6 Day Uganda Safari Kibale Forest & Queen Elizabeth National Park

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This 6 Day Uganda Safari features Kibale Forest and Queen Elizabeth National park Kyambura Gorge in South West Uganda which is two of the best places in the world to view chimpanzees in the wild with virtually guaranteed sightings.

Kibale National Park is one of Africa’s greatest rain forests and home to 13 primates; over 100 individuals of Chimpanzees and other species of primates including the Black and white colobus monkeys, 60 species of mammals as well as over 325 species of birds.

Queen Elizabeth National park is home to a lot of wildlife species such as over 500 species of birds, 10 primates, 95 mammal species, climbing lions can also be seen in the Ishasha sector the park is a great place with stunning landscape crossed by the Kazinga channel.

This chimpanzee safari not only allows you to come face-to-face with our closest living relatives but also offers a fascinating insight into the complex social behavior of chimpanzees.

Starting in Kibale Forest National Park, home to over 700 chimps and 13 species of primates, you will head out at sunrise to watch the chimps waking in the treetops, before following them as they play, fight, mate, and patrol the borders of their forest home.

You then continue to the dramatic Kyambura Gorge, a spectacular river valley carved into the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, descending the valley floor, to search for the chimps who live here.

All the while, you will have experts on hand to explain the group’s behavior and discuss the ongoing conservation issues faced by the chimpanzees in today’s Uganda.

Whilst the focus of this tour is very much on the primates, there is also time to search for tree-climbing lions and other big game in Queen Elizabeth, as well as the chance for some exciting boat safaris on the Kazinga Channel and opportunities to visit colorful local villages.

Day 1: Kampala – Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 2: Kibale Forest Chimpanzee Tracking
Day 3: Kibale Forest – Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth – Return Drive to Kampala

Day 1: Kampala – Drive to Kibale Forest National Park

After an early breakfast at your hotel in Kampala/ Entebbe, a safari briefing follows about the trip ahead, then begin your journey for Kibale National Park. The drive of around 6 hours, including stops for lunch through fantastic scenery, with plenty of stops for photography.

Arrive late afternoon at your choice of accommodation. The rest of the day is yours to relax at the lodge or take time to explore nearby crater lakes.

Accommodation Options:

Midrange Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp, Mountains of the Moon Hotel,
Budget Accommodation: Rwenzori View Guesthouse, Nyinabulitwa Country Resort & Safari Camp
Luxury Accommodation: Ndali Lodge, Primate Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge

Meal Plan: {Lunch and Dinner}

Day 2: Kibale Forest Chimpanzee Tracking

This morning is an early start as you head into Kibale forest with the chimpanzee team and hopefully enjoy your first encounter with the chimpanzees. This moist evergreen forest is well known for its large number of chimpanzees (thought to be up to 700) but is also home to a host of other primates.

Not only will you track the Chimpanzees with guides from the Uganda Wildlife Authority but you will have the opportunity to study and observe their movements and behavior.

Depending on where the chimpanzees nested the night before, it may take anything from ten minutes to over an hour to reach the nesting site. You can expect to watch silhouettes of chimpanzees in the trees, often a noisy affair, with a dawn chorus of contact calls and pant hoots.

When the chimps have been located, you can then spend one hour in their company as your guides explain the group dynamics and relationships. After returning to the lodge for lunch, you then spend the afternoon walking through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary abundant with butterflies, plants, animals, and, in particular, birds.

Spectacular birds like the Great Blue Turaco and rare Papyrus Gonolek will be of great interest to birders whereas the swamp is also home to more elusive animals such as Red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope.

There is also the opportunity to visit local community projects that have been financed by tourism.

Accommodation Options:

Midrange Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp, Mountains of the Moon Hotel,
Budget Accommodation: Rwenzori View Guesthouse, Nyinabulitwa Country Resort & Safari Camp
Luxury Accommodation: Ndali Lodge, Primate Lodge, Crater Safari Lodge, Papaya Lake Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner}

Day 3: Kibale Forest – Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park

This morning you continue your journey south onto Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to Uganda’s highest number of mammal species. These include large herds of elephants, the Uganda Kob, (an endemic antelope), buffaloes, and the famous tree-climbing lions, before arriving at your accommodations.

After lunch at the lodge, you are then free to relax or explore the surrounding area.

Accommodation

Mid-range Accommodation: Bush Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Pumba Safari Cottages, Kazinga Channel View Resort, @The River Ishasha
Luxury Accommodation: Kyambura Game Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park

We enjoy a cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate before heading out for an early morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park to look for Big Game.

What you see depends on the season, but the Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lions and large herds of Uganda kob whereas the Mweya peninsula offers excellent game drives with magnificent views across the water to the Rwenzori Mountains.

Mweya is also one of the best places to look for leopards, which live in dense, scrubby thickets. Time permitting visit the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative and its coffee processing station or the wetland reserve to spot birds.

After returning to the lodge for lunch, you will embark on another game drive in this large open and scenic park, before returning to the lodge for the evening.

Please note there is the chance to enjoy a morning’s chimpanzee walk instead of the game drive on payment of a small supplement.

Accommodation

Mid-range Accommodation: Bush Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Pumba Safari Cottages, Kazinga Channel View Resort, @The River Ishasha
Luxury Accommodation: Kyambura Game Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Today you will go chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge itself, which lies on the eastern side of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The steeply forested walls of Kyambura are home not only to chimpanzees but also to the red-tailed monkey, black and white colobus, giant forest hog, and many bird species.

A half-day walk down to the Gorge is a rewarding experience, not only for seeing chimpanzees but also to explore the beautiful river valley. As you walk along the top of the Gorge, you will have a wonderful aerial view of the valley itself, with the Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop before descending into the gorge.

The resident chimpanzee researcher will be on hand here to tell you the history of the chimpanzees themselves and the recent introduction of a buffer zone around the gorge as a conservation initiative.

You then return to your accommodations for lunch, before heading out on a final game drive, passing through the Ishasha area looking out for the famous tree-climbing lions.

This evening you can enjoy your farewell meal with the group where you can toast a successful chimpanzee safari with your guides.

Accommodation

Mid-range Accommodation: Bush Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge
Budget Accommodation: Pumba Safari Cottages, Kazinga Channel View Resort, @The River Ishasha
Luxury Accommodation: Kyambura Game Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp

Meal Plan: {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}

Day 6: Queen Elizabeth – Return Drive to Kampala

This morning after saying goodbye to the team, you will return to the park for one final game drive before returning to Entebbe/ Kampala.

Meal Plan: {Breakfast and Lunch}