8 Days Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees – Classic Primate Tour Uganda

On arrival at the airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your representative from Churchill Safaris who will then transfer your hotel in Entebbe for the overnight at Airport Link Guest House BB
Or upgrade to Boma Guest house or Admas Hotel at an extra $25 per person sharing and $60 for a single.

Meal plan: Bed and breakfast.

Activities: transfer to Kibale forest and have an optional bigodi swamp visit in the evening.
Travel distance: 395km, 7-8hours drive

After breakfast, you will depart Entebbe for Kibale Forest National park arriving in the afternoon.
Kibale Forest is a large protected block of rainforest, which has the highest number of primates in Africa such as Chimpanzees, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Red Tailed monkey and Red Colobus. Relax or go for optional activities in the afternoon.
Optional activities include:
1. Visit to Amabere Ga nyinamwiru caves- translated as breasts of the mother of a slave.
Duration 2-3 hours
Fee: $20 per person
Upon arrival, you shall be taken through the history about the Bachwezi, Batembuzi, Kintu, Bukuku, Ndahura and all those historical legends before heading to a 100mm walk down the forest.
The Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru Caves are a historic site believed to be the birthplace of the founding King of the Bachwezi. Located 5km west of Fort portal, the main cave is small and supported by pillar like formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Standing alongside are the moss-covered rocks behind a small waterfall.
According to legend, the caves acquired the name after King Bukuku of Bunyoro chopped off the breasts of his daughter Nyinamwiru and had them thrown inside these caves, following a prophecy that the daughter would one day get married and have a son, Ndahura, who would kill the king and take over his throne.
The king was not pleased to hear this prophesy so cutting off her daughter’s breasts was an attempt to deform her so men wouldn’t be attracted to her, little knowing that she was already pregnant with a boy child.
Upon giving birth, the king made a second attempt to avert this prophecy by ordering the child to be killed. However, the people who were instructed to execute these orders just dumped the child in the caves where her mother’s breasts had been earlier dumped.

2. Go for an excursion in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, which is rich in bird species, vegetation, and wildlife. This is also a great opportunity to support local tourism initiatives which benefit social and economic development in the area. Later proceed to Queen Elizabeth National park arriving in the evening.
3. Preparation of local dishes: here you also have an opportunity to join a local home in preparation of local dishes using the local stoves. You shall join the day’s local chef in organizing, peeling and preparation of meals and get to taste it yourself.
4. Optional crater lakes hike or walk.
Overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge on BB

Activities of the day: morning chimp tracking and later drive to QENP
Travel time: 2-3 hours’ drive
This morning you will go for Chimpanzee tracking along the network of forest trails, seeing chimps squabbling and swinging from the trees is an exhilarating experience. Spend the morning in the forest returning to the lodge in time for lunch.
Later in the afternoon, head for Queen Elizabeth National Park having a game drive while entering the park arriving in the afternoon. Relax around the pool after lunch and later go for an early evening game drive.
Its little wonder that Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest bio diversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world, – from the open Savannah to Rain Forest, dense Papyrus Swamps and brooding Crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward.
Almost 100 mammal species that include Lions, Hippos, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Elephants and the elusive Giant Forest Hog plus remarkable 606 bird species that include the Black Chested Eagle, the Swallow Tailed Bee Eaters, to mention but a few.
The Primates include Chimps, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Blue, Black Faced Red Colobus, and Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons.
Reptiles are the amazing huge Rock-Python, Puff adders, Spitting Cobras, Gabon vipers, Green Mambas, and Turtles etc. All these are regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula and all this makes a superb safari territory.

