Safari Overview:
The 10 Days Uganda Primate Safari is one of the interesting safari packages organized to bring out the best in the most popular Uganda safari destinations of Kibale Forest National Park dubbed the primate capital of the world, Queen Elizabeth National park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as well as Lake Mburo National Park. The blend of gorilla trekking experience and boat cruise in Lake Bunyonyi will give you a thrilling interlude to mark lifetime memories of this Uganda primate safari. The 10 Days Uganda Primate safari tour will involve you Awesome game drives where you might be able to confront true African wildlife including lions, elephants, buffalo, antelopes, among others, boat cruise on the Nile, Kazinga Channel and Lake Bunyonyi can hardly be equated to any recreational activity in a natural setting. The gorilla trekking and chimpanzee trekking encounters give a complete taste of ancient primates and the environments which they have survived for number of decades.
Safari Highlights:
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park, afternoon Fort Portal Crater Lake hike and visit the Amabere g’ Nnyinamwiru caves.
Day 2: Do morning Chimpanzee trekking & Bigodi wetland walk in the afternoon
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Do afternoon boat cruise
Day 4: Do morning game drive & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 5: Do gorilla trekking & an evening Cultural encounter with the Batwa Communities.
Day 6: Transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Lake Bunyonyi & Do afternoon boat cruise
Day 7: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo National Park & Afternoon boat trip.
Day 8: Do morning Game drive & Transfer to Kampala with stopover at the Uganda Equator.
Day 9: Transfer from Kampala to Jinja & enroute forest walk at Mabira Forest Reserve.
Day 10: Kampala City Tour- City tour to Cultural, Religious and Historical Attractions.
Detailed Safari Itinerary:
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park, afternoon Fort Portal Crater Lake hike and visit the Amabere g’ Nnyinamwiru caves.
Following your early morning breakfast in your respective Kampala hotel, you will depart Kampala driving on the south western direction to Fort Portal 332km about 4-5 hours’ drive. The drive will take you through the impressive country side landscapes with rural setting and local populations. Arrive in Fort Portal town for lunch after which you will continue to do the Fort Portal Crater Lake Hike to gain impressive views of the Fort Portal explosion crater. You will also visit the Amabere g’ Nnyinamwiru caves with a magical Nyakasura River falling over them forming beautiful water fall. The caves have breast like features which the locals attach a great cultural connotation and are thought to date back to the Chwezi era. Retreat from the activity and get to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Kyaninga Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (Mid-range/Standard) or Rwenzori View Guesthouse (Budget/Basic).
Day 2: Do morning Chimpanzee trekking & Bigodi wetland walk in the afternoon
Immediately after taking an early morning breakfast, you will be will be transferred to Kanyanchu headquarters for early morning briefing about rules and regulations to follow while participating in Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park. Thereafter, you will walk through the forest with an experienced guide who will be enlightening you about both wildlife and plants life. Immediately you encounter the primates, you will be allowed one memorable hour to interact with the primates. The Chimpanzees will lure you in a state of amazement as they swing through the branches, make pant hooting calls, play with each other, and imitate your body language along with other features that will make your one full hour with them a memorable experience of its own. Retreat from the activity which tends to take 2 – 5 hours to embark on the transfer to Bigodi wetland. The Bigodi wetland, lies in close distance to the park thus connecting there is less hectic. The Bigodi wetland walk exposes you to typical eco –tourism encounter in Uganda. The impressive flora and fauna existing along with the local community is indeed rewarding to encounter. The sights of great blue turaco and the Sitatnga may not be missed. Retreat from the activity back to lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Kyaninga Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (Mid-range/Standard) or Rwenzori View Guesthouse (Budget/Basic).
