8 DAYS UGANDA PRIMATE TOUR PROGRAM.

 

Trip Highlights:

• Main destination is Kibale, National Park, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi National Park.
• Chimpanzee tracking
• Gorilla Tracking
• Game drives
• Optional activities in each national park
• You will stay in either luxury lodges or mid range lodges with meals included.
• Scheduled flights where necessary
• You will be travelling in a 4×4 safari vehicle

 

Day by day tour program:

Day 1-
Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by Thousand Hills Expeditions’ representative who will assist you with customs and immigration clearance, thereafter you will be transferred to the hotel.

 

Optional activities depending on your arrival time.

 

• Visit the Botanical Gardens.
• A sunset Boat cruise on Lake Victoria.
• Visit the Craft village.
• Bike Rides.
• Explore the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.
• Guided walking tours.
• Take a canoe tour in Mabamba Swamp
• Bird-watching around Lake Victoria Shores.
• Fishing trip.
• Ngamba Island
• Visit the Fishing Village.

 

Lunch and dinner under own arrangements.

Overnight at your hotel. ( BB)

 

Day 2-

Meet your guide at the lobby at 6:00am and transfer to Entebbe airport for your scheduled flight to Kasese airstrip National Park/ Kibale airstrip, which departs at 07:00 hrs, via other airstrips depending on the route of the day arriving at 10:00am. Upon arrival at Kasese airstrip you will meet your driver/guide from Thousand Hills and be transferred to the lodge. (approx. 1 ½  to 2 hour’s drive).   Check in at your Lodge.

 

Kibale National Park, 320 kms/5 hrs from Kampala, is Uganda’s primates’ paradise, her 776 km² of moist evergreen rain forest home to the highest concentration of primates in the world - 13 species, including the very ‘local-ized’ Red Colobus as well as L'Hoest's monkey. The elusive forest elephant, smaller, hairier than its bush counterpart, moves seasonally into the park; other terrestrial mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog, leopard and half a dozen antelope species. Birdlife is prolific with 335 species including hornbills, pittas, turacos, the endemic Prirogrine's ground thrush and African Grey Parrots.

 

But the park’s principal attraction remains the opportunity to track her 500 habituated Chimpanzees. These delightful apes, genetically the closest living relatives of man, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. Tracking usually takes about 4 hrs.

 

Optional activities: 

• Amabeere Ga Nyinamwiru Caves
• Beekeeper’s Cooperative
• Tooro Botanical Gardens

 

Dinner and overnight at your lodge. (FB)

 

Day 3-

At 6:00am meet your guide at the lobby with your packed lunch boxes and transfer to Kibale National Park, and drive to Kanyanchu Park Headquarters for a briefing of the chimpanzee tracking and later enter the forest to search for the man’s closest friend. These delightful apes, more closely related to humans than to any other living creature, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. The incredibly diverse forest is home to over 13 species of primates including red Colobus monkey, the rare L’Hoest, blue monkey, grey mangabey, black faced vervet monkeys, baboons and also bush babies swinging through the dense forests, with your informative guide making it even more interesting by pointing out other forest features, flora & fauna.

Upon sighting the chimpanzees, you stay with them for 1 hour as they go about their daily life!

 

Optional activities in the afternoon.

• Cultural and Nature walking
• Visit the Crater Lakes
• Cycling in Kibale
• Tea Plantations

 

Dinner and overnight at your lodge. (FB)

 

Day 4-

Meet your guide at the lobby after breakfast and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoying the majestic views en route of the snow-capped 16,000-foot Rwenzori Mountains - the famed "Mountains of the Moon". (approx. 3 hrs drive). Check in at the lodge.

 

Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), located in western Uganda, approx 438 kms/6 hrs southwest of Kampala is Uganda’s most popular savannah park. Her 1,978 sq. km of open savannah, rainforest, dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes extends from Lake George in the northeast to Lake Edward in the southwest and includes Maramagambo Forest and Kazinga Channel connects the 2 lakes.

 

QENP is home to an incredible array of wildlife including almost 100 species of mammals, from hippos, elephants, leopards, lions, the elusive giant forest hog, the handsome Uganda kob to Chimpanzees in her Kyambura Gorge; all these in addition to over 600 bird species.

 

Much of the best game viewing is in the northern, Mweya Peninsula area which boasts a marvellous waterfront setting in the shadow of the Rwenzoris. The southern area of Ishasha exiting towards Bwindi is famous for its tree-climbing lions, whose males sport black manes, a feature unique to lions in this area.

 

It is also famous for its volcanic features; volcanic cones and deep craters, many with crater lakes such as Lake Katwe, from which salt is extracted. Unique activities include regular game drives, Launch cruises on Kazinga channel, Chimps tracking in Kyambura gorge and Guided walks in Maragambo forest.

In the afternoon go for a game drive.

Optional activities.

• Visit Lake Katwe
• Nature walks in Maramagambo Forest
• Cultural experiences
• Game drive

 

Dinner and overnight at your lodge. ( FB)

 

Day 5-

Early morning rise with tea/coffee and snacks and have a morning game drive in the wilds of Queen Elizabeth National Park which is globally famous for featuring four of the big 5, its diverse bird species as well as other flora and fauna. The drive will take you to Kasenyi mating ground, expect to encounter Lions, spotted hyenas, Grazing Hippos, Elephants, and Warthogs, Herds of Buffalo, giant forest hog, Uganda kobs, Water bucks, Occasional leopard sightings, and a variety of bird species unique to the Albertine rift valley.

 

Optional activity morning activities.

 

• Chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu Forest
• Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge
• Lion tracking experience
• Mangoose tracking
• Hippo census (when need to know when it can be done)

 

In the afternoon grace yourself for a unique scheduled boat cruise on the Kazinga channel that joins Lake Edward to Lake George and also famous for the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. You may also encounter crocodiles, countless of birds on the shore and overhead and in the water of the channel. This is a pleasant boat ride where you can get some great pictures of elephants and buffaloes on shore. Hopefully an open-mouthed hippo shot.

 

 

Dinner and overnight at your lodge. ( FB)

 

Day 6-

Have your morning breakfast served at 7:30am before transferring to Bwindi National Park (approx. 6 hrs drive).

Check in at the lodge.

 

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park’s 331 sq. kms of montane and lowland forest jungle lies in southwestern Uganda, 540 kms from Kampala. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and accessible only on foot, it is one of the richest ecosystems in Africa providing habitat for over 90 mammals (including 11 primates), 346 species of birds (including 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics), 202 species of butterflies, 163 tree species, over 100 species of ferns, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos and other endangered species.

 

Bwindi is however most notable for her 340 Mountain Gorillas, about half the world's population of this critically endangered primate. Gazetted in 1991, the park rose to her peak after Gorilla tracking became a tourist activity in April of 1993, converting it into one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth. The 7 habituated families include Mubare, Habinyanja, Rushegura near Buhoma and the Nkuringo group.

 

Activities include: Gorilla tracking, Forest walks, Cultural visits with the Batwa people and unbelievable bird watching - this is Africa’s richest country birds-wise with over 1,000 species recorded including almost half the continent’s known species and over 10% of those recorded around the world.

 

Dinner and overnight at your lodge. ( FB)

 

Day 7-

Wake up and prepare for the unforgettable experience! After an early breakfast transfer to the park HQs for pre-Gorilla tracking briefing and about the gorilla family you will track then 08:00 AM: set off into the forest in the footsteps of the Mountain Gorillas. You will be led by experienced gorilla trackers on the slopes of the volcanoes. You will start from the site where the gorillas were encountered the day before and from here the gorilla tracking begins. It is a humbling experience to stand just meters from man’s distant cousins as they eat rest, play and bond with their young. Follow the mountain gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest, and discover their gorgeous natural habitual and the many species they share it with. You are allowed an hour with the gorillas.

 

The trekking can take from 1 to 5 hours but sometimes it might take long hours, depending on the location of the gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest. -  The terrain is rough and at times muddy. Although the hike is physically demanding the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthwhile. Once the gorillas are located all fatigue is forgotten, as the experience is often described as being the most profound natural history experience in the world. Cameras and plenty of fast speed film is recommended. It can rain at a few minutes’ notice; hence waterproof clothing is a good essential including zip lock bags for cameras and film. It is important to take plenty of water.

 

Afterwards trek back to the lodge for lunch and a refreshing shower.

 

Optional activities: 

• Community walks.
• Forest walk
• Bird watching
• Biking community tour
• Ride4 woman
• Visit Community School

 

Dinner and overnight at your lodge. ( FB)

 

Day 8 –

After an early breakfast, check out and drive to Kihihi Airstrip to take your scheduled flight back to Entebbe which departs at 9:45am and arrives at 11:25am. Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, check in for your international flight.

END OF OUR SERVICES-

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

• Airport transfers
• Transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
• Services of an English-speaking driver guide
• Fuel for the whole trip
• Accommodation and meal plan as per the itinerary
• Drinking water while in the vehicle
• Park entry fees
• Game drive
• Boat cruise
• Emergency evacuation cover

 

WHAT IS EXCLUDED:

• International airfares
• Uganda Visa-USD50 or Eat African tourist visa – USD 100 which has to be applied online
• All tracking permits
• Optional activities
• Scheduled flight were applied
• Personal items for example drinks and laundry
• Tips and Gratuity