Overview.
The 6 days Kibale and Bwindi primate safari offers a lifetime encounter to iconic primates (chimpanzees and mountain gorillas) in Uganda while in the wild. This is a special safari package designed for you to participate in chimpanzee tracking in rain-forests of Kibale Forest National Park – the Primate Capital of the World.
It also takes you through a trek to see the rare mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This park is a home to over 459 mountain gorillas, approximately half of the world’s 1063 individuals that are left in the worldwide today.
On this gorilla holiday tour, there is also an opportunity to engage in guided walks across Bigodi Wetland, game drives and boat cruise in the beautiful Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s second biggest park. Your primate trip begins and ends in Kampala/Entebbe.
Detailed itinerary.
Day 1: Drive to Kibale National Park
Have the best of your early morning breakfast in the hotel in Kampala/Entebbe. Later, transfer to Kibale Forest National Park through the Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal tourism city route. This trip takes approximately 5-6 hours’ drive and it includes lunch break in a hotel in Fort Portal Tourism City.
Upon early arrival in Kibale Forest, have a leisurely evening visit to the scenic Crater Lakes to enjoy the most breathtaking sceneries or go have a fun-filled on-foot-walk experience in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. A guided walk in this scenic swamp is a great chance for you to get up-close to diverse primates, birds, mammals and others. Also, you will interact with local residents, learn some of their traditions and lifestyles. A relaxed dinner and overnight stay will be had at the booked lodge.
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale – transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Expect to report in Kanyanchu Tourist/Visitor Centre early for briefing on chimpanzee tracking guidelines as soon as you are done taking your hot cup of tea or coffee. Over 13 primate species are concentrated in Kibale Forest National Park alone including 1500 chimpanzees.
Your trek will be done in one of the habituated chimpanzee communities in Kibale and usually, it starts at 8:00am immediately you are assigned an armed park guide. This may take 2-4 hours and you will have a magical sight of not only chimps but also diverse primates, birds, flora, butterflies, reptiles to mention but a few.
You will return to the lodge after exciting moment with chimpanzees for 1 hour which also includes photography. Have lunch, share your experiences with colleagues and then check out of the lodge ready to take 3 hours’ drive trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Dinner and overnight in the booked lodge.
Day 3: Game drive & boat cruise
Rise up early to have your morning breakfast and after, go for exciting game drive through Kasenyi Plains. It is 2-3 hours’ safari experience in full-size 4×4 rental car with pop-up roof for you to have the best view of lions, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, birds, leopards, warthogs and general breathtaking landscape. Retreat from game viewing experience and enjoy a leisurely lunch.
In the afternoon, take 2-3 hours’ boat cruise along the 42km Kazinga Channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George. Enjoy exceptional sights of the huge profusion of hippos, basking crocodiles and water birds – Queen Elizabeth National Park shelters over 620 bird species including shoebills, pelicans, flamingos. Have enjoyable dinner and comfortable stay at the lodge.
Day 4: Viewing tree climbing lions at Ishasha Area of Queen Elizabeth N/Park and drive to Bwindi
Have breakfast early in the morning and later, leave the lodge for Ishasha sector-enjoy the best view of tree climbing lions, Uganda Kobs, elephants, buffaloes, birds. Later, drive to Bwindi about 3 hours and en-route lunch break will be had at Savanna Resort Hotel. Dine and retire for the night in the reserved lodge.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Batwa encounter
After a leisurely cup of tea or coffee, get to any of Bwindi’s 4 trailheads (Nkuringo, Rushaga, Ruhija or Buhoma) for briefing on guidelines for gorilla trekking. This will be done at 7:00am and you will have a habituated gorilla group assigned to you for trekking, the park guide to lead you at 8:00am on actual trek.
Due to many unavoidable factors including nature of the habitat, location of mountain gorillas, a complete trek to see the rare mountain gorillas takes 2-6 hours including 1 hour of a close interaction and photography. After observing and exploring more about these rare apes, get back to the lodge to chill.
In the evening, don’t miss to engage in Batwa community walk. This lets you have close interaction with the forest dwellers-the Batwa pygmies, learn their ancient lifestyles as hunters and gatherers for over 500000 years. You will also be entertained as they dance before you and then you return for dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 6: From Bwindi National Park, drive back to Kampala/Entebbe
Have breakfast and later check out of the lodge, then drive from Bwindi back to Kampala/Entebbe about 8-9 hours. Interestingly, you have enroute stop visit at Equator crossing and lunch break at Igongo Cultural Centre. Arrive at Kampala/Entebbe early in the evening.
End of your 6 days Kibale and Bwindi primate safari
