21 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife safari

21 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari: Uganda, known as the “Pearl of Africa,” has beautiful people and amazing plants and animals. Even though Uganda is a small country on the map of Africa, over a million people visit every year, mostly for excitement, hiking, primates, and wildlife safaris. This 21-day Uganda Primates and Wildlife Safari visits 8 of the country’s most popular national parks, including Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park, Semuliki National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. Tourists will also stop at other major attractions on the way to the national park, such as Mabira Forest, which is Uganda’s largest forest reserve, River Nile, which is Africa’s longest river, Sipi Falls, which are Uganda’s highest waterfalls, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is the only place in Uganda where rhinos live, the Crater areas in the west of Uganda, cultural sites, Lake Bunyonyi, which is the deepest lake in East Africa On this safari, you should be ready to do a lot of fun and tiring things in the different national parks, such as game drives, boat cruises, community/cultural encounters, hiking, nature walks, birdwatching, tracking and getting used to Chimpanzees, Gorilla trekking, canoeing, tracking Golden monkeys, and other trips that appeal to you.

Tour Highlights.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport.

Day 2: Transfer to Jinja City.

Day 3: Transfer to Sipi falls.

Day 4: Visit the Sipi falls and coffee tours.

Day 5: Transfer to Kidepo national park and Jie community tour.

Day 6: Game drives in Narus and Kidepo valley.

Day 7: Transfer to Murchison falls national park.

Day 8: Morning game drive and boat cruise to the bottom of the falls.

Day 9: Top of the falls visit and Ziwa rhino sanctuary.

Day 10: Transfer to Kibale forest national park.

Day 11: Chimpanzee habituation.

Day 12: Visit Bigodi swamp and transfer to Semuliki national park.

Day 13: Hot springs and Batwa community tour.

Day 14: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park.

Day 15: Game drive and boat cruise.

Day 16: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park.

Day 17: Gorilla trekking experience.

Day 18: Golden monkey trekking.

Day 19: Transfer and explore Lake Bunyonyi.

Day 20: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park – Boat trip and evening game drive.

Day 21: Transfer to Entebbe Airport – Departure

Detailed itinerary.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport – Hotel in Kampala.

On the first day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Depending on what time you arrive at Entebbe International Airport, our company representative/safari guide from Munda Africa Adventure will take you to your hotel in either Kampala or Entebbe so you can check in and rest after your long trip. Dinner and overnight stay at the Sheraton Hotel, Fairway Hotel, or Forest Cottages, depending on how much money you want to spend.

Day 2: Transfer to Jinja City.

On the second day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take a hearty breakfast. After breakfast meet your safari guide and, take a journey to Jinja by vehicle. En-route visit Mabira forest for a nature walk while birdwatching. After that, keep going to Jinja, which is where the Nile River starts. When you get there, you’ll have lunch and then go to the rapid falls on the Nile. In the late afternoon, you’ll go to the source of the Nile on a sunset boat cruise on the Nile. In the evening, meet your driver and check into the hotel you reserved. Have dinner and stay the night at Jinja Nile Resort, 2 Friends Guesthouse Jinja, or Source of the Smile Guesthouse, depending on your budget.

Day 3: Transfer to Sipi falls.

On the third day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and take delicious breakfast. After breakfast, meet your driver around 8 or 9 am to go to Sipi Falls, which is in the eastern part of Uganda on the slopes of Mount Elgon. Have lunch in Mbale town on the way, and then keep going to Sipi falls. Arrive in the late afternoon, check into your lodge, have dinner and overnight stay. If you want to splurge, you can stay at Sipi River Lodge. If you want to save money, you can stay at Lacam Lodge or Noah’s Ark Hotel.

Day 4: Visit Sipi falls.

On the fourth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and take breakfast. After breakfast, meet your safari guide and connect to Sipi falls information centre to get a guide who will lead you on the hike. On the foothills of Mount Elgon, there are three falls that make up Sipi Falls. The shortest one is 75 metres high, the second is 85 metres high, and the largest one is 100 metres high. Depending on how fit you are, you can walk to all three falls or just two. Rock climbing could be a possible sport. And after you will go back to your lodge and take lunch. After you eat your lunch, you can go to the coffee farm near Sipi falls. Some of the best coffee in the world comes from this part of Uganda, so you’ll learn how it’s made before going back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park.

On the fifth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and have early morning breakfast, check-out after saying goodbye to lodge staff for transmit to Kidepo valley national park. Kidepo national park is in Karamoja area, which is way up in the north east of Uganda. The trip is pretty long, and some of the road isn’t very good. Arrive in Moroto in the late afternoon and go to the cattle market, which is held every Wednesday, as well as the Jie ethnic group in Karamoja, who are the real cattle fighters in Uganda and are similar to the Maasai in Kenya. You will have the enroute lunch in Moroto. After lunch in Moroto town, you’ll continue to Kidepo National Park, where you’ll check into your lodge for dinner and overnight stay. You can choose to stay at Apoka Safari lodge, Kidepo Savannah lodge, or Apoka Rest Camp and Bandar, depending on how much you want to spend/your budget.

