9 Days Uganda Primates and Hiking Adventure Safari

May 20, 2024

9 Days Uganda Primates and Hiking Adventure Safari

Tour Summary

This 9-day Uganda primates and hiking adventure will allow you to trek all the prime primates of Uganda. These include Golden monkeys in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Also, you’ll trek Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park. You will also have time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for wildlife Safari to see the Big 4 animals. On this tour, you will also do the Nkuringo-Buhoma hike/walk to explore Bwindi Forest. This is an all-inclusive tour that will start and end in Kampala/Entebbe and includes return Airport transfers.

Summary Itinerary of the Uganda Primates and Hiking Adventure Safari

Day 1: Pick up from Kampala/Entebbe and transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Day 2: Golden Monkey tracking and transfer to Nkuringo for an overnight stay.
Day 3: Nkuringo to Buhoma Bwindi Forest walk.
Day 4: Gorilla tracking experience and Batwa cultural experience.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an evening game drive.
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel.
Day 7: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park for an overnight stay.
Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland walk.
Day 9: Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe to end the 9-day Uganda Primates and hiking adventure trip.

Detailed Itinerary of the 9 Days Uganda Primate and Hiking Adventure Safari

Day 1: Pick up from Kampala/Entebbe and transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Your driver guide from Safari Vacations and Travel Services will pick you up from Entebbe International Airport or your hotel in Kampala/Entebbe. You’ll then drive southwards to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You will have a stopover at the Equator to take photos and experiment, then another stopover for lunch. After that, you will then proceed to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Drive time: 8-9 hours drive

Dinner and overnight: Mount Gahinga Lodge/Lake Chahafi Resort/Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge.

Day 2: Golden monkey tracking and transfer to Nkuringo/Rushaga for an overnight stay.

After having your morning breakfast, you will assemble at the park headquarters. You’ll then go for a briefing from the park rangers about the do’s and don’ts while tracking golden monkeys. After you will proceed for the memorable exercise in the forest. It is an activity that may take 1-9 hours depending on the movement of these human cousins. You will meet and stay with them for a maximum of one hour. Thereafter, you will drive to Kisoro town for a coffee before proceeding to Nkuringo/Rushaga for an overnight stay.

Drive time: 1-2 hours drive

Dinner and overnight: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge/Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/Rushaga Havens Gorilla Lodge

Day 3: Walk from Nkuringo to Buhoma through Bwindi’s impenetrable forest

On this day after breakfast at your lodge, you will drive to the starting point. You’ll then start your walk from Nkuringo to Buhoma. Your driver guide will drop you here and he/she will drive to Buhoma and wait for you where you will have an overnight stay. The Nkruringo-Buhoma walk is worth it and adventurous since you will walk through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. You’ll also have a chance to spot various birds and depending on your luck that day primates. You will also cross rivers and pass by waterfalls, learning about Bwindi Forest as a whole.

Lodging: Buhoma Lodge/Four Gorillas/Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Day 5: Gorilla tracking in Buhoma and Batwa Cultural Experience

After breakfast at the lodge, you will drive to the park headquarters for a briefing. It’ll be from the Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides. They’ll also allocate you a gorilla family group you will trek with that day. Once you have confirmed your group of 8 people, the 2 ranger guides will lead you. You’ll head into the thick impenetrable forest to start your search for the endangered rare species of Mountain Gorillas. The gorilla search always continues from the place where the rangers saw them the previous day. Upon reaching the area where these famous species are, you will only interact with them for a maximum of one hour. Therefore, you should always keep maximum silence while with these Gorillas. You will also take photographs and so on.

Gorilla tracking can sometimes be strenuous depending on the trek that day. However, this usually depends on the weather and the movement of the gorillas in the forest. But, given the fact that it is a very well-organized activity you have a 99% chance of seeing the gorillas on your trek. The advanced trackers monitor the mountain gorilla movements all day in the forest. So, they will know where they nested for the last night and that’s where you start looking for them from. The 2 ranger guides will lead you all through the trek clearing trails and creating new trails. They’ll also share with you information about the mountain gorillas and Bwindi Forest as a whole. After the trek, you will return to the starting point to pick up your certificates. This is a sign of successful tracking of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Lodging: Buhoma Lodge/Four Gorillas/Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Day 6: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will arrive in the afternoon. You will have an en-route lunch and stopovers along the way for sightseeing. On arrival at the lodge, you will be warmly welcomed and checked in for relaxing. Later, you will go for an evening game drive in search of late grazers. Thereafter, return to the Lodge for an overnight stay.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular and diverse conservation area. The park has a variety of habitats ranging from grassland, acacia woodland, forests, wetlands, and open water. These sustain a wide range of mammals with the major ones being the Big 4 animals. It also has a remarkable tally of bird life boosting to over 604 bird species.

Drive time: 4-5 hours drive

Lodging: Elephant Hab Lodge/Buffalo Safari Lodge/Engiri Game Lodge

Day 6: Morning Game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel.

After your breakfast, you will drive to Kasenyi plains for a morning game drive in search of early bird wildlife. Some of the animals you will see include elephants, large herds of buffalos, leopards, and lions. You’ll also see bushbucks, kobs, antelopes, bushbucks and many more.

The morning game drive will take you approximately 2-3 hours. Then after, you will drive to the Mweya peninsula for a hot lunch. Relax and relax and go for an afternoon boat cruise safari on the Kazinga channel. This boat ride is something worth it and is an important highlight of your safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have a chance to see various wildlife as they enjoy the shores of the channel. You’ll see hippos enjoying the swim and various bird species. After the cruise, you will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Lodging: Elephant Hab Lodge/Buffalo Safari Lodge/Engiri Game Lodge

Day 7: Morning drive/visit Katwe Salt Lakes and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

You will have a morning game drive through the Mweya Peninsula with all your belongings in the Car. Instead of the game drive, you can opt to visit Katwe Salt Lakes. After you will drive to Kibale National Park with a stopover for lunch en-route. On influx, you will have a nature walk through the Bigodi Swamp. this will allow you to enjoy the awesome sightseeing of the resident monkeys and birds.

Kibale Forest National Park is home to 13 species of primates and over 335 bird species. this thus makes it a popular destination for birders and primates lovers.

Drive time: 1-2 hours drive

Dinner and overnight: Chimpundu Lodge/Turaco Treetops/Chimpanzee Guest House

Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park

Subsequently, you will have an early breakfast, and after you will be guided to Kanyanchu head offices for a briefing about the track that you will be carrying out in a couple of hours. From there, you will start the Chimpanzee tracking. However, that is not the only species you will be seeing on this day. Rather, you will be able to see 12 other different primate species. These include vervet monkeys, gray-cheeked mangabeys, and baboons.

Dinner and overnight: Chimpundu Lodge/Turaco Treetops/Chimpanzee Guest House

Day 9: Departure back to Kampala/Entebbe to end your 9 Days Uganda primates and hiking adventure tour

In the early morning after breakfast, you will drive back to the lodge in Kampala/Entebbe or Entebbe International Hotel for your flight back home to end the trip. This will thus mark the end of the 9 Days Uganda Primates and Hiking Adventure Tour