15 Day Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Wildlife Safari

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda and airport pick up

Your safari begins today with arrival at Entebbe International Airport. Your driver guide will be waiting for you at the airport to welcome you to Uganda. Your guide will then transport you to your hotel in Entebbe for the night.

• Journey time: 15 minutes
• Accommodation: Luxury - Hotel No.5 | Mid-range: Best Western Garden Hotel | Budget - African Roots Guest House
• Meal plan: Dinner

Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park and rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

You will have an early breakfast at the hotel, after which you will start the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. You will set off from the hotel at 7:00 a.m. so as to be in time for your rhino trekking. The drive to the park takes you through the beautiful scenery and landscape of Uganda. You stopover for lunch in Masindi town, which is located along the way to the park. You will have a stopover for rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

At the sanctuary office, you will be taken through a briefing by your ranger guide about the trek guidelines. You then start your trek on foot to meet the rhinos. You have opportunities to take photos of the rhinos and watch them as they feed. After the trek, you proceed with your journey. On arrival at the park, check in at the lodge and have dinner.

• Journey time: 6 hours
• Accommodation: Luxury - Anyadwe House | Mid-range - Pakuba Safari Lodge | Budget - Fort Murchison
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 3: Game drive, boat safari, and hike to the top of the falls

You will leave the lodge as early as 6:00 a.m. for the morning game drive which will take place in the northern section of the park. In the afternoon, you will head for a boat ride on the River Nile at 2:00 p.m. Animals that can be seen while on the boat cruise include crocodiles, hippos, gigantic monitor lizards, elephants that can usually be seen playing in the water, antelope species, and water birds. The animals usually come to the river to drink water and cool off under the afternoon scorching sun.

The boat continues to the base of the waterfalls falls where you get off the boat and start the hike to the top of the falls. The top of the falls offers breathtaking views and opportunities to take great photos of the waterfalls and the ever-present rainbow at the falls. The hike takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Your driver guide will be waiting for you to take you back to the lodge after this experience.

• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Today, you check out of your lodge and then travel to Kibale Forest National Park, which is also referred to as the primate capital of East Africa. The drive to the park offers scenic views of Uganda’s landscape and vegetation. On arrival at Kibale, you check in and have lunch. After lunch, your driver guide will take you to visit the Fort Portal crater lakes located near the park, where you will capture great photos and return to the lodge later for dinner.

• Journey time: 5 hours
• Accommodation: Luxury - Ndali Lodge | Mid-range: Turaco Treetops | Budget: Chimpanzee Guest House
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park and Bigodi wetland in the afternoon

Have breakfast at the lodge early in the morning, and then your driver guide will transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing from your ranger guide. After the briefing, you start the journey into the rainforest as you look out for the chimpanzee, man’s closest relatives. Once you locate the chimps, you will spend one hour with them as you watch them hop around the tree branches, feed, play, and feed their young ones.

You will also be able to capture great shots of the chimpanzee during this time. After this, you trek back to the starting point. In the afternoon, you go on the Bigodi swamp walk. The wetland walk ends with visiting the community to get a look into the culture and life of the locals that live on the edge of Kibale forest. The revenue from this ecotourism site is put back into the community through different projects.

• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 6: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Today, you will check out of your lodge in Kibale National Park and then travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Once you arrive at the park, you check in and spend the rest of the day relaxing at the lodge.

• Optional activity: Community walk and tour
• Journey time: 2 hours
• Accommodation: Luxury - Kyambura Gorge Lodge | Mid-range: Kikorongo Safari Lodge | Budget: Bush Lodge
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 7: Morning game drive and boat ride on Kazinga Channel

You will go on an early morning game drive in the park after having breakfast at the lodge. The game drive will take place in Kasenyi plains, as this is where you get the best game viewing opportunities. Wildlife to look out for includes hyenas, lions, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, and antelope species, among other animals. Your afternoon will be spent on a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel.

The boat ride offers great opportunities to look out for water birds, hippos, huge monitor lizards, crocodiles that like to sunbathe on the shores, elephants that like to play in the water, and antelopes as they come to the shores to drink water in the afternoon. The boat cruise takes two hours and offers you a relaxing afternoon taking on the cool breeze while on the boat.

• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 8: Travel to Ishasha for tree-climbing lions

Today you will travel to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will go on a game drive in search of the tree-climbing lions in Ishasha with your ranger guides. The lions can be seen hanging and relaxing in the fig trees while they escape the afternoon scorching sun and the biting flies. Other animals to be spotted include topis, buffalo, and elephants.

• Journey time: 2 hours
• Accommodation: Luxury - Ishasha Wilderness Camp | Mid-range - Ishasha Jungle Lodge | Budget - Enjojo Lodge
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 9: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, you check out of your lodge and then travel to Bwindi National Park. The journey further offers stunning views of Uganda’s beautiful landscape.

• Optional activity: Community tour
• Journey time: 5 hours
• Accommodation: Luxury - Chameleon Hill Lodge | Mid-range - Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge | Budget - Rushaga Gorilla Camp
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 10: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park

Today morning, you will have breakfast at the lodge, and then you will be taken to the park headquarters, which is the starting point of mountain gorilla trekking. You will receive a briefing from your ranger guide with guidelines on the trek and how to behave around the gorillas. After this, you will be given walking sticks for support as you trek in the forest, and you will also be able to get porters who can be hired at a fee of 15 USD to carry your luggage for the day. They advise that you hire a porter because the gorilla trek can be strenuous and hectic, hence the need for extra help.

The park guides will lead you through the rainforest in search of these endangered species. Once you locate the mountain gorillas, you are allowed to spend one hour with them. The gorilla trek is an exciting adventure, and watching the gorillas as they feed, move around, and play with their young ones is a rewarding experience. You will have an opportunity to capture your great shot of the mountain gorillas, and you are advised to turn off your camera flashlight when taking pictures.

• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 11: Travel to Lake Bunyonyi

You will have breakfast at the lodge, and after that, you will start the journey to Lake Bunyonyi.

• Journey time: 2.5 hours
• Accommodation: Mid-range - Bird’s Nest@Bunyonyi | Budget - Crater Bay Cottages
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 12: Canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi

Today you will go on a canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi. The motorized canoe ride offers you spectacular views of the scenery and landscape of Uganda. While on the canoe ride, the site guide will tell you traditional stories about the different islands, with the most common story being about the punishment island. After this, you head to the lodge and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

• Optional activity: Community walk
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 13: Travel to Lake Mburo National Park

After a hearty breakfast at your lodge, you will head to Lake Mburo National Park. The park is the smallest savanna national park in Uganda, and this hidden gem offers excellent game viewing opportunities. On arrival, you will go on a short game drive where you will spot some wildlife in the park. Proceed to the lodge after this check-in and have dinner.

• Journey time: 4 hours
• Accommodation: Luxury - Mihingo Lodge | Mid-range - Rwakobo Rock | Budget - Eagle’s Nest
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 14: Morning game drive and boat ride on Lake Mburo

After an early breakfast, you will head into the park for the game drive. Lake Mburo offers excellent game viewing, and this guided morning game drive starts as early as 6:00 a.m., as morning hours are the best time to see animals. In the afternoon, you will go on a boat ride on Lake Mburo and take in the cool breeze of the lake. Animals to look out for while on the boat include hippos, crocodiles, other animals as they come to the lake to drink water, and several species of water birds. After this, you return to the lodge.

• Optional activity: Night game drive where you look out for the nocturnal animals which tend to be active at night.
• Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 15: Travel back to Kampala or Entebbe Airport

After you end your game drive, you will then travel back to Kampala with a stopover at the equator monument, where you will take photos and have lunch. On arrival, your driver guide will take you back to your hotel in Kampala or drop you off at the airport for your flight.

• Journey time: 3.5 hours
• Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch

About the safari

You begin your safari with Murchison Falls National Park, which is the largest national park, well known for its thunderous Murchison Falls, then head to Kibale Forest National Park, which is home to chimpanzees and has the biggest population of chimps in Uganda. After leaving Kibale National Park, you travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is the most popular savanna national park in Uganda and offers incredible sightings of wildlife in its savanna plains.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is also home to the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. The safari then continues to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the gorilla trekking before ending with Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest lake in Africa, and Lake Mburo National Park, which is the smallest savanna national park in Uganda with wonderful game viewing opportunities.