Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National park – Bigodi swamp

Today, you will be transferred from Kampala or Entebbe at 6.30 am to Kibale National park. You will get at the lodge in time for lunch and after lunch you will go for a guided nature walk of Bigodi wetland sanctuary. This activity is run by the community and it takes you through beautiful natural environment. The sanctuary is home to butterlies, small animals like squirrels, monkeys, and great bird life, the great blue Turaco being the favourite.

You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Journey time: 6 hours- exclude breaks
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp
Meal plan: All meals

Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park

You will be transferred to the park headquarters for briefing about today’s long-awaited activity; the chimpanzee tracking. A Ugandan safari is not complete without tracking the chimpanzees that are the closet to man in relation to DNA sharing of 98.7%. The best place to go chimpanzee tracking in the whole world is in Kibale National park, which host about 13 primate species and other endangered species like the forest giant hogs, elephants, cats and duikers.

You will be led into the forest by Uganda wildlife Authority ranger guides. You will spend only one hour with the chimpanzees, learning about their habits and behaviors.

After chimpanzee tracking, you will be transferred to Queen Elizabeth national park  in time for lunch. You will check in and relax getting ready for tomorrow’s activities.

Journey time: 3.5 hours
Accommodation: Marafiki safari lodge
Meal plan: All meals

Marafiki Safari lodge is a gorgeous mid-range lodge with beautiful views of Lake George. Each en suite tent is very spacious, clean and has sky view showers.

There is also a family cottage that can be used by people not comfortable with tents.

Day 3: Morning game drive – Boat safari on Kazinga channel

Today you will wake up early, have quick breakfast and head for the sunrise game drive to look out for the animals Queen Elizabeth National park has got to offer. Look out got elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, Uganda kob, warthogs and water buck.

You will return to the lodge after about 3.5 hours of the game drive. You will have lunch and then get ready for the boat safari on the Kazinga channel which connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat safari, you will see countless hippos, buffalos, crocodiles, elephants and different bird species that include the malachite and pied king fishers, African fish eagle, spoon bill, yellow billed stork, pink backed pelicans and so on. The boat safari on the Kazinga channel is one of the highlights for many people on a Uganda safari

Here, you will see a lot of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour.

Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: All meals

Optional activities

Hot Air Balloon Safari:
With the hot air Balloon safari, you will experience the wildlife of Queen Elizabeth national park in a bird’s eye view. With the sunrise, you will fly over the park, admiring the beauty of the Savannah, watching over animals like the elephants, buffaloes and the many antelope residents.

The hot air balloon safari starts early at dawn, lasting for approximately an hour. The direction you take is determined by the morning winds, offering great scenery and wildlife. You will take great photos below

After a smooth landing you can celebrate this amazing adventure with a glass of sparkling juice before returning to your lodge to continue your safari.
Cost: $380 us dollar p.p.

Lion Tracking:
Lion tracking is a research trip for those who want to get up close and person to the lions.  Visitors will participate in monitoring some of the lions in Queen Elizabeth National park, using locator devices. You will learn habitation calls, monitor the weather and learn more about lions and their behaviors. The finding will be added to the data bases, contributing valuable information to the overall understanding of wildlife ecology and helping to conserve this wonderful ecosystem. You have 95% chance of seeing the lions. For conservation purposes, the number of people to go for this activity is very limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and for quality experience for visitors.

There are also other experiential tourism activities currently available that Mongoose tracking, Hippo Census, and Bird Counts. The last between one and three hours and normally take place early morning, in the evening and sometimes at night.

The activities must be booked within 24 hours through Ugandan Wildlife Authority visitor Nweya centre.
Cost: $60 us dollar p.p.

Kyambura Gorge nature walk and chimpanzee tracking:
Kyambura gorge offers a visitor an opportunity to go for a guided nature walk and to see the some of the 20 habituated chimpanzees and other primates that include velvet monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys. The chance of seeing the chimpanzees; is 50% but the landscape of the gorge is absolutely beautiful and worth the visit.
Cost: $50 US Dollar p.p.

Day 4: Transfer back to Kampala or Entebbe

Today after a delicious breakfast, you will be transferred back to Kampala or Entebbe with en route lunch in Mbarara. You will continue the journey with a stopover at the Equator for a photo session and souvenir shopping.

Accommodation for tonight is not included in the itinerary. If you wish to depart tonight from Entebbe Airport, make sure your flight is at 10 pm or later. If you want us to book one (or more) nights in Kampala and/or Entebbe, please let us know.

Journey Time: 6 hours to Kampala, 7 hours to Entebbe
Accommodation: Not included
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch

Dates
This is a private tour; departure can be organized anytime throughout the year but will depend on availability of accommodation

Extension Tours
If you want to extend your tour to one of our other destinations or if you’d like to add a few side trips to the itinerary, kindly let us know.

Transport
We will use a 4wd safari land cruiser with pop-up roof for easy safari viewing. Each person will have a dedicated window seat.

Accommodation Booking
We will only reserve the accommodation after booking. The lodges mentioned will depend on availability but in case they are not available, we will book alternative accommodations but with the same standards; after consulting you.

Gorilla and chimpanzee permits cannot be reserved. We will only buy them after your booking and down payment. This too will depend on availability

Tour Package Including:

• Transport in a 4WD land cruiser with pop-up roof for excellent safari view;
• All fuel for the tour;
• English speaking Ugandan driver/guide;
• Accommodation as listed in the program;
• All meals as per itinerary
• Park-entrance fees according to the program;
• All activities described in the itinerary;
• 1 chimpanzee permit per person (a US$ 150 value);

Excluding:

• International air fares and entry visa Uganda
• Meals that are not part of your accommodation
• A porter for during the gorilla tracking (someone who carries your daypack);
• Personal (medical/travel) insurance;
• Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver/guide, porter, hotel staff, etc;
• All expenses of personal nature (e.g. drinks, laundry, optional activities, souvenirs etc.).

This tour can be tailor made to suite budget and luxury travelers.