7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris ($ 5600 pp)
7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris, Uganda is a country rich in biodiversity ranging from wildlife, landscape to culture and this justifies its name the park of Africa. This 7 day trip takes you to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls National park, Kibale Forest National park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda to spot Rhinos, tourists are offered a chance to track these species on foot, giving a unique experience of getting a close encounter with them. Murchison Falls National Park is famous for its thunderous Murchison Falls and variety of wildlife species. You can hike up to the top of the falls and experience an adrenaline pumping, get ready to have a natural shower from the splashing waters. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to the tree climbing lions in its Ishasha sector and other wildlife species like Elephants, Buffaloes, Waterbucks, Uganda Kobs, Crocodiles etc. the park is one of Uganda’s most famous and visited parks, named after the late Queen Elizabeth II. Kibale Forest national Park is referred to as the capital of Primates, the park is home to 13 primate species and is the best place to trek primates in the world. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to 50% of the remaining mountain gorillas in the world, the park offers you a chance to interact face to face with Man’s closest cousins ( mountain gorillas) in the Gorilla Trekking activity. The apes are habituated and safe for tracking. The trip can be done vice versa.
Brief Itinerary
- Day 1: Kampala to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and then Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 2: Murchison Falls National Park, Morning game drive and boat cruise
- Day 3; Murchison Falls National Park to Kibale Forest National Park
- Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest
- Day 5; Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National park
- Day Gorilla Tracking
- Day 7; Transfer back to Kampala
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Kampala to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and then Murchison Falls National Park
Usoke Explorers Company representative who is also your guide and driver will pick you from your accommodation after a very early breakfast, have a short briefing on how the trip will run and embark on your 5-6 hour journey to Murchison Falls National Park via Masindi. Along the way you will have a stopover at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary to track the Rhinos for about 2 hours, then continue will you journey with a stopover in Masindi for a lunch break. After lunch en-route to Murchison Falls National Park on reaching in perfect time for dinner and overnight rest at a prior booked accommodation.
Accommodation Options: Nile Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari lodge, Hemingway’s luxury camp (or similar). Meal Plan: Full Board.
Day 2: Murchison Falls National Park, Morning game drive, boat cruise and Top of the Falls.
7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris, Wake up to an early breakfast and after transfer to the park to start your morning game drives, mornings are the best time to sight on animals in the wilderness because during the morning hours they come out to grab a morning meal, looking for warmth closer to the roads and most times sleep in the roads. Possible sighting include, Giraffes, Hyenas, Leopards, Lions, Warthogs, Waterbucks, Antelopes, Elephants, Oribis, Uganda Kobs, Buffaloes, patas monkeys and variety of bird species.
After the drive, return to the lodge for a lunch break. After lunch, head to Nile river for a 2-3 hours boat cruise up to the bottom of the falls, this activity is very exciting and rewarding as you watch the waters fall. During the boat cruise you will sight Nile Crocodiles, Elephants, Bird species, Buffaloes. After the boat cruise, meet with your driver and transfer to the starting point of the hike to the top of the falls.
Visiting the top of the falls is the most exciting part of Murchison Falls, you will watch as the waters pour through a small gorge to form the falls, the ground seems to be shaking because of the heavy fall of waters. Get ready to show off from the splashing waters of the fall. It is very fun, rewarding and will leave you longing for more. After return to your lodge for dinner and night rest. Accommodation Options: Nile Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari lodge, Hemingway’s luxury camp (or similar). Meal Plan: Full Board.
Day 3; Murchison Falls National Park to Kibale Forest National Park
7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris, After breakfast, carry your belongings and transfer for a morning game drive as you head out of the park and transfer to Kibale Forest national Park. Along the way you will be mesmerized by the area’s beautiful landscape with views of the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges, Lake George, Crater Lakes, Tea and banana plantations, locals. Stop-overs for photos will be provided, Lunch will be served along the way, stretch your legs and en-route upon arrival check in to a prior booked accommodation for dinner and Overnight Stay.
Accommodation Options: Kyaninga Lodge, Primates lodge, Chimpundu lodge, Turaco Treetops Lodge or Crater Safari Lodge (or similar). Meal Plan: Full Board.
Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park.
