7 Days Budget Primates and wildlife tour
7 Days Budget Primates and wildlife tour : This 7 Days Rhino tracking, Kibale national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park safari, the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is situated in Nakasongola district about 176 kilometres from Kampala on along Kampala-Gulu Highway. The sanctuary is home to the white rhinos in Uganda.
Kibale national park which is Africa’s foremost research site that focuses on the Chimpanzees and other primates in Uganda. Kibale forest national park is located in the western part of Uganda in Kabarole district and is the only park where we find the world endangered Chimpanzees and other primate species. It covers an area size of about 795 square kilometres and with the lowest point of about 1,100 meters on the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley to the south. Kibale national park is also one of the best birding destinations in Uganda with about 375 bird species. Kibale national park is adjacent to Queen Elizabeth national park and it creates a 180 kilometres long corridor between Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale national park. Kibale national park is the only place in Africa with the best sights of the wild Chimpanzees.
Gorilla trekking is a life fulfilling experience while relaxing in an enchanting forest luxury lodge overlooking the Bwindi forest with dense vegetation and great sounds of primates and birds over the montane forest, terraced hills and rolling volcanic slopes. The mountain gorillas’ presence in this part of the world has transformed the edges of Africa’s oldest rainforest into a luxury getaway spot. Bwindi impenetrable national park forest is located in the southwestern part of Uganda close to Rwanda-Uganda border at the edge of the Rift Valley. Bwindi forest is one of Uganda’s oldest national parks with diverse rainforest of over 25,000 years ago and contains about 400 plant species. Bwindi Impenetrable national park inhabits half of the remaining endangered mountain gorillas in the world with half of the remaining gorilla in the world.
Safari highlight
Day 1: Pick-up and Transfer to Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Bigodi swamp
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 4: Game drive and Boat cruise – Ishasha evening game drive
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
Day 6: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 7: Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe – Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick-up and Transfer to Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking
Depending on your location in Kampala, meet with your Uganda safari guide to transfer to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, the only place where you find the rhinos in Uganda. It’s a 3 hours’ drive from Kampala.
Upon arrival at the sanctuary, connect for your rhino trekking experience. Meet your ranger guides for briefing then drive to the starting point where you will start your trekking in search of the rhinos. You will be able to spot different rhinos, coming up close to them. Spend time in their presence before you connect to your accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Amuka Safari lodge for mid-range/Ziwa Guesthouse for budget
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Bigodi swamp
After breakfast, transfer to Kibale national park– the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Arrive early afternoon for lunch in Fort portal town, visit the crater lakes and go for a 2-3 hours’ nature walk in Bigodi swamp and experience the different birds and primates. Thereafter, drive to check-in your lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse for mid-range/Isunga lodge for budget
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
On the 3rd day of your 7 Days Budget Primates and wildlife tour, after breakfast, you will go for chimpanzee trekking with your tracking gears. Meet your guide at the head office then enter the rainforest to start searching for the chimpanzee, this will take 2-5 hours to find the chimpanzees. On seeing them, you will spend 1 hour with the chimpanzees while taking pictures.
After tracking, return to the lodge, refresh and have lunch and check-out to connect to Queen Elizabeth national park. This is a 3 hours’ drive from Fort portal with en route at the Equator. Dinner and overnight at Pumba Safari Cottages for budget/Parkview Safari lodge for mid-range
Day 4: Game drive and Boat cruise – Ishasha evening game drive
You will wake up early and head out for a morning game drive to catch up with the early risers. Explore the Kasenyi sector – a known mating ground for kobs and a hunting ground for lions. While on the game drive, expect to see some of the big four game including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, also different species of antelopes, warthogs and white Colobus monkeys just to mention a few.
You will then return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise along Kazinga channel where you will get an opportunity to see a number of bird species, elephants and buffalos, hippos and crocodiles at the lake shores.
After the boat cruise, drive to Ishasha sector for an evening game drive for chances of seeing the seeing the tree climbing lions before you connect to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay Enjojo safari lodge for budget option
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
On the 5th day of your 7 Days Budget Primates and wildlife tour, after breakfast, transfer to Bwindi national park via Ishasha sector for an opportunity to spot the tree-climbing lions. This however is not guaranteed, have en-route lunch and proceed to Bwindi Park, accommodation will be provided depending on your trekking sector. Dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget/Buhoma Haven lodge for mid-range
Day 6: Gorilla trekking experience
Have an early morning breakfast and head to the park headquarters for briefing by the ranger guides before embarking on your gorilla trek. Head into the forest and trek until you find the gorillas. Gorilla trekking can take 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. After finding the gorillas in Bwindi, you will be allowed only 1 hour and then return. Your driver/guide will drive you back to your hotel to relax and spend another night as above
Day 7: Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe – Departure
Enjoy early morning breakfast, transfer back to Kampala with a stopover in Mbarara for lunch, and the Equator. It’s an 8-9 hours’ drive arriving in the evening. You will either be dropped off at a location you advise or to the airport for your onward flight marking the end of your Uganda Budget Safari.
