The 7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari packs in Uganda’s classic safari highlights including rewarding wildlife experience, trekking experience up-close the mountain gorilla and the chimpanzee in their natural habitats.
Safari Overview and Highlights
Untamed Wildlife Encounters
The 7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari begins with a transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park also Uganda’s second biggest national park that lie in the western rift valley floor. This biosphere park protects an impressive wildlife biodiversity across its plethora of habitats of savanna grasslands, woodlands, rainforests, rivers and lakes. Across this vast wilderness, game drive experiences will bring you into close-quarters of savanna elephants, buffalo, leopard and the famous tree climbing lions. A boat cruise safari along the Kazinga Channel will offer you up-close views to a wide range of aquatic wildlife and an excellent birdlife. On your last leg of this safari, you will wind up your wildlife experience in the savanna woodlands of Lake Mburo National Park where on a guided walking safari will come up-close to zebras, giraffes, common eland and Impalas on foot.
Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Experience
A mega highlight on these 7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari is a combined trek experience along two of the big apes in their natural habitats. The experience will begin in Queen Elizabeth NP, where on a guided trek through the unique underground tropical forest of Kyambura Gorge will encounter and spend time with a habituated community of chimpanzee. Further on the south-west region of Uganda, you will trek through the UNESCO heritage site of Bwindi Impenetrable NP to encounter the mountain gorilla family thriving in these ancient rainforests. A combined trek experience up-close these two closest-to-man relatives is dubbed a life-time adventure and the most humbling experience.
7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari Detailed Itinerary
Meet and Greet – Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will be met by our representative to transfer you to your hotel. At the hotel, you will have a short brief about the upcoming safari and time allowing, take a personal shopping tour in the town of Entebbe. Accommodation: Boma Hotel. BB
Days 1& 2: Exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park
Highlights: Game Viewing drives, Boat Cruise safaris, Chimpanzee and Scenery
The 7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari begins with a scenic transfer to a wonderful accommodation property set on the edges of the escarpment with rewarding views of Queen Elizabeth NP below. While in this Uganda’s second biggest park, your guide will lead you on a wildlife viewing experiences for up-close encounters to a plethora of wildlife including, elephants, lions, Cape buffalo, Kob, Waterbuck and more. This experience will extend while on a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel known for the densest population of hippo and other aquatic wildlife.
On your last morning here, you will be led on a guided trek experience along a community of chimpanzee in the underground tropical forest of Kyambura Gorge. The 18-km long Kyambura Gorge is a unique geographic feature that lies about 100m below the golden savanna surroundings and protects a strong habituated community of chimpanzee along other smaller primates. Appropriate dress code will be advised by your guide to prepare you for a trek. Once the chimps are located, you will be allowed only one-hour to observe, photography and admire similar human-like behavior these species display. The experience stretches between 4-6hrs. Accommodation and meal Plan Twins Lake Lodge FB
Days 3 & 4: Game drives for Tree climbing lions at Ishasha Sector
Highlights: Wildlife drives, Stunning Sunset and Sunrise Views
Coming into the scenic Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth NP you will overnight at a lovely accommodation set along the park edges. In here, you will take an evening and morning game drive experience across the scenic and game rich grasslands of Ishasha for a chance to encounter the impressive tree-climbing lions here. These lions are known to habitually lounge up fig tree branches during the heat of the day, a unique behavior different from the lions prides in the north sector of Queen Elizabeth NP. Other impressive wildlife here include, the Topi, Kob, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo among others.
On an evening drive, your guide will find an exclusive spot on the savannas where you will have a sundowner to enjoy the stunning views of the sunset over the western horizon. Accommodation: Enjojo Lodge, FB
Day 5: Tracking the Mountain Gorilla in the Bwindi Impenetrable NP
Highlights: Encountering the Mountain Gorilla
On this gorilla trekking day, your guide will check you in to the gorilla park visitor’s center where upon arrival, the park ranger guides will take you through a safety briefing on the activity. Thereafter, you will join other visitors into small units of 8 and be allocated a mountain gorilla family group to trek to. Coming on the trailhead, the rangers guides will inquire from you if you will need to hire a porter to help carry that backpack and even give you a hand on difficult trial. The porters are local support staff from communities around these gorilla forests allowed to earn a living directly from tourism as a way of sustainability. A minimum fee paid to these porters is only 20-USD payable at the end of the experience.
The trek will then begin with the lead ranger guide at the front across the rainforest into the home range of the allocated gorilla family. Upon locating them, you will be accorded one-full-hour with the gorillas, learning and watching different interactions of the group. The tracking duration experience varies daily but anything between 3hrs to 7hrs is normal. On return to the trailhead, you will be awarded a souvenir certificate to appreciate your support to the conservation efforts towards these endangered species. Back at your lodge, take a rest afternoon. Accommodation Plan: Haven Lodge Buhoma, Full Board
Days 6 & 7: Walking Safari at Lake Mburo NP
Highlights: Walking Safari along Giraffes, Zebras, and more
Leaving behind the gorilla highlands, you will come into Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda’s smallest of the savanna parks yet the most scenic. This acacia wooded park boasts an incredible wildlife including Topi, Bushbuck, Deffassa Waterbuck, Buffalos, Impala, Zebra amidst excellent birdlife associated to these woodlands and an impressive scenery.
On the morning before you transfer to Entebbe, you will take a thrilling guided walking safari through the woodlands and near the big angulates. Here you will to nature firsthand, watching small and intricate forms of life usually overlooked and unreachable during a safari vehicle experience. Your ranger guide will further point you to various tracks, signs and calls of the wild.
Thereafter, transfer to Entebbe with scenic and lunch stop at the Equator crossing. Accommodation and meal plan will depend on your flight plan.
7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari Inclusions
- A 4-WD tour vehicle with a guide/driver
- All accommodations and meal plan as mentioned
- 1 Chimpanzee and 1 Gorilla Tracking permits
- All park entrance and activity fees
- Bottled drinking water in the car
7-Days Uganda Wildlife and Primates Safari Excludes
- All activities mentioned as Optional
- Other drinks and meals other than mentioned
- Tips and gratuities
- Visas and flight costs
- Travel insurance
- Items of personal nature