On this day, you will wake up very early in the morning and have a very heavy breakfast as you prepare for the long day of activities. With your packed lunch, meet up with the guide, driver and head to the park headquarters, also the starting point for chimp trekking, you will be divided into groups with a park ranger guide and be briefed about the rules and guidelines to follow while in the forest. You will be allocated to one of the three habituated chimpanzee families in Kibale forest and start with the search, You will follow the hoots and calls of the chimps, that’s the only way to track their movement and know where they can be found. The search takes about 2-4 hours depending on their location and movement, on meeting them you will be allocated an hour to spend with them and watch as they feed, play, communicate, follow them as they swing from branch to branch, these primates are very mobile and do not stay a lot on the ground like how the mountain gorillas do hence be prepared to follow them. Apart from chimps you will be exposed to other 12 primates in the forest like Grey Vervet Monkeys, Baboons, Colobus Monkeys, L’Hoest’s Monkeys, Grey Checked Mangabey, Blue Monkeys, Red Tailed Monkeys to mention but a few. After trek back to the park headquarters and meet up with your guide driver and return to the lodge and back your belonging to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park on reaching check in to a prior booked accommodation for dinner and overnight rest.
Accommodation Options; Isasha wilderness camp lodge, Isasha jungle lodge (or similar). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner.
Day 5; Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable National park
On the fifth day of the 7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris, you will head out of your lodge and transfer to Ishasha sector to track the tree climbing lions and other wildlife species like waterbucks, buffaloes, antelopes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, Elephants, Leopards, Bush bucks among others. Return to the lodge for a lunch break, after lunch transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park up arrival check in to the prior booked accommodation for dinner and overnight rest.
Accommodation Option; Mahogany springs lodge, Silver Back lodge ,Engagi lodge ,Buhoma lodge( or similar). Meal Plan: Full Board.
Day 6; Gorilla Tracking
This is one of the most rewarding parts of this 7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris, your required to wake up earlier than usual and have a heavy breakfast, after carry packed lunch with enough drinking water and meet with your guide driver, head to the park headquarters(Buhoma sector) for briefing about the rules and guide lines to follow while in the forest. At 8: 30 start your search for the gorillas that can range from 2-6 hours depending on your trekking spend and where the gorillas hosted the previous night, the vegetation in the forest is very thick that they have to be slashed every day for hikers to pass. It’s always likely to rain in this thick forest so you should carry a rain coat, a trekking stick available at the Park HQ for hire and trekking shoes.
Upon meeting these endangered species, you will be given a full hour to spend with them in their natural habitat, the feeling you get on meeting these creatures has no words that can explain it, but it pays off all the hustle you did to get there. Take pleasure in watching them play, breastfeed, take care of young ones and take as many photos as you can with non-flash light cameras. After trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a trekking certificate to justify your contribution in the preserving process of these endangered species. Head back to the lodge and spend the afternoon at leisure and enjoy the lodge services. Later have dinner and night rest.
Accommodation Option: Buhoma Lodge (or similar). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed lunch and Dinner.
Day 7; Transfer back to Kampala
This is your last day of the 7 days Luxury Wildlife and Primates Safaris, checkout of the lodge meet with your guide driver and start your transfer back to Kampala. Lunch will be served in Mbarara and continue with the drive to Kampala arriving in the evening. The guide driver will leave you either at a hotel in Kampala or at the Airport to catch your flight back home.
Price Includes:
- Gorilla Trekking Permits
- Chimpanzee Trekking Permits
- Rhino Tracking permits
- Park entrance fees
- Game Drive
- English Specking, language guide driver
- Full Board Accommodation
- Onboard Meals
- 4×4 WD Vehicle
- Bottled drinking water
Price Excludes
- Visas
- Air Tickets
- Insurance
- Personal Expenses like extra meals, crafts, tips, laundry services, hiring porters, buying souvenirs, snacks.
- Activities not included in the Itinerary
What to Pack
- Thick jacket
- Closed shoes
- Hiking shoes
- Sunglasses
- Hat
- Camera
- Binoculars
- Long sleeved shirt and trouser
- Short sleeved shirt and sorts
- Sunscreen
- Mosquito repellent
- Power bank
- Bag pack for personal items
- Everyday basics
- Passport
- Personal details
- Uganda cash
- Rain jacket
- Enough clothes