12 Days Luxury Uganda Wildlife And Primate Encounter Safari

On your arrival at Entebbe international airport, the main entry point for flights into Uganda, you will find our customer service personnel and your allocated professional English/French/German/Spanish speaking safari guide waiting for you to meet and greet. You will then be transferred to your luxury booked hotel in Entebbe town to check in and freshen up.

Thereafter, meet with our customer care and your allocated guide at the hotel lobby for the tour briefing and to discuss a little the pickup time the following day to start your safari. The hotel is about 10–20 minutes’ drive from Entebbe international airport on the shores of Lake Victoria. Later, if time allows, drive to Entebbe botanical gardens that are found on the shore of Lake Victoria for a walking safari. Botanical gardens are home to some primates, such as Vervet monkeys, and several bird species.

The walking safari will take you to the shores of Lake Victoria where you will spot some water birds, enjoy the fresh breezes from the lake as well as get used to Uganda’s beautiful nature. Lake Victoria is the largest water body in Africa and the second largest fresh water body in the world, and is shared by three East African countries (Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya). Dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe
Meal plan: Dinner 

Wake up very early in the morning (0630) to have all your travel bags prepared, be served breakfast, and check out of your hotel at 0800 to start your drive to Murchison Falls national park, found in northwestern Uganda, about 320 km from Kampala, the largest and most visited park in Uganda due to its diverse safari activities and rich wildlife covering an area of 1,503 square miles, with the largest number of Roskilde giraffe and crocodiles in Uganda and popularly known for having the world’s most powerful waterfall.

On your way to Murchison Falls National Park, you will visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is proudly known to harbor Uganda’s wild and endangered rhinos and is situated in Nakasongola District, approximately 3 hours’ drive from Kampala. Once, Uganda had an adequate number of rhinos which were found in Kidepo valley and Murchison Falls national parks, but they became nationally extinct due to numerous illegal human activities such as poaching and civil unrest in the early 1970s. Therefore, in 2005, the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary was established to facilitate the re-introduction of rhinos into Uganda’s wildlife inventory.

The rhino tracking experience is an impressively unique activity that allows you to encounter rhinos up close to their feet at a distance of about 6 to 7 meters with the assistance of skilled ranger guides, and you will be free to take as many photos as you want to keep your great memories while with these African big five of the savannahs. After you have had an unforgettable experience with rhinos, relax with a bottle of water and then continue with your journey with a sector stopover at Kabalega Diner to have lunch. Thereafter, proceed with the drive to Murchison Falls national park, where you will arrive in the early evening to check in at your booked lodge to refresh and spend the evening at leisure till it is time to have dinner and overnight.

Murchison Falls National Park is home to 76 recorded mammal species. Among these are lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbucks, Nile crocodiles, primates such as Chimpanzees, Olive baboons, Black and white colobus monkeys, and many others, including over 450 recorded bird species that are spread all over the park.

Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

On this day, wake up very early in the morning to have a cup of coffee plus some snacks, get boxes of your packed breakfast, and at 0630 am, leave the lodge for an early morning game drive safari to look out for the wildlife species and to see how beautiful it is for the sunrise to meet you from the African savannah, so do not forget to take a memorial photo as the sun is coming out of the skies.

Driving to the park very early in the morning will give you a chance to meet the early risers of the park and those species which are more active during the early morning hours, such as lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and some other jungle predators. With the help of your safari guide, expect to spot several animal and bird species like lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, monitor lizards, spotted hyenas, warthogs, side-striped jackals, spotted hyenas, several antelope species such as the Bohor Reedbuck, defassa waterbuck, Bushbuck, Hartebeest, Uganda Kobs, Oribi, and the Uganda Kob, among others, and some primate species like the olive baboons, Patas monkeys and Vervet Monkeys.

Have a short break to enjoy your full breakfast and proceed with your game drive to fully explore the park and be able to spot several wildlife species. Later, in the early afternoon, leave the jungle and return to your lodge to relax, have lunch, and then drive to the Paraa gathering point for an afternoon boat cruise safari on the Nile River, which starts at 2:00 pm. The boat cruise safari goes upstream from the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the Murchison Falls, stopping a few meters from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’ of the falls, which will give you an amazing view of the fall and see how the river Nile drops into a pool.

