8-Daagse Chimpansees-, Gorilla- en Gouden Aap Trekking Safari in Oeganda

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to hotel for overnight

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, a nation of stunning greenery, deep lakes, soaring mountains, and rich biodiversity. Transfer to your hotel for overnight.

• Accommodation at Cassia lodge or similar
• Meal plan: Bed and breakfast

Day 2: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

This morning after your breakfast, you will embark on a scenic drive to Kibale Forest National Park. This park is nicknamed “the primate capital of the world” with the stars being the chimpanzees but it also has other primates like the red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, l’host monkeys. For the birders, it is rich in birdlife with the breasted pitta being one of the highly sought-after birds on a bird-watching safari in Uganda.

You will have a hot lunch and later go for the Bigodi Swamp sanctuary walk, run by the community to support them. Expect to see butterflies, beautiful birds like the great blue turaco, and other small animals. There are about 200 bird species in this beautiful Bigodi Swamp. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

• Accommodation at Turaco treetops or similar
• Meal plan: Lunch, dinner, breakfast

Day 3: Chimp trekking and Crater Lakes hike

After your breakfast, your guide will drive you to the park headquarters for a briefing about your chimpanzee tracking experience. This guided trek through Kibale Forest provides an incredible opportunity to witness the daily life of these chimpanzees. The experience of watching them in their natural habitat is both thrilling and educational, offering insights into their complex social structures and behaviors. Kibale Forest is also home to a variety of other wildlife, including forest elephants, buffalo, and over 300 species of birds, making it a must-visit destination for nature enthusiasts and wildlife photographers alike.

Later, you will go for a Crater Lakes hike. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

• Accommodation at Turaco treetops or similar
• Meal plan: Lunch, dinner, breakfast

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After a hearty breakfast, you will be driven to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to elephants, lions, hippos, buffalo, and baboons. You will take a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, 32 km long followed by a game drive. This water system has a very high concentration of hippos and you will get quite close to them. See also crocodiles, buffalos, and other game that drink from the channel, also marvel at the abundant ornitho-life that is supported here.

• Accommodation at Twinlakes Safari lodge or similar
• Meal plan: Lunch, dinner, breakfast

Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

This day you will have breakfast and then be transferred to your accommodation in Bwindi Forest, home to over half of the world’s mountain gorillas. As you make your way through the picturesque landscapes, you'll get your first glimpse of the green, mountainous terrain that makes Bwindi a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Check in at the lodge, relax, and unwind as you prepare for the extraordinary experiences that await you in Bwindi.

• Accommodation at Gorilla Leisure lodge or similar
• Meal plan: Lunch, dinner, breakfast

Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Batwa (pygmies) cultural experience

In the morning you enter the rain tropical forest of Bwindi for the gorilla safari. The activity starts at 8 a.m. and you will follow the ranger guides in a group of a maximum of 8 people as you search for the habituated family of mountain gorillas, which was allocated according to the permits. Bwindi Forest in Uganda has a population of about 420 gorillas, which is half the world's population. It is not predictable the time you will spend to encounter the gorillas. You have one hour to observe the primates and their behaviors, while taking photographs. Ensure you take the packed lunch and water with you in the bag and for this, you might need the support of available porters.

Return to the lodge for relaxation. Later in the day, you will go for the Batwa (pygmies) cultural tour. While here, you will learn of their ancient ways of living. These people once shared the forest with the mountain gorillas. Return to the lodge for overnight.

• Accommodation at Gorilla Leisure lodge or similar
• Meal plan: Lunch, dinner, breakfast

Day 7: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After enjoying an early breakfast, depart to Mgahinga Gorillas National Park. After a briefing at the headquarters, you will set off to track the rare golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. The monkeys travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots. This park also has mountain gorillas. It is from this that this park gets it tagline, “where Gold meets Silver”.

The adventure continues as you spend one night at Lake Mburo National Park. The 371 sq km park is an extension of the Tanzanian Plains and has distinctly different fauna compared to other Ugandan parks. It is the best place in the country to see Eland Antelope, Zebra, Topi, Impala, and Acacia. The five lakes within the park attract hippos, crocodiles, and a variety of water birds while fringing swamps hide black and yellow papyrus gonalek. Have a game drive then return to the lodge.

• Accommodation at Rwakobo Rock lodge or similar
• Meal plan: Lunch, dinner, breakfast

Day 8: Walking safari then head to Entebbe for outbound flight

After breakfast, you will go for a walking safari in the park and then head to Entebbe. You will have lunch at a local restaurant and then the Uganda Equator line mark in Kayabwe for some memorable photos and maybe buy some art pieces of interest. Proceed with the journey arriving just in time for your flight check-in. They hope you enjoy your safari and thank you for choosing Katella Uganda Safaris.