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Do afternoon boat cruise
Have a relaxed breakfast and thereafter, embark on the transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park 157km about 3 hours’ drive excluding stops en route. You will make a stop at Rwenzori Art foundation – the only bronze casting center in Africa in the shadows of Rwenzori Mountains. The process of sculpture making of which you will be free to participate in will be rewarding. The extension to visit the Ruboni community wax and craft center expose you the local traditions and the applicability of indigenous knowledge to contemporary development. Continue to the Queen Elizabeth NP, drive through the crater are with possible views of the olive baboons and elephants not forgetting magical sceneries before connecting to Mweya for an afternoon Kazinga Channel boa cruise which will offer you possibilities of encountering Hippos, Nile crocodiles , wild game drinking on the channel side and counts of water birds. Retire in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Do morning game drive & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
On this particular day, you will wake up very early in the morning like at 6:00am, take your cup of coffee and embark on the game drive at 6:30am in the rolling savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive will take you through Kasenyi with the opportunities of encountering the nocturnal wildlife species when they are retiring back to their hiding grounds. Early morning game drive may also enable you to confront the early morning wildlife risers when they are starting their daily activities of searching for food. The ranges of wild game which may be encountered during the game drive include the elusive leopard, defassa waterbuck, Uganda kob, Side stripped Jackal; Oribis elephants, lions, buffaloes, Antelopes among others. After 3 -4 hours of game drive, you will retreat back to the starting point. Thereafter, embark on the interesting drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive will take you through the prominent Ishasha sector where you will have possibilities of encountering tree climbing lions that tend to lie on the branches of fig trees. Have your stopover for Lunch at Ishasha and thereafter continue with the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Chameleon Hill Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Gorilla Mist Camp (Midrange/Standard) or Broadbill Forest Camp (Budget/Basic).
Day 5: Do gorilla trekking & an evening Cultural encounter with the Batwa Communities.
Immediately after an early morning breakfast, you will proceed to the Park headquarters for registration and join other trekkers in an early morning briefing about the etiquettes of Gorilla Trekking at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. As soon as the briefing is done, you will enter the jungle to trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas. The trek may take you between 2-8 hours to encounter the Mountain gorillas and this will mainly depend on the movement of the apes. The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. Once up-close to the apes, you will be given one magical hour to View and interact with these stunning apes plus taking photographs. Retire back to the starting point after the one hour and proceed to your lodge for a late lunch and relaxation. After relaxation, you will be driven to the nearby Batwa community for memorable, refreshing cultural encounter. Here you will be guided by a local guide who will take you to the different communities to see how people have managed to survive through farming. You will see how local brew is processed from fresh Bananas and forest remedies to get beer and Waragi and also enjoy the performances done by the local Batwa women groups. After that interesting cultural encounter, you will drive back to your respective lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Chameleon Hill Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Gorilla Mist Camp (Midrange/Standard) or Broadbill Forest Camp (Budget/Basic).
Day 6: Transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Lake Bunyonyi & Do afternoon boat cruise
After an early morning breakfast, you will depart Bwindi driving through the fascinating Kigezi Highlands for an afternoon boat cruise, relaxation, dinner and overnight in Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is another major tourist stopover that is undeniably amazing. It is the second deepest lake in Africa; it contains lots of the tasty crayfish, so get set for a culinary delight. On arrival to Lake Bunyonyi, you will drive to your lodge to check-in and lunch. After lunch, proceed to catch up with the afternoon boat cruise, you may also participate in other activities such as swimming in the bilharzia free waters of Bunyonyi .After exploring the different adventurous activities in Lake Bunyonyi, you will retire to your lodge to chill in the fire place while enjoying cool evening of Bunyonyi.
Accommodation: Birdnest @Lake Bunyonyi Resort (Upmarket/Luxury), Lake Bunyonyi Eco-resort (Midrange/Standard) or Byoona Amagara Island Retreat (Budget/Basic
Day 7: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo National Park & Afternoon boat trip.
After an early morning breakfast, you will embark on drive transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo national park drive distance of 199 kilometers. The drive will take you through the rolling winding hills and terraced landscapes of western region and head to the Lake Mburo National Park. Upon your arrival at Lake Mburo National Park, you will have your lunch and afterwards proceed to catch-up with the afternoon boat cruise which sets of 2:30pm on the magnificent waters of Lake Mburo. The boat trip may offer you opportunities of encountering the wild game such as Hippos, Nile Crocodiles and a range of water birds such as the colorful Kingfishers, magnificent Fish Eagles, Hammerkops and their enormous nests and even the prehistoric-looking Shoebill. Retreat back from the activity to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Mihingo Safari Lodge (Luxury), Arcadia Cottages Mburo (Mid-Range), Eagle’s Nest (Budget).
