Uganda Primate Safari
Day 1: Kibale National Park
Meet and greet with your driver/ guide at Entebbe Airport before driving through the undulating highlands of southwestern Uganda on our way to the greener and beautiful Fort Portal area. The lush rolling hills of this region provide good "photo opportunities". As you approach Fort Portal in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, you enter Uganda's famous tea plantation region. A carpet of green spreads before you, as far as the eye can see, and seems an unusual contrast to the countryside through which you have just passed. Overnight Ndali Lodge - 2 nights BLD.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Today we’ll accompany Kibale’s researchers in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to a “soft” habituation project with chimpanzees. You’ll learn to safely observe the chimps during their daily activities, so they get comfortable with human presence without changing their natural behaviors. You will be able to experience the chimp families as they wake up, hunt, patrol, play, fight, copulate, and breastfeed. Guided by biologists and researchers, we will enjoy unprecedented intimate access to these wild chimps for the entire day until they build their nests at bed time.
Day 3: Bwindi National Park
After breakfast we drive further south through stunning savannah grasslands as we head towards the breathtaking Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. While most of today's forests are no more than 12,000 years old, Bwindi's vegetation has been weaving itself into tangles for over 25,000 years, in the process accumulating a lengthy species list. This includes 310 species of butterflies, 51 reptiles, 200 trees, 88 moths and an exceptional 120 species of mammals including 10 primates. The latter includes chimpanzee, L'Hoest's, red tailed and blue monkey, black and white colobus, baboon, and Bwindi's most famous resident, the mountain gorilla. Bwindi is a prime destination for bird- watchers. Its 350 species include seven which are IUCN red data listed and 90% of all Albertine rift endemics – species which are difficult or impossible to see in any other part of East Africa. Overnight Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge - 3 nights BLD.
Day 4: Gorillas!
We have an early morning entry into the mountain gorillas’ sanctuary. This intimate gorilla experience allows you to accompany the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s gorilla trackers team for a deep feel of how it gets to be habituating the mountain gorillas in Bwindi. We may take from 1-4 hours in most instances to reach the location of the gorillas in one of the most thrilling jungle trekking experiences you might ever experience. When you finally reach them, you will be able to experience the gorilla family as they wake up, hunt, patrol, play, fight, copulate, and breastfeed until they build their nests at bed time. The thrill of spending time with and observing these gentle giants is a rare and moving adventure that will leave you with long lasting memories. Spending more time with them than the norm means you are assured of the best possible experience, with 4 full hours for better photography, researcher access for more questions, and enough time to experience more intimate and unusual behaviors. The gorillas are shy and peaceful animals and it is an unforgettable experience to watch and photograph them as they interact with each other. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten.
Day 5: Golden Monkeys
After breakfast you will go for Golden monkey habituation experience. This quit exclusive intimate experience allows you to be in the golden monkeys’ presence for four hours instead of the standard one hour. The monkeys are primarily to be found in the bamboo forest that skirt the lower slopes of the volcanoes. The monkeys are very active in the canopy of the bamboo where your guides mimic their calls to follow the group. With only a small number remaining in the world, the Golden Monkey can be found in the foothills of the volcanic mountains of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Characterized by its bright golden body, cheeks and tail, with contrasting black limbs, crown and tail end, these playful primates are a pleasure to watch.
Day 6: Return to Entebbe
Early breakfast before embarking on our return to Entebbe, driving down the grassed and terraced escarpments of southwestern Uganda while taking in the breathtaking sights of the hills of the region dubbed ‘the little Switzerland of Africa’. This area is a rows. Not to miss as we traverse Mbarara are the impressing long horn Ankole cattle. A remarkable highlight of this journey is the Equator line and surely you will cross it as we have a brief stop here. We will be in Entebbe in the evening before for your flight back home.
* Contact us for your customized itinerary, current pricing and availability.
