13 Days Uganda Luxury Safari – Gorilla Trekking & Chimpanzee Watching – Primate Safari Experiences.
The 13 days Uganda safari is one of the amazing travel plans that allows one to encounter the best tourist destinations of Uganda. The safari will take you to you to the home of primates – Kibale forest national park for primate trekking, chimpanzee habituation and a nature walk at Bigodi sanctuary nature walk. You will then move to Queen Elizabeth National park for game viewing and later drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park, a home to almost half of the world’s mountain gorillas for gorilla habituation experience and then to Mgahinga gorilla national park for gorilla trekking and cultural encounter.
Highlights of the tour
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kibale forest national park
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi sanctuary nature walk
Day 3: Chimpanzee habituation experience
Day 4: Drive to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise
Day 6: Game drive in Ishasha and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
Day 7: Gorilla habituation experience
Day 8: Drive to Mgahinga gorilla national park
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and cultural encounter
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 11: Nature walk, canoeing and transfer to Lake Mburo national park
Day 12: Nature walk and game drive
Day 13: Drive back to Entebbe
13 days Uganda safari detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kibale national park
On the first day of the 13 days Uganda safari, you will meet your travel guide/ driver for your transfer to Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee trekking experience. The drive will expose you to several attractions on your way like tea and banana plantations, valleys, and many others. Arrive at the park in the late afternoon hours and relax at the lodge as you wait for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation at Chimpundu lodge
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland visit
In the morning after breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters with your packed lunch and water for briefing about the rules and regulations of the experience. You will be allocated to the chimpanzee family to track by the help of the range guide. On seeing the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour with them while taking their pictures and videos.
After the tracking, you will refresh at the lodge and then go for a nature walk at Bigodi wetland sanctuary. The wetland is known for hosting several primate species and a number of birdlife. After, you will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Chimpanzee habituation experience
After your early morning breakfast, you will proceed to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for pre habituation experience briefing. Chimpanzee habituation takes place for a full day and the trekkers are allowed to spend about 5 to 6 hours in the presence of the chimpanzees not like chimpanzee trekking where they are given only 1 hour. Just like trekking, habituation involves hiking through the rainforests of the park in search of the trained chimpanzees. After the allocation, you will be allowed to spend over 5 to 6 hours in their presence as you learn more about their life styles like feeding, mating, playing, breast feeding and others. After, you will drive back to the starting point so as to pick your habituation recognition certificates.
Day 4: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National park
In the morning after breakfast at the lodge, you will depart to Queen Elizabeth national park – the home of the 4 of the five big African animals and the rare tree climbing lions. During the drive, you will have a stopover at the amazing crater lakes for viewing and photography, view other features like plantations, beautiful mountain Rwenzori ranges and others. Arrive at the park in the afternoon hours for lunch and proceed with a game drive in Kasenyi. The game drive will expose you to several animals like warthogs, elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos and many others.
Accommodation at Buffalo Safari lodge
Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise
Wake up for your morning game drive in Kasenyi with your packed breakfast. The morning game drive will be a great opportunity to spot numerous animals especially the early hunters – leopards, lions and hyenas as they are moving back to their habitats. Other animals to see include elephants, buffalos, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, Uganda kobs, topis and others.
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
In the morning after your tasty breakfast, you will drive through Ishasha sector, the home to the rare tree climbing lions. Besides the lions, the sector is also a home to other several animals and bird species. You will later proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable national park where you will reach in the late afternoon hours.
Accommodation at Ichumbi safari lodge
Day 7: Gorilla habituation experience
Wake up for your early breakfast and drive to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing about gorilla habituation experience. Unlike gorilla trekking where you are given one hour, gorilla habituation takes place for a full day and the tourists are allowed to spend over 5 to 6 hours with the habituated mountain gorillas. After the process, you will be driven back to the starting point for the certificates of recognition and later drive back to the lodge for refreshments, dinner and overnight.
Note: For one to take part in the gorilla habituation experience, he/she must possess a habituation permit which costs USD 1500 per person.
Day 8: Drive to Mgahinga gorilla national park
Have your tasty breakfast and checkout of the lodge for the transfer to the home of primates – Mgahinga gorilla national park. Apart from Bwindi Impenetrable national park, Mgahinga is the second park in Uganda that hosts the endangered mountain gorillas. The park also hosts the rare golden monkeys that can be seen in the Virunga mountain ranges. Upon the arrival at the park, you will check in at the lodge your booking for refreshment, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation at Mount Gahinga lodge
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural encounter
After breakfast that early morning, move to the headquarters of the park for briefing with your packed lunch. After, enter the forest for gorilla trekking guided by the Park rangers. You are allowed to spend only one hour with the gorillas though trekking as a whole might take 2 to 8 hours.
Later in the evening take a walk in the Batwa community for some cultural encounters from the Batwa people like the traditional dances among others.
Note: For one to take part in the gorilla trekking experience, he/she has to possess a trekking permit which costs USD 700
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After your tasty breakfast, drive from Bwindi Impenetrable national park to Lake Bunyonyi – a home of various bird species. Lake Bunyonyi is also known for hosting splendid features like hills, forests, waters, islands and others. Upon your arrival at the lake, you can opt for a boat canoeing experience or just go for a nature walk around the area. In the evening, you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Day 11: Community visit and transfer to Lake Mburo national park
Wake up for your breakfast at the lodge, you will go for a community visit around the lake. There are a lot of cultural and natural sightings around Lake Bunyonyi and among these include; the Bakora cave, the Batwa pygmies, plus the traditional blacksmiths who are known as the Abaheesi. Also, the walk will also take you around beautiful islands like Habuharo, Bucuraniko and Akampene island. From the walk, you will return to the lodge for lunch and later proceed to Lake Mburo national park.
Accommodation at Rwakobo lodge
Day 12: Nature walk and game drive
Have your early morning breakfast and go for a nature walk around the open savannah of the park. Lake Mburo national park is known for hosting the largest population of zebras. Other animals to view while in the park include water bucks, topis, giraffe, elephants, lions and others. From the walk, you will move back to the lodge for lunch as you prepare for an afternoon game drive that will be great opportunity to spot variety of animals.
Day 13: Drive back to Kampala/Entebbe
Wake up for your delicious breakfast at the lodge and prepare for your departure to Entebbe/ Kampala for your flight. Expect to have several stopovers like at the Equator for photography and buying some souvenirs.