Detailed Itinerary: 9 Days Uganda chimpanzee trekking and Primate Safari

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to a booked hotel in Entebbe for overnight

Upon your arrival through Entebbe International airport, you will be welcomed by your Uganda safari driver guide. After meeting and greeting, you are transferred to your prior booked overnight hotel in Entebbe.

Meal plan: Bed and Breakfast
Mid –range accommodation: Cape Diem Guest House 

Day 2: Transfer to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary for the chimpanzee tour

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

In the morning after breakfast, your guide picks you up from the hotel for a transfer to ferry boarding point for a cruise to Ngamba Island. You take the 45 minute boat trip to Ngamba Island, the home to the orphaned chimpanzees living in the protected sanctuary. On arrival, the duty caretakers will take you around the chimp home and brief you about the history of the sanctuary and how and why the chimps were transferred to this island. You will be in time for the feeding session as this gives a chance for visitors to interact with the chimpanzees. Standing on the visitor platform, you’ll also notice their unique behavior and then take pictures of them. In the evening, you return by ferry to Entebbe then transfer by road to your Entebbe accommodation.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Mid –range accommodation: Cape Diem Guest House 

Day 3: Transfer from Entebbe to Kibale Forest National Park

On the fourth day, you up country trip then starts with a drive south west of Uganda to the town of Fort Portal and then proceed to Kibale Forest National Park. During the drive, you have lunch en-route. Arrive at Kibale forest in the evening and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.

Drive time: 6 – 7 hours.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner.
Midrange accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp

Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park

9 Days Uganda chimpanzee trekking and Primate Safari – Wild Jungle Trails Safaris

After an early breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the park for a briefing session by the park officials then and later set off to the rainforest for chimpanzee tracking. Chimps are tracked along the Kanyanchu primate walk trails where you glimpse at the playful human like primates. For over 25 years chimpanzees have been tracked in Kibale Forest and therefore there about 99% chances of coming close to these man like animals.

In the afternoon after chimp trekking, you take about 5 minutes drive to Bigodi wetland for a swamp walk. The nature walk in Bigodi swamp takes you through the beautiful trails of the swamp with several sightings of primates and bird species. After the nature walk, you then return to your lodging facility.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner.
Midrange accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

From Kibale Forest National Park you then are driven to Queen Elizabeth National Park, the second popular and most visited Uganda wildlife safari park. You arrive in time for lunch and then go for an evening game drive in the savannah plains where you can sight wildlife like Lions, Elephants, Buffaloes, hyenas, stripped jackals, Kobs, Warthog, hippopotami. After the game drive, by sunset you are transferred to a prior booked accommodation where you relax and spend the night.

Drive time: 4 – 5 hours.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Midrange accommodation: Enganzi Lodge / Ihamba Safari Lodge 

Day 6: Morning game drive and boat cruise at Queen Elizabeth National Park

Morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, 9 Days Uganda chimpanzee trekking and Primate Safari

By sunrise, you will have a morning game drive in the Kasenyi sector which is popular as the mating ground for several antelopes, particularly for the Uganda Kob. You may probably sight several other wild animals including the, lions, buffaloes, elephants and many more. After the game drive, you return to your lodge for lunch then proceed for the boat cruise on the 32km long Kazinga channel that joins lakes Edward and George. This is the perfect time to see numerous hippopotami in the water. Other wildlife can be seen along the banks as well as bird species.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Midrange accommodation: Enganzi Lodge / Ihamba Safari Lodge 

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via the Ishasha sector

At the hotel, have early breakfast and then embark on the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park going through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park famed for the tree climbing lions. Have a short game drive in this area, lunch and then proceed to Bwindi Forest Park going past the lush countryside reaching in the evening at a time for check in and dinner at a booked lodging facility at the gorilla land foothills.

Drive time: 5 – 6 hours.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Midrange accommodation options: Silverback lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp or Chameleon Hill lodge

Day 8: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

9 Days Uganda chimpanzee trekking and Primate Safari, Gorilla trekking in Uganda

After an early morning breakfast, your Uganda safari driver guide will pick you up from the accommodation facility for a drive to the gorilla trekking sector headquarters. At the headquarters, briefing on the tracking etiquette starts before 8:00am local time. During briefing, a total of 8 tourists are allocated a single gorilla family to trek according to fitness levels. Each gorilla safari Uganda trekker then receives a trekking stick and heads to the jungle in company of the park rangers and guides.

Mountain Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is unpredictable because of the movement behaviors of the gorillas and therefore the activity lasts about 6-8 hours. These hours are spent in search of the gorillas however only 1 hour is spent the presence of these gentle giants. At the end of this memory filled 1 hour, you return to the park headquarters where you receive a Uganda gorilla trekking tour certificate. Later after that, you meet with your safari driver guide for a drive to your lodging facility.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Midrange accommodation options: Silverback lodge

Day 9: Transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Entebbe

On the morning of this last day of your trip, you have breakfast then start the trip back to Entebbe International Airport for a departure flight. You have lunch en route and also stop at the equator line for photography. From the equator, you continue to the airport for a departure flight.

Meal plan: Lunch

End of the 9 Days Uganda chimpanzee trekking and Primate Safari