9-Day Uganda Wildlife Safari with Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking

After breakfast at your accommodation in Kampala/Entebbe, embark on the trip to Murchison Falls National Park in the north of Uganda, a journey of 311 km taking about 5 hours by road. You will travel through the undulating hill slopes of Nakasongola before branching off at Nakitoma for 7 km to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, located 176 km north of Kampala.

Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch is the proud home of the only wild rhinos in Uganda following their extinction, and it offers an unforgettable rhino-tracking experience. Ziwa is the only place where you will be able to see rhinos in the wild. Presently, the sanctuary is home to over twenty southern white rhinos. It has become increasingly popular with tourists for rhino trekking, birdwatching, nature walks, and relaxation.

After a walking safari, continue your drive to Murchison Falls National Park and visit the top of the falls, from which the park derives its name.

You will wake up very early in the morning for a game drive, giving you the chance to spot early risers and nocturnal species before they return to their hideouts. This is the most beautiful national park in Uganda, partly because it hosts 4 of the Big Five animals and is also home to one of the most beautiful and powerful falls in the world.

Today, you will have the chance to view some of the park's residents, including lions, giraffes, Jackson's hartebeests, antelopes, buffalo, and elephants.

For birders, the area offers an exciting variety of species, including the secretary bird and the black-chested snake eagle, to name a few.

In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile thunders through a narrow 7-meter gorge before plunging 43 meters on its way to Lake Albert.

After the cruise, drive back to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Kibale National Park, known as the primate capital of the world. The drive takes about 5-7 hours and passes through rural scenery and the traditional homesteads of Kagadi District. If time allows, you will visit tea plantations before reaching Fort Portal in the afternoon.

On arrival, you will visit a community to learn about the daily lifestyle of the people living in this region, where you will also participate in coffee making.

After this encounter, drive to your lodge, arriving in the late evening.

After an early breakfast, drive to Kanyanchu, Kibale Park Headquarters, by 8:00 am for a chimpanzee pre-trekking briefing by the park staff. The chimpanzee trekking experience tends to last 2-5 hours, including one hour of direct encounter with these amazing creatures.

In addition to chimps, Kibale Forest is home to other primates, including the red-tailed monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, L'Hoest's monkey, blue monkey, and red colobus. There are also many beautiful bird species, butterflies, and small insects.

After a successful trek, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

After breakfast, undertake a game drive in the Kasenyi Plains of this park, where you will be able to spot elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, kobs, and hippos, among others.

Proceed for an afternoon boat cruise along the 45 km-long Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Kazinga Channel, which stretches 45 km in length, once had a much higher concentration of hippopotamus in the region until management carried out culling in 1960.

You will enjoy wide views of Nile crocodiles and other wild game quenching their thirst in the waters of the Kazinga Channel and flocking to its shores on a hot day.

After the 2-hour activity, continue with an afternoon game drive along the channel track as you head to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and your overnight stay.

After breakfast, begin your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwestern part of Uganda. Before continuing, you will undertake a game drive in this part of the park in search of the tree-climbing lions.

The Ishasha sector is well endowed with the infamous climbing lions, together with other wild game that dwell in this woodland part of the park. The tree-climbing lions prefer to lie flat on fig tree branches in the mid-morning sun while waiting for their prey.

After this encounter, proceed on the drive to Bwindi, arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and your overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, you will take a packed lunch, attend a briefing by the game guides at the park headquarters, and start your gorilla trail. Hiking through the thick, verdant rainforest to eventually come across the gorillas in their natural habitat is an amazing and unforgettable experience.

This encounter takes between 2 and 9 hours and is the highlight of an African exploration safari. You will have only 1 hour of close contact with these calm, gentle apes, during which you can take pictures and become acquainted with them.

You are free to take as many photos as you desire before retreating from the activity and returning to the starting point. After this encounter, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation.

In the morning, set off on a scenic drive to Lake Mburo National Park, arriving in the afternoon for lunch.

After lunch, go for an afternoon boat cruise on Lake Mburo, where you will be rewarded with views of wildlife such as hippos, crocodiles, as well as a variety of bird species.

Dinner and overnight stay at Rwakobo Rock Lodge.

Early in the morning, go for a guided nature walk with an armed ranger guide around the park, where you will have the chance to walk and see wildlife at close range, including antelopes, giraffes, buffaloes, bushbucks, impalas, and others.

You will then exit the park and proceed to Entebbe Airport for your onward journey back home.

You will also make a stop at the Uganda Equator crossing in Kayabwe for an amazing photo session and lunch.