The boat cruise will take you through the zones of water mammals and birds like Hippopotamus, Nile crocodiles, some birds like the Egyptian goose, goliath heron, kingfisher, pelican bee-eater, hornbill, cormorant, and you may see some land mammals when they have come to drink water. After the boat drive back to your lodge to relax, have dinner and then drive back to the park for an adventurous night game drive safari to explore the night life of the African jungle at night as well as boost your chances of encountering nocturnal mammals and birds of the park such as lions, leopards, porcupines, civets, spotted hyenas, grazing hippos, among others. These species are more active during the night hours and, on a lucky day, you may see them in the action of hunting, which is one of the greatest jungle experiences. Murchison Falls National Park is the best savannah national park in Uganda for a night game drive. Dinner and an over-night

Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

Wake up at your most convenient time to have all of your travel bags ready and packed into your safari vehicle, have a hearty breakfast, check out of your lodge, and slowly drive through the park to cross the Nile, and then visit the top of the Murchison Falls to enjoy the breathtaking views created as the entire Nile squeezes itself through a narrow gorge of about 7 meters wide on its journey to the Mediterranean Sea. Visiting and hiking safari from the top to the bottom of the Murchison falls is arguably one of the must-do activities while on your safari to the Murchison falls due to the beautiful sight of the falls from the top and the magic that forms the thunderous roar as the river falls 42 meters below after going through the narrow gorge.

So, this roar can make someone think that the river is jubilating over winning the struggle of going through the tough time of the gorge, and after a few meters, the river is seen back to its calm situation as it started its journey from Lake Victoria. While at the top of the Murchison Falls, you will be wholly covered by the mist resulting from the force of the water combining with the sun’s rise to form spectacular rainbows, which are awesome to watch. This area is great for photography, and you shouldn’t be there without a camera. One spot not to miss is “The Crocodile Bar”.

This is an area towards the bottom of the falls where crocodiles gather to wait for unlucky animals and fish that are accidentally dragged down by the powerful water. Crocodiles of all sizes lie patiently waiting for the next victim. After the tour to the top of the Murchison falls, proceed with your safari to Kibale Forest National Park. The park is popular for its high concentration of primates in Africa, with 13 different primate species, including the highest population of habituated chimpanzees for tourism and research purposes.

Other primates include the uncommon L’Hoest’s monkeys, the endangered Red Colobus monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, the Black & White Colobus, Blue Monkeys, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, Uganda Red Colobus, Patas monkeys, and potto, among many others. The park is also home to over 375 bird species and other mammals such as bushbucks, blue duikers, bush pigs, Sitatungas, Giant Forest hogs, leopards, different mongooses etc.

The drive to Kibale Forest National Park will take you through villages and small towns, where you will see indigenous people going about their daily activities such as working on tea, coffee, and banana plantations, animal farms, and laying bricks, among other things, while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the country. On your way, you will have several stops to stretch your muscles and take photos of the beautiful scenery. Have a stopover in Fort Portal city to have lunch, move around this beautiful city and later proceed to the park to check in at your booked lodge, refresh and spend the evening at leisure till time to be served dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

Wake up very early in the morning to arrange the recommended items to have during your chimpanzee trekking experience, such as binoculars, cameras, extra batteries for the camera, insect repellents, and some snacks. You’ll be served breakfast, and then meet your safari guide to drive to the park information offices for a pre-chimpanzee tracking briefing by the park rangers to take you through the route you’ll be taking, explain more about the chimpanzees and their behavior in the wild, and the safety precautions and how to behave once you encounter chimpanzees.

Thereafter, start the forest walk in search of a habituated family of chimps. Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans, sharing 98.8% of human DNA. Chimpanzee tracking is outshined by the mountain gorilla experience, but it is one of the best wildlife experiences in Africa that one shouldn’t miss while on a safari to Uganda. During the forest walk, you will encounter many other primates and wildlife species, and your ranger guide will be able to give you a lot of interesting information about everything that you will encounter, which will make your walk so adventurous.

Once you meet the chimpanzees, you will spend with them a maximum of one hour watching how they play in the tree branches, feeding and taking care of their babies and taking as many photos as you want. After staying with chimpanzees for an hour, return to the starting point to meet your safari guide and drive back to your lodge to have lunch, spend some time relaxing, and, later every evening, go for the Bigodi swamp walk and community tour.

Bigodi sanctuary swamp is punctuated by biodiversity and lovely scenery and is a paradise for bird lovers, with over 138 bird species and eight species of primates. These include the grey-cheeked mangabey, black-and-white colobus, l’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and olive baboons, plus other mammals like bushbucks and mongooses, can also be found here.

