6 Days Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari

Overview

The safari takes you to Kibale Forest National Park for Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk, then proceeding to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive and boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. From Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will have another unique wildlife experience in Lake Mburo National Park, home to a large concentration of zebras and impalas where you will have a game drive and boat cruise.

 Brief itinerary 

• Day 1: Pick up from the hotel and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.
• Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and bigodi swamp walk.
• Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and afternoon boat cruise.
• Day 4: Morning game drive and afternoon crater drive.
• Day 5: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
• Day 6: Morning game drive and transfer to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Kampala/Entebbe>Kibale Forest National Park.

After your breakfast, the guide will brief you about the whole safari. You will then embark on the journey to the Southwestern part of the country. Along the way, there are a lot of highlights like fruit markets, different topography, and culture. You will arrive in a town named after two European explorers (Gerald Portal and Fort Lugard) for lunch. After lunch, you can choose to visit (Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru), a cultural and historic site with rock formation of stalagmites and stalactites with a rich cultural history attached which form scenic caves and waterfalls. After the experience, you wll proceed to check in at the lodge in Kibale for dinner and overnight. 

Day 2: Kibale Forest National Park.

After your early breakfast, you will drive to the chimpanzee briefing point where you will be briefed about the activity. You will be assigned a game ranger and armed men for your safety and security. Shortly, you will walk through the forest as the ranger keeps in touch with the monitoring team on the ground. Upon finding the chimpanzees, you will be given one hour to watch feeding, playing and going about their day. 

Later you will drive back to the lodge for lunch as you prepare for the bigodi swamp walk and community experience. Among the activities to excite you here include local liquor making, weaving of baskets, cultural dances and also paying a visit to the cultural doctor. Later, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight. 

Day 3: Kibale>Queen Elizabeth National Park.

After your breakfast, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via Rwimi driving through scenic views of some different crater lakes like Lake Nyinambuga, Kasenda and Kifurukwa seen along the way. As you approach Kasese town, you will be able to have spectacular views of the Rwenzori ranges.

You will arrive in Queen Elizabeth National Park for check-in and lunch then prepare for the afternoon boat ride. After lunch, you will take a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. The Kazinga channel is a 42km stretch, connecting Lake George and Lake Edward with rewarding big herds buffaloes, schools of hippos, Nile crocodiles, and different bird species like the rare African skimmers and lesser flamingos. After the cruise, you can opt for a sundowner at one of the crater lakes or drive to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have breakfast and head out for a game drive in the Kasenyi plains where you have chances of seeing the cats in action and also expose you to other species like African elephants, African Cape buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, Bushbucks, Defassa waterbuck, and birds since the park boosts about 600 bird species. After the drive, you will drive back to the lodge for hot lunch and afternoon relaxation.  In the evening, you can take on a crater driver to the baboon cliff and have a sundowner then later drive through the Queen’s Pavilion as you head back to the Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Queen>Lake Mburo National Park.

Have breakfast then embark on your journey to Lake Mburo National Park, making stopovers along the way for a tea picking experience around Kalinzu forest reserve (you can choose to be part of the experience by engaging yourself in activities like tea picking). On a lucky day, you can spot chimps, blue monkeys, guerezza colobus and red-tailed monkeys.

After the experience, you will drive to Mbarara for a hot local lunch at Igongo cultural centre. After lunch, you can choose to pay a visit to the eclipse monument in Biharwe. This phenomenal hilltop monument comprising of a golden orb supported by a trio of pillars representing the three kings of Bunyoro, Ankole, Buganda and it commemorates a historic solar eclipse associated with the emergence of the Ankole Kingdom. You will later drive to the park for dinner and an overnight. 

Day 6: Lake Mburo National Park>Kampala.

After early breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and head out for a game drive with chances of seeing animals like Burchell’s zebras, Nubian giraffes, buffaloes, impalas, elands, defassa waterbucks, bohor’s reedbuck, common duicker and klipspringers. After the game drive, you will depart Lake Mburo National Park and embark on your journey to Kampala. You will have an enroute stopover at the equator for a photo session and you may also purchase some hand-made craft souvenirs before you proceed with your journey, arriving in Kampala in the afternoon.

Accommodation is booked in accordance with your preference and depending on your budget and availability.