Spend the night at Buffalo Safari Lodge BB

This morning, we will go for a game drive to the Kasenyi area returning to the lodge in time for a heartily breakfast.
Relax and then later go out for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, Buffalos linger in the shallows, 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, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers are commonly seen.
Optional Activities:
Optional activities:
Kasoga Community Experience: a very knowledgeable and fun community initiative on Lake George Ramsar site in Hamukungu fishing village south-western of Kasenyi on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National park. The activity offers authentic local experiences where visitors completely get involved in the cultures and marine practices of the people for at least half a day. While in this activity you will learn how to milk, graze the cattle, and learn some of the traditional ways of making yoghurt and ghee.
Furthermore, get to learn the local fishing practices, species of fish caught and ways of preservation, traditional canoe making demonstrations, luckily get the chance to meet women making handcrafts, explore some of the intricate net sawing skills as well as get the chance to sight some of the Park’s wildlife species especially the Hippos and relish the breath-taking views of the Historical swamps within the community and many others. The activity is $50 per person.

Spend the night at Buffalo Safari Lodge BB

Travel distance: 250km, approx. 5-6 hours’ drive

After breakfast, you will bid farewell to QENP and head for Bwindi Forest passing through beautiful scenery of hills and valleys in between and terrace farming arriving at the lodge in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, you can choose to go for an optional community walk (at $30 per person) which gives you a lot of information about the batwa and their way of life. This walk involves walking and interacting with the local people, children, visits to a nursery school, church, traditional healer, craft making markets and a local beer brewing company that brews local beer in a manual way. Here you shall have an opportunity to learn and get to taste if desired.
Overnight at Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge BB.

This morning you will have to wake up very early to get ready for Gorilla tracking. Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare Mountain Gorilla, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only 650 left in the world! The tracking may take between 2 and 6 hours but its well worth the effort. There are always park guides with you who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas. In the afternoon relax engage in the available optional activities below,
1. Coffee Tour: here you shall have an opportunity of visit a local homestead, walk through the coffee gardens while they teach how they practice coffee farming from planting in nursery beds, transfer to the major gardens, spraying, taking care of the plant until harvest. Later you shall continue with the harvests to the homestead and you’ll learn about the local ways of drying coffee, roasting on local stoves and here you shall have an opportunity of making your own cup of coffee to taste- it is a beautiful experience and the taste is unbelievable.
2. canoe boat ride on Lake Mulehe,
Overnight at Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge BB.

This morning you will have breakfast and then drive to Lake Mburo National park and have an evening game drive.
Lake Mburo is an extension of the Tanzanian Plains with big herds of Zebra, Impala, Eland and other savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best place to find African Fin foot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike, etc.
In the afternoon you can choose to engage in the optional activities below,
Optional activities to engage in the afternoon,
1. Horseback Riding Safaris: What better way to explore the park than on horseback! Horseback riding safaris are available for various times and are suitable for all levels of riders including the non-experienced.
2. Boat Safari: Take a cruise along Lake Mburo which is home to dense populations of hippos and crocodiles.
3. Biking safari. While at your lodge, you have a chance to grab a bike and ride off the beaten roads and ride through the different villages exploring and getting to know the life of the people living in this local community.

4. Walking safari: You also have an opportunity to take a guided walk in the wild, thus not only gives you a chance to have a view of antelopes at a closer site but also a way of carbon emission and direct contact with nature.

5. Cycling: Here you shall have an opportunity to explore the local villages by with bicycles off the beaten tracks and get an opportunity to directly interact with the local people. If you’re adventurous and like to keep fit, grab a bike at the lodge and explore the sandy tracks outside the Park. You can choose to ride alone or hire a guide from the lodge in order to guide you and not get lost.

6. Visit to a local cattle farm and here you shall have an opportunity to learn about cattle keeping from giving birth, milking, conservation and then what is used for the products from cows including cow dung that is used as fertilizers and gardens, cow horns and skins which are used for craft making and others.

Go for an evening game drive and overnight at Kigarama Wilderness Lodge on BB

After breakfast, have game drive or an optional guided forest walk and then proceed to Entebbe having a stop to look at the Royal Drum makers, the Equator – where you will be able to stand and be on both hemispheres at once arriving in the evening to catch your flight back home.