The swamp is managed by the surrounding local community with the purpose of preserving exclusive environmental features along with the wetland for future generations. So, during this walk, you will have an opportunity to spot several monkeys and bird species. The Bigodi community walk, will take you through the nearby community to have a chance to interact with local people to learn how they harmoniously live with wildlife species, take you through how they locally do their daily activities without applying modern technology, such as making nice gins from bananas, making delicious coffee, and making art crafts. Dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation: Crater Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Get up at your best time to pack your travel bag, be served breakfast, check out of your lodge and, at 08:00 am, start your day with a crater lake exploration tour where you will have a chance to visit over five of the area craters with the most scenic views and beautiful nature. The crater lake exploration tour will take you through villages, lush forests, a waterfall, and a short hike to the ‘Top of the World’ view point. It is recommended to reach some of the craters on foot. Kibale Forest National Park is a dream destination in Uganda to explore the crater lakes that cannot be found anywhere else in the world as there are several magnificent crater lakes that are worth a visit.

Most of these crater lakes were formed during the ancient volcanic activity in Uganda about 10,000 years ago, which left behind several scenic crater lakes, most of which include the Kibale-Ndali-Kasenda Crater Lakes. These craters are among the few extinct volcanic features whose volcanic gases are said to have covered about 10 kilometers beneath them. The lakes feature a sulphuric smell and are characterized by green toxic water, which means that you shouldn’t try jumping into any Crater Lake water prior to finding out if it is safe for you to swim in it. After the crater lakes exploration tour, have a short break to relax and then start your drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most beautiful, scenic, and popular national parks in Africa that is proudly known for its abundancy of wildlife, including African buffalo, African elephant, hippopotamus, Ugandan kob, waterbuck, topi, giant forest hog, warthog, Nile crocodile, leopard, spotted hyena, chimpanzee, and lion. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s most popular savannah national parks, with the widest variety of wildlife of any Ugandan park.

The park is remarkable for having the most diverse ecosystems that include humid forests, sparkling lakes, sprawling savanna, shady and fertile wetlands that make it an ideal habitat for 95 mammal species and 600 recorded bird species. On arrival at the park, have lunch, relax for some hours, and then drive to Munyanyange crater lake, an important area for birders to meet the migratory birds and highly renowned for its lesser flamingos and other migratory birds. This lake is one of the best birding spots in Queen Elizabeth National Park where you can spot a number of bird species.

After exploring Lake Munyanyange, visit the Katwe community, which is surrounded by the salty Lake Katwe, and whose main economic activity is extracting salt from this lake. This is one of the most famous communities due to the traditional salt mining that has been practiced since the 16th century. While at the Katwe salt mining community, you will have a chance to take part in salt mining and your local safari guide will give you information about how they have managed to maintain their salt mining activities for decades. After the community tour, drive to check in at your booked lodge to spend your evening at leisure until it’s time to have dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Wake up early to have your breakfast, then leave the lodge and drive to the park for the lion or predator tracking experience. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only national park in which the predator experience is done in Uganda. This is a game drive safari that is done with researchers in the Kasenyi Savannah Plains to have an exclusive encounter with the lions and leopards. Seeing them is guaranteed since researchers use radio trackers to search for a dominant lioness of a pride.

It is lionesses that are chosen because the lions usually wander away from the family to mark their territories, yet lionesses always stay with the main family, enabling researchers to monitor all the other lions, including the cubs and alpha males. During the predator / lion tracking, the researcher guide will share a lot of information about their biology, threats, and habitats. Lion tracking is a unique kind of experience that will make you watch lions so close to your safari vehicle that you will become addicted to predators after you have fully studied their characteristics.

Lions and most other predators spend most of their day hiding and then become more active at night. With stealth, they can probably approach their prey closer at night than during the day. During the carnivore experience, you will encounter other wildlife species of the park. After your early morning carnivore experience game drive, return to your lodge to relax, be served lunch, and then relax for some hours, and later depart for the 2-hour boat cruise safari along the Kazinga channel, which is proudly known to have the world’s largest concentrations of hippos, estimated to be around 2,000, and countless Nile crocodiles.

