14 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Transfer to Murchison falls Park via Ziwa Rhino Ranch

With an early morning breakfast, embark on your Primates & Wildlife Safari to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, an asylum to the Rhinos. Enjoy a glimpse of the white Rhino, continue to the Royal Mile, enjoy the view and some birding around the vicinity and the road. Have lunch and then transfer to Murchison falls National Park. Enjoy more birding before checking in to the lodge.

Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge / Baker’s Lodge / Paraa Lodge

Day 2: Game Drive and a boat safari in Murchison Falls

After breakfast, enjoy the game drive with a view of; giraffes, elephants, lions, hartebeest and different species of birds, on the way to the morning delta boat ride to the bottom of the waterfall.  Look out for the Nile crocodile, hippos, water bucks and a variety of bird species. Upon reaching the bottom of the waterfalls you will disembark and hike your way up to the Top of the Falls where you will be rewarded with amazing views of the Nile. Also be on the lookout for different bird species. Look out for mammals like the graceful Rothschild Giraffe, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Defassa Waterbuck, Buffaloes, Elephants, Warthog, Hippos, Oribi and when lucky a leopard and Lion among others. Hike up to the top of the falls and enjoy the magnificent view before retiring back to the lodge.

Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge / Baker’s Lodge / Paraa Lodge

Day 3: Game Drive and transfer to Kibale Park

Have an early breakfast, enjoy another game drive. View more game as you catch them from their hunt expeditions before driving to Kibale. Proceed via the Escarpment, enjoy the landscape and look out for different bird species like the African Crowned Eagle, Heuglin’s Francolin.

You will then set off to Kibale Forest National Park found in Fort Portal, a town at the south-western side of Uganda. The park bares homage to a very large number of primates. This day will be a long driving day of 7-9 hours; we will have numerous stops to stretch your legs.

Accommodation: Primate Lodge / Chimpanzee Forest Guest / House Kibale Forest Camp (FB)

Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Jungle

Proceed early morning at 6:30am for full day chimpanzee tracking experience; you will spend the entire day with Chimpanzees following them from nest to nest. While tracking, you will be able to spot different animal species like the Red Colobus, Black and white Colobus, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon, Red-tailed Monkey, and L’Hoest’s Monkey among others and different bird species.

Accommodation:Primate Lodge / Chimpanzee Forest Guest House / Kibale Forest Camp (FB)

Day 5: Bigodi nature walk,transfer to Queen Elizabeth Park and conduct a boat safari on the Kanziga Channel

With an early morning breakfast travel to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a nature walk, Rich in biodiversity and beautiful scenery, the wetland is a birder’s paradise with about 138 species. Located outside the park in Magombe Swamp, it also hosts eight species of primates including the black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed, l’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, and olive baboons. Bushbucks and mongooses can also be found here. The sanctuary was set up to preserve the exclusive environmental features along with the wetland and is managed by the local community.

Later depart Kibale Forest to Queen Elizabeth National Park, lying 1978 sq. km west of Uganda. It harbours a diverse ecosystem with a lovely savannah, fertile wetlands making it home for the big game, 10 primate species and a large number of bird species.

After checking in, you will enjoy an afternoon Launch cruise along the Kazinga channel.  The channel is 40 wide and offers beautiful scenery of hundreds of hippos along the banks as well as different bird species seen when cruising west towards Lake Edward.

Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge /kasenyi safari Camp / Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge (FB)

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Forest

After breakfast, your Primates & Wildlife Safari will proceed as you head for a game drive through Kasenyi sector, watch out for the Albert endemic birds, buffalos, elephants and different bird species.

With packed lunch proceed to Ishasha sector, very famous for the tree climbing lions. The Ishasha sector is the only other place in the entire world where you will find tree climbing lions apart from Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania.

Continue to Buhoma sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This vast reserve offers arguably the most productive montane forest birding in Africa and supports 23 of Uganda’s 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species. Once part of a much larger forest that included the Virunga Volcanoes in neighboring Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is now an ecological island within a sea of human cultivation and is of immense conservation importance.

Accommodation: Buhoma lodge/ Mahogany Springs/Gorilla Valley Lodge / Gorilla Mist Lodge (FB)

Day 7: Walking Safari from Buhoma to Nkuringo

With an early breakfast, proceed to the park headquarters for a nature walk from Buhoma to Nkuringo. Enjoy a 15km walk to Nkuringo following the Kashasha river and Ivy River trails. This is a full day walk where there would be an opportunity of visiting the Munyaga River falls in the forest. The emphasis of this activity is for your walking guide to share his knowledge of the forest as part of your Primates & Wildlife Safari.

Accommodation: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge / Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest Jungle

After breakfast at around 7:45 am with packed lunch and drinking water you will transfer to the starting point for briefing on the dos and the don’ts while with the gorillas. You will then continue to the forest for gorilla tracking following them. This activity can last from a few hours up to a full day, depending on the location of the gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest.

Accommodation: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge / Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Day 9: Birding in Buniga pocket forest

Drive to the Nombe pocket forest 5km away from the lodge for a nature walk. The location has been well reserved by visitors looking for Bwindi Forest specialties. Here you will be able to search for the Purple breasted sunbird, Stripe breasted tit, Rwenzori double collared sunbird and Doherty’s bush shrike. Evening bird watching along the road adjacent the nearby Buniga pocket forest outside the village of Nkuringo

Overnight at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge /  Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Day 10: Walking safari and canoe excursion on L. Mutanda

With an early breakfast, proceed to Rubuguri junction with vehicle, and then start the walk for of 9kms, taking about 3 hours or more depending on your speed. Pass through villages and local community. You will then meet your canoe team at Rwenjeje landing site to embark on canoe excursion for 2 ½ hours across Lake Mutanda to the other side. With your vehicle proceed to Kisoro, and later proceeding to Mgahinga National Park for an overnight.

Accommodation: Mount Gahinga Lodge / Travelers Hotel / Mount Gahinga Rest Camp

Day 11: Golden Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga Jungle

After we proceed into the bamboo forest of Mgahinga Gorilla Park which is a small Park with many activities including Golden Monkey Trekking. It is done on the three Virunga Volcanoes and you are one hour with the monkeys – this is half-day activity in the park. The park also has a huge cultural significance, in particular for the indigenous Batwa pygmies. This tribe of hunter-gatherers was the forest’s first people. 

Accommodation: Mount Gahinga Lodge / Travelers Hotel / Mount Gahinga Rest Camp

Day 12: Mount Sabinyo Hike

With an early breakfast, proceed with your vehicle and walking safari guide to Mgahinga NP 15 kms outside of Kisoro for mount climbing. Mt. Sabinyo, at 3,669m, it takes about eight hours to cover the 14km round trip, following a steep ridge up to the peak this trek will be conducted in the company of your Nkuringo Walking Safari guide. The third peak of Mt. Sabinyo is where the 3 countries Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo meet and on a clear day the views are stunning.

Day 13: Transfer to Kigali via Cyanika border

After an early breakfast you will picked by Your driver to be transferred from Kisoro to Kigali via the Cyanika border. This drive has various scenaries to enjoy including the virunga volcanoes,the plantations, the rolling hills and not forgetting the fresh breeze from the sorrouding.

At arrival at Rwanda – Uganda border (cyanika), you will set out of the vehicle to be processed by the immigration. On arrival to Kigali you will enjoy a city tour including the Genocide memorial Centro and listen to the tales of the happening that took place in April 1994 that the country is still recovering from. In the evening you will check into you hotel for the night.

Accommodation: Kigali Serena / Hotel Chez Lando /Heaven Boutique Hotel

Day 14: Transfer to the Kigali

After breakfast rendezvous at the hotel as you reflect on your Primates & Wildlife as you prepare to be dropped off at Kigali Airport for you scheduled flight back home.

End of the Primates & Wildlife Safari.

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