This tour includes Big Five sightings and great ape tracking. Go to Murchison Falls National Park for game sighting and to explore the world’s strongest falls. Visit Kibale Forest for chimpanzee tracking, Queen Elizabeth for tree-climbing lions, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking. You will go through the most scenic places with magnificent slopes, dense jungles, amazing features, plenty of wild animals, different primates, and numerous bird species that will make you appreciate Uganda.
Day 1: Kampala City – Rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
When you arrive at Entebbe Airport, you will be met by our company representative and be briefed about the tour. You will then start your safari to Murchison Falls National Park located in northwestern Uganda. On the way, visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda where you can see rhinos in the wild. Seeing rhinos will complete your Big Five game checklist. After the rhino tracking, proceed to the park with another stopover at Kabalega Diner to have lunch.
You will reach the park in the late afternoon to visit Murchison Falls and enjoy the great views and sounds of the falls. This is where the River Nile squeezes itself through a narrow gorge of only 7 meters wide and then drops 43 meters into a pool that creates a strong and thunderous sound. The park is known as a source of happiness for nature lovers. After the visit to the falls, drive to check in at your booked lodge to refresh. Spend the evening at leisure till it’s time to be served dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Morning game drive – Afternoon boat cruise on the Nile
After breakfast, drive to the park for a morning game-drive safari to see the park’s wildlife species. Expect to see elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, many antelopes, lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and many others, plus bird species. After the game drive, return to the lodge to have lunch and go for an afternoon boat cruise on the River Nile that will take you upstream to the bottom of the falls. During the boat cruise, expect to see many aquatic species like the Nile crocodile, hippos, and many bird species.
Following the boat ride, return to the lodge for an overnight stay.
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park – Drive to Kibale National Park – Bigodi Swamp and community tour
After breakfast, check out and drive to Kibale National Park which is proudly known as Africa’s primate capital. With 13 recorded primate species, more than any other national park in Africa, as well as a population of 1,500 chimpanzees, it makes the park the best in Africa for chimpanzee-tracking safaris. On arrival at Kibale Forest National Park, check in at your lodge, have lunch, and enjoy some time to relax.
Later, go to the Bigodi Swamp for a nature walk and community experience. The swamp is home to over 138 bird species and 8 primate species such as the black-and-white colobus, red-tailed, and L’Hoest’s monkeys, as well as other mammals such as bushbucks. This swamp is known as a bird lover’s paradise. Later, visit the community to interact with the local people to learn about their daily lives and relationships with wildlife, as well as their daily activities like making gin from bananas, making coffee, and doing art and crafts. Return for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Morning chimp tracking – Queen Elizabeth NP – Afternoon boat cruise
Have breakfast and then go to the park’s headquarters for a briefing before you set off for a forest walk to search for chimpanzees. The walk will be guided to provide information not only on chimpanzees and primates, but also on other small organisms. Expect to discover a number of other primates besides chimpanzees like grey-cheeked mangabeys, colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and butterflies.
After the chimpanzee tracking, take your refreshments and your packed lunch and then transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP for an afternoon boat cruise on the well-known Kazinga Channel. The channel has the highest concentration of hippos in Africa, and a big number of Nile crocodiles. It is a paradise for birders who will see hundreds of birds on the shore. Expect to see a number of big mammals on the shore as they come to the water such as elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes. After this adventurous boat-cruise safari, drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth NP – Morning predator experience – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP
Have breakfast, check out, and then go for the predator-tracking experience which will allow you to see lions and leopards (which are the biggest predators), close to your safari vehicle. Predators spend most of their daytime hiding and are more active at night. After the predator experience, head to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with a game-drive safari in the Ishasha sector to search for the tree-climbing lions. The tree-climbing lions can only be found in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania, and Kruger National Park in South Africa, but the Ishasha sector is the best place with the highest chances to see them because it has many families with the character of climbing trees. However, seeing them is not guaranteed.
Have lunch and then proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is home to half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas. On arrival at the park, check in to refresh, relax, then have dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Bwindi National Park – Morning gorilla trekking – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi – Evening canoeing
Wake up early for breakfast and depart for a morning pre-trek gorilla briefing at the park information center. Later, go for your long-awaited gorilla-trekking activity. The time it takes to track them is expected to be between 2 and 8 hours, depending on the movement of the gorilla family you are allocated to. During the trek, expect to discover other primates such as chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and many others. On encountering them, you will spend an hour of exhilarating moments with these gentle giants.
After the tracking, enjoy your packed lunch and refreshments. You will transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for an evening canoeing experience and bird watching on Lake Bunyonyi. Return for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Lake Bunyonyi – Return to Entebbe International Airport
After breakfast, drive back to Entebbe International Airport with an en-route stop at the Kayabwe equator point for a water experience and to buy souvenirs. You will then drive straight to the airport to return home with a great experience of gorillas.