16 days Ugandan primate safari - 16 Days

You are picked by our guide, briefed about your 16 days Uganda primates, game and cultural tour sett off by driving to Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary to track the being restocked endangered white rhinos in this region of the country., after, drive to Budongo Forest located in Murchison Falls National Park Conservation area. have an overnight at Budongo Eco Lodge on Full Board

Drive time: Approximately 5-6 hours

Meal plan: Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Budongo Eco Lodge

After breakfast, head to the forest headquarters for chimpanzee trekking briefing about what to do and not to do thereafter start your primate walk in Budongo Forest guided by well-trained ranger guides being exposed to other primates, birds and different plant species in the forest as you get into close proximity of party of habituated chimpanzees, you are given one hour of observations and photography before you return back to the Lodge. You may carry packed lunch or order for hot lunch and then drive to the top of Victoria Falls to observer how water squeezes itself in a narrow gorge exploding as it flows downstream. Proceed to Murchison River Lodge or Pakuba Safari Lodge for overnight.

Drive time: Approximately 2 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Murchison River Lodge or Pakuba Safari Lodge

Wake up early have breakfast and head on for a morning game drive where you will be transferred by ferry to the northern banks of River Nile commonly known as paraa. here you are provided with an opportunity to spot several antelopes, hippos, buffaloes, giraffes, buffaloes, and if luck, big cats such as leopards and lions.

Return to the lodge for lunch., Afternoon go for boat cruise to the base of the falls., eye catching several herds of buffaloes, crocodiles, hippos, water bird species and other wild animals as they flock River Nile to drink water must be seen., Continue upstream of the falls to observe how water squeezes in a narrow gorge and explodes as the strongest and powerful falls on planet earth. Return to the Lodge for overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Murchison River Lodge/Pakuba Safari Lodge

After an early breakfast, return to the northern bank of river for another game drive to search for wild you would have missed out on your previous game drives. Return to the lodge for lunch and thereafter go for late afternoon boat cruise to Albert delta where there is a lot of action and activity. Depending on your luck, you may find elephants, buffaloes and hippos crossing, crocodiles as well as chances of spotting the rare shoebill stock. Return back to the lodge for overnight:

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Murchison River Lodge or Pakuba Safari Lodge

After breakfast,drive to Hoima town for 3 hour’s drive from Murchison Falls National Park. Depending on the nature of the road, you may pass via Lake Albert for a scenic drive to the escarpments and then to Hoima town. Check in and go for a cultural walk and enjoy cultural performances at the lodge to learn more about cultures of the local people in the area and have an overnight

Drive time: 3 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Kontik Hotel/Hoima Cultural Lodge

Early morning breakfast check out and drive to Kibale National Park via Fort Portal town for Lunch before checking in at Rwenzori View Guest House. No major activity this day but if time allows, drive around Fort Portal town have Dinner and an overnight

Drive time: Approximately 4 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Chimpanzee Forest Guest House

Have early morning breakfast, transfer to Kibale National Park headquarters at Kanyakyu to join other trekkers for chimpanzee trekking briefing by a well-trained ranger/guide to guide you through guided primate walk in Kibale Forest National Park. visit one of the habituated communities/part of chimpanzees and spend an hour with them observing and taking photographs. Kibale National Park is home to other 11 primate species coupled with forest birds. After chimpanzee trek have lunch and drive to Bigodi Village for a wetland walk that was designed to benefit the local community living around Kibale Forest National Park. Return to the Lodge for overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Chimpanzee Forest Guest House

Have an early morning breakfast,check out and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Kibale National Park for 3-4 hours via through small towns, seeing several foothills of Mountain Rwenzori, small rivers that originate from Rwenzori mountain ranges as well as crossing the equator at Kikorongo. Check in at Bush Lodge, relax and have lunch as you prepare for a late afternoon game drive in Mweya section of Queen Elizabeth National Park endowed with Antelopes, Buffaloes, Warthogs, elephants and many other wild animals including lions and leopards whose sight depends on your luck since this is nature. Return to the Lodge for Dinner and an overnight.