Day 6: Game drives in Narus valley and Kidepo valley.

On the sixth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and have breakfast early and then go on a game drive in Narus Valley, which is a popular place for game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park. There is a chance that you will see big cats like lions, leopards, and cheetahs. You might also see Zebras, Buffaloes, Elephants, and different kinds of antelopes, among other animals. After the morning game drive you will back to your lodge for lunch and after lunch, you’ll will meet your safari guide. In the late afternoon, you’ll drive to Kidepo valley, where you’ll find the biggest seasonal river in Kidepo and different kinds of birds, the most famous of which are ostriches. After that, go back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park.

On the seventh day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take breakfast. After breakfast, you’ll meet your driver and head to Murchison Falls National Park, stopping in Gulu town for lunch on the way. Go to Murchison through either through using Tangi or Wankwa gate. Connect to your booked lodge and see wildlife on the way. Arrive in the evening and check into your lodge. Have dinner and overnight stay at Paraa Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge or Heritage Safari Lodge and among others.

Day 8: Morning game drive and Boat cruise to the bottom of the falls.

On the eighth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast early in the morning and then go on a game drive to see the wildlife in the park. Murchison Falls is Uganda’s biggest and most animal-filled park. During the game drive, you might see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, and antelopes like waterbucks, Oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda Kobs, and others including the various bird species like the prehistorical shoebill stork and among other bird species. If you are lucky, you will see leopards, lions, and hyenas in the morning. After the morning game drive go back to your lodge for lunch.

After lunch in the late afternoon, you will take a boat ride along the Nile to the bottom of the Murchison Falls. During the boat cruise, you might see large schools of hippos, buffalo, and elephants coming to the shores to drink water. You might also see a variety of birds, such as Kingfishers, Cormorants, and bee-eaters. After you get close to the falls, you’ll have about 10 minutes to take pictures before you have to go back. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 9: Top of the falls visit and Ziwa rhino sanctuary.

On the ninth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take a hearty breakfast and meet your safari driver and drive to the top of the falls, which is the most amazing thing to do in the park. You can relax and enjoy the falls, and you will be surprised by what you find, you will go back to your lodge for lunch, after lunch about 2 hours, you will drive out of the park and go to the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, where Uganda’s last wild rhinos live. The Sanctuary is made up of several Southern white Rhinos then go on foot to see rhinos. When you’re done, go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Day 10: Transfer to Kibale National Park.

On the tenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and take breakfast. After breakfast, check out from your lodge and meet the driver to go to Kibale National Park, which is known as the best place to go chimpanzee trekking because it is home to more than 13 kinds of primates, including chimpanzees. This trip takes all day, and along the way you will have a stopover for lunch enroute in Hoima town or Fort portal town. Proceed to your lodge and arrive in the evening to relax, wait for dinner, and overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge, Isunga Lodge, or Chimpanzee Forest Guest House and among others.

Day 11: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Kibale Forest National Park.

On the eleventh day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safarisAfter an early breakfast, meet your safari guide with your packed lunch and go to the Kanyanchu tourists’ centre to learn about the chimpanzee habituation experience. This is a full-day activity where you will go with experts to see how semi-tame chimpanzees behave, starting with how they build their nests. This game will help you learn more about how chimpanzees live, such as how they eat, mate, and build their homes. Kibale forest is the best place to see primates, so during the habituation experience, you can expect to see a lot of other primate types. You might also see forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs, warthogs, reptiles, and beautiful butterflies. Chimpanzee habituation takes four hours and you can be in presence of them in their environment. After the hour hours go back to the starting point and get chimpanzee habituation certificates. After go back to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 12: Visit Bigodi Wetland-Semuliki National Park.

On the twelfth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safarisAfter breakfast, you can check out and drive to Bigodi wetland for a nature walk and birdwatching. You will not only enjoy the quiet, but also the sounds of different bird species and their songs. Bigodi swamp is a place where you can see a lot of birds and nature that hasn’t been changed. This is a great place for bird lovers to see many different kinds of birds. Connect to the town of Fort Portal for lunch, then go to Semuliki National Park. Arrive in the evening after the enroute game drive on the way. Check in to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 13: Sempaya Hot springs/primates walk and Batwa Community Walk.

On thirteenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take breakfast. After breakfast with your packed lunch, check out from your lodge and meet your driver and go to Semuliki National park information centre to get a ranger guide for a trip to Sempaya Hot Springs, which has both male and female hot springs. The guide will tell you the story of how female and male hot springs got their names. During your trip to the hot springs, you might see a red-tailed monkey, a grey-checked mangabey, a black-and-white colobus monkey, an olive baboon, or another type of animal.

After lunch you will, go on a cultural walk through the community by meeting the Batwa, who used to live in the forest before it was made into a national park. They have a long past and a lot of fun things to do. After that, drive back to Fort portal town for dinner and spend the night at Aramaga Rift Valley Lodge, Mountain of the Moon Hotel, and among others.

