Wildlife & Primates Safari in Uganda – 9 Days

9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari Overview

This 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari takes you on a wonderful journey of uncovering Uganda’s most stunning attractions.

From walking with rhinos, seeing lots of savannah wildlife, and spending some face-to-face time with mountain gorillas, your 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari will be a fully immersive experience. The savannah parks offer great opportunities to see elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, hippos, and much more while the forest parks will allow you to get a closer encounter with chimps, gorillas, and several other primate species.

In all the various places, you will have a chance to experience the local culture directly from the people. Take a look at the detailed itinerary to get a better idea of how a safari such as this would flow for you. And keep in mind that it can be customized to suit your specific needs.

 

Detailed 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari

Here is the full day-by-day of 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari

Day 1: Airport pickup

Our 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari driver/guide will be waiting at Entebbe International Airport to pick you up and then transfer you to your accommodation for the night.

  • Accommodation: Papyrus Guesthouse
  • Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner

Day 2:Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park

Your day will begin with a scenic drive to Murchison Falls National Park – northwest of Jinja. The 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari journey will take approximately 8 to 9 hrs with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino Tracking. From Ziwa, you will stop for lunch in Masindi Town.

After your lunch, you will continue to Murchison Falls National Park, and have a chance to stop by the ‘top of the falls’ where you can see the Nile’s beauty perfected. This is where the Nile compresses from a width of 50 meters into a 7-meter canyon that forms the waterfall after which the park is named.

From here, you will continue to your accommodation where you will rest for the night.

  • Accommodation: Bamboo Village Safari Lodge
  • Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3:Wildlife viewing in Murchison Falls National Park

Early morning, your 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari guide will take you for a wildlife safari game drive on the northern bank of the River Nile. Here, you will spot Elephants, Lions, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena, and if you are lucky, the leopard.

You will return to your lodge for breakfast, rest and lunch before heading out for the afternoon boat cruise.  The boat cruise takes you upstream on the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just a few meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”.

While on the boat cruise, you will have a chance to marvel at the hippos floating in the water, and crocodiles as well as elephants, waterbuck, Uganda kob, and many other animals over this 19 km stretch of the Nile.

For bird-watching enthusiasts, there are many chances of seeing bird species like the Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, Brown pelican, Red-throated bee-eater, various kingfishers, Fish eagles, cormorant, and the rare shoebill stork. 

After the boat cruise, you will return to your accommodation.

  • Accommodation: Bamboo Village Safari Lodge
  • Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Drive from Murchison Falls to Kibale National Park

After your breakfast, you will be driven to Kibale National Park via Hoima and Fort Portal. This drive will take a total of around 6 hours with interesting landscapes, green countryside, traditional homesteads, tea plantations, and much more.

You will have lunch in Fort Portal and then continue to your accommodation where you will relax and await the next day’s activities.

  • Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp
  • Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park.

After early morning breakfast, your 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari driver/guide will drive you to the Kibale National Park office where you will be briefed about the activity of tracking chimpanzees in the wild.

You will then go on a guided primate walk in search of chimpanzees and 12 other primates including l’ Hoestes, Red colobus, blue, red-tailed monkeys, brown monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabey.

The park rangers will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates but on all the forest fauna and flora, and will ensure that your walk is informative and enjoyable.

After finding the chimps, you will spend 1 hour with them before heading back to the park offices. You will go back to the lodge for lunch & refreshments.

After lunch, you will visit the community and take a walk in Bigodi Swamp – which is the home of the great blue Turaco bird. The swamp is home to around 200 bird species and 12 primate species. 

In the evening, proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain ranges for much of the journey. (drive time: approx. 3-4hrs)

  • Accommodation: Bush Lodge
  • Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you will go for an early morning wildlife safari game drive in this park. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forests, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.

With the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop, you will have excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, cape buffalos, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kobs, Topi, and bushbuck.

After lunch, you will go for a 2-3 hour boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This take will take you through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. Many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge.

This launch cruise offers great opportunities for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with more than 600 different species.

Accommodation: Bush Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After your breakfast, you will be driven from Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a 6 hours journey passing through the Kigezi Highlands an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa”. The journey takes you through terraced hills and winding roads to the Bwindi forest. You will have a stop-over in Kabale for lunch.

Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable N.P

Today is the big day! Prepare yourself for an encounter with the gentle giants; the rare mountain gorillas.

For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their tour. You will go into the forest in groups of not more than 8 in search of mountain gorillas. En route, your guide will point out previous signs of gorilla activity such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots.

