24-Day Uganda and Tanzania Safari with Gorilla and Chimp Tracking

• On arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by a professional guide from African Wildlife, who will take you to your hotel in Kampala.

Overnight at Emin Pasha Hotel. Bed and breakfast.

• After breakfast, drive north through the country to Gulu via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola to track rhinos. In Uganda, rhinos were depleted in the early 1980s after civil wars and severe poaching. This sanctuary was established to breed black and white rhino in phases one and two, with the aim of restoring rhino populations in Uganda and reintroducing them to their natural habitats.

• Then, have lunch at the sanctuary or on the way to Gulu.

Dinner and overnight stay at Boma Hotel.

• After breakfast, proceed to Kidepo Valley National Park. The park lies in the rugged and semi-arid valley of Karamoja and is Uganda's most remote national park, bordering Sudan in the north. Like other Ugandan parks, it also suffered from poaching, which left some game herds depleted. However, the park has recovered over the last 20 years of stability and is now home to 80 species of mammals and 475 bird species, including dry eastern

• Go for an early morning game drive to the Kidepo Valley plains, where you may have the chance to view lions, giraffe, hartebeest, buffalo, elephant, Bohor reedbuck, as well as many of the other mammals of the park.

• Later in the afternoon, go for an evening game drive or an optional nature walk.

Dinner and overnight stay at Savannah Lodge.

• After your morning meal, set off for Murchison Falls.

• On arrival, rest in your room or go for an evening game drive.

Dinner and overnight stay at Paraa Safari Lodge.

• After breakfast, go for an early morning game drive where you may have the chance to view lions, giraffe, hartebeest, buffalo, elephant, Bohor reedbuck, as well as many of the other mammals of the park. Bird lovers may come across the Sported Morning Thrush, Silverbird, Buff-bellied Warbler, Black-headed Batis, Black-headed Gonolek, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Green-winged Pytilia, Blue-naped Mousebird, Secretary Bird, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles, Northern and Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, and many others.

• In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the foot of Murchison Falls, where the Nile thunders through a narrow 7-meter gap, or head downriver to the delta where the Nile empties into Lake Albert. The banks of the Nile are home to many species, and you may see huge Nile crocodiles, hippos, and other wildlife that come down to drink from the river.

Dinner and overnight stay at Paraa Safari Lodge.

• After breakfast, depart Murchison Falls for Kibale Forest National Park. This park is known for having the highest number of primate species in Africa. While tracking chimpanzees, you may also come across other primates, including red colobus, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys in the canopies of the dense forest, along with birds, butterflies, and many small insects. The guides explain the primates and other forest fauna and flora, ensuring that your walk is both informative and enjoyable.

Dinner and overnight stay at Primate Lodge.

• This morning, you will go chimpanzee tracking in the forest.

• Later in the afternoon, go for a guided walk through Bigodi Swamp. This wetland is managed by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Organization, formed in 1992 to achieve social and economic development for local communities. The swamp is home to about 137 bird species.

• Enjoy dinner and overnight at Primate Lodge.

• After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a nature forest walk.

• Visit the hot springs in the evening.

• Relax at the hotel or go for a late evening game drive.

Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge.

• This morning, set out for a game drive to the Kasenyi area to look for lion prides and other wildlife such as waterbuck, oribi, and Uganda kob that mate around this area, returning to the lodge for breakfast. Queen Elizabeth is Uganda's most popular and certainly one of its most scenic parks. It stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of the Rwenzori Range in the north, along the shores of Lake Edward to the remote Ishasha River in the south, incorporating a wide variety of habitats ranging from savanna and wetlands to gallery and lowland forest. This gives the park a diversity of over 550 bird species and 95 mammal species.

• Go for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Here, hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, buffalos linger in the shallows, and a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the shores. Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Open-billed Stork, African Jacana, and Malachite and Pied Kingfishers are commonly seen.

Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge.

• After breakfast, head to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, passing via Ishasha, which is famed for its tree-climbing lions. The availability of gorilla permits will determine which part of Bwindi you will spend the night in - Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, or Nkuringo. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics here, including the African Green Broadbill, Bar-tailed Trogon, and other beautiful forest species.

• In the afternoon, relax or take a nature walk at an extra cost of $20 per person, leading you to Munyaga Waterfall and offering a chance to see primates such as the grey-cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys, and other species.

• Spend the night at Mahogany Spring Lodge and get enough rest to prepare for the following day's gorilla tracking.

• This morning, wake up very early to get ready for gorilla tracking. Your Africa guide will drive you to the headquarters for the briefing before you set off into the interior of the forest. The tracking may take between 3 and 6 hours. Park guides will accompany you throughout and interpret the flora, fauna, and lifestyle of the gorillas. The rainforest is spectacular, offering a dramatic, heavily forested, and dense landscape crisscrossed by numerous animal trails that allow access for tourists. Recorded mammals here include the endangered mountain gorilla, the rare golden monkey, buffalo, elephants, black-fronted duikers, bushbucks, leopards, giant forest hogs, as well as other animals.

Overnight stay at Mahogany Spring Lodge.

• After breakfast, depart Bunyonyi for Lake Mburo National Park and arrive in the afternoon.

• Go for an evening game drive or a boat trip on Lake Mburo with your Africa guide. Lake Mburo is an extension of the north-western Tanzanian plains and eastern Rwanda, with big herds of zebra, impala, eland, and other savannah mammals. This is also one of the best places for birders to find African Finfoot, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Bush-shrike, Brown-chested Plover, Southern Ground Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, and many others.

Overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge.

• After your morning meal, proceed to Bukoba.

• Then, collect the ferry tickets from the TLC Hotel and board the ferry to Mwanza.

• After arriving in Mwanza, check in at Tilapia Hotel and relax.

• Spend the entire day exploring Mwanza town.

• Have lunch at a local restaurant.

Dinner and overnight stay at Tilapia Hotel.

• Early in the morning, drive to Serengeti, named after the Masai word 'Siringet', which means endless short and long grass plains. The park is famous for its large prides of lions, cheetah, wild dogs, and wildebeest.

• Have lunch at the lodge and then go for an afternoon game drive.

Dinner and overnight stay at Serengeti Serena Lodge.

• After breakfast, go for a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park.

• After lunch, you can return for an afternoon game drive or relax at the lodge.

Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.

• Today, enjoy a morning balloon safari over the Serengeti plains at an extra cost.

• Then, continue with game drives.

Dinner and overnight stay at Serengeti Serena Lodge.

• After breakfast, drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is believed to be the birthplace of humankind. Visit Olduvai Gorge to see the remains of prehistoric man, arriving in time for lunch.

• After lunch, you can go for an afternoon game drive or relax at the lodge.

Dinner and overnight stay at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

• Enjoy the different views of the crater as the sun rises.

• After breakfast, descend 2,000 feet below the rim of the crater for morning game viewing. The crater hosts the Big Five as well as black rhinos, buffalo, and jackal.

Dinner and overnight stay at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Full board.

• Head to Lake Manyara National Park, arriving in time for lunch.

• After lunch, go for an afternoon game drive. The park is known for its tree-climbing lions.

Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.

• Depart for Tarangire National Park, which was named after the river that flows through the park, arriving in time for lunch.

• After lunch, go for an afternoon game drive or choose to relax at the lodge.

Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.

• Today, go for morning and afternoon game drives to explore the beauty of the park and its wildlife.

Dinner and overnight stay at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.

• After an early morning breakfast, drive to Arusha.

• Proceed to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your return flight.