18 Days Wildlife Safari Tour, Chimpanzee Tracking & Gorilla Trekking Tours in Uganda
The 18 Days Wildlife Safari Tour takes you on remarkable Wildlife Adventure Tours in Uganda at Ngamba Island, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Forest National Park and Lake Mburo National Park.
Trip Overview
The 18 Days Wildlife Safari Tour begins from Ngamba Island, River Nile, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Forest National Park, Lake Mburo National Park.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival-Pick Up
On arrival you will be welcomed by our company representative who will transfer you to your hotel in Kampala. Dinner and Overnight at Sheraton Hotel Kampala, Cassia Lodge Buziga, Serena Hotel Kampala.
Day 2: Transfer-Ngamba Island
You will be picked form your hotel this morning after your breakfast for an encounter with the rescued chimpanzee as you set in Lake Victoria Ngamba Island a home of over 40 orphaned chimpanzees. Enjoy the spectacular distant scenery view of the neighboring islands as you ride to Ngamba. The bird life on the island is no miss out for birders.
You may engage in the infant integration experience of the chimpanzees on the island or take a forest walk and have an encounter with the interactive primates on the island. Have your Dinner and Overnight at Ngamba Island Tented Camp.
Day 3: Transfer-Jinja
This morning after your breakfast, take pleasure in an exciting venture as you participate in the morning chimpanzee feeding. Thereafter you will transfer back to the main land where you will proceed with a drive off to Jinja.
You will have your lunch en-route with reward sightings of the en-route flora and fauna. Detour the Mabira forest where you will enjoy spontaneous views of the bird life and monkeys at this spot, you will also be rewarded with sightings of the beautiful butterflies in a forest walk. Proceed for Dinner and Overnight at Wild Waters lodge, The Haven Lodge, Source of the Nile Hotel.
Day 4: Whitewater rafting-River Nile
After your breakfast you will set off for the most exciting adventure in Jinja on the Nile River. This will take you through the magnificent 8 rapids on the Nile and also reward you with spectacular views of the bird haven on this magnificent Nile River. Transfer back to your lodge for dinner and overnight. Wild waters lodge, The Haven Lodge, Source of the Nile Hotel.
Day 5: Boat Cruise-River Nile
In the morning, after breakfast, head for the boat ride on the Nile and go right to where Lake Victoria and the Nile meet. You will have and lots of opportunities to take pictures from flowers to the Nile and its fishermen. After your lunch drive off to Murchison falls National Park. Dinner and Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge.
Day 6: Game Drive-Murchison Falls National Park
Today after your breakfast, embark on a morning game drive at the magnificent top of the falls. You will be rewarded with sight and sound on the Nile crashing through the chasm. You will also spot the early risers besides the bird life including species like the shoebill/whale headed stork, red throated bee eaters and many more.
After your lunch, take pleasure in a game viewing launch cruise along the Nile River in boat trip. Expect to see hippos, crocodiles, oribi, hartebeest, buffalos and the wonderful falls. Transfer for dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park
This morning you will drive to Fortportal immediately after your breakfast and you will have an en-route lunch. You will be rewarded with spectacular views of the magnificent scenery as you drive through the traditional homesteads and farms on your way to Kibale Forest National Park.
Upon your arrival in the park, take a guided forest walk where you will explore around the Bunyaruguru crater region and expose you to the park habitant species like the Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Red Colobus Monkey, L’hoests, Black And White Colobus Monkey, and Vervet Monkey. Dinner overnight at Primates lodge Kibale, Chimpanzee Guest house, Ndali Lodge.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Tracking-Kibale Forest National Park
Today, wake up for a hilarious lifetime experience of tracking down the chimpanzees in their natural habitant in the rich primate tropical Kibale forest. Report to the park headquarters with your packed lunch immediately after your breakfast where you will be briefed about the chimp trackers code of conduct by a UWA official.
Thereafter you will penetrate through the misty forest under the guidance of an armed ranger for the tracking. You may spot other primates during the tracking and these may include the Vervet Monkey, L’hoests, Blue Monkey, Red-Tailed Monkey, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Black And White Colobus Monkey and many more. Retire for dinner and overnight at Primates lodge Kibale, Chimpanzee Guest house, Ndali Lodge.
Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Leave Kibale after your breakfast for the most popular protected area with a stunning location on the rift valley floor between Lakes Edward and George. You will enjoy a game drive as you enter the park that will expose you to the diverse wildlife. You may spot the Elephants, Buffalos; Uganda Kob with luck you may also spot the Hyena, Lions, Leopard and perhaps the Giant Forest Hog.
After your lunch, embark on an afternoon game viewing launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel. You will be rewarded further with wildlife sightings of species like the Hippopotamuses, Waterbucks, Crocodiles and a variety of Water Birds like the black bee- eater, several species of falcons and the raptors. Retire fro dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari lodge, Bush Lodge.
Day 10: Around the park
After your breakfast drive to the spectacular field of extinct volcanic craters in a drive to the Katwe explosion craters. This drive will reward you with high spots of the gorgeous Kitagata Lake and the enormous Kamengo Crater, besides you will have a splendorous view of the park’s wildlife. After your lunch drive to the extreme south of the park through the Ishasha sector a dwelling of various animals.
