Safari Overview
Our Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Wildlife Fly-in adventure safari tour allows you to immerse yourself in Uganda’s untamed playground. It’s home to the world’s most spectacular animals, and you can experience the thrill of gorilla trekking. The most affordable of its kind. This best-selling itinerary includes intimate encounters at three national parks filled with quintessential African wildlife. It also includes incredible forests that are home to the great apes and authentic cultural experiences. This ‘once in a lifetime’ trip is neatly woven together by the charm and charisma that exude from the Ugandan people you will meet along the way on our Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Wildlife Adventure safari.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe and transfer to your hotel
- Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 3: Game drive and Boat Cruise
- Day 4: Game drive and Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
- Day 7: Morning en-route game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 9: Transfer back to Entebbe to end the tour
Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Wildlife Fly-in Adventure Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where you are warmly greeted by your guide from Safari Vacations and Travel Services. You’ll then drive to your nearby hotel.
Day 2: Transfer from Entebbe to Murchison Falls National Park
Enjoy an early breakfast before embarking on your journey to Murchison Falls National Park. You will drive to Entebbe Airport for your domestic flight to Murchison Falls National Park. Be ready for your first game drive in the evening. The breathtaking splendor of the wild landscapes of Murchison Falls National Park will inspire you. The history and culture of the Bunyoro region of Uganda will also make you feel at home. Before the game drive, you will first go for a top-of-the-falls walk to see the amazing Falls. Then, you’ll embark on a game drive, which will enable you to see the Big 4 animals. These include lions, leopards, buffalo, and elephants. You’ll also see several games in the wild, like giraffes, Uganda kobs, monkey species, and so on. After an interesting game drive, you’ll drive back to the lodge for overnight.
Dinner and Overnight: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Day 3: Game drive and Launch cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
This amazing day begins with an early wake-up call before sunrise for your morning game drive. The park is home to elephants, buffalo, lions, and leopards. Hippos, giraffes, as well as several antelope and monkey species, are also in this conservation area. After the morning game drive, drive back to the lodge for some relaxation.
After lunch, it is time for a boat ride along the Nile to the foot of Murchison Falls. The launch cruise allows you to feel the awesome power and beauty that comes from the world’s longest river. The river is forced through a 7-meter gap before dropping 40 meters as it continues its journey to the Mediterranean Sea. This unforgettable trip on the River Nile harks back to the days of the intrepid explorers of days gone by.
Dinner and Overnight: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Day 4: Transfer from Murchison Falls to Kibale Forest National Park
You’ll have an early en-route morning drive for about 4 hours as you leave Murchison Falls National Park for Kibale Forest Park. You will pass via Hoima City, where you will have Lunch at the Hoima Buffalo Hotel. Hoima City serves as a stopping point midway between Murchison Falls National Park and Kibale Forest National Park. You will now board the car for about 4 hours to Kibale National Park.
Primate Lodge’s edge is its location, tucked deep in the forest and right next door to the starting point for chimpanzee tracking excursions. The lodge has nine spacious and en-suite luxury cottages. Each cottage is secluded deep in the forest for maximum privacy and a natural living in nature. Each cottage has comfortable armchairs, a reading table, and an adjoining large veranda with excellent views of the forest.
Dinner and Overnight: Primate Lodge
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Your once-in-a-lifetime chimpanzee trekking experience has finally arrived! After breakfast, you will travel to the Uganda Wildlife Authority Headquarters. You will receive a proper briefing from your guide before you embark on the chimp trekking experience. The experience takes about 2-3 hours, depending on where the chimps are. On the trek, you can see other primates such as grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed and blue monkeys. Bushbabies and all other types of Galagos are other primate species in the forest that you can see. Your expert guide will share the secrets of the forest’s flora and fauna, ensuring that the trek is both informative and enjoyable. Breakfast and Lunch at Primate Lodge luxury cottages
In the afternoon, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park (about 3 hours drive). The drive takes you past volcanic crater lakes and, on a clear day, one can see the famous Mountains of the Moon, the Rwenzori Mountains. Enjoy a relaxed game drive in the late afternoon in the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Dinner and Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Enjoy a morning game drive in the park followed by one of the highlights of visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park in the afternoon, a 2-hour boat ride along the Kazinga Channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George.
This water system has the highest concentration of hippos in the world, and you will get quite close to them and other animals on the riverbanks. Expect to see crocodiles basking in the sun, buffaloes, and other game that drink from the channel. And also, marvel at the abundant birdlife that is supported here, including white egrets and others.
Dinner and Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge
Day 7: Transfer from Queen Elizabeth Park to Bwindi Forest National Park
With the Kazinga Channel and the game drives in the northern part of the park, experiences ticked off your list, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a parting gift for you as you head south. The Southern Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is called the Ishasha Sector. Ishasha Sector is famous for the fig tree-climbing lions that inhabit this area. Driving this way will allow you to catch a glimpse of these lions, which make a great photo. Then embark on a 2-3 hour journey to the majestic Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Dinner and Overnight: Mahogany Springs Lodge
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
We hope your camera is charged and you are ready for what lies ahead because your bucket list Gorilla Trekking experience has arrived! An early start will see you transfer to the Park Headquarters for a briefing with the Uganda Wildlife Authority guides. An advance party of guides will have gone ahead into the forest. They’ll have gone to locate where the gorillas slept the previous night and will have begun tracking their movements. These guides will communicate with your team via a walkie-talkie, and you will begin the trek into the forest.
Locating the gorillas can take a few hours or the whole day, depending on how far they have moved from where they spent the previous night. Once they are found, for conservation purposes, the amount of time allowed with the gorillas is one hour. As you trek through the forest, you will appreciate why the forest is often called impenetrable.
There is also a multitude of other animals that you might encounter including antelopes and rare monkeys, not to mention the beauty of the forest itself. Bird species are very many in the forest that are ideal for bird lovers. Once you have completed the trek, you will return to the lodge for a well-earned rest and time to reflect on a truly magical experience.
Dinner and Overnight: Mahogany Springs Lodge
Day 9: Transfer from Bwindi to Entebbe for your flight out
With your Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Wildlife Fly-in adventure still a vivid memory, it is time to begin your journey home. After an early breakfast, you will transfer to Kihihi for your flight back to Entebbe, which is inclusive of the package.
On your flight back from Bwindi to Entebbe, you will have a fantastic view of Bwindi, the Impenetrable Forest, from the air. From this high up, you can also see the mountains and forests in Congo and Rwanda. On arrival in Entebbe, you will be able to continue your journey home.
NOTE: This Itinerary can be changed to meet your travel needs. Contact Safari Vacations and Travel Services for the safari experience you may need to undertake.