During the boat cruise experience on the Kazinga channel, expect to see elephants, buffaloes, many antelope species, and over 100 species of water birds. The fantastic experience during the 2 hour boat cruise safari along the Kazinga channel makes it a must-do adventure for every guest to Queen Elizabeth National Park and one of the highly recommended adventurous activities for visitors to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Later, after the boat cruise safari along the Kazinga channel, return to the lodge to spend your evening at leisure till it is time to have dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast/ Lunch / Dinner

Wake up at your best time to be served breakfast, have your travel bags loaded into your safari vehicle and check out of your lodge to proceed with your safari to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park via Ishasha sector in the southern parts of Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive to lookout for the unique tree climbing lions, which are only found in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda with 4 prides, Lake Manyara in Tanzania with 2 prides and Kruger national park in South Africa. After the game drive, have lunch and proceed with the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, which is famous for being home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and one of Uganda’s oldest as well as most biologically diverse rainforests, dating back over 25,000 years with almost 400 tree species that form the huge impenetrable forest that is ever green. It is home to approximately 500 mountain gorillas and 120 mammal species such as numerous primate species and over 350 bird species.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

Day 9 of the 12-day Uganda wildlife and primate encounter safari. Wake up very early in the morning (0600am) to arrange the recommended equipment for the mountain gorilla trekking experience, such as a camera plus an extra battery, insect repellants, a pair of binoculars, and anything else you may need. Dress up in a recommended style for mountain gorilla trekking, such as warm layers and long-sleeved shirts for wet weather since the park is situated in a high-altitude area, a light waterproof jacket, heavy duty garden gloves, long khaki or jean trousers, waterproof hiking boots, and round hats.

Thereafter, you will be served breakfast, get your packed lunch box plus 2 liters of water, meet your safari guide and be transferred to the park information headquarters to join other guests for the pre-tracking briefing by the park ranger guides about the rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking, what to expect during mountain gorilla trekking and how to behave in the presence of mountain gorillas. Then you will be grouped into a small group of 8 people, get allocated a gorilla family to meet with the ranger guide, and later start the forest walk in search of the mountain gorillas.

We would recommend you hire a porter to help you carry your packed bag and other items you might need during the mountain gorilla trekking because it is always good to walk when you are free since gorilla trekking itself is not easy. The time taken before you meet your allocated gorilla family is not known since it is highly dependent on the location and the movements of your allocated gorilla family. Although this may take between 45 minutes and 4 hours, you have to be physically and mentally prepared to walk a long distance through the forest that is made of hills and with no clear walking trails that are only made at that particular time of tracking by your guide, depending on the direction that can easily lead you to the location of the gorilla family.

That is why it is recommended to carry enough water to keep you hydrated and snacks to keep you with enough energy, since you use a lot of energy when walking through the forest in search of mountain gorillas. Once you encounter the mountain gorilla family, the excitement of seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat will outweigh the hardships you went through while searching for them.

A mountain gorilla family can be made up of several members, such as the giant silverback, who is always the head and protector of the family, mothers, infants, and juveniles. The time you will spend with the mountain gorillas gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, how they socialize, and be excited by their actions, like the playful babies, mothers grooming their babies, and Mr. Silverback, watching the situation silently as he is ready to protect the family from any kind of attack. You will spend a maximum of one hour with the mountain gorillas, and you will be free to capture as many photos and record videos as you want to keep your great memories with the mountain gorilla family in the jungle.

After an hour with the mountain gorilla family, you will return to the trekking start point to receive your mountain trekking certificate in appreciation of your contribution to the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda. Have some refreshments, enjoy your packed lunch, relax for a few minutes, and then start your drive to Lake Bunyonyi, one of the most beautiful places in Uganda where you can fully relax after encountering the magical mountain gorillas. When you arrive at Lake Bunyonyi, check in at your booked lodge and spend the evening at leisure till it’s time to be served dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Birdnest @ Bunyonyi Resort (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

Today, wake up at your convenient time, have all your travel bags loaded into your safari vehicle, be get served breakfast, check out of your hotel and then go for a boat riding safari on Lake Bunyonyi, that takes approximately 2 hours of enjoying the lake and visiting different islands in the lake with a local canoe guide who is well experienced with the places and all the things around the lake.

Lake Bunyonyi is framed by 29 islands of different sizes across, making it one of the most magical views in the world. Each of the 29 islands on Lake Bunyonyi has its own unique and interesting story behind it which your local guide will narrate to you during the canoeing safari, such as the Akampene island, also known as the “punishment island”, which was used by the Biga community to punish girls who would get pregnant before official marriage by isolating them there to death as a way to teach a lesson to the rest of the community girls not to make the same mistake.

