12 Days Big 5, Chimpanzee and Gorilla Tracking Safari

Wake up in the morning at 6 am and prepare yourself for the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. Enjoy your hot breakfast then have your bags put in the vehicle and start your drive with en route stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking. This is the only place where you can see the rhinos in Uganda, it started in 2006 as a breeding ground to re introduce rhinos into the wild, where they were extinct by 1980’s due to poaching in Uganda. You will do a walking safari to see these rhinos. Enjoy your lunch before continuing with your journey to Murchison Falls National Park entering through Kichumbanyobo gate on the southern part. Drive to the top of Murchison Falls for the view of the Falls as water squeezes itself through a narrow gorge of 7-8 meters wide and falling at 45 meters – an incredible experience to see. Check in at your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

• Safari Lodge: Pakuba Safari Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Wake up early in the morning and prepare yourself for the day full of adventure. Grab a cup of coffee and hot breakfast then drive for a game drive on the northern part of the park. You will have the opportunity to spot the best wildlife in the African savannah like lions, hyenas, leopards, buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeest, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks among others. Enjoy the sunrise in the African savannah. Drive in various tracks to increase your chances to spot variety of wildlife species nature provides. Take a break at hippo pool to use washrooms, view animals and birds that visit the river bank of Albert Nile, the views of the blue mountains in DRC. Continue with your game drive and return to the lodge for lunch and relax.

Drive to Paraa for the afternoon boat cruise that will take you up stream to view the Falls from the bottom. On your boat cruise, you will see Nile crocodiles, hippos, water birds like African fish eagle, kingfishers, hammerkops, and animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks and giraffes when they visit the river to quench their thirst. Afterwards embark on the evening game drive to try your chances to look for the big cats before night time falls in the wild. Enjoy the sunset on the African savannah. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

• Safari Lodge: Pakuba Safari Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Wake up and prepare yourself for the long transfer day to Kibale National Park. Enjoy your breakfast, drive through the park and say goodbye to Murchison Falls National Park. Enjoy your en route lunch to Kibale National Park and the tea plantation view. Check in to your booked lodge and prepare for chimpanzee tracking for dinner and overnight stay.

• Safari Lodge: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Wake up and prepare for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest. Enjoy your breakfast and have your packed lunch with you. Drive to Kanayanchu Information Center for briefing about chimpanzee tracking rules. Start your journey with the walk to the forest to search for the chimpanzees. Kibale forest is home to over 13 primate species including black and white colobus monkeys, red colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys. The walk takes about 1 hour to 4 hours depending on where the trackers find the chimpanzees. Once you locate them spends a maximum of an hour taking photos, learning about their social, feeding, behavior. Return to Kanyanchu to receive your tracking certificates.

After lunch, embark on a walking safari to Bigodi swamp and community. This wetland sanctuary near Kibale Forest is renowned for its colobus and blue monkeys, as well as a rich variety of birdlife including the African broadbill and great blue turaco. Also experience African homesteads, banana bonga products, chimpanzee robusta coffee experience, traditional healers/doctors, handcraft making (ladies weaving baskets and cultural dances), cultural weddings, iron smith, and milking experiences. As the day draws to a close, retreat to your booked lodge for a delightful dinner and a peaceful overnight stay, filled with memories of cultural exploration and scenic wonders.

• Safari Lodge: Turaco Treetops
• Meal Plan: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Start your day with an early breakfast at the lodge, then embark on your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On arrival, drive to Katwe Wildlife Sanctuary for the unique Katwe Salt Lake experience, exploring one of the explosive crater lakes in the park. Delve deeper into the salt extraction process, learning about industrial methods used in the past and traditional techniques still practiced today. Witness salt mining, a vital economic activity supporting the community alongside fishing on Lake Edward. As you exit Katwe Salt Lake have a stop at Lake Munyanyange which is adjacent to the lake, home to over 40 bird species like the flamingoes, geese, gulls, terns and many more.

