8 Day Uganda Chimpanzee Highlight

DAY 1: START YOUR JOURNEY TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

On your arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be picked by our beloved tour guide and start your journey to the medley of wonders where you will in check in at Kasenyi safari camp for the rest on your days in the park. Queen Elizabeth national park which is located in the south western part of Uganda is Uganda’s most popular and diverse conservation area with a variety of habitats, including grassland, acacia woodland, forest, wetland and open water which sustains a wide range of mammals and about 604 species of birds. The medley of wonders enjoys a fabulous setting on the rift valley floor, surrounded by lakes, escarpments and the snowcapped Rwenzori Mountain.

With this national park expect to see safari favorites such as elephants, buffaloes, the famous tree climbing lions on the plains of ishasha and kasenyi. The rolling hills pocked with extinct volcanic craters, the hippo lined kazinga channel and the Mitumbe mountains in Congo rising above the distant, western shore of lake Edward are the most exciting sites and views to enjoy on a Queen safari.

DAY 2:  CHIMPANZEE TRACKING AND BIRD WATCHING

After your breakfast, you will be picked up by your tour guide to start on your activity of the day that is to say chimp tracking. This amazing safari activity takes place in kyambura gorge popularly known as the valley of apes, found in the eastern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. The type of vegetation in kyambura is adoptable to the life style of the famous chimpanzees. These chimps are very mobile compared to the ones in other national parks like kibale. These chimps make nests in the tree branches by bending them to make them connected, you will be able to see these amazing creatures jumping from one tree to another as they search for food which will give a memorable life experience. You will then head to the lodge for lunch and refreshments.

Birding in the afternoon

Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the best birding destinations that harbors over 612 bird species and these birds can be spotted on the kasenyi plains, kazinga channel, Maramagambo forest, katunguru bridge among others. You will be able to spot bird species like the African shoebill, African jacana. Pink backed pelican, papyrus Gonolek, saddle billed stork, black crake, sacred ibis, grey backed fiscal, double toothed barbet among others. This activity will give you a memorable life time experience. You will then head back to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 3: MORNING GAME DRIVE AND A LAUNCH TRIP IN THE AFTERNOON.

Following breakfast early in the morning at around 6:00am, you will go for your morning game drive. Morning game drives in queen Elizabeth national park can be so thrilling and heartwarming as you get a chance to spot the big 5 in the kasenyi sector of the park. The open grasslands of kasenyi provide the primary game viewing area where you will see the exhaling tree climbing lions as they spend their days resting up in the branches of the shady fig trees plus other animals like the buffaloes, hippos, elephants, Topis, herds of Uganda Kobs and many more and return to your hotel for lunch and refreshments.

Boat cruise at kazinga channel

After lunch, you will head for a breath-taking boat cruise at kazinga channel. A boat cruise on Kazinga channel in queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most relaxing ways to view the stunning vigilant game in the park. The two-hour voyage between mweya and the channels entrance into lake Edward cruises beside banks lined with resident hippos, crocodiles, water birds, visiting elephant, buffalo and antelopes.

DAY 4: SALT MINING EXPERIENCE AT LAKE KATWE AND TRANSFER TO KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Salt mining experience

Following breakfast in the morning, you will be picked up by our driver guide and head to lake Katwe the salty lake. lake Katwe is a customary lake on which salt mining is done. The adjacent local community of Katwe 12km from Mweya have been extracting salt from the saline lake Katwe using evaporation pans. With this activity local guides will escort you down into the crater to see the process and the adjacent lake munyange is rich in water birds including the migrating flamingo which can be spotted between August and November. You will then go back to the lodge for lunch, check out and transferred to Kibale forest national park.

Transfer to kibale in the afternoon

Kibale national park is located in the western part of Uganda protecting moist ever green forest and its most popular for its chimpanzees with about 1500 individuals hence forth known as the primate capital of the world. Kibale contains 70 mammals 70 mammal species of primate including the habituated and endangered chimpanzees and 375 bird species with over 350 tree varieties. There are two tourism sites in kibale national park, the main hub being at kanyanchu, 35km south east of fort portal on a newly tarmacked road leading to kamwenge and Ibanda and the secondary site is found at sebitoli, 16km east of Fort portal on the Kampala Road. On arrival, you will check in at Chimpundu lodge for dinner, refreshments and an overnight stay.

Day 5: CHIMPANZEE TREKKIG IN KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK.

Following breakfast early in the morning with packed lunch box, you will embark on your journey for chimpanzee tracking in kibale, you will have a brief meeting with the tour guides at the kibale headquarters for guidelines to follow while you on your trek.

With a population of 1500 chimps, kibale national park is arguably the best place for tracking chimpanzees in the world. The perennially popular primate walk provides the chance to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat. The chance of locating these amazing creatures is over 90% and it will take you about 2 to 8 eight hours for the chimp trek which is surely rewarding. After this activity you will return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 6: CHIMPANZEE HABITUATON EXPERIENCE

Chimpanzee habituation experience is one of the most amazing and thrilling activities one can participate in while on a kibale trip. With this activity you will be able to observe and watch them carry out their day-to-day activities such as feeding, hunting, patrolling the area, resting and carrying their young ones. This activity usually takes about two to eight hours to locate the chimps and you will be allowed to spend an hour once located which will give you a lifetime experience. After this activity, you will then be driven to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 7: NATURE WALK AND BIGODI SANCTUARY EXPERIENCE

After breakfast, you will head for a nature walk in kibale, A nature walk in kibale forest national park will give you an opportunity to enjoy one of East Africa’s most beautiful and varied forests without pressure to locate chimpanzees or tick off a dozen of kibale specials on the bird list.

Bigodi experience

Following lunch at the hotel, you will then head out for Bigodi sanctuary. Bigodi wetland sanctuary is located 4sq. km Magombe swamp on the fringes of the kibale forest. It is a paradise of 138 bird species which may be seen during the guided walks along the board walk trail and these species include the grand blue Turaco as one of the major species and it is recognized for an extensive array of biodiversity among which are several primate species like red colobus monkey, baboon, black and white colobus monkey, blue monkey, grey cheeked, mangabey, vervet monkey and l’Hoest monkey. Other additional mammals such as chimpanzees, sitatunga, mongooses, bush pigs, otters and bush bucks also visit the swamp coming from the adjacent kibale national park.

DAY 8: DEPARTURE AND TRANSFER BACK TO KAMPALA/ENTEBBE

On this day, you will check out of the hotel after your breakfast, say farewell and then transfer back to Entebbe. You will have a stop over at Fort portal city to see the amazing clean city and proceed with your journey to Kampala.