The 15-Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Adventure Safari is a well paced travel plan tailored to offer you an ultimate adventure as you explore Uganda’s rich biodiversity and natural beauty. In here, we have lined up Uganda’s top safari highlights that range from the Big 5 wildlife experiences, to life-time trek experience up-close the mountain gorillas and chimpanzee in their natural rainforest homes. In between these highlights, are vast optional adventure opportunities for you to spice up your dream holiday adventure. Read onto day-to-day activities section below and contact us to fine-tune this plan to suit your taste and preferences.
15-Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Adventure Safari Highlights
On these 15-Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Adventure Safari, you will be led by our specialist guide and driver who posses a vast knowledge of Uganda and its cultures and natural diversity. Together, you will explore through national parks of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth NP and Lake Mbulo NP for an excellent Big 5 wildlife experience. In the untamed rainforests of Kibale Forest NP, you will trek along the chimpanzee as they forage, while further south in the rainforests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park you will take another thrill adventure trek to a face-to-face encounter with the mountain gorilla family in its natural rainforest home.
The adventure will continue on a moderate hike along the bamboo slopes of Mgahinga Gorilla NP to encounter a local Albertine endemic primate, the golden monkey, a high-altitude specialist restricted to these mountain ranges. This part of Uganda boasts some of the spectacular scenery in the region with towering terraced highlands, sparkling lakes and fruit markets. Your final return stretch to Entebbe/Kampala will be broken by a visit through Lake Mburo NP, Uganda’s smallest yet scenic of the savanna parks. One highlight will be a walking safari experience up-close and along the graceful Giraffe, herds of Eland, Impala, Zebras and excellent birdlife.
The hand-picked accommodation facilities are medium-range with excellent amenities including Wi-Fi and natural setting. Set up is self-contained tented or thatched cottage style with a shared or single sleeping arrangement options.
15-Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Adventure Safari – Full Itinerary
Day 1: Walking safari along the Rhinos and visit the Top Murchison of Falls
This morning, your drive guide will pick you from your hotel where after about 3.5hrs north-west of Kampala will visit the Ziwa rhino sanctuary, the only place in Uganda to see the rhinos in their natural habitat. On the sanctuary, you will be guided on foot by rangers through the savanna woodlands up-close and along the white rhinos as they forage. This rewarding nature walk will give you insights into the conservation efforts undertaken here to restock this Africa’s Big 5 member across its former range in Uganda. The walk duration lasts up to 2-hours.
From the walk, you will take a hot lunch break, thereafter transfer to the Murchison Falls NP, passing by the Top of the Falls on your way to the hotel set by the Nile river. Accommodation: Fort Murchison Lodge, FB
Days 2-3: Wildlife and Boat Safaris at Murchison Falls NP
Coming into the expansive Murchison Falls NP, highlights will include rewarding game viewing drives through the scenic palm-dotted savanna and wooded grasslands getting you up-close to Africa’s iconic wildlife. This Uganda’s biggest national park is a fully stocked wilderness paradise with a diversity of game including the Savanna Elephant, Buffalo, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Oribi, Kob, Deffassa Waterbuck, and the biggest population of Nubian Giraffe in East Africa. Predators include Lion, the elusive Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Side-stripped Jackal and many more.
While at Murchison Falls NP, you will take an afternoon boat cruise safari along the Victoria Nile getting up-close pods of hippo, Nile crocodile, elephants and an array of birdlife. The boat safari will further offer you incredible views of the Murchison Falls from below, as you watch the mighty Nile explode through a 7m wide crack in the rift valley escarpment rock, tumbling through a 40m long canyon to create the world’s most powerful waterfall. Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge, FB
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale NP
After breakfast this morning, you will embark on a scenic drive through a quite country side of Uganda revealing humble homesteads, quite towns, rolling hills, picturesque tea hill-sides and tropical forest patches. Mid-route of this scenic drive, you will have a hot lunch break at the local restaurant where you will have an option to taste a variety of local and traditional dishes. Later that afternoon, you will check in your lodge set on the edges of Kibale Forest. Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, FB
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking Experience and Bigodi Swamp Walk
On this chimpanzee tracking day, your guide will transfer you to the visitors’ center of Kibale Forest where upon arrival, will be received and briefed about the activity by the ranger guides. Thereafter, you will be grouped into small units and led on a trek into the forest interior where several chimpanzee communities might be feeding. Along the trail, the lead ranger guides and trackers will be looking out for signs and tracks, listening out for calls and drummings made by the chimps. On locating the them, you will be allowed one-hour to watch the social and similar-like traits of these charismatic species in their natural habitat. The mid-altitude Kibale Forest is a primate’s capital with up to 13-species including the chimpanzee. Tracking duration lasts between 3-6 hours including one-hour you spend observing and watching the chimpanzee.
That late afternoon, you will extend the nature walk through the community protected riverine forest of Bigodi set along Kibale Forest that offers close sightings of smaller monkeys and birds. The walk will then take you through the community, for a demonstrative coffee tour experience in one homestead plus women craft projects. Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, FB
Days 6-7: Wildlife experience and Boat Cruise Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Coming into the scenic Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), that lie along the rift valley floor, you will continue on a wildlife game viewing experiences across various habitats where characters include; Elephants, Cape buffalos, Kob, lion, leopard and more. The park is also Uganda’s premier bird hotspot, so expect to tick off a fraction of the local checklist of over 600 bird species here. Beyond the wildlife, you will take a scenic drive through the picturesque explosion craters area to appreciate stunning landscape scenery that spreads across these plains and overlooking Africa’s highest mountain ranges; the Rwenzoris on the western horizon.
