Gorilla + Chimps & water safari Itinerary

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport on (time to be advised by the client) you will be met by our representative and driven the short distance across town to reach your hotel by the shore of Lake Victoria. You can spend the remainder of the day relaxing and prepare for your Ugandan adventure

Overnight at 2 Friends Hotel

Dinner provided.

Depart early in the morning and drive west to Kibale National Park in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountain range. You will reach Isunga Lodge for lunch before driving a short distance to Kibale Rainforest where you meet with the Uganda Wildlife Authority chimpanzee team, for a briefing on tracking the chimpanzees in the rainforest. Kibale National Park is one of East Africa’s premier destinations to chimp track. It has a 99% successful tracking rate as it is home to one of the highest concentrations and diversities of primates found anywhere on the continent. Groups of chimps live in communities containing between 10 and 100 members and once you’ve found your group, you will spend an hour with them.

You will be able to observe their natural behavior as they play, eat and socialise.

You will then be driven a short distance to your accommodation on the edge of the rainforest.

Accommodation:  Isunga Lodge

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.

Drinking water in the car also provided

After breakfast we pack for the next destination (but before leaving the area, we will stretch our legs in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary-situated on the edge of Kibale National Park). Here you’ll meet a local guide who will take you on your walk around Magombe Swamp (a protected RAMSAR site). The path meanders along the edge of the swamp and along a raised boardwalk through dense clusters of papyrus, taking a couple of hours to complete. This community run project offers the chance to see up to 138 bird species including the Great Blue Turaco, a variety of butterflies and perhaps what the swamp is best known for: its population of monkeys.

Afterwards your driver will take you south following the Rwenzori Mountain chain also known as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ and then will cross over the equator to reach the savannah plains Queen Elizabeth Park.

You will drive down to the Katunguru to embark on a water safari to explore the Kazinga Channel. This channel flows through the heart of the park and is an excellent way to view a variety of wildlife. As you meander your way along the riverbanks you will have the chance to spot elephants, buffalo, warthogs and waterbuck as they come down to the water’s edge to cool off in the heat of the day. The channel is also a prime location to view crocodiles, hippo pods and a plethora of bird species.

Afterwards, you will be driven to your lodge on top of the valley ridge, where you can watch the sunset as it sets behind the Rwenzori Mountains.

Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.

Drinking water in the car also provided

This morning rise early to reach Ishasha Plains (which covers the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park) and which is famous for tree-climbing lions. On entering the savannah you will track through the african bush on a game drive with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide to seek out these impressive cats. These rangers are based on the plains and track the lions daily giving you the best possible chances of finding lions. You’ll be looking for them in the branches of huge fig trees, as they laze away in the shade, sheltered from the heat of the day.

You will then depart from the savannah plains and take a winding drive passing villages, forests and tea fields back to your accommodation on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (where you can relax for the remainder of the day).

Accommodation: Haven lodge

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.

Drinking water in the car also provided

Today after an early morning breakfast it’s time to tuck your trousers inside socks, take your garden gloves and embark on your gorilla trek. First up is registration and briefing by UWA gorilla experts. The Rangers will then lead you through the undergrowth, parting thick creepers, to track the gorillas. The trek can take anywhere from couple hours to a whole day, so a sturdy pair of walking shoes and a day-backpack for snacks (provided by us) and water is a must. It is an extraordinary feeling in the dense rainforest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. Thanks to successful protection work funded from income of the gorilla tourism, about 1100 Mountain Gorillas are alive on our planet – half of which are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You are allowed approximately one hour with the gorillas before returning to base station and then your lodge for rest and relaxation.

Accommodation again at Haven Lodge.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. Drinking water in the car also provide

After another early breakfast, you will be transferred to the Kihihi Airstrip for your ~7:00am flight back to Entebbe International Airport which arrives at 8:45am (flight ticket is included in this package and will be given to you by Safaris R Us).

On arrival into Entebbe Airport, you will transit to the 2:30pm international flight to Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (we recommend you organize with your international flight agent to add this flight, TC215, leaving Entebbe, Uganda at 2.30pm, arriving into Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania at 3.45pm to your overall international flight ticket)

On arrival at Kilimanjaro (flight details to be advised by client), you will be met and transferred The School of St Jude. Dinner provided.

Breakfast and dinner will be provided.