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6 Day Uganda Great Apes Safari

This 6-Day Great Apes safari takes you to Kibale Forest National Park – a lush expanse of wilderness that is home to 13 primate species – chief among them the Chimpanzees – man’s closest relatives.

Day 01: Arrival in Uganda

Upon arrival in Uganda at Entebbe International Airport, located on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Victoria, Africa’s biggest fresh water lake, you will be welcomed and greeted by your driver/guide. He will be standing at the Arrivals Hall holding a placard with your name so you cannot miss him. You will then be transferred to the hotel/ guest house you have chosen and check-in for dinner and overnight stay. Your driver/ guide will brief you about your safari at some stage (either before dinner or first thing after breakfast the next day).

For those that arrive early in the day – there are optional activities around Entebbe especially if you intend to stay active and not rest after long overseas flights. You can visit the Entebbe Botanical Gardens or head out to trawl Mabamba bay for a chance to see the prehistoric and mythical shoebill. Or, your guide will be on hand to take you to the local markets or one of the malls to shop for some essentials.

Meal Plan
Dinner
Travel Time
-
Day 02: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park

After a delicious breakfast this morning, you commence the drive right across central Uganda heading west towards the enchanting Kibale Forest National Park. You drive through the central region’s green belt where locals grow green bananas (a major staple), coffee and tea as key cash crops, a lot of tropical fruits and lots of other food crops given the fertile rich soils of the region you traverse this morning. As you continue west, you’ll pass through major towns of Mityana and Mubende, making a delightful stopover in Fort Portal town for a scrumptious lunch.

Optional: For visitors that are active and love a bit of culture and myth, from lunch, you can make a de-tour and visit the Amabere Ganyinamwiru, a cultural site famous for its stunning stalagmites, caves and a picturesque waterfall. The Batoro people who inhabit this area have a strong belief attached to these caves with an interesting story told through the generations about them. From here, visitors can hike Nyakasura hill which will give you views of three different crater lakes as well as panoramic views of the Rwenzori Mountain’s foothills. If you choose not to visit the stalagmite caves, from lunch, you will complete the drive to Kibale Forest National Park, where you arrive – with troops of cheeky olive baboons forming a large welcome party. When you arrive at the lodge you have chosen, check-in and have the rest of the day to yourselves. Later, dinner and overnight stay.

Meal Plan
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Travel Time
-
Day 03: Chimpanzee trekking & visit Bigodi wetland sanctuary

Today you are in for some real monkey business! After breakfast, you head to Kanyachu, the headquarters for Kibale Forest National Park.  Reputed for having the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa, Kibale Forest National park teems with wildlife and is also home to 13 other primate species. After a comprehensive briefing, venture into the wilderness in search of these fascinating creatures, known for their intelligence and social behaviors. Given the diversity of the place, keep your senses attuned as you might spot the rare L’Hoest monkey or red-tailed colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many others. Perhaps you will hear rare bird calls or the playful cries of olive baboons. The guides and rangers will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates, but also on all the forest fauna and flora and will ensure that your walk is both informative and enjoyable. However, what you are roaming the forest for are the chimpanzees. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will have a full 1-hour in their presence. You watch them go about their day, see the young ones play and the mature ones grooming each other or looking for food. You either find them atop the big fruit trees or on the ground. It is a most exhilarating experience if you are lucky to find them on the ground.  After the mandatory 1-hour is finished, your guides/rangers will lead you back to the trail-head from where you come back to the park HQ. You receive your certificates and can take pictures to capture the moment. From here, return to the lodge for a hot lunch.

Afternoon: After lunch, set out for a guided nature walk through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary – a community project. The swamp offers visitors a platform to see more primates, swamp and forest birds, all the while supporting local conservation efforts. On your tour, you will likely see several kinds of monkeys including black and white colobus, red colobus etc. Other wetlands mammals include baboons, Sitatunga (an increasingly endangered swamp antelope), bush pigs, civet cats, mongooses, bush bucks and an occasional chimpanzee appearance. The walk is 4.5 kilometres in length and lasts 3 hours and should not be missed by avid birders. Money generated from the activities in Bigodi is used to fund community projects including a school and a clinic. Later, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Optional Activity: Chimpanzee Habituation

Meal Plan
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Travel Time
-
Day 04: Drive to Bwindi via Ishasha Sector

This drive to Bwindi via the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is picturesque given the diverse habitats you transition through from Kibale to Bwindi. On a clear day, you can see the snow-capped Magherita peak of the Rwenzori Mountains, crater lakes dot the land, rolling green hillsides and you drive close to Queen Elizabeth National Park. As you journey through Ishasha – the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, bring out binoculars and keep your gaze trained on the horizon as you search for the iconic tree-climbing lions that inhabit this unique region. If you are lucky to find them, marvel at the sight of these majestic predators perched atop ancient sycamore fig trees or acacia trees, surveying their kingdom with regal poise.

There are about four prides of lions in the area numbering more than 40 in total. Look out for the males with their black mane, which is a notable attribute. Also, there are about 1000+ elephants present in the area and you normally see large herds. There are Topi (savannah relatives of the world-famous Wildebeest) and Uganda Kob antelopes in large numbers. The drive is a fantastic opportunity to take pictures. You continue to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a realm of mist-shrouded mountains and dense vegetation. Along the way, feast your eyes on the scenic beauty of the landscape, from vast banana plantations to lush valleys and towering forests. As the day draws to a close, arrive at the lodge you have chosen in Bwindi, where you can unwind amidst the tranquil surroundings and prepare for the extraordinary adventure that awaits tomorrow.