While at Queen Elizabeth NP, you will take a boat cruise safari on the Kazinga Channel known for the highest concentration of wildlife notably the densest population of hippos. The 2-hour boat cruise safari follows the channel banks bringing you up-close to herds of savanna elephants, buffalos, giant forest hogs, the Nile crocodile and excellent birdlife occur. Accommodation: Twins Lake Lodge, FB
Days 8-9: Wildlife Experience in Ishasha Sector
Coming into the Ishasha sector on the southern edge of Queen Elizabeth NP, you will take game drives to seek out the local tree climbing Lions prides that habitually lounge up various fig tree branches during the heat of the day. Other mega game to encounter include; the Kob, Topi, Buffalo, Elephants and Common Warthogs. And do not miss that sunrise and sunset views over Ishasha grasslands – a stunning sight to behold. Accommodation: Enjojo Lodge, FB
Day 10: Scenic drive onto south of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast, your guide will pick you for a scenic transfer drive onto your lodge set on the edges of L. Murehe south of the gorilla forest of Bwindi. The winding drive runs along and through the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where sighting of the rare endemic L’hoest Monkey are likely. The drive will be punctuated with scenic breaks to view the terraced and fertile Kigezi highlands distant volcanic mountain ranges, and heavy cultivated valley bottoms. It is these highlands that wowed early explores to nicknamed this region as “the Switzerland of Africa”. Accommodation: L. Murehe Safari Lodge, FB
Day 11: Gorilla Tracking Experience
This early morning, we transfer to the gorilla tracking briefing area. A safety briefing will be followed by a gorilla group allocation to which you will trek to across this vast rainforest. At this moment you will be asked to confirm if you carried enough drinking water, rain gear, have appropriate clothing and packed lunch. On the trailhead, rangers will advised you take a porter if you may, to help carry that heavy backpack on the trek. Even if you’re able to carry your own backpack, hiring a porter is another way to support the community that surround these fragile gorilla forests.
Rangers will thereafter lead you to a designated gorilla family where activity duration varies between 4 and 7 hours or more depending on the day and the home range of the gorillas. On locating the group, you will get to spend up to an-hour observing, photograph and just being in accompany of these gentle apes.
That evening time at the lodge will be at your pleasure. Accommodation: L. Murehe Safari Lodge, FB
Day 12: Golden Monkey Tracking
This morning you will head out the Golden monkey trekking experience. Arriving at the trailhead, you will go through the similar briefing and registration process like on other primates experience you undertook. Ranger guides will lead on a trek to the bamboo zone at about 2500m asl where the golden monkey troops range. The golden monkey is an Albertine endemic restricted to the Virunga mountain ranges that encompasses Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla NP where two large groups of this charismatic primate are habituated for tourism. Highly mobile and social, golden monkeys occur in large troops of over 100 individuals with an alpha-male on top. Across its range, the golden monkey’s diet consist mainly of bamboo shoots and leaves. On locating them, you will spend up to One-hour to observe the diverse social behavior and photography. Activity duration varies between 4-6hours.
Back at the lodge, the evening time will be at your leisure . Accommodation: L. Murehe Safari Lodge, FB
Days 13-14: Game drives and Walking safari Walk at Lake Mbulo
From the scenic gorilla highlands, you will come into the savanna woodland park Lake Mburo set halfway the journey to Entebbe. In this smallest of Uganda’s savanna parks, you will take immersive game drives to come up-close to giraffes, topi, common eland, the shy bushbuck and buffalo.
Our major highlight however will be a guided nature walk up-close the big game. On foot, you will explore the unspoilt wilderness that you would normally miss while in the game vehicle. Your ranger guide will call your attention to tracks and markings left by local wildlife, interpret calls and vegetation for you and explain a variety of insights on the local ecosystem. Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock, FB
Day 15: Transfer to Entebbe
After breakfast this morning, you will have an option to visit a local cattle keeping homestead to learn and discover tradition that surround the treasured Ankole Long-horned Cattle. This engaging activity is a hands-on experience where you get to milk by hand these cows, learn the local traditions on milk churning and graze. Activity will run up to 2hrs, thereafter, you will have a short time to refresh at the lodge and transfer to Entebbe. Depending on your flight plan, your guide will drop you at the airport or hotel of your choice. End.
15-Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Adventure Safari/Tour Includes
- A 4-WD car with a Nature-guide driver
- All accommodations mentioned
- All activities mentioned
- All boat fees
- All park entrances
- Chimp tracking Permit
- Gorilla Tracking permit
- golden Monkeys tracking fees
- Bottled Mineral water
15-Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Adventure Safari/Tour Excludes
- Tips and gratuities
- Accommodation on arrival and departure days
- Items of personal nature
- Frights to and from Uganda
- Travel insurance
- Drinks and meals other than mentioned