7 Days Gorilla & Chimpanzee Habituation Experience

This primates habituation safari is an exciting adventure that will start and end in Kampala, Uganda. The 7 Days Gorilla & Chimpanzee Habituation Experience will take you to three national parks in Uganda, including Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

You will see different wildlife species, including elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, hippos, and crocodiles, among others, during the game drives and boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. You will also engage in an adventurous chimpanzee and gorilla habituation experience where you will be able to spend four hours with the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

Highlights

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kibale National Park

Day 2: Chimpanzee habituation experience and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 3: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 5: Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 6: Guided nature walk and Batwa cultural tour

Day 7: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary    

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

You will be welcomed by a representative from Achieve Global Safaris, who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Kibale Forest National Park.

On the way, you will have a stopover for en-route lunch and then proceed to Kibale Forest National Park with great views of the farmlands, Rwenzori Mountains, tea plantations, Lake Gorge, and crater lakes, among others. Upon arrival, you will connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Chimpanzee habituation experience

Chimpanzee habituation,

After an early breakfast, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the Kanyachu Visitors Centre for the chimpanzee habituation briefing. After the briefing you will be allocated an experienced park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest and will start trekking, which takes a whole day.

During trekking you will be able to view other primates such as grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and hoest monkeys; some bird species; and plants, among others.

Once the chimpanzees are located, you will be allowed to spend four hours with them in their natural habitat, which helps you to learn and monitor their behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, fight, hunt, enjoy the juveniles playing up in the trees, take photos and record videos.

After the face-to-face encounter with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the park headquarters, where you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park with great views of the landscape, crater lakes, tea plantations, and more on the way. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive/lion tracking,

Have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in the Kasenyi plains.

During the game drive you will be rewarded with great views of large herds of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, and warthogs, which will be grazing in the open savannah plains view predators like lions and leopards if you are lucky, and a variety of bird species, among others. After the game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch.

Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

After lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise, which takes about 2 hours, you will get a chance to view elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs hydrating along the shores; view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water; and see water birds like martial eagles, papyrus gongs, pelicans, hornbills, African skimmers, cormorants, African spoonbills, fish eagles, and kingfishers, among others and also see fishermen organizing their fishing nets along the water banks. After the boat ride you will return to the lodge for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Have breakfast, check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver/guide to transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the way you will have en-route lunch and then proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and upon arrival you will check in at the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

 Day 5: Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla habituation,

Fuel up with breakfast in anticipation of the Gorilla habituation experience. Transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of gorilla habituation.

After the briefing you will be allocated a park guide who is knowledgeable about the mountain gorillas and start trekking in the jungle, which takes a whole day. During trekking you will be able to view forest birds, other primates like the hoest monkeys and baboons, and plant and tree species, among others.

Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend four hours with them, which gives you an opportunity to learn and monitor their lifestyle, behaviors, and habits; engage in the naming process; take photos; watch them carry out their daily activities; and record the fascinating memories to show people back home.

After a breathtaking encounter with the gentle giants, you will trek back to the park headquarters, where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla habituation and then meet up with your guide to return to the lodge for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Guided nature walk and Batwa cultural tour

Enjoy breakfast, and later meet up with your driver guide to go for an interesting guided nature walk in the park where you will be able to enjoy views of the scenery, birds, primates, and waterfalls, among others. After the nature walk, you will return to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, you will go for a Batwa cultural tour where you will interact with the Batwa people, learn about their culture, history, and way of living, visit their homestead, and engage in their traditional entertainment, among others. After the culture tour, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Departure to Kampala/Entebbe

Have an early morning breakfast and begin your journey back to Kampala. On the way, you will have a stopover for lunch and another stopover at the Equator, where you will take photos and buy souvenirs.

From the Equator, you will proceed to Kampala arriving early evening and 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.

Includes

• Gorilla habituation permit
• Chimpanzee habituation permit
• Park entrance fees/game drives
• Boat cruise fees
• Lion tracking experience
• Nature walk
• Cultural tour
• All activities included in the itinerary
• Services of a professional English-speaking driver guide
• Full board accommodation
• Pick up and drop off in Kampala
• Vehicle and fuel
• Bottled drinking water

Excludes                   

• Air flight tickets
• Visas
• Life insurance
• Optional activities not included on the itinerary
• Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, cigarettes, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, and tips, among others.