Your trek will be an exciting 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo. Upon finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them after which you will be led back to the starting point.

In the evening, you will go for a community visit and cultural experience of the local Bakiga and Batwa tribes that live close to Bwindi. You will learn about their lives, history, and traditions.

  • Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
  • Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9: Drive back to Kampala.

After an early breakfast, your 9 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari driver/guide will drive you from Bwindi to Kampala. This is a long drive of approximately 9 hours that will take you from the cooler mountaineous altitude of the Kigezi Highlands to the lower undulating landscape of Ankole and Buganda, with large farms and plantations dotted with villages and small towns.

You will have several stopovers along the way including the equator crossing in Kayabwe for some pictures. Depending on the schedule on your next flight, a few more stopovers can be added by your guide.

You should reach Kampala in the early evening hours with enough time to freshen up before your flight out of Uganda.

  • Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch

Price per person (USD)

Here is the cost per person depending on the group size.
 1 Pax  2 Pax  4 Pax  6 Pax
 5130  3690  3120  2930

  • Trip Duration: 9 days, 8 nights.
  • Starting Point: Entebbe, Uganda.

Note: A 30% booking is due upon booking, with the balance cleared 1 month before the trip starts.

Not quite ready to book yet?

That is fine, you can send us an inquiry so that we figure it all out together. Please use this form to talk to our safari specialists and they will help you.

Inclusions

The price of this tour includes the following items
  • Transport in a 4WD vehicle with a pop-up roof.
  • All fuel for the tour.
  • English-speaking Ugandan driver/guide.
  • Accommodation and Meals on Full Board.(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
  • Park-entrance fees for all National parks
  • All activities described in the itinerary.
  • 1 Gorilla tracking permit per person.
  • 1 Chimpanzee tracking permit per person
  • Drinking water throughout the safari.

Exclusions

The price of this tour does not include the following items
  • International airfares.
  • Entry visa to Uganda.
  • Meals that are not part of your accommodation.
  • A porter. (Helps to carry your backpack & push/pull you on the slippery slopes.)
  • Personal insurance (medical/travel)
  • Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver/guide, porter, hotel staff, etc.
  • All expenses of personal nature.(e.g. drinks, laundry, optional activities.)

F.A.Qs

Here are some common questions about this Wildlife & Primates Safari

When is the best time to go for this safari?

This 15 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari is best enjoyed during the dry season months of the year. This is from December to February, and June to September.

The dry season makes it easy to find big groups of animals in the national parks as they congregate near the remaining water sources. Gorilla trekking is also easier in the dry months because the steep slopes of the rainforest are more manageable.

What are my chances of seeing a gorilla on this trip?

Your chances of seeing gorillas are around 99% guaranteed. The remaining 1% is to account for the fact that gorillas are live in the wild and 100% should not be guaranteed with wildlife.

Throughout all the years of operation, our clients have always been able to see and spend time with the gorillas.

Can this safari package be customized for me?

YES, this 15 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari and all our other safaris can be customized to fit your specific needs.

Whether you want to add extra time in some places, skip some activities or take a look at the more fine details, our safari consultants will help you design and go on a safari you have always dreamed of.

How do I get tourist visa for Uganda?

Obtaining a tourist visa to Uganda is really easy and can be done completely online, at your own convenience. You can also get it on arrival from Entebbe International Airport.

Here is our guide to give you all the insight about Uganda’s Tourist Visa, and how to get it.

What should I expect when it comes to food?

We work with hotels and lodges that employ professional chefs who are able to make a wide range of delicious local and international dishes. In case you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know such that the accommodations are well prepared ahead of time.

Besides the food at the hotel, Uganda has a rich culture of street food and probably the sweetest tasting fruits you will ever eat. Make sure to indulge in the fruits, and some street food if your diet can allow.

What kind of car will be used on this trip?

We use two kinds of cars for our trips – a safari van (mini bus), and a safari land cruiser. Our cars are properly customized to be fit for the wild, with a pop up roof and great capability off-road.

Our 15 Days Uganda Wildlife & Primates Safari drivers/guides are professionals with many years of experience to guarantee an enjoyable safari both at the attractions and enroute. The guides are local and know all the upcountry places where your safari will be taking you.

Take a look at our safari cars

I still have a few more questions

Whatever your question is, our team is made up of safari experts who will answer all your questions about this trip, or anything else related to traveling and visiting Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Reach out through our contact page, or simply send us a quick message via the form on this page. Alternatively, our phones and emails are also available for you to use – whichever works best for you.

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