12 Days Uganda Primate Safari

Detailed Itinerary of 12 Days Safari Tour in Uganda

Day 1: Country of Origin – Entebbe (International flight)

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, one of our guides will pick you up and transfer you to a hotel within Entebbe town located at the shores of Lake Victoria.

Entebbe is a peaceful and tranquil town; you can ask the guide to drop you off at the mall or craft shops in case you need anything before the trip.

(Lodging in Entebbe)

Day 2: Entebbe – Ziwa – Murchison Falls National Park 

After breakfast from a hotel in Entebbe, you will be transferred towards the northern part of the country via Ziwa rhino sanctuary, where you will have a wilderness encounter with the only white rhinos found in Uganda.

The journey will continue towards Murchison Falls National Park with lunch on the way. Then, the group will check in at the lodge in Murchison Falls National Park.

(Lodging in Murchison Falls National Park)

Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park 

Murchison Falls National Park is the oldest and largest conservation area in Uganda, boasting spectacular landscapes and exotic wildlife, making it a famous tourism destination.

On this day you will go for an early morning game drive at the park and get a chance to spot some of the wildlife species found in Murchison, such as buffalos, elephants, lions, Uganda Kobs, and leopards. Hartebeests, hyenas, bushbucks, warthogs, waterbucks, giraffes, and zebras are among the rest.

After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch, then go for a launch boat cruise at the Victoria Nile River, cruising to the great Murchison Falls, also often referred to as the devil’s cauldron. 

The mighty Nile River compresses through a circumscribed gorge, tumbling into a 43-meter thunderous waterfall beautiful to behold. Murchison Falls is the strongest waterfall in the world.

During the boat cruise, you will come across lots of hippos, crocodiles, and water birds and view several animals like elephants cooling off or drinking at the riverbanks.

At the base of the waterfalls, you will disembark the boat and hike to the top of the falls, get close to nature, and observe the world’s strongest waterfalls up close.

The hike to the top takes about 45 minutes to an hour. You will find the vehicle at the top, and you will be transferred back to the lodge through a game drive.

(Lodging in Murchison Falls)

Day 4: Murchison Falls National Park – Kibale National Park

After breakfast at the lodge, you will be transferred to Kibale Forest National Park via Hoima, passing through beautiful countryside with splendid views of Lake Albert and the Great Rift Valley.

Lunch will be a picnic en route to Kibale. After arriving at Kibale, you will check in at the hotel, relax, and have dinner, then go to bed and get ready for chimpanzee tracking the next day.

(Lodging in Kibale)

Day 5: Kibale National Park – Queen Elizabeth National Park

On this day, you will wake up early in the in morning and have breakfast at the hotel, and then be taken to the park headquarters for a briefing before you embark on your journey to Kibale Forest in search of chimpanzees. 

Kibale Forest National Park has often been referred to as the primate capital of the world because it has the highest concentration of primates on earth!

Apart from Chimpanzees, you will be able to spot other species of primates like grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, red colobus monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, and many others.

Kibale Forest National Park also hosts 370 species of birds, of which 23 are Albertine rift endemics. After chimpanzee tracking, you will go to the lodge for lunch and then continue your adventure to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

(Lodging in Queen Elizabeth)

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular national park in Uganda, home to the famous tree-climbing lions not found elsewhere on earth except Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania.

You will go for a morning game drive at Kasenyi Plains and around the Mweya Peninsula of Queen after breakfast at the lodge. During the game drive, you can spot various species of the 95 species of animals, like African buffalo, warthogs, waterbucks, spotted hyenas, African elephants, lions, spotted hyenas, and waterbucks, to name a few.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a birders paradise, boasting over 600 species of birds recorded, so bird enthusiasts can see several species of birds in the park. 

In the afternoon, you will go for a boat cruise at the spectacular Kazinga Channel, which is a 32-kilometer-wide channel natural channel linking Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel hosts the largest concentration of hippos in the world with numerous crocodiles while attracting a lot of wildlife, especially in the afternoon hours.

(Lodging in Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park/Ishasha

After early morning breakfast at the lodge, you will drive through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park; this is where you are likely to spot the famous tree-climbing lions and large herds of African elephants.

You will arrive at the lodge late afternoon, relax, have dinner, and sleep.

(Lodging in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Day 8: Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth —Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga National Park

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, depending on the gorilla trekking permit. The drive will take you through panoramic landscapes transforming from vast savannah to rolling green hills and moist gorilla rainforests.

Check in at the lodge and prepare for an exciting gorilla trekking activity the next day.

(Accommodation in Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park)

Day 9: Bwindi National Park/Mgahinga National Park 

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species of primates inhabiting the Virunga range massif region and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. They cannot survive for long in captivity like other gorilla species, so you have to visit them in their natural habitat. 

You will need to wake up very early in the morning for breakfast at the lodge and then move to the park headquarters for a briefing and allocation of habituated mountain gorilla families before trekking mountain gorillas in the wilderness.

You will be accompanied by an experienced and knowledgeable range guide to the forests; once you find the habituated gorilla family, you will be given 1 hour for observation and taking photos. It’s very important to follow rules and regulations during gorilla trekking.

The time for trekking will depend on the location of the gorilla family and the pace of the group. After trekking gorillas, you will go back to the lodge for lunch, and then those interested (optional, not included in the price) can visit the indigenous Batwa Pygmy people.

The Batwa used to live together with mountain gorillas in the rainforests before they were driven out as the parks were established; nevertheless, their way of life has not yet changed from the ancient times, and you can visit the people and learn more about their culture and way of life.

(Accommodation in Bwindi or Mgahinga)

Day 10: Bwindi National Park – Lake Mburo National Park

After early morning breakfast at the lodge, you will be transferred to Lake Mburo National Park through the Kigezi Hills and outstanding countryside landscapes. You will be amused by the long-horned Ankole cattle, different from the usual common cattle.

You will arrive at the lodge at lunchtime and then go for a game drive at Lake Mburo National Park after eating. Lake Mburo is the only Savannah National Park that you can explore on foot, bike, or horse while in Uganda. It’s a habitat for wildlife such as zebras, topis, elands, impalas, buffalos, and many others.

(Accommodation in Lake Mburo)

Day 11: Lake Mburo National Park—Entebbe

On this day after breakfast, you can go for a nature-guided walk around Lake Mburo National Park accompanied by a ranger guide. You will return to the lodge for breakfast after the nature walk and then transfer to Kampala, stopping over at the equator for lunch and photos.

(Accommodation in Entebbe)

Day 12: International Flight

On this day, you will have breakfast at the hotel, and depending on your flight, you can engage in some activities around Entebbe town (optional, not included in the price) or check out of the hotel and be transferred to the airport for a flight.