Join us on this affordable 5-Day Chimps and Big Game Safari Uganda and get the chance to spot a variety of wildlife and enjoy chimpanzee trekking. You will visit two national parks in Uganda.
Your tour will start with a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda’s premier wildlife destination. Game drives through this park are an epic affair. After game drives, you’ll enjoy a boating safari on the Kazinga Channel.
The next destination on the itinerary is the Kibale Forest National Park. Known for its great density and diversity of primates, this national park is an ideal location for chimpanzee trekking tours. You will hike through the forest to see the man’s closest relatives up close and learn more about these endangered apes.
On this affordable 5-Day Chimps and Big Game Safari Uganda tour, you will also have a chance to explore Bigodi Village and take a nature walk in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary – an award-winning community-run initiative that aims to conserve the unique biodiversity and environmental values of the wetland.
Highlights
- Track chimps in Kibale Forest
- Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park on game drives
- Go on a boat trip in the Kazinga Channel
- Take a nature walk in Bigodi Wetland
- Stand with one foot in each hemisphere
Summary
Day 1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 2: Game drive and boat cruise
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park, Bigodi Community Wetland Walk.
Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking
Day 5: Relaxed Breakfast & Transfer Back to Kampala/Entebbe
Details
Day 1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Our Tulambule Uganda safaris guide shall pick you up in the morning from your place of stay in Entebbe or Kampala. After short tour briefing, you will begin your journey southwest to the beautiful Queen Elizabeth National park.
On the way, you will see the local people working in their gardens or doing business in the roadside market places. You’ll also see herdsmen tending to the interesting long-horned Ankole cattle.
Your driver guide shall make a brief stop at the Equator monument in Kayabwe to allow you stretch your legs. Uganda is one of the few countries on Earth where you can cross this imaginary geographical line on land. Observe how water swirls in opposite directions on either side of the equator and take some photos.
From there, the drive will continue and the next stop will be at the Igongo Cultural Center, a huge commercial enterprise with a five-star hotel, a top restaurant, craft shops, and one of the best museums in Uganda. Here you’ll enjoy a traditional lunch, before proceed on your journey to Queen.
As you approach the park, you’ll begin to see lovely views of the Rwenzori Mountains from the horizon as well as crater lakes, wildlife and the rift valley. You’ll arrive in the afternoon and be taken to your lodge to refresh and relax. In the evening, you will enjoy a game drive at the Kasenyi plains to spot warthogs, buffaloes, elephants, and several species of antelopes among others.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Kyambura Gorge Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge/Elephant Plains Camp
Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Park View Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal Plan: Lunch, & Dinner
Day 2: Game Drive And Boat Cruise
Today it’s another pre-dawn start for a sunrise game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Animals are more active in the morning, so there’s a good chance you’ll see hyenas, hippos, elephants, buffalos, lions, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, jackals, and Warthogs.
You will traverse savannah plains of the Kasenyi, one of the most beautiful areas of Queen Elizabeth Park. Occasionally, you’ll be able to see the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains. If you’re very lucky, you might even spot a Giant forest hog -Africa’s largest pig – or an elusive leopard. After the game drive of about 3 to 4 hours, you will return to your lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, you will have a relaxing boat trip on Kazinga Channel, a natural channel that flows between Lakes George and Edward.
Some of Africa’s densest concentrations of hippo lives here, as well as a large number of elephants, crocodiles, buffaloes, and a plethora of waterbirds like fish eagles and pelicans. After the boat cruise, you’ll take a short game drive along the channel track as you head back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Kyambura Gorge Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge/Elephant Plains Camp
Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Park View Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park
It’s only three hours driving from Queen Elizabeth to Kibale Forest National Park. So, have a leisurely breakfast, and then get on the road again.
Kibale National Park contains one of the loveliest and most varied tracts of tropical forest in Uganda. The park also has the highest concentration and variety of primates in East Africa with often reliable sightings (over 95% chance) of chimps. In total, there are 70 mammal species and 375 species of birds.
Kibale adjoins Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south to create a 180-kilometre-long corridor for wildlife between Ishasha, the remote southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
When you arrive, check in to your lodge, enjoy lunch and relax for a bit before heading into the park for a nature walk in the nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. The sanctuary is an award-winning local community initiative operated by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED).
It is aimed to conserve the unique biodiversity and environmental values of the wetland while advancing health, education, and economic growth in the wider local community. Here, cleverly constructed boardwalks lead you through towering papyrus and make it easy to explore the wetlands.
With over 200 bird species, multi-coloured butterflies, and 8 different primate species, the sanctuary is absolutely splendid.
Optional Activity: You can choose to take a cultural tour of Bigodi Village – home to two tribes. Here, you visit traditional healers; women craft makers, traditional homesteads and listen to the storytelling of an Mzee (elderly man).
After our exciting day we will head back to our camp/lodge to freshen up. Dine and sleep at your favorite lodge as you wait to meet man’s closest relative the following day.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge / Crater Safari Lodge / Primate Lodge Kibale
Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse / Kibale Forest Camp
Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse / Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking
Kibale Forest National Park so far offers the best excellent chimpanzee tracking in Africa, hosting over 1500 wild chimpanzees.
Today, we will have an early breakfast and then transfer to the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre in Kibale Forest to do our Chimpanzee tracking adventure which begins at 8.00 am. The encounter starts with a briefing at 7.00 am from the expert local park rangers who will be your guides for the activity. Then, we head to the forest in search of Chimpanzees – our closest relatives.
This incredible opportunity sees you embarking on a hike through this lush rainforest jungle, led by an expert guide, in search of a habituated community of chimpanzees.
You’ll track these remarkable creatures deep into the forest and spend an hour with the chimps, learning about their lifestyle and behaviour as they interact with one another.
Chimps are the most sought-after primate by visitors, but you should look out for red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, Vervet monkey, olive baboon, L’Hoest’s monkey, and black and white colobus.
The trek is primary on well-maintained trails and paths through the forest and it’s an exhilarating walk, in beautiful scenery. Your guides will be able to show you different bird species and will give details of the plant species within the forest.
After this exhilarating adventure tour, you will return to the lodge and spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Optional Activities
Chimpanzee trekking is not the only activity on offer at Kibale area.
There are opportunities for birding tours, night forest walks, cultural visits to the local Bigodi village, as well as hiking and mountain biking tours to the crater lakes and tea plantations.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge / Crater Safari Lodge / Primate Lodge Kibale
Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge/ Kibale Forest Camp
Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge / Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Transfer Back to Kampala/Entebbe
Enjoy one last leisurely breakfast before departing for Entebbe/Kampala. You have a journey of about 5 hour drive ahead of you, so make sure you have your snacks and water handy.
You’ll arrive in Entebbe by early afternoon and you may have a Day Room to yourself if your flight leaves late. Closer to your departure time, you’ll be transferred to Entebbe International Airport to catch your flight back home. Thank you for choosing Tulambule Uganda Safaris!
Accommodation: Not Included
Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch
End of The Safari
Included
- Park fees
- Chimp permits
- All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation
- All Taxes/VAT
- Round-trip airport transfer
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking water (On all days)
Excluded
- International flights (From/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (No tip expected)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