Day 14: Caves and cater lakes visit – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

On fourteenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take breakfast, meet your safari guide and visit the Amabere Ganyamwiru caves and streams after an early breakfast. You will also go to the crater lakes, have lunch, and then go to Queen Elizabeth national park, which is known as a collection of wonders and is Uganda’s second biggest national park. After connect to your planned lodge for dinner and a night’s stay at Mweya Safari Lodge, Parkview Safari Lodge, or Pumba Safari Cottages, depending on how much you want to spend.

Day 15: Game drive and Launch Cruise in Queen Elizabeth.

On fifteenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take a hearty breakfast. After an early breakfast, your driver will take you to Kasenyi area, which is known for game drives and is where antelopes mate. You will be able to see Lions, Buffaloes, Elephants, different kinds of Antelopes, and many other animals that are active at night or that hunt at night. After the game drive, you can relax and have lunch at your lodge.

After lunch in the late afternoon, you will go on a 2-hour launch cruise through the Kazinga waterway, which is very popular. You will be able to see what you missed on your game drive while you are on the launch cruise. You might see Elephants and Buffalos on the shores, Crocodiles basking in the sun, and groups of Hippos. This is a good place to see different kinds of birds, both those that live there and those that come and go. Return to your lodge for dinner and spend the night there as described above.

Day 16: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

On sixteenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Have breakfast early in the morning, check out from the lodge and then go to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable national park, which is in the far south-western part of the country. Drive along the Mbarara–Kabare road and stop for lunch along the way. Based on where you are trekking in Bwindi, go to your lodge for dinner and a night’s stay at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Icumbi Gorilla Lodge, or Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Four Gorillas Lodge and among others.

Day 17: Gorilla trekking.

On seventh day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early and have breakfast with your packed lunch, then drive to the park office to meet with a Ranger guide for a briefing on Mountain Gorilla trekking. Here is where you will be briefed which gorilla family to trek and given the rules for doing so. Gorilla trekking is likely to take between 30 minutes to 6 hours, plus 1 hour with the gorillas when you meet them. How long it takes to find the gorillas will depend on how the family of gorillas you are trekking moves. Meeting gorillas in their natural environment is one of the most satisfying things you can do in your life. You’ll be able to watch and take shots from a very close distance. After an hour with them, your guide and rangers will take you back to the starting point and give you certificates before you meet your driver and go back to the lodge to relax, eat dinner, and sleep.

Day 18: Golden Monkey trekking in Mgahinga national park.

On eighteenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and take breakfast, with your packed lunch and check out from your lodge and meet your safari guide you will be driven to Ntebeko, where the head office of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is, so that the Ranger guide can tell you how to trek golden monkeys. This task takes between thirty minutes to four hours, based on how these primates move that day. Like with gorillas, you will spend an hour with them in their natural habitat, bamboo, getting photos from close up. You’ll go back to the starting spot, get your certificate, and then you will be driven to Lake Bunyonyi. This lake is surrounded by a lava dam and is thought to be the second deepest lake in Africa after Tanganyika. Its depth ranges from 44 to 900 metres, and it’s 7 to 25 kilometres wide. The lake is in the southwest of Uganda, between the towns of Kisoro and Kabale. From Kisoro town, it takes 2 hours to get there. Dinner and a night’s stay at Arcadia Cottages, Lake Bunyonyi Eco-Resort, or Lake Bunyonyi Overland Resort and others.

Day 19: Explore Lake Bunyonyi.

On nineteenth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Wake up early in the morning and take a delicious breakfast. After breakfast, meet your safari guide and take a boat cruise to some of the interesting islands on the lake, such as Kyahugye Island, where you can see animals like water bucks, impalas, and others Akampene Island, which is known as a punishment island because it was where unmarried pregnant girls from Kigezi were sent to die until the early 1960s, when it was abandoned. Later come back to the lodge for lunch, and then spend the afternoon relaxing by the lake or doing other activities like zip lining or a nature walk. In the evening, go back to your lodge for dinner and to spend the overnight.

Day 20: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park – Boat trip and evening game drive.

On twentieth day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and take breakfast. Check out from your lodge and meet your safari guide and drive to Lake Mburo National Park after breakfast. When you get to Mbarara town, have lunch and a stopover at Igongo Cultural Centre. There, you can go to the museum and learn about the history and culture of Ankole Kingdom. Then proceed to Lake Mburo National Park, where you’ll take a 2-hour boat cruise and an evening game drive before checking into your lodge, for dinner, and overnight stay. You can choose to stay at Mihingo Lodge, Rwakobo Lodge, or Eagles Nest Lodge, and among others.

Day 21: Entebbe and departure.

On twenty first day of 21 days Uganda Primates and wildlife safaris. Get up early in the morning and take breakfast. After an early breakfast, you’ll check out of the lodge and be driven to Entebbe. On the way, you’ll make a stopover, take pictures at the Uganda Equator and witnessing the northern and southern hemispheres, at Kayabwe. Then proceed with your journey and proceed to Kampala. And upon your arrival you will be dropped at your place of convenience either at Entebbe International Airport to catch your flight home or at your lodge in Kampala.

21 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife safari