9 Days Primate Tracking and Uganda Wildlife Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda and Kampala City Experience

Your adventure begins with your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, where you will be welcomed by a representative from Verdant Safaris and transferred to your accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe. Depending on your arrival time, you will have an opportunity to enjoy a relaxed introduction to Uganda’s capital city. You may visit selected cultural, historical or craft attractions while your guide introduces you to Uganda’s history and diverse communities. If your flight arrives later in the day, you can simply settle into your hotel and enjoy some time to rest after your journey. Your safari guide will brief you about the route, activities and practical arrangements for the days ahead. In the evening, you will enjoy dinner and prepare for your journey towards western Uganda.

Accommodation Options: Latitude 0 Degrees, Cassia Lodge, Speke Hotel Kampala

Meals: (Dinner)

Day 2: Kampala to Kibale Forest National Park

After breakfast, you will begin your journey towards Kibale Forest National Park in western Uganda. The drive takes you through changing landscapes, including busy towns, agricultural areas, tea plantations and rural communities. As you travel towards Fort Portal, the scenery becomes increasingly green, with rolling hills, crater lakes and views towards the Rwenzori Mountains in favourable weather conditions. You will have opportunities to stop along the way for photographs, refreshments and a look at everyday life in western Uganda. After reaching the Kibale region, you will check into your selected lodge and have lunch or an afternoon meal depending on your arrival time. The remainder of the day will be spent relaxing in the forest environment, preparing for the following day’s chimpanzee tracking experience.

Accommodation Options: Primate Lodge Kibale, Turaco Treetops, Kibale Forest Camp

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 3: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Experience

Today you will experience one of the highlights of your Uganda primate safari, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest. After breakfast, you will report to the designated visitor centre for registration and a briefing before entering the forest with trained guides. The tracking experience takes you along forest trails as you search for chimpanzees while also looking for other primates, birds, butterflies and forest wildlife. UWA states that chimpanzee tracking in Kibale can take several hours depending on the movements of the chimpanzees, terrain and other conditions. After the forest experience, you will return for lunch before visiting the nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a guided nature walk. The wetland experience provides additional opportunities to see monkeys and birds while learning about community-based conservation around Kibale. In the evening, return to your lodge for dinner and relaxation.

Accommodation Options: Primate Lodge Kibale, Turaco Treetops, Kibale Forest Camp

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 4: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Game Drive

After breakfast, you will leave Kibale and travel towards Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoying some of western Uganda’s most scenic landscapes along the way. The journey takes you through tea-growing areas, crater-lake country and rural communities before the forest gradually gives way to open savannah. After arriving at your lodge, you will have lunch and some time to relax before beginning an afternoon game drive. Your guide will explore the park’s tracks in search of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, waterbucks, warthogs and other wildlife. With favourable conditions, you may also encounter lions and leopards during the drive. Queen Elizabeth’s combination of savannah, woodland, wetlands and lakes supports a diverse range of wildlife and makes it an important part of Uganda’s safari circuit. You will return to your lodge in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation Options: Mweya Safari Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Enganzi Lodge

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth Morning Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Cruise

You will begin the day with an early morning game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, when wildlife is often active across the savannah. Your guide will follow suitable tracks while searching for elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, Uganda kob, lions and other species. You will also have opportunities to observe the park’s birdlife and learn about the different ecosystems that support its wildlife. After the game drive, you will return to your lodge for breakfast and some relaxation before lunch. In the afternoon, you will embark on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural waterway connecting Lake Edward and Lake George. From the boat, you can observe hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and numerous water birds along the shoreline. The cruise provides excellent photographic opportunities and a different perspective of the park’s wildlife and landscapes. After the activity, return to your lodge for dinner and relaxation.

Accommodation Options: Mweya Safari Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Enganzi Lodge

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6: Ishasha Wildlife Experience and Transfer to Bwindi

After breakfast, you will travel towards the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park before continuing to the Bwindi region. You will enjoy a game drive through Ishasha, a scenic area characterised by open grasslands, woodland and large fig trees. Your guide will search for elephants, buffaloes, topi, antelopes and other wildlife as you explore the sector. With favourable conditions, you may also see the area’s famous tree-climbing lions resting in mature trees. After the game drive, you will continue towards southwestern Uganda through a landscape of rolling hills, cultivated slopes and rural communities. As you approach Bwindi, the scenery becomes increasingly mountainous and densely forested, creating a dramatic contrast with the savannah environments visited earlier. You will arrive at your lodge in the evening, enjoy dinner and receive a briefing about your gorilla trekking experience.

Accommodation Options: Buhoma Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 7: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today is dedicated to one of Uganda’s most memorable wildlife experiences, mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. After an early breakfast, you will report to the appropriate trekking headquarters for registration and a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority guides. You will then enter the forest and follow experienced guides and trackers as they search for the gorilla family allocated to your group. The trek can take several hours depending on the location and movements of the gorillas, as well as the terrain and weather conditions. UWA notes that gorilla treks can last approximately two to seven hours and normally allow up to one hour of observation once the gorillas are located. You will observe the gorillas from the required distance while learning about their behaviour, family relationships and forest habitat. After completing the trek, you will return to the lodge for lunch and a well-earned afternoon of rest.

Accommodation Options: Buhoma Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 8: Bwindi Community Experience and Transfer to Entebbe

After breakfast, you will enjoy a relaxed cultural or community experience around the Bwindi region before beginning your journey back towards Entebbe. Depending on your selected programme, you may visit a local community project, craft group or cultural initiative and learn about the traditions and livelihoods of communities living around the forest. Bwindi’s conservation landscape has strong links between protected-area management, tourism and surrounding communities, making a community experience a valuable complement to your gorilla trekking adventure. After the activity, you will begin the long scenic drive towards Entebbe, passing through the rolling hills and agricultural landscapes of southwestern Uganda. You will make suitable stops along the way for lunch, refreshments and photographs. On arrival in Entebbe, you will check into your hotel and enjoy a final evening in Uganda before your departure.

Accommodation Options: Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe, Papyrus Guest House, Best Western Premier Entebbe Hotel

Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9: Departure

Your final day is reserved for departure from Uganda. After breakfast, you will have some free time depending on the scheduled time of your international flight. If your flight is later in the day, Verdant Safaris can arrange a short optional activity around Entebbe, subject to available time and your departure schedule. You may use this time to purchase souvenirs, visit a local attraction or simply relax at your hotel before the airport transfer. Your guide will then drive you to Entebbe International Airport in good time for your check-in and departure formalities. As you leave Uganda, you will carry memories of chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, savannah wildlife in Queen Elizabeth and the remarkable mountain gorillas of Bwindi. This marks the end of your 9 Days Primate Tracking and Uganda Wildlife Tour with Verdant Safaris.

Meals: (Breakfast)