Drive time: Approximately 3-4 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Elephant Hab or Buffalo Resort

After an early morning cup of tea, drive back to Kasenyi plains for a game drive to catch up with what you could have missed out in previous game drive. Its this time of the morning that big cats are out hunting for their prey and as such chances of spotting lions and leopards are slightly high. Never the less, you will be guaranteed to see buffaloes, hippos, several species of antelopes, and many others. You may return to the lodge for lunch or drive directly to Mweya jetty for an afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel. This two hour boat cruise is one of the highlights in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It provides you an opportunity to view over 300 out of the 600 water bird species recorded here, antelopes, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and hippos. Return to the lodge for overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Elephant Hab or Buffalo Resort

After breakfast, you will be driven to Chambura to join other trekkers for briefing and their after start you chimpanzee walk in the gorge. Your experienced ranger guide will help you identify several flora and fauna resident in this gorge and once you find a community of chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them for photography. Return back from the trek for lunch and short relaxation at the lodge in afternoon head on to visit an explosive crate Lake Katwe salt mines which is gifted with salt mined/extracted by local community from this lake. have a tour around the mines with local community guide explaining how salt extraction is done, challenges faced and opportunities available. Lake Katwe salt extraction project is one of the live examples supporting Queen Elizabeth as one of the conservation areas in the whole world where man is sustainably co-existing harmoniously with wildlife. Return to the Lodge for overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Elephant Hab or Buffalo Resort

After an early morning breakfast,sett off for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park located in south western Uganda and shared between three districts of Kabale, Kanungu and Kisoro. Your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will take you through rolling hills with tarracced gardens of irish potatoes and sometimes tea. You will arrive late afternoon for overnight at the Lodge. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to almost half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas and the only National Park where wild chimpanzees co-exist with mountain gorillas.

Drive time: Approximately 5-6 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge or Trekkers Tervan Lodge

After breakfast, you will transfer to the park headquarters to join other trekkers for gorilla family allocation and full briefing about what to do and not while with the gorillas.then driven to the starting point of your allocated gorilla family to start your trek into the impenetrable Bwindi Forest. This trek may take from 30 minutes to three quarters of the day depending on where mountain gorillas will be. Thus gorilla trekking can be strenuous and as such a certain level of fitness is required. Once you find the gorillas, the experience will be worth it and you will be allowed one hour of observation and photography.then return to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate in recorgnition of your effort of helping to conserve the endangered mountain gorillas. Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation followed by an afternoon village walk to learn more about the local people living around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge or Trekkers Tervan Lodge

Drive from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale District. Lake Bunyonyi is one of the three Lava damned Lake which was formed when lava flowing from one of the volcanoes blocked a river channel and water was forced to flow back hence filling the space to create lake Bunyonyi. Bunyonyi locally means small birds due to the abundance of small birds in this area. Lake Bunyonyi is said to be the deepest lake in Uganda and second deepest in East Africa. A person visit Lake Bunyonyi for its beauty and is one of the best place to relax after your gorilla trek Nature walk around kabale town, relaxing and meals since this is a transfer day to bunyonyi

Drive time: Approximately 3-4 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Crater Bay Cottages

After breakfast, you are free to admire the beauty of the lake and its surrounding hills,have a choice of either taking a canoe ride on the lake to explore different island with exciting history for example the Punishment Island where girls who would produce babies out of legitimate tradition marriage would be dumped and left to die. This is a whole day activity and you will surely enjoy it. Alternatively, you can hike one of the hills around lake Bunyonyi. Encounter Africa Safaris supports some projects so those who want to do something on their tour can go for volunteer work. Return to the Lodge for overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Crater Bay Cottages

After breakfast, drive to lake Mburo National Park via Great lakes museum or Igongo Cultural center to learn more about the cultures of ethnic groups in western Uganda. Lunch will be served en route arrive at Lake Mburo National Park for a boat cruise on the Lake followed by an evening game drive. Lake Mburo National Park is popular for animals such as impalas, Zebras and so much more. Return to the Lodge for overnight.

Drive time: Approximately 6 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Lodging: Lake Mburo Safari Lodge

After breakfast, you will start your journey to Entebbe International Airport with a stop at the Equator crossing for photography and stretching.

Drive time: Approximately 5-6 hours

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch