Experience an unforgettable 12-day Uganda Safari designed for eco-conscious adventurers. Immerse yourself in extraordinary primate encounters with African mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, and chimpanzees. Witness the incredible resurgence of black and white rhinos in Uganda on an exhilarating rhino-tracking safari in Ziwa. Explore Uganda's remarkable biodiversity, from its vibrant flora and avifauna to captivating insects, small mammals, and other primates. Delve into the vibrant culture of the local Batwa community and enjoy a coffee farm tour. Embark on a quad biking safari, and experience the thrill of white river rafting in Jinja.
Travel in comfortable 4x4 safari vehicles, fly from Kisoro to Kasese and stay in well-established lodges offering excellent value for money. Discover the best of Uganda's wildlife and natural wonders on this extraordinary adventure.
__large.jpg "Kibale National Park Chimps")
__large.jpg "Gorilla in Bwindi")
__large.jpg "White Water Rafting in Nile")
This 12-day Uganda Safari begins at Entebbe International Airport where you are collected upon arrival and transferred to your accommodation of choice.
Entebbe is one of the main small towns along the northern shore of Lake Victoria and offers a great introduction to Uganda. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may wish to explore Entebbe on foot, which is quite easy or by local motorbike taxis called boda bodas. Enjoy a stroll through the Botanical Gardens where you can see flora and fauna such as indigenous birds and monkeys. Birding enthusiasts will be thrilled by a visit to the Mabamba Swamp for sightings of the rare shoebill and the numerous species of birds. If time permits, visit the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the markets for crafts and souvenirs, meet the friendly locals, and sample local beer at various restaurants, bars, and clubs or take a relaxing sunset boat cruise on Lake Victoria.
Following an early breakfast at your hotel, you are transferred to Entebbe Airport for your one-hour domestic flight to Kisoro. In Kisoro you are collected by your expert guide for today’s cultural experience in the Virunga Massif, also known as the Virunga Mountains. This unique mountain range consists of 8 volcanoes and extends into Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Get a glimpse into the lives of the local communities on a coffee farm and local community tour. Learn all about sustainable coffee farming methods and the positive impact that ecotourism makes, gaining a new appreciation for one of the world’s favourite beverages.
After our coffee tour, we will enjoy a delicious lunch at a lodge that offers breathtaking views of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Recently declared a World Heritage site, Bwindi is one of the richest and most biologically diverse ecosystems in East Africa. It is a precious conservation area and home to half of the world’s most endangered African mountain gorillas, with an estimated population of about 1000 gorillas in total in the wild. This ecosystem supports over 120 mammals, 345 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies, and 160 species of trees. Another unique feature of Bwindi is that it is the only forest in Africa where both gorillas and chimpanzees live together.
Following lunch, we take a tour of the Batwa Pygmy community that has been settled here with a visit to the local health centre, school and orphanage. Learn about the culture and history of these historically forest-dwelling people at the Batwa Community Settlement Centre who no longer live traditionally as hunter-gatherers in the forest due to the government’s conservation efforts. End the day relaxing at your chosen accommodation where you will enjoy dinner and a good night’s rest, waking ready for your Uganda gorilla trekking adventure tomorrow.
The next 3 days on your Uganda Safari are dedicated to unforgettable gorilla experiences learning all about African mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Today starts with an early breakfast at your accommodation before being driven to the park headquarters at 8 am to be briefed on your Uganda gorilla trek. The expert rangers and trackers will accompany us throughout your gorilla trek into the lush forest starting at the Gorilla Sanctuary entrance, and offer insightful educational information about these endangered primates throughout.
As gorilla trekking can be quite strenuous with a trek lasting anywhere from 2 to 6 hours up and down steep mountain slopes, ravines and dense forests, a good fitness level is required as well as wearing appropriate walking shoes such as jungle boots. It is also recommended to be prepared and pack a rain jacket as well as some water and snacks. Once the rangers have located the gorilla group, you will spend about an hour observing these primates interact with one another from a 10 m distance, making the potentially strenuous trek more than worth it for such an incredible experience observing these giant primates feed, groom, rest and play in their natural habitat. Return to your accommodation for relaxation, a delicious dinner, and another overnight stay after this exhilarating wildlife encounter.
