9 Days Gorillas, Chimpanzee & Lions Safari

Uganda is known for its most smiling and hospitable people. The stunning lushness of Uganda’s 10 National parks combined with spectacular landscapes creates Africa’s most memorable experiences. This discovery safari takes you to the diverse settings which are now Home to an impressive range of Wildlife. Expect to come face to face with Chimpanzees, Gorillas and of course the Big Game animals in the Savanna parks. The safari includes a boat ride to view various animals such as crocodiles, Hippopotamus and several others.

Day 1: Airport pick up and transfer to Protea Hotel

On this day, you will warmly welcomed at the airport by one of our professional tour guides and transferred to your hotel. On arrival, you will check in, have lunch and relax. In the evening, you will have dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel

Meal plan: all meals and drinking water

Day 2: Transfer to UWEC and then Ngamba Island in the afternoon

On this day, you will be picked up from your hotel by a staff of Pamoja Tours and Travel and then drive to the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC). While there, you will see various animals including the recently introduced tigers. You will have a delicious lunch and then embark on your journey to Ngamba island for chimpanzee viewing. Here you will get a chance to come close to the chimps and get more information about the chimps that are found on this Island. Thereafter, you will transfer back to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Protea hotel

Meal plan: All meals and drinking water

Day 3: Drive to Kibale National park and evening Bigodi swamp walk

Drive early from Entebbe through the scenic tea plantation to Fort Portal (Western part of Uganda). Kibale is particularly alluring to nature lovers known for its excellent chimp tracking and birding. Also, worth noting is the fact that it has the highest concentration of primates in East Africa (about 13 primate species). Some of these include chimps, vervet, red-tailed, L’Hoest and blue monkeys. You may go for an afternoon primate walk to Kanyanchu river camp, the most popular walk in the park.

It highlights a miscellany of flora and fauna within the forest.

Upon arrival, you will have lunch, relax and in the evening you will go for Bigodi swamp walk which gives you an opportunity for bird watching and monkey viewing. Later, you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Isunga Lodge

Meal plan: All meals and drinking water

Day 4: Chimpanzee habituation and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

On this day, you will have the opportunity to go for chimpanzee habituation where you are expected to leave Kanyanchu at 8:00am.

The forest walk is expected to take 2 to 3 hours where you will follow chimpanzees, meet up with them as they go about with their daily activities and watch them. Thereafter, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park together with Kyambura and Kigezi Wildlife Reserves form one of the most diverse ecosystems in Africa.There are a series of two main lakes, George and Edward, as well as the connecting Kazinga Channel. Thousands of hippos populate these lake shorelines. Open savannah dotted with Acacia and Euphorbia trees provide a habitat for elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs and

big herds of buffaloes. Lastly, you will have dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Twin Lakes Safari Lodge

Meal plan: All meals and drinking water

Day 5: Experiential lion tracking and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

On this day, you will have an early breakfast and then head out for experiential lion tracking. Lion tracking involves one taking a close look at lions and learning their behavior. Lions with radio collars are tracked by a researcher assigned by the Uganda carnivore project- under the research department of Uganda wildlife authority. They use the radiation trackers to monitor the movement of the lions with the radio collars.

After this amazing experience, you will return to your lodge for lunch.

Thereafter, you will go for a boat cruise along Kazinga channel where you will spot lots of water loving animals such as crocodiles, hippos, water buffaloes and different bird species. After the boat cruise, you may go for a sun set game drive as you head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Meal plan: all meals and drinking water

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha sector for tree climbing lions.

After breakfast, you will transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National park passing through Ishasha sector with higher chances of spotting tree climbing lions and other different wildlife species such Topis, kobs and others. Upon arrival in Bwindi, you will have lunch, relax as you wait for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Mahogany springs lodge

Meal plan: all meals and drinking water

Day 7: Gorilla trekking experience and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Get up early and report to Bwindi Park headquarters for a briefing with the ranger guide; from here you will hit the montane forest for an encounter with the mountain gorillas.

Watch out for their voices and listen to them grumble and the young as they swing from tree to tree, and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant male; the silverback. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rain forest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 7 hours. The gorillas you track belong to one of 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.

After tracking, you will transfer to lake Bunyonyi for relaxation and leisure as you wait for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Bunyonyi Rock Resort

Meal plan: all meals and drinking water

Day. 8 Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park and evening game drive.

On this day, you will wake up early for breakfast and prepare for a transfer to Lake Mburo national park. You will have lunch en-route at Igongo cultural centre. Thereafter, you will embark on a drive to Lake Mburo National park for evening game drive to see Zebras and Giraffes, Impalas, Statungas, bushbucks etc. Dinner and overnight Mihingo lodge.

Accommodation: Mihingo lodge

Meal plan: all meals and drinking water

Day 9: Morning nature walk in the Park and transfer back to Entebbe

After an early breakfast at the lodge, we will start our walking safari in search for Zebras, giraffes etc. and we shall have lunch at Uganda’s Equator. We will drive back to Entebbe (Airport) stopping at the equator for the requisite snapshot and a bit of souvenir shopping.

Accommodation: Protea Hotel

Meal plan: all meals and drinking water

End of Safari

INCLUDED;

• Park fees (For non-residents)
• Gorilla permits (One per person, non-resident)
• Chimp permits (One per person, non-resident)
• All activities (Unless labelled as optional)
• All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
• A professional driver/guide
• All transportation (Unless labelled as optional)
• All Taxes/VAT
• Round-trip airport transfer
• Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
• Drinking water (On all days)

EXCLUDED

• International flights (From/to home)
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
• Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp. per day)
• Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
• Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees