We are considering an early arrival at the airport so that your safari driver will pick you up and transfer you to Kibale National Park. Before leaving for Kibale, you will first go to the restaurant for breakfast/lunch depending on the time of arrival. Set off to the west, driving through Mityana, Mubende, and Fort Portal Tourism city and arriving at your lodge in Kibale in the evening.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge

Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guest House (budget), Kibale Forest Camp (mid-range), Primates Lodge (luxury)

Kibale National Park is referred to as the world’s primate capital and indeed it is. Most treks reward with ease in coming across the chimps, yet in their natural habitat, the experience is mind-blowing. You will have an early morning breakfast at your lodge and head out for chimpanzee tracking starting with a briefing by 7:30 a.m. and then enter the forest to search for the primates. Not certain how long it will take you to meet the chimpanzees but when you finally do, you will spend a maximum of an hour with them. They could show off their jumping skills from one branch to another, or perhaps encounter them while relaxing or playing on the ground. While in the forest, you may also come across other animals like the red-tailed monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, L’Hoest’s monkey, black and white colobus monkey and forest elephant among others.

After the trek, you will return to the park offices, meet your safari guide and set off for Queen Elizabeth National Park. You can have lunch in Fort Portal or Kasese depending on how long the chimp trek takes. Check in to your lodge and later on prepare to go for an evening game drive in Kasenyi. This will take about 2.5 hours with chance to see herds of Uganda kobs, waterbucks and elephants. You could also spot lions or hyenas. You will also enjoy a lovely view of the sunset.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation: Bush Lodge or Simba Safari camp (budget), Marafiki Safari Lodge (mid-range), Mweya Safari Lodge(luxury)

On this day, you will go for the major game drive which starts by 6:30 a.m. for a chance to spot nocturnal animals before they retire to their hideouts. You could spot the leopard or lions after hunting or still going on with the hunt and hyenas are often in close proximity. Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, and buffaloes are common sightings.

As you get close to end of the game drive, you will visit Bunyampaka for scenic viewing: view of Lake Bunyampaka where locals extract salt. It is also a seasonal home to flamingos. When you return to the lodge, you will relax shortly, have lunch and head out for the afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel. This is home to a big population of hippos and crocodiles. You will also excellently watch water birds including pied kingfishers, egrets, cormorants, Egyptian geese, African fish eagle and African spoon-bill among others. After the 2 hours boat cruise, you will drive back to the lodge.

This will not be an early morning like most of the safari days. It starts with a leisurely breakfast before checking out of the lodge. Drive southwards via the Ishasha sector where you have a chance to see tree-climbing lions. You will arrive at your lodge in Bwindi in the evening.

Where to stay is determined by your trekking sector.

You will wake up and have breakfast, thereafter drive to the park offices for a briefing about gorilla trekking, from the park rangers. You will be divided into groups and gorilla families allocated. Hit the trails and start the search for the apes. When you spot them, you will have one precious hour with them and you are allowed to take photos as your guide shares facts about them.

You will end the trek by returning to the office to pick your trekking certificates and drive back to the lodge. Later on in the afternoon, you will visit the Batwa community where you will meet the Batwa pygmies and get an insightful story of how they lived with the gorillas in the gorilla forests. They will also entertain you with their cultural music, dance, and drama.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Expect to spend 4-6 hours from Bwindi to Lake Mburo National Park depending on the sector where you tracked and stayed. On arrival at the park, you will check in to your lodge, have lunch, and head for the afternoon boat cruise on Lake Mburo. This is home to hippos, crocodiles, and several bird species which will be seen throughout the trip. After the two-hour boat cruise, you will go for a short evening game drive of about an hour and a half and return to the lodge for dinner and the overnight stay.

Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge (luxury), Lake Mburo Safari Lodge (midrange), Eagles Nest Camp (budget)

After breakfast, be prepared to go for the horse ride in the beautiful Lake Mburo National Park. The tourist activity is operated by Mihingo Lodge located within the park. Depending on your physical ability plus budget, you can take on the ride for up to 5 hours. The adventure takes you to Warukiri hills which reward you with stunning views of the surrounding hills. The horseback ride is a wonderful experience as it also allows you to view wildlife at a close range.

On return, you will have lunch and transfer back to Kampala or Entebbe.

End of safari