8 Days Chimps & Gorillas Safari Uganda

You will be picked up from the airport by our driver-guide. He will transfer you to your hotel and he will meet you again tomorrow morning as he picks you up from your hotel. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may be able to take a glance at Kampala. Activities today are at your own costs. Then later he brings back to the hotel .

Today you will drive to Fort Portal in the western part of Uganda. The route is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda. The last hour of the journey will take you through dense forest and sounds of the wild. Total driving today will be about 8 hours.

You will be staying at a wonderful accommodation, located in a patch of evergreen forest, just outside the southern part of the National Park. You can spend the late afternoon relaxing at the lodge, from which there is a lovely view of the forest and its wildlife.

Kibale Forest boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including the chimpanzees. An experienced forest ranger will take you chimp tracking in the morning or afternoon. Once located, you will spend a full hour with the chimps. Since they are still wild animals, we can never guarantee you to see them and might have to settle with hearing their hoots and hollers.

Your swamp walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities and beautiful scenery. It is also usual to spot three to four different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco!

Optional: Chimpanzee Habituation.
For an extra US$ 150 pp you can do the chimpanzee habituation tracking instead of the regular chimp tracking. This will take all day and you will be 100% sure to have a very close enounter with chimps. Book in time; only 6 persons are allowed to go per day. Your swamp walk can be postponed to the next morning.

In the morning you can relax at your lodge, make a crater lake hike or visit a nearby tea plantation, where you will be able to assist the tea pickers and learn about how leaves are selected for the highest quality (all activities of this morning are at your own cost). You will then continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park (4 hours).

In the late afternoon you will go for a game-drive in Queen Elizabeth. Lions are often sighted inside the park as well as at the entrance to the park. Be prepared for large numbers of hippo and elephant, and also keep your eyes peeled for leopards.

You stay in Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge or Marafiki Safari Lodge which is located on a unique location overlooking Lake George in the Queen Elizabeth National Park it offers private safari tents on raised wooden floors and canvas walls that can be rolled up to allow you to sit comfortably watching the Savannah Plains with breath taking views across the Park and the Rwenzori Mountains.

An early wake up today! A little before sunrise coffee, tea and donuts will be served in the lounge before we head out for a long game drive in time to see the sun rise. You will search for all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across many warthhogs, elephants, waterbucks, buffalos, Uganda Kob, and maybe even a lion or a leopard.

Back to the lodge in the late morning, a well-deserved brunch will be served.

During a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon, you will see a many hippos, as well as a variety of other animals which come to the water to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour. After the boat safari you have an en-route game drive back to the lodge.

Today you drive in about 7 hours to Lake Mutanda, located in the south-western part of Uganda and close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You cross a beautiful part of the country often referred to as ‘the Switzerland of Africa’. En route you will pass the country-side, bamboo forest and have great views over the Virunga Mountains. For lunch you stop at a local restaurant (not inclusive).

Your comfortable lodge is overlooking the beautiful Lake Mutanda and the Virunga volcanoes. This will undoubtedly be one of the most spectacular views you have ever seen!

Tomorrow you will depart from here for the gorilla tracking. So it is best to get a good night’s sleep.

Today is the big day… prepare yourself for an encounter with the rare mountain gorilla. For most people this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda!

The gorillas you track belong to one of nine habituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. En route to the gorillas, your guide will point out signs of previous gorilla activity, including dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots.

The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 7 hours. Your track will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes and bamboo before you eventually reach the gorilla family. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them.

Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with these gentle giants!

After an early breakfast at the lodge, our driver-guide will drive you back to Kampala or Entebbe (Airport) stopping at the equator for the requisite snapshot and a bit of souvenir shopping.

Accommodation for tonight is not inclusive in the program. If you wish to depart tonight from Entebbe Airport, make sure your flight is at 11:00 pm or later. If you would like us to book one (or more) nights in Kampala or Entebbe, please let us know.