You will enjoy sightings of the endemic tree climbing lions as they rest in the old fig trees and acacia trees too. You may spot the hippos in the Ishasha River and buffaloes, leopards, kob and topis on the plains. After the experience, you will transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park where you will proceed to your lodge/ hotel for Dinner and Overnight. Gorilla Resort, Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp.
Day 11: Gorilla Trekking-Bwindi Forest National Park
Report to the park headquarters after your breakfast where you will be briefed about the mountain gorilla trackers code of conduct. You will penetrate through the misty impenetrable Bwindi forest for a more adventurous an exciting lifetime experience of Mountain Gorilla tracking.
The tracking duration depends on the ease to see the gorilla that day. You will spot other forest wildlife in these trails that may include the Black And White Colobus Monkeys, Red Tailed Colobus, Blue Monkey, L’hoests and baboons and many more. Retire for dinner and overnight at Gorilla Resort, Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp.
Day 12: Birding to Mubwindi Swamp
After your break fast head to the misty Bwindi Forest the best place for some of the most difficult to find of all rift endemics including Grauer’s (African Green) Broadbill the beautiful Regal Sunbird and Archer’s Robin-Chat. Other possible sightings in this trail may include focus on the beautiful leafy looking broadbill, Black-billed Turaco, Olive, Elliot’s and Fine-banded Woodpecker, African Hill Babbler, Mountain Illadopsis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Mountain Greenbul.
Grey Cuckoo Shrike, Red-faced Woodland and Mountain Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-throated Collard and Black Throated Apalis, Stripe-breasted Tit, African Green-Broadbill, Mountain, Shelley’s and Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Rwenzori Batis, Regal Sunbird among other birds. Dinner and overnight at Gorilla Resort, Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp.
Day 13: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
At the crack of dawn, leave Bwindi for Lake Mburo National Park immediately after your breakfast. Embark on an afternoon game viewing boat trip along Lake Mburo that will expose to the park’s wildlife.
Possible sightings on this trip may include, the hippos, a variety of water birds that may include the African Fin foot, Pelicans, Black crake, Heron, cormorant, fish eagle if lucky you will spot the rare shoebill stork . Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge, Mburo Safari Lodge, Rwakobo Rock Lodge.
Day 14: Transfer to Kampala
Have an encounter with the morning riser’s in the park in the morning game drive after your breakfast. Drive through the humid acacia forest, were you expect to see the park endemics like the Giant eland, Impala and Burchell’s zebra besides other wildlife including the Buffalo, Oribi, Waterbucks, Reedbuck and the Rare Sitatunga. Thereafter depart for Kampala with an en-route lunch stopover. Dinner and Overnight at Sheraton Hotel Kampala, Cassia Lodge Buziga, Hotel Triangle.
Day 15: City Tour-Kampala
Our safari guide will pick you up from your hotel after your breakfast for a city tour around Kampala. In this trip you will get exposed to some of the cultural and religious sites like the Uganda Museum known to be the oldest in East Africa where you will catch-up with the magnificent ethnographic exhibits and archaeological and natural history displays, the man made Kabaka’s lake, the only temple of the Bahai faith in Africa (Bahai temple in Kanyanya), Namugongo shrines, Namirembe cathedral and also Makerere University which is the oldest institution in Africa. Dinner and overnight at Sheraton Hotel Kampala, Cassia Lodge Buziga, Hotel Triangle.
Day 16: Transfer to Entebbe
Drive to the Uganda wildlife education centre (UWEC) that is known for hosting over 170 species of wild birds. Possible sightings on this tour may include the 5 species of flycatchers which include the Crested shrike flycatcher, Lead colored, Swamp flycatcher, African paradise Red bellied besides the weavers that include the rare Northern Masked Weaver, Black Necked, Golden Backed, Northern Brown Throated, Grosbeak, Baglafect ,and raptors such as the Gabar Goshawk, small banded snake Eagle, Shikra, African Goshawk, African Fish Eagle, African Hobby. A visit to the sewage lagoons will be a good ending spot for the first day birding experience. Transfer for dinner and overnight at Imperial Golf View Hotel, Serena Victoria Hotel, Protea Hotel.
Day 17: Heritage Trail
This morning, connect to the Heritage trail after your breakfast where you are expected to view different bird species like; Brown Crowned Tchargra, Black Cuckoo Shrike, Brown Twin spot, Mustached Warbler, Violet backed Starlings, Yellow bill, Southern Banded Snake Eagle, Great sparrow hawk, Short Toed Snake Eagle, Red Shouldered Cuckoo Shrike, and many more.
Enjoy a boat trip on the lake after your lunch in search for bird species. Possible sighting on this trip may include the papyrus Canary, the thousands of Grey Headed Gulls, White Winged black Terns, Papyrus Gonolek, and go on with birding to sunset. Dinner and overnight at Imperial Golf View Hotel, Serena Victoria Hotel, Protea Hotel.
Day 18: Departure-Entebbe
Time allowing after breakfast; embark on souvenir shopping in Entebbe’s cultural shopping centers or relax at your lodge as you pack your bags. Depending on your departure flight time, you will be transferred to Entebbe International Airport to catch your flight back home.