Today we have the incredible experience of seeing how gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are habituated to becoming used to tourists. Our gorilla habituation experience starts with an early morning transfer to the park headquarters where we will be briefed before entering the gorilla sanctuary. This experience takes us into the dramatic lush, dense rainforest with its numerous crisscrossed animal trails that can be followed, making for relatively easy access. Gorilla habituation is a process whereby gorillas are made accustomed to tourist visits. This is crucial for their safety and also to reduce their shyness when encountering humans. A maximum of 4 tourists may accompany the team of rangers and researchers who are in the process of habituating a family of gorillas to get accustomed to tourists. This incredible experience can take up to 4 hours and is sure to add some extra magic to your unforgettable Uganda gorilla safari. We return to our accommodation for dinner and another night’s stay.
Today our Uganda gorilla trekking safari takes us to Mgahinga National Park in the southwestern region of Uganda. It is the smallest national park in Uganda and not far from Kisoro Town. This last day of our gorilla trekking experience is quite special as it is spent tracking and observing the unique family of gorillas known as the Nyakagezi family which has three Silverbacks (males) living together harmoniously in Mgahinga National Park. The adult males are called Silverbacks due to the silver-coloured hair on their backs. It is a rare occurrence among gorillas to have more than one Silverback in a family as each gorilla family usually has only one Silverback male that protects the family from predators.
Following this most memorable experience, we head to our preferred accommodation for relaxation, dinner and another restful night anticipating our return to Mghinga National Park tomorrow for another primate adventure.
We head back to Mgahinga National Park again today, this time to track the Golden Monkeys endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley, which Uganda forms part of, along with Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia.
Golden Monkey tracking is a highly recommended and rare wildlife experience that will certainly be one of the most memorable highlights of your Uganda Safari. Our expert guides lead us along well-trodden paths, their experienced eyes and ears tuned to the slightest movement or sound. As we journey deeper into the forest, the forest starts coming alive with the cacophony of numerous creatures stirring to life. Finding a habituated troop, which can number up to 100 monkeys, we stop to watch these striking, long-tailed primates.
The golden monkeys are very social and active, jumping energetically between the trees and interacting playfully. These vibrant creatures are strikingly beautiful, their golden-orange fur contrasting sharply against the lush green of the forest. Watching the golden monkeys in their natural habitat, and going about their daily routines is a magical experience. Their grace, agility, and playful behaviour provide endless fascination and leave an indelible imprint on our hearts. The forest walk also offers excellent opportunities for spotting other primates and mammals in the forest, along with numerous exotic birds.
Following this incredible time in the forest, we stop en route back to our accommodation to visit the Batwa Pygmy Community for a cultural experience. We get a glimpse into the lives of the Batwa people with an educational and cultural experience learning about and interacting with this traditionally forest-dwelling people, who have until very recently lived in the forest as hunter-gatherers for many centuries. We return to our accommodation for dinner after another exhilarating day in Uganda.
After an early breakfast, we leave southwestern Uganda and drive to Kisoro Airstrip for our flight to Kasese Airstrip. From here, you will be transferred to your accommodation where you can settle in and enjoy lunch before our first activity in this western region of Uganda. We begin our adventure here with a nature walk in Bigodi Wetlands. Considered to be one of Uganda’s best bird-watching locations, Bigodi Wetlands is part of Bigodi Swamp, which was previously known as Magonmbe Swanp. It has a rich ecosystem that supports numerous birds and primates, like red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, red colobus, black and white colobus monkeys and baboons. After this delightful walk, we return to our preferred accommodation for relaxation, dinner and a good night’s sleep, in anticipation of our Chimpanzee Habituation experience tomorrow.
Today our Uganda Safari takes us to Kibale National Park, where we have a delightful Chimpanzee habituation experience. Kibale National Park covers 766 km² of various kinds of forests such as lowland tropical rainforest, montane forest, and mixed tropical deciduous forest. It includes wetlands and savannahs, all providing habitats for a rich array of animals, birds, and insects, including 144 species of butterflies and moths. Kibale Forest National Park is renowned for its primates and is home to Red-tailed Colobus and Blue Monkeys as well as Olive Baboons and chimpanzees. Other wildlife found here include duiker, civet, antelopes, and bush pigs as well as nearly 400 species of birds, including an endemic species only found here.
Our chimpanzee habituation experience starts with an enlightening briefing at the Kanyanchu Visitor’s Centre, also located at the Kibale National Park Headquarters. Setting off from the trailhead at 8:00 am sharp, we'll embark on a half-day journey deep into the realm of the chimpanzees. As with our previous gorilla habituation experience, we accompany the researchers in Kibale Forest as they follow the chimps doing their daily activities of de-nesting, feeding, grooming, frolicking, playing etc. As we traverse the dense foliage, keep your eyes peeled for the vibrant symphony of phoestes, Red-colobuses, Blues, Red-tailed, and grey-cheeked mangabeys, swinging freely through the forest canopy. Your seasoned guide will offer insightful narratives on the rich fauna and flora that inhabit this awe-inspiring ecosystem. As the day unfolds, be prepared to marvel at the kaleidoscope of birds, butterflies, and myriad small insects that call this forest home. We return to our accommodation for relaxation, dinner and another overnight stay after having experienced another fascinating unforgettable day in Uganda.
After a late breakfast this morning we depart on our journey to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola. A visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a must for the eco-conscious traveller and it is a unique wildlife experience in Uganda, as it is the only place in the country where you can view rhinos living freely in their natural habitat. Founded in 2005 to reintroduce the white rhinoceros to Uganda, the Sanctuary was born from a tragedy and now stands as a beacon of hope in wildlife conservation. Previously, both black and white rhinoceros inhabited Uganda, however, due to devastating factors such as armed human conflict, rampant poaching, and mismanagement of their natural habitat, both species were completely wiped out in Uganda by 1982.
Arriving in the late afternoon, we have an opportunity to go on a nature walk in the rhino sanctuary which is also home to other wildlife such as Ugandan cob, bushbuck, oribi, duiker, warthog, waterbuck, reedbuck, vervet monkey, and black and white Colobus monkey. There is also a chance of spotting a leopard, aardvark, genet or porcupine. We overnight at our accommodation nearby eagerly anticipating our rhino tracking experience in the morning.
We get an early start on day 10 of our Uganda Safari for our rhino tracking experience. Led by very knowledgeable and experienced rangers the rhino tracking experience in Ziwa is truly unique as it is the only place in Uganda where you can observe these endangered creatures in their natural habitat on foot. Despite their exposure to humans due to round-the-clock armed guard protection against poaching, the rhinos live freely in the expansive park, mirroring the state of nature as closely as possible. The sanctuary’s long-term goal is to foster a sustainable rhinoceros population and eventually transfer these majestic creatures back to their original habitat in Uganda's protected areas. Following this incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience, we leave Ziwa and head to Jinja for our next Uganda Safari experience - white water rafting. Our journey takes us through the towns of Luwero and Kayunga and we arrive at our lodge accommodation on the banks of the Victoria Nile in time to rest and enjoy the sunset before dinner.
Today we spend a full day in the vibrant town of Jinja, located in southeastern Uganda near Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile River. Once a small fishing village on historic trade routes, it was established as an administrative centre in 1901 by the British. Jinja is now Uganda's second-largest town and is renowned as the country's adventure capital. It offers a wide range of outdoor activities such as white water rafting, bungee jumping, and mountain biking, as well as tranquil activities like Nile boat cruises and bird watching, catering to the adventurous spirit of all visitors.
After a hearty breakfast, we are set to embark on an adrenaline-pumping adventure: white water rafting on the iconic Nile. This pulse-quickening activity will have us navigating through the river's turbulent sections and intense rapids, known for their grade 4 and 5 classifications, these rapids deliver some of the most thrilling white water rafting experiences on the continent. Beyond the rush of the rapids, rafting also presents an opportunity to relax, interact with fellow rafters, spot diverse bird species, immerse oneself in nature, and get a glimpse of local life — fishermen diligently casting their nets and women laundering clothes along the river banks. We spend the last night of our Uganda Safari overnight at our accommodation and wrap up the day with another delicious dinner and reminisce about fond memories of our time in Uganda.
After a leisurely breakfast, on the last day of our Uganda Safari, we'll check out of the lodge and get ready for our next thrilling activity: an ATV (all-terrain vehicle), quad biking safari. This customizable adventure will take us through diverse landscapes, including farmlands, forests, and quaint villages. We'll follow the Nile downstream from Bujagali, then veer off the river bank to explore the local community. After the safari, we'll visit significant sites in Jinja, such as the Gandhi monument and the renowned Source of the Nile viewpoint. On our return journey to Kampala, we'll stop to shop for souvenirs from local artisans. Your guide will ensure you reach the airport in time for your evening departure flight, thereby concluding your remarkable 12-day Uganda Safari.
On this Uganda Safari, you can choose between mid-range, budget and luxury accommodation options based on your budget and preferences. For more information see the Full Tour Pricing.
This tour does take children.
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