventure, a highlight of this 8 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari.
After the briefing you will head into the Kibale Forest searching for chimpanzees, along the way you will encounter other fascinating primates including the rare L’Hoest monkey, olive baboons, and grey-cheeked mangabeys all of which thrive in Kibale’ biodiverse rainforest. After locating the chimpanzees, you will send one hour in their presence watching them go on with their life in the forest, watch females groom each other, reinforcing the complex social bounds that define chimpanzee behavior.
After this extra ordinary encounter, trek back to through the forest and return to your lodge, where you can relax and reflect on the day’s unforgettable wildlife experience.
Accommodation: Turaco Treetops
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast, embark on a scenic drive through the picturesque Fort Portal countryside, with the Rwenzori Mountains gradually fading into the horizon as you leave western Uganda behind. Upon arrival in Entebbe, you will be dropped off at the airport for your flight back home
End of 8 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
Price includes
- Accommodation in mid-range-priced eco-lodges and meals as indicated in itinerary
- Permits: 1 gorilla permit ($800), 1 chimpanzee permit ($250)
- 1 domestic flight from Kasese Airport (Kibale) to Kisoro Airport (Bwindi)
- All excursions and activities as indicated in the itinerary under the supervision of a professional English-speaking guide.
- Ground transport and transfers in a 4×4 Custom Safari Landcruiser
- AMREF Evacuation Insurance cover
- Government taxes
- Travel insurance
Price Exclusions
- International flights
- Visa fees and processing
- Extra activities and meals not indicated in the itinerary
- Extra luggage on domestic flights
- Service tips, gratuities, souvenirs, and snacks
- Accommodation after the end of the trip
