The 8 days primates and wildlife safari is an amazing trip that will take you to Lake Mburo national park, where you can see animals like zebras, impala, eland, warthogs, giant forest hogs, buffaloes, and more. You will also go to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is in the southwest of Uganda. There, you can go gorilla trekking, which is a fun experience that lets you spend time with the endangered gorillas. You will also go to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will take a boat ride on Kazinga Channel and a game drive in Kasenyi Plains. You will go from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kibale National Park, where you can see chimpanzees in their native environment.
Highlights of the 8 days primates and wildlife safari.
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kampala.
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park.
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park.
Day 4: Gorilla trekking.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park.
Day 6: Game drive/ lion tracking and boat cruise.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale national park.
Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking and departure.
Detailed itinerary.Â
Day 1 of the 8 days primates and wildlife safari.
On the first day of 8 days primates and wildlife safari. Depending on what time you arrive, your safari-guide will meet you and give you an introduction about your trip. Then, he or she will take you to a hotel in Kampala. When you check into your hotel, you will relax. Depending on the time that you arrive, you can do Kampala city tour to various places like Uganda National Museum, Independence monument, Nakasero market, and among others with lunch. After you can get back to your hotel for dinner, evening relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park.
On the second day of your 8-day primates and wildlife safari, wake up early in the morning and take breakfast, after check out of the lodge and be driven to Lake Mburo national park by your driver-guide. On your way to the park, you’ll stop at the equator to take pictures, buy gifts and arts and crafts, and do other things. Then you’ll keep going to the park. When you get there, you’ll check into your lodge and eat lunch and then go on a game drive in the park in the afternoon. You’ll see zebras, topis, buffaloes, impala, bushbucks, warthogs, reedbucks, waterbucks, elands, and many other animals. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge, check in, have dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park.
On the third day of your 8-day primates and wildlife safari, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet your driver guide to go to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On your way, you’ll go through the towns of Mbarara and Kabale. Along the way, you’ll get amazing views of the Kigezi hills, the countryside, beautiful scenery, and homesteads, among other things with the lunch enroute in Kabale town. When you get there, you’ll go to your lodge, check in, and have evening relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park.
After an early breakfast on the fourth day of your 8-day primates and wildlife safari, you will carry a packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to go to the park offices for a briefing on the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will be put into groups of eight and given a gorilla family to trek with. You will also have a park guide who knows the trails in the forest. Gorilla trekking in the park can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours, based on where the gorillas are. Once you find them, you can spend an hour with them, learning about their habits and behaviors and taking photos and videos. After spending an hour with the gorillas, you’ll walk back to the park’s headquarters, and if you are still strong you can do cultural tours to visit the batwa in their homes, this is where you are going to interacting with them, and after that you’ll meet your driver-guide and be driven back to the lodge, for dinner, evening relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park.
On the fifth day of your 8-day primates and wildlife tour, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet your driver guide to go to Queen Elizabeth national park. You will go through Ishasha sector, where you can see tree-climbing lions sleeping on the tops of acacia and fig trees. You’ll stop for lunch on the way at Kitagata hot springs where you are going to view the hot natural healing water and observing the beautiful landscape, later embark into your journey then keep going to the park, where you’ll get great views of animals as you drive to the lodge. When you get there, you’ll check in, relax, and enjoy dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Game drive/ lion tracking and boat cruise.
After an early breakfast on the sixth day of your 8-day primates and wildlife safari, you will meet up with your driver guide and go on a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive, you can see elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, and many types of birds, such as grey crowned cranes, yellow throated long crows, red throat spur fowls, African white backed vultures, African wattled plovers, black bellied bustards, and black headed gonoleks, among others.
After the game drive, you will drive to Katwe Crater Lake, where you will meet some local people who get their living by taking rock salt from the lake. After the tour to Katwe Crater Lake, you’ll drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you’ll take an afternoon boat ride on the Kazinga channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The boat trip is planned to start at 2:00 pm and last about 2 hours. During the boat cruise, you will be able to get within metres of a large group of hippos and crocodiles in the water, see animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs on the shores of the lake, and see water birds like the saddle-billed stork, long-tailed cormorant, African shoebill, yellow-billed stork, pink-backed pelican, black crake, and others. After the boat ride, you’ll drive to the lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale national park.Â
On the seventh day of your 8-day primates and wildlife safari, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet your driver guide to go to Kibale national park. On the way, you’ll see the Rwenzori Mountains, tea plantations, and crater lakes, among other beautiful sights. When you get to the park you will go to your lodge and you’ll check in and have lunch.
Bigodi wetland walk, after lunch you will go for a nature walk in Bigodi swamp. During the nature walk, you might see the great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, kingfishers, or hornbills. You might also see primates like the grey cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, or L’Hoest’s monkeys. You might also hear birds singing in the trees, feel the cool breeze, and breathe in fresh air. After your nature walk, you’ll drive back to the lodge for dinner, evening relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking and departure.Â
After an early breakfast on the last day of the 8-day primates and wildlife safari, you’ll meet up with your driver guide and head to the Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a briefing on the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing, you’ll be given a chimpanzee family to trek with and a park guide who knows the jungle trails well. You’ll then start trekking through the forest. During trekking, you will see primate species like L’Hoest’s monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons, bird species, and tree species, among others. Once the chimpanzees are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, which gives you a chance to take photos, record videos, and learn about their lifestyle, habits, and behaviors. After spending an hour with the chimpanzees, you’ll get back to the park’s offices, where you’ll meet your driver guide and ride to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you’ll check out of the lodge, meet your driver guide and start the drive to Kampala. You’ll get there in the early evening, and your driver guide will drop you off wherever you want or at the airport if you need to catch a flight.
End of 8 days primates and wildlife safari
Tour includes.                   Â
Gorilla trekking permit.
Chimpanzee trekking permit.
Park entrance fees.
Boat cruise fee.
Bigodi nature walk fee.
All activities included in the itinerary.
An English speaking driver guide.
Full board accommodation.
Pick up and drop off.
Vehicle and fuel.
Bottled water.
Tour excludes.
Air flight tickets.
Visas personal insurance.
Optional activities not included on the itinerary.
Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, cigarettes, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.