8 days Uganda chimpanzee tracking safari circuit

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport

You will arrive at Entebbe international airport and be met by our guide driver. After the briefing and greeting you will be transferred to Budongo forest reserve for your first activity of chimpanzee habituation as prior booked.

Budongo forest is a 435-square-km tropical rainforest found in Murchison falls protected area and is regarded as one of Uganda’s oldest rain forests and East Africa’s largest mahogany forest. It is situated 35km from Masindi town which takes about 45 minutes to 1 hours drive to get to Budongo forest. It is home to over 600 chimpanzees and other primates making it a premier destination for chimpanzee trekking and birdwatching.

Dinner and overnight

Accommodation options inside Budongo include

Budongo eco lodge

Budongo central forest reserve

Pabidi lodge

Day 2: Chimpanzee Habituation in Budongo Forest Reserve

On this day you will wake up early enough to prepare for a long day ahead of your habituation activity. You will head to the visitor’s center at Kaniyo Pabidi ecotourism site. This serves as the primary briefing point for chimpanzee tracking, birding, nature walks, and features a fascinating display of fossils, old poaching ruins, and local artifacts

Chimpanzee habituation in Budongo Forest is a full-day experience where partakers join researchers to train wild chimps to get used to human presence. Unlike standard chimpanzee tracking, which allows only one hour of viewing, whereas habituation involves spending 4 to 6 hours watching chimps way of life which include waking up, feeding, and nesting. Chimpanzee habituation takes you through an in-depth exploration of the unique behaviours of chimpanzees. The focus is usually on visiting the semi-habituated community. Secure a valid permit, which costs USD 300 per guest applying to foreign non-residents, USD 250 for foreign residents, and UGX 250,000 per guest under the East African citizen category

Dinner and overnight

Day 3: Transfer To Kibale National Park

On this day, have your morning breakfast and prepare to transfer to Kibale national park the primate capital of the world. This just take about 4 – 5 hours which approximately 280km from Budongo forest reserve

Kibale national park is located in Kabarole district and is shared with kyenjojo district. It sits on a total land area of 795km2 of lush rainforest. Kibale National Park hosts the highest density and diversity of primates on the continent and protects a population of over 1,500 wild chimpanzees. Kibale national park has other mammals which include Forest elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and bush pigs traverse the dense forest floor.

A total of 13 primate species live here, including endangered chimpanzees, Ugandan red colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and black-and-white colobus monkeys. Over 370 bird species reside in the canopy, making it a world-class birding destination.

Dinner and overnight

Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale National Park

Wake up early morning and prepare for chimpanzee tracking. You will be dropped at the visitor’s center in kanyachu where all the briefing and preparations will take place. Over 4 habituated chimpanzee communities are open for tourism in allowing visitors to enjoy the experience without being rushed, guaranteeing visitors a remarkable encounter and photography experience with the world’s closest primates to man. The normal trekking session in Kibale takes between 2 and 4 hours with an hour to observe the chimpanzees and take pictures. To embark on a chimpanzee tracking tour, you must have a valid permit, and each permit is open for booking at USD $250 per guest visiting as a foreign non-resident, USD 200 per guest traveling as a foreign resident, and Ugandans (including other East African citizens), who book permits at UGX 180,000 per person. The chimpanzee permit covers the chimp trekking experience, park entry fees and ranger guide services.

Day 5: Transfer To Queen Elizabeth National Park

In the evening after your chimpanzee tracking, transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park for your safari experience. From Kibale national park to Queen Elizabeth national park, it takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to get there

Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular, scenic, and biodiverse safari destination. It is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), it sits on a total land area of 1,978-sq km and it features an expansive variety of ecosystems, including savannas, tropical forests, wetlands, and volcanic crater lakes. It is home to 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species, making it a major highlight for travellers visiting East Africa.

Dinner and overnight

Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Cruise Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park

On this day wake up as early as 5am in the morning prepare your morning snack and head to kasenyi gate where your game drive activity begins, you will pay for the entrance fees and head on to track lions and some early morning predators catching their morning prey. You will also get a chance to view other wild animals in their natural habitant as they feed and live about their morning.

After the game drive you will head to katunguru or back to your hotel for lunch as you wait for the afternoon or evening boat cruise at either kazinga channel or in mweya depending on your booking and preferred location.

Dinner and overnight

Day 7: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge

Wake up early morning and be transferred to Kyambura gorge for chimpanzee tracking which will begin at exactly 7:00am. It takes 40 to 60 minutes to drive from mweya to Kyambura gorge. You will need to wake up earlier depending on the location of your lodge

Kyambura Gorge, known as the “Valley of Apes,” is a stunning 100-meter-deep dipped forest located in the eastern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Famous for its isolated, habituated chimpanzee population, the gorge offers thrilling trekking adventures through an underground tropical rainforest amidst dramatic savanna landscapes.

After this activity you will go back to hotel and relax for the rest of the day and prepare for the journey back to Entebbe the next day. You can decide to do a small activity to pass the day, but that can be arranged aside from your itinerary

Dinner and overnight

Day 8: Departure

After heavy breakfast, start driving back to Kampala or Entebbe. This day brings to an end the 8 days chimpanzee tracking circuit package in Uganda. You will use the Masaka Mbarara route for a more scenic road trip and en-route, you will make a stopover at the Equator crossing in Mpigi district.