12 Days Uganda primates, wildlife, and white water rafting
This 12 Days Uganda primates, wildlife, and white water rafting is an interesting and adventurous safari that starts and ends in Kampala, Uganda. The safari will take you to different destinations, including Jinja, where you will engage in white water rafting and the source of the Nile boat ride; Murchison Falls National Park; Lake Mburo National Park; and Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will be able to view animals including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, hippos, giraffes, oribi, topi, Nile crocodiles, zebras, and warthogs, among others, during the game drives, boat cruises, and walking safari.
Also go to Kibale Forest National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you will be able to spend time with the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Highlights of the 12 days of Uganda primates, wildlife and white water rafting
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to the hotel
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park
Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park—walking safari
Day 10: Morning game drive and transfer to Jinja
Day 11: White water rafting
Day 12: Source of the Nile boat ride and transfer to Entebbe
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Entebbe
Depending on your arrival time at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by our driver guide, who will brief you about the safari and then transfer you to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Murchison Falls National Park, which is the largest national park in Uganda. The journey takes about a 6- to 7-hour drive, and on the way you will have a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking, after which you will continue the journey with another stopover in Masindi town for lunch.
After lunch you will proceed to Murchison Falls National Park and upon arrival you will drive directly to the top of the falls, where you will be able to view the waterfall and enjoy water splashes, among others. From the waterfall, you will drive to check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive,
After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive where you will be rewarded with stunning views of animals like giraffes, buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, lions, leopards, warthogs, and Jackson’s hartebeest, among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Afternoon boat cruise,
After lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, where you will be able to view animals like elephants, antelopes, and buffaloes, which will be drinking water along the shores; view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water; and view aquatic bird species like hornbills, cormorants, kingfishers, and bee-eaters, among others. After the interesting boat cruise, you will return back to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
After breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kibale Forest National Park, which is located in western Uganda.
It’s a whole-day journey and on the way you will have en-route lunch and enjoy stunning views of the beautiful scenery, landscape, tea plantation, Rwenzori Mountains, and views of the crater lakes, among others. Upon arrival in Kibale National Park, you will continue to check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Chimpanzee trekking
After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer you to the Kanyachu park headquarters for a chimpanzee trekking briefing.
After the briefing you will be allocated an experienced park guide and start trekking in the forest in search of chimpanzees. Trekking of chimpanzees in Kibale National Park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one area to another in search of food.
During trekking you will be rewarded with views of other primates like the hoest monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, and black-and-white colobus monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabey, and views of different bird species, among others.
Once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their environment, which helps you to watch them feed, play, fight, hunt, rest, observe their behaviors, take photos and record videos.
After the one-hour encounter with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the park headquarters, where you will meet up with your driver guide and return to the lodge for lunch, where after, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with our driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is the second largest national park in Uganda.
On the way you will enjoy spectacular views of the scenery, landscape, and tea plantations, among others. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning game drive/lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive/lion tracking experience
After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains.
During the game drive you will be able to spot different animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, Uganda kobs, and waterbucks, which will be grazing in open savannah plains; view predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas, which will be looking for a morning hunt; and view bird species, among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Afternoon boat cruise
After lunch you will go for an interesting boat cruise on the Kazinga channel, a water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat cruise, which takes about 2 to 3 hours, you will be able to view large herds of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, and waterbucks drinking water along the shores, and view water birds like hornbills, cormorants, and fish eagles, among others.
After the boat ride you will return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
On the way you will have a stopover in the Ishasha sector, where you will be able to view the tree-climbing lions and then proceed with an en-route lunch. After lunch, you will continue the journey and upon arrival in Bwindi National Park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After an early breakfast, carry a packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. After the briefing you will start trekking in the jungle in search of the mountain gorillas, which takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the mountain gorillas are located.
During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, different bird species, and plants among others and once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors and watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, playing, breastfeeding, and grooming young ones; take photos; and record videos. After the encounter with the gentle giants, you will return back to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park—walking safari
After breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Mburo National Park.
On the way you will enjoy stunning views of the landscape, scenery, farmlands, and countryside, among others. Upon arrival you will have lunch, after which you will go for a walking safari in the park, where you will be able to get up-close and personal with different wildlife species and listen to and spot different bird species, among others. After the guided nature walk, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Morning game drive and transfer to Jinja
Enjoy breakfast, check out of the lodge and then meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive where you will be able to view animals that you might have missed the previous day.
After the game drive, you will drive out of the park and start the journey to Jinja. On the way you will have en-route lunch at the Equator, take photos and buy craft souvenirs.
From the Equator you will proceed to Jinja arriving early evening and upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: White water rafting experience
After breakfast, meet up with your driver guide to go for adventurous white water rafting, which starts with a briefing about the rules and regulations.
After the briefing, you will start the white water rafting experience, which has different grades ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 5. After rafting, you will meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Source of the Nile boat ride and departure to Entebbe
After a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to go for an exciting boat ride to the source of the Nile, where you will be able to enjoy views of the beautiful scenery, landscape, and birds, among others.
After the boat ride, you will meet up with your driver guide and start the journey back to Entebbe with an en-route lunch on the way. Upon arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or drop you off at any place of advice.
End of 12 days of Uganda primates, wildlife and white water rafting
The tour includes
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Lion tracking experience
- Rhino tracking
- Park entrance fees/game drives
- Boat cruise fees
- White water rafting
- Services of a professional English-speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off in Kampala/Entebbe
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
The tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Life insurance
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