Embark on an evening game drive in Kasenyi Plains. The plains offer an opportunity to spot spectacular wildlife species like elephants, buffaloes, kobs, wathogs, waterbucks and others as they feed before the night falls. These plains offer opportunities to spot the carnivores like lions, leopards and hyenas as they prepare for night duty. The beautiful sunset in the savannah grasslands is a memorable moment. Afterwards drive to the lodge and check in for dinner and overnight stay cherishing the beautiful memories created during the day.

• Safari Lodge: Bush Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Wake up in the morning and get a cup of coffee and hot breakfast. Start your day filled with energy for a morning game drive in Kasenyi Plains. With over 96 mammals species, 612 bird species, Queen Elizabeth National Park offers you an opportunity to spot various wildlife species like lions, leopards, hyenas, buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks and more. Enjoy the sunrise in the African savannah, drive to Kasenyi craft market to shop for crafts to take back home. After the game drive enjoy your delicious lunch and later go for an afternoon boat ride on Kazinga Channel.

Kazinga Channel is a 40km water way that connects Lake George and Lake Edward which serves as an important role in the ecosystem of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will spot Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, birds like pelicans, cormorants, fish eagles, African skimmers among others. After the successful boat ride transfer to Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park for dinner and overnight stay.

• Safari Lodge: Ishasha Pride Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Wake up in the morning and enjoy your breakfast then drive to Ishasha to see the tree climbing lions. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the few areas to find the tree climbing lions. This is the behavior they have adopted and carried on from generation to generation. Watching them climb the fig trees is an interesting and  memorable moment. Topis, buffaloes, elephants, are among the other animals you will see on your game drive in Ishasha sector. After the game drive, start your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with lunch en route. Arrive in the evening at your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

• Safari Lodge: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Wake up early in the morning energized and ready for gorilla tracking. Dress up in long sleeved shirt, long pants, waterproof shoes, long stocks, hat and gloves. Have breakfast and also ensure you carry with you packed lunch. Meet your driver and drive to the visitor information center. Enjoy the pre-tracking activities like a cultural performance by the community members, briefing from the park rangers about the rules of gorilla tracking and general information about gorillas. You will be grouped in groups of eight members who will be escorted by 2 armed rangers and ranger guide.

Start your journey to the forest to look for the family of mountain gorillas. The walk takes between 45 minutes to 4 hours depending on where they were last seen a day before. When you meet them, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them recording videos, taking photos and interacting with the family learning about their way of life. Receive your gorilla tracking certificate and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi.

• Safari Lodge: Arcadia Lodge Bunyonyi
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Wake up in the morning and prepare for the boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi. After having breakfast, start  your boat ride around Lake Bunyonyi visiting the 29 islands on the lake which have different history as shared by the local guide. Punishment Island where the Bakiga people took girls who got pregnant before marriage and where they were left to die or be rescued by fishermen who didn’t have dowry. After the boat ride transfer to Lake Mburo National Park with en route lunch. Upon arrival embark on the evening game drive to look out for giraffes, zebras impalas, buffaloes, elands. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

• Safari Lodge: Rwakobo Rock Lodge
• Meal Plan: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner

Rise and shine early to savor a delicious breakfast before embarking on an exciting adventure. Dive into the unique experience of nature walk within Lake Mburo National Park, where you’ll have the rare opportunity to spot wildlife while walking. Capture unforgettable moments with your camera as you traverse the picturesque landscape. After two hours of thrilling nature walk, start the journey to Entebbe. Along the way, make a stop at the equator to participate in the water experiment, exploring the hemispheres and the Coriolis effect. Capture memories at the equator monument before continuing your drive to Entebbe. Upon arrival, check in at your reserved lodge for a cozy dinner and a comfortable overnight stay, reminiscing about the day’s adventures.

• Lodge: Airport Guest House
• Meal Plan: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Wake up and prepare yourself for breakfast. Thereafter embark on the journey to Nakiwoggo Landing site to take the small boat to Mabamba Swamp along Lake Victoria to search for the majestic shoebill stork – a historical bird. While you look for the shoebill, you will spot other birds species like weaver birds, herons, egrets, pelicans, cormorants, jackanas among others. Mabamba Swamp is an Important Birding Area (IBA). After  the boat ride head back to your lodge and have lunch and prepare yourselves for your flight back home and that will mark the end of our incredible safari.

• Meal plan: Breakfast/Lunch