Day 8: Do morning Game drive & Transfer to Kampala with stopover at the Uganda Equator.
Following an early morning breakfast, embark on the interesting game drive through the park in search of wild game. The connection of game tracks found in the eastern part of the park passes through a variety of beautiful landscape such as acacia woodland, wetlands vegetation, savannah grassland which supports the survival of different wildlife grazers including gigantic eland antelope, zebras, waterbucks, Klipspringer and the rare Topi, impala, warthog, oribi, buffalo, Defassa reedbuck. After the activity, you will retire back to the park headquarters and then proceed with the drive to Kampala. On your way, you will by-pass Mpigi village, famous for the Royal Drums Makers and of course the Ugandan Equator, where you will have stopover for photo shot, water experiment and shop for a souvenir. Thereafter, you will advance with the drive to Kampala. On your arrival to Kampala, the driver guide will take you direct to your Kampala hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Kampala Serena Hotel (Luxury/Upmarket), Humura Resort (Mid-Range/Standard), Buziga Country Resort (Budget/Basic).
Day 9: Transfer from Kampala to Jinja & enroute forest walk at Mabira Forest Reserve.
After your early morning breakfast, depart Kampala driving along Kampala- Jinja highway 80km about 1-2 hours’ drive without enroute stopovers. The drive journey to Jinja will take you through small townships of Mukono were you can also find Ssezibwa falls one of the famous Buganda Heritage Sites where many natives flock for blessings, wealth, and fortunes. You will have stopover at Mabira Forest to explore the only forest reserve in Uganda with over 300 bird species as well as some endangered species of over 218 butterflies, monkeys, plants and 312 trees species. Thereafter, you will advance with the drive through Lugazi decorated with green tea, coffee and sugar plantations to Sunset Hotel in Jinja where you will have second stopover for lunch. After lunch, you take boat ride to the mighty source of the Nile which is tranquil place, dotted with beautiful tropical pants, palm trees and magnificent eye attracting white roaring water of the mighty Nile. As you stand on the Nile, you can hear the gurgling water, watch fishermen throwing their nets. Upon reaching the point where the source of the Nile originates, embark on taking wonderful photos for future memories; stand in the Nile while enjoying the views of different bird species including the King Fisher. After the worthwhile experience, retreat back to the starting point and thereafter continue with the drive back to Kampala.
Accommodation: Kampala Serena Hotel (Luxury/Upmarket), Humura Resort (Mid-Range/Standard), Buziga Country Resort (Budget/Basic).
Day 10: Kampala City Tour- City tour to Cultural, Religious and Historical Attractions.
Immediately after taking your early morning Cup of Coffee, you will be picked up by your experienced guide and embark on City tour. Kampala Capital city is a unique destination of its own and thus taking Uganda safari without exploring the City makes your Uganda Safari Incomplete. The city is a hub of various attractions ranging from historical to cultural and religious attractions. The City tour encounter will take your through different Kampala sites such as Namirembe and Rubaga Cathedrals local with in Kampala Center, Baha’i temple- the only one in Africa situated in Kikaya Hill overlooking Kampala City, Gadhafi Mosque dubbed after late president Gadhafi’s contribution to its construction .The safari then links you to famous Cultural attractions like Kasubi tombs, Kabaka’s palace, Kabaka’s Lake, historical monuments and museums like the Uganda National Museum, National buildings like the parliament, educational Institutions like Makerere University, Traditional hospitals like Mulago hospital, Mengo and Nsambya hospitals. However, Due to the fact that all these attractions cannot explore in one single day, you will be required to choose the ones you can tour in one day. After exploring the City tour, you will retire back to your Kampala hotel or Entebbe international Airport for your scheduled flight back home.