Meal Plan
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Travel Time
-
Day 05: Gorilla Trekking & transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast, with your packed lunch, lots of water in your rucksack, your guide will take you to the park HQ before 8:00am for registration and briefing by Uganda Wildlife Authority staff. Once the formalities of what to do and not to do while tracking the gentle giants are communicated, you will head to the trail-head of the gorilla family you have been allocated. At the trail-head, you will commence the trek, pushing your way through the undergrowth, to track the gorillas. (the trek can last from half an hour to 8 hours – a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as a sturdy pair of walking shoes). When you finally locate the family that you are tracking, take in everything as you watch the gorillas go about their day – feeding on the green leaves, bamboo shoots, wild celery, stinging nettle and wild fruit. If there are juvenile gorillas, enjoy them play about and take it all in. Take lots of pictures (and a selfie if you happen to have a gorilla in your selfie frame) and video as the one-hour will be over before you know it. It is an extraordinary feeling being in the presence of these majestic apes, sitting/standing in the dense rainforest with the knowledge that you are in the presence of the few remaining wild mountain gorillas. After the mandatory one hour is up, the rangers will lead you back to the starting point/trail-head where you will find your driver/guide. Once back at the trail-head, your driver/guide will be waiting to take you back to the park HQ where you receive your tracking certificates (evidence of your contribution to the conservation of the majestic gorillas). From here, you will commence the short drive to the picturesque Lake Bunyonyi. On arrival in Lake Bunyonyi, check-in at the resort you have chosen for a hot lunch. After lunch, relax and can use the time to look back on your awe-inspiring encounter with the gorillas through the lens of your camera. Later, dinner and overnight at the resort.

What to bring for gorilla tracking/trekking: light but sturdy hiking shoes, light rain jacket, daypack, 2 litres of water, gardening gloves, long trousers either jeans/khakis, long-sleeved shirt/blouse, wide-brimmed hat, sun glasses, insect repellent and an energy bar.

Alternatively: Gorilla Habituation, boat trip at Lake Bunyonyi

Meal Plan
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Travel Time
-
Day 06: Drive to Entebbe & Depart

After breakfast, check-out and commence the 7-hour drive to Entebbe. You will make two stops including one for an early lunch. After lunch, continue with a stop at the Equator point. Here, you can purchase some crafts and souvenirs from your Uganda safari and take fun photos at the Equator monument. You should arrive in Entebbe in the late afternoon/ early evening where you are dropped-off at the airport for you to check-in for your onward flight home. If your flight is much later, you can use the facilities at one of our partner Guest Houses to freshen up ahead of check-in. At the appropriate time, you will be dropped off at the airport in time for you to check-in for your onward flight to bring to an end what we believe will have been an awe-inspiring Uganda safari whose memories will stay with you for a long time.

Meal Plan
Breakfast, Lunch
Travel Time
-
Accommodation

This 6-Day Great Apes safari takes you to Kibale Forest National Park – a lush expanse of wilderness that is home to 13 primate species – chief among them the Chimpanzees – man’s closest relatives. The park is home to the largest of Uganda’s chimpanzee populations, which stand at more than 1,500 members and is the best place to trek to see wild habituated chimpanzees in Africa.

From Kibale, you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – home to Africa’s largest apes the Mountain Gorillas. From Kibale to Bwindi, you transition across a scenic area that is ecologically diverse – crater lakes, dense forests and bushland, rich grassy savannah plains, rolling green hills and swamps that are all rich habitats for Africa’s wildlife. On a clear day, you will also be able to see the snow-peaked Magherita peak of the Rwenzori Mountains. You then arrive in Bwindi, a realm of mist-shrouded mountains and dense vegetation.  American zoologist George Schaller, one of the first people to study gorillas in the wild, once said: “No one who looks into the eyes of a Gorilla, gentle and vulnerable, can remain unchanged.” And so this trip will leave you with an indelible mark on your conscience and the satisfaction that you will have added to the legacy of Dian Fossey – the trailblazing primatologist who brought light to the plight of Africa’s largest apes – that they were endangered. From Bwindi, you make a de-tour to the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. You then complete your Uganda nature adventure with the drive to Entebbe for your onward flight home.

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  • Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
  • Chimpanzee trekking & visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
  • Drive to Bwindi via Ishasha Sector
  • Gorilla Trekking
  • Drive to Entebbe
Inclusions
  • Accommodation in Standard Rooms in safari lodges/camps and hotel facilities as mentioned in the itinerary.
  • On the ground transport in a 4X4 Safari Land-cruiser with fuel
  • Game drives, excursions and sight-seeing activities (if any) as described above
  • Activities (if any) as outlined in detailed itinerary
  • Gorilla permits
  • Chimpanzee permits
  • Transfers as indicated in the itinerary
  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary
  • Services of an English-speaking driver/tour guide
  • Bottled water whilst on safari, fruit and snacks
Exclusions
  • Personal expenses such travel and medical insurance, excess baggage fee, communication charges that include, emails, faxes and phone calls, beverages including luxury champagne, spirits or meals not included in the itinerary
  • Gratuity for porterage/ waiters at hotels, camps and airports
  • Gratuity for your professional driver guide
  • East Africa Tourist Visa (apply online at visas.immigration.go.ug )
  • Any fees for optional tours and excursions not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Travel Insurance
  • International Airfare
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