So, some poor men who could not afford to pay the bride price would go to this island to get free wives from amongst those that could have been exiled to this island. In an African society, it is a disgrace for a girl to get pregnant before her official marriage and it would cause the family to lose community respect. So, this would make parents be strict with their girl children as a way of protecting them.

After canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi, return to your lodge to check out and start your journey to Lake Mburo National Park with a stopover at Igongo Cultural Center to have lunch and tour the museum, one of Uganda’s richest heritages with history, traditions, and lifestyle of the Ankole people of southwest Uganda that will take you centuries back in time. Thereafter, proceed with the journey to the park to check in at your booked lodge and drive to the park for your evening and night game drives to spot some wildlife of the park such as the beautiful Zebras, Impalas, Elands, Topis, other species of Antelopes, Warthogs, Caped buffaloes, Giraffes.

Have a short break to relax and proceed with the night game drive, which will boost your chances of seeing the nocturnal mammals of the savannah such as the spotted hyenas, leopards, civets, African rock pythons, porcupines, and bush babies, among others, which are very difficult to see during day game drives. It is an interesting experience out at night and Lake Mburo is one of the best parks for a night game drive.

Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest savannah protected area in Uganda but highly endowed with flora and fauna and other natural features. The park has 350 recorded bird species, 68 mammal species, and 13 small lakes. Its woodlands and savannah plains provide good habitats and feeding grounds for Zebras, Buffaloes, Elands, Impalas, Warthogs, Oribi, Defassa waterbuck, Leopard, Spotted hyena, Topi, Reedbuck, Hippopotamuses, Giraffes, Bush babies, Porcupines, White-tailed Bush pigs, African rock python

Accommodation: Mihingo Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

Wake up very early in the morning to have breakfast (700 am) and drive to the park for a morning guided walking safari to enjoy African safari on feet. It is so cool and adventurous since it gives you an outstanding experience of walking with some wildlife animals like zebras and get a chance of seeing them close to their feet without them running away from you as it is when using a safari vehicle.

Exploring the park on feet is the most sustainable way to protect the nature for the feature generation since it does not leave any footprints behind, like causing noise and air pollution as it is when using a safari vehicle that is associated with air and noise pollution. During your walking safari, the ranger guide will narrate to you the most interesting stories about Lake Mburo national park and help you to spot as many wildlife species as possible like Zebras, Impalas, Warthog, Olive baboon, Giraffes among others. After the morning walking safari, return to your lodge to have free time till to have dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation: Mihingo Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch /Dinner

On this day, you will have a simple breakfast in the morning and then go for your early morning jungle horseback riding in the park. Without any doubt, horseback riding safari in Lake Mburo national park is one of the most amazing activities that give visitors an outstanding experience of viewing wildlife and doing a nature walk while on top of a horse. During a horseback riding safari in the park, you will have opportunities to view animals like Zebras, Impalas, and the shyer ones like Elands, because they are curious about looking at their close relatives without black and white stripes.

Horse riding is the most peaceful way to explore the park since it does not leave any footprints behind, cause noise and air pollution as it is when using a safari vehicle which will make you feel part of nature. After the horseback riding safari stay in the park doing a game drive safari to spot more wildlife species and going deep inside park where it is impossible to reach during the horseback riding or walking safari. The game drive safari will enable you to reach the areas of the park high concentrations of animals like Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas, Elands, African caped buffaloes, Warthogs and many other.

Thereafter the game drive safari at (1100), leave Lake Mburo national park and drive back to your lodge to refresh, have lunch and then check out of the lodge to start your journey back to Entebbe international airport to conclude your African safari. On your way back to Entebbe international airport, you will have a stopover at Kayabwe equator landmark for the equator experience.

While at the equator landmark, you will see the water experiment which is done to show how forces move differently on each side of the planet and to prove the difference between the two hemispheres for example water drains from the funnel in a clockwise motion on the northern hemisphere whereas it drains down in an anti-clockwise motion on the southern hemisphere.

Here, the sun rises and sets rapidly and the temperatures and weather are largely constant all year through, take some memorial photos with one foot in the southern hemisphere and another one in the northern hemisphere which will give you an opportunity to take a photo while standing in both sides of the world at the same time. It is also said that while standing at the equator line, your body weight is reduced by about 3kgs so, you will have a chance to prove this statement right or false. After the water experiment, visit some craft shops to buy some souvenir which are fully designed in a Ugandan local art. After staying at the Uganda equator for some time, proceed with your journey to Entebbe international airport to prepare for your return flight. This will be the end of your 12 Days Uganda wildlife and primate encounter safari.

Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch