5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari

5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari is an enchanting Uganda Safari Tour where travelers will get a chance to explore the amazing Primates together with other wildlife species. Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in southwestern Uganda in Kanungu district and is home to the famous mountain gorillas. Bwindi national park is one of the most visited gorilla destinations because it harbors half of the endangered mountain gorillas compared to other destinations in Africa and they are found in four sectors of the park namely Ruhija sector, Rushaga sector, Buhoma sector, and Nkuringo sector. On your 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari, you will view gorillas in Bwindi national park wildlife in Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest national park in Uganda located in western Uganda and chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest in Bushenyi district western Uganda.

Highlights of the 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 4: Morning Game drive (lion tracking) and afternoon Boat cruise
Day 5: Transfer to Kalinzu forest and Departure to Kampala

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi National Park

Transfer to Bwindi: Depending on your location, our driver-guide will pick you up from your location and brief you about your 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari. You will then start your journey to Bwindi national park with a stopover at the equator where you will be able to view various craft shops, take photos standing at the equator. You will then continue the journey via Masaka and have another stopover for en-route lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre. After lunch, you will continue the journey via Ntungamo, Kabale, Kanungu and then Bwindi national park in the Buhoma sector which is located in the northern part of the park. The journey from Kampala to Buhoma is long and takes about 9 to 10 hours’ drive but it’s worth the distance because you will have great views of the landscapes in Kabale, homesteads, local people on the way. After arrival in Buhoma, you will have dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation options include Buhoma lodge (luxury) or Buhoma Haven Lodge (mid-range)

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking

Gorilla Trekking: You will wake up early have breakfast at the lodge and with your packed lunch your driver-guide will pick you up from the lodge and drive you to the starting point where you will be briefed about gorilla trekking expectation and grouped into 8 people depending on your interests and physical fitness. Buhoma sector is one of the most visited sectors in Bwindi national park. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park is unpredictable in that it can either take a short period of time or a long period of time of about 2 to 8 hours depending on the location of the gorilla family. When the gorilla family is found, you will spend one hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat. After trekking the driver will transfer you back to the lodge for evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation options include Buhoma Lodge (luxury) or Buhoma Haven Lodge (mid-range).

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Transfer to Queen (Tree Climbing Lions): You will wake up early have breakfast and your driver-guide will pick you up and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive. You will pass via the Ishasha sector which is located in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. In Ishasha, you will view the tree climbing lions relaxing upon the fig tree branches looking down at the antelopes grazing. From Ishasha you will continue to the park, check-in at the lodge and have lunch.
Lake Katwe Experience: After lunch, you will drive to the crater lakes such as Lake Katwe the salt lake which was formed through volcanic eruption. At Lake Katwe, you will see the local people extracting rock salt from the main lake to the landing area for sell. You can also visit Lake Munyanyange which is 2kms away from Lake Katwe where you will see bird species such as the flamingos, pied avocet, black winged stilt, black terns, seagulls among others. After the crater lakes tour, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options include Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury), Park View Safari Lodge (midrange) or Pumba Safari Lodge (budget).

Day 4: Morning game drive (lion tracking) and afternoon Boat cruise

Morning Game Drive: You will wake up early, have breakfast meet up with your guide and set off for the morning game drive and experiential lion tracking in Kansenyi plains where you will be able to track the lions using the tracking devices. Lion tracking activity gives you a 95% chance of spotting the lions and you will be able to view other animals in the park such as leopards, elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, bushbucks, waterbucks among others. After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat Cruise: After lunch, you will meet up with your guide and set off for the afternoon boat cruise at the Kazinga channel which takes about 2 to 3 hours. Kazinga channel is a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise, you will be able to cruise near the animals such as elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards which can be seen along the water banks. You will also have a clear view of the water birds such as black bee-eater, African skimmer, long-tailed cormorant, pink backed pelican, kingfisher and the fishermen on the shores of the lake. After the boat cruise, you will drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options include Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury), Park View Safari Lodge (midrange) or Pumba Safari Lodge (budget).

Day 5: Transfer to Kalinzu forest and departure to Kampala

Transfer to Kalinzu: You will wake up and have breakfast and meet up with your driver-guide to transfer to Kalinzu forest for chimpanzee trekking which takes about 45 minutes’ drive. Kalinzu forest is located in Bushenyi district and it will reach in time for the morning briefing and later start trekking in the forest with the guide and armed ranger. Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest is done in the steep slopes and muddy grounds hence visitors need to wear trekking clothes and will be able to view different primate species apart from the chimpanzees such as the red tailed monkeys, black and white monkeys, baboons among others.

Return to Kampala: After chimpanzee trekking, you will start your journey to Kampala City where you will have great views of the tea plantations in Bushenyi and a stopover at Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara for lunch and then continue to Kampala.
Drop Off: After arrival, the driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International airport in case you have a flight to catch or at any place of convenience.

End of 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari

Tour includes

An English speaking driver-guide
Gorilla trekking permit
Full board accommodation
Crater lakes tour
All park entrance fees
Boat cruise
Chimpanzee trekking permit
Pick up and drop off
Vehicle and fuel
Bottled water

Tour excludes

Air flight tickets
Visas
Optional activities not included in the itinerary
Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.

Gorilla and chimpanzee Trekking tips for your safari

Bwindi national park is a tropical rain forest which means that it can rain anytime in the forest, therefore, you need to packs some essential items for your tour such as

Hiking shoes
Garden gloves
Long sleeved shirt and trouser
Insect repellent
Waterproof rain jacket
Warm sweaters
Cotton stockings
Waterproof backpack to carry your equipment’s
camera
Drinking water and packed lunch from the lodge
Porter who will carry your equipment’s and give you a pull and push in steep and slippery areas