14 Days Uganda Big 5 safari with Primates & Tree Climbing Lions unleashes the best you should expect on a Ugandan safari. You will begin your trip by visiting the 2nd most visited safari national park, Murchison Falls National Park, then continue to other remarkable destinations, including Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. You will drive back to Kampala via the Equator line that separates the earth into two different parts i.e, the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Then continue your safari to Jinja for the source of the River Nile, visit Sipi falls, and then finally drive back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport for your Flight.
Expect to see a lot of wildlife, the big four animals, Mountain Gorillas, Golden monkeys and amazing scenery within your 14-day safari in Uganda.
Day 1: Airport pick up and optional City tour.
On this day, you will be warmly welcomed at the airport by one of our professional tour guides. From the airport, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in, have lunch, and relax. You may go for a city tour to see how busy Kampala is and also buy a few locally made items like Ugandan branded Jerseys, huts, and other items that you may love at the Kampala craft market. You will later head back to the hotel in the evening to have dinner and an overnight stay.
In the evening, you may opt to have a night out in one of the clubs in Kampala to explore the nightlife in Kampala city.
Accommodation: Millennium Terrace Hotel
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Wake up early, have breakfast, and drive off to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Once there, you will proceed for an hour of on-foot rhino tracking. From the rhino tracking, head to Masindi, where you will have a lunch stop. After lunch, embark on the transfer to Murchison Falls NP. The highlights of this park include the roaring rapids of the Murchison, the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park, where you will have the chance of viewing lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. Then surely, the concentration of hippos and Nile crocodiles here will fascinate you. If interested and time allows, you can proceed for a late afternoon-evening game drive. Later, when you reach your lodge, you will freshen up and relax at your accommodation as you wait for dinner in the evening.
Accommodation: Red Chili Rest Camp
Meal plan: All meals and mineral drinking water
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Boat Cruise, plus evening game drive.
14 Days Uganda Big 5 safari with Primates & Tree Climbing Lions: After an early morning breakfast, you will leave for an early morning game drive looking for the early morning riser. As you head out for the game drive, you will be in a position to spot animals like the buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, Rothschild giraffes, Oribi, Kobs, and waterbucks together with some bird species along the way, with some feeding together with the big animals. Later, you will head for the boat at Paara cruising point for a boat cruise along the Victoria Nile. This Boat ride on the Victoria Nile goes for 3 hours, and you will be able to see some Nile crocodiles, numerous hippos, as well as various bird species.
After your boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation as you wait for the evening game drive. The evening game drive will take you to see the animals as they walk back to their resting habitats and caves. You will have more opportunities to see them resting under trees and others hiding out. You will also have beautiful picture moments of the sunset and later, after your evening adventure, drive back to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Dinner and Overnight
Accommodation: Red Chili Rest Camp
Meal plan: All meals and mineral drinking water
Day 4: Drive to the top of the falls and transfer to Fort Portal
You will have breakfast and then drive to the top of the falls to truly appreciate the beauty and magnificence of the Murchison Falls. From the top, we shall embark on a transfer that will see us overnight in Fort Portal. The drive is quite long but incredibly scenic, passing through villages, lush green countryside, and hills dotted with tea plantations that characterize this part of Uganda. The beautiful scenery will amaze you all the way. Upon arrival at the accommodation, check in and just relax.
Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Accommodation: Fort Motel
Meal plan: All meals and mineral drinking water
Day 5: Amabere caves and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
On this day, you will wake up to a morning breakfast and drive to the Tooro kingdom palace. The palace stands on Harukoto hill, the tallest hill within the heart of Fort Portal city giving a clear and scenic view of the entire palace building and the city. After this brief visit, you will drive to Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru caves, which is a unique tourist attraction that is located 10 km away from Fort Portal town in Kabarole near Nyakasura School. The direct translation of Amabere ga Nyina mwiru is “breasts of the mother of a slave”. According to legends, the caves acquired the name after King Bukuku of Bunyoro chopped off the breasts of his daughter Nyinamwiru and had them thrown inside these caves, following a prophecy that the daughter would one day get married and have a son, Ndahura, who would kill the king and take over his throne.
The king was not pleased to hear this prophesy so cutting off her daughter’s breasts was an attempt to deform her so men wouldn’t be attracted to her, little knowing that she was already pregnant with a boy child. Upon giving birth, the king made a second attempt to avert this prophecy by ordering the child to be killed. However, the people who were instructed to execute these orders just dumped the child in the caves where her mother’s breasts had been earlier dumped. You will explore these cultural-historical caves together with the Mabere waterfalls, which are found there with fresh and very cold water.
Later, you will leave Fort Portal and head to Queen Elizabeth National Park, check in at your accommodation, and rest for the next day. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most visited national park in Uganda, with thousands of hippos that populate the shorelines of Kazinga Channel. The open savannah is dotted with Acacia and Euphorbia trees providing a habitat for elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda Kobs, big herds of buffaloes and many other animals.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Meal plan: All meals and drinking water
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise.
On this day, after your breakfast, you will head out for a morning game drive in the northern section of the park, “Kasenyi plains”, where you will interact with the savannah animals. The game drives are best done in the morning hours when mammals are just coming out of their hiding places, looking for food, and also in the late evening hours when they return to their resting caves or grounds. Your morning game drive might take about 3 hours, and later on, you will continue to Mweya peninsula at Kazinga channel for a boat cruise.
A boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel will offer you one of the greatest wildlife experiences in Africa and Uganda in particular. Prepare to see countless hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants, water birds and many of the other park animals drinking from the channel. You will return to the lodge with a short evening game drive as you end your day with a sunset view while resting at your accommodation.
Dinner and overnight
Accommodation: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Meal plan: All meals and mineral drinking water
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
On this day, you will wake up in the morning breakfast so that you are able to reach Kalinzu forest on time. This day will be an adventurous one, as you will be able to see humans’ closest cousins, the chimpanzees in Kalinzu forest. You will have a delicious breakfast and head out for a briefing session from our professional tour guides. You will then proceed to the forest for chimpanzee trekking. The forest is a habitat to over 300 chimpanzees and around 70 chimpanzee communities have been habituated for tourism purposes.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest takes 3 to 4 hours before you meet the chimpanzee community, depending on the trail that you take. This is also because chimpanzees keep moving from one place to another in search of food. After the exciting chimpanzee trekking experience, you will head for lunch as you leave the park heading southwards to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Upon arrival in Bwindi, you will check in at your lodge for relaxation and overnight stay as you wait for Gorilla tracking the following day.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Lodge
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience and transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
On this adventurous day, you wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, and report to Bwindi Park headquarters for a short briefing with the leader tracker/ ranger guide before you start on your day’s activity. From here, you will head into the montane forest for an encounter with the mountain gorillas.
Always watch out for their voices and listen to them grumble and the young as they swing from tree to tree, and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant male, “the silverback”. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rain forest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. The beauty of this rain forest is spectacular, and it offers a dramatic, steeply forested landscape which is incredibly dense, but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists.
You will look for these endangered species, and finding them will depend on the last nesting location of the previous night. The time taken to track the gorillas can range from 4 to 7 hours or beyond. Once you locate a gorilla group, you will be allowed only one hour in their presence. The thrill of spending time observing these gentle and endangered giants is an awesome, exciting, and one in a life experience to be long savored. This will sum up your dream expectations as you walk back to the vehicle and drive out of the park, transferring to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. On arrival at your lodge, you’ll check in for relaxation and leisure as you wait for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Travelers’ Rest Hotel
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Day. 9 Golden monkey tracking and Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
On this day, you will wake up very early in the morning for breakfast and head to the park headquarters for a short briefing. Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park involves travelers hiking through the forest in search of the golden monkeys in their natural habitat. The activity starts at 8 am with a briefing from the ranger guide or lead tracker. You then head out in search of the golden monkeys using the Gahinga trail. Once you locate the Golden monkeys, you’ll be limited to only one hour in their presence and then head back to your starting point. The trekking may take about 2 to 4 hours, depending on where they last nested the previous night. After you will return to the vehicle and check out of the park as you head to Lake Mburo National Park.
You will drive through the hills of Kisoro and Kabale, and have lunch on your way as you reach the park. On arrival at Lake Mburo National Park, you will check in at your lodge and relax as you wait for an evening game drive to see the gentle mammals of the peaceful park. The nature walk will allow seeing a lot of animals like the Zebras, giraffes, antelopes, hippos, buffaloes, topis, elands, waterbacks and bushbacks among many other animals. You will later return to the lodge for rest with the whispers of the wild.
Accommodation: Eagle’s Nest
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Lake Mburo National Park
Day 10: Morning nature walk and transfer back to Kampala
After an early breakfast at the lodge, by 7 am, you will check out of the lodge and head for a guided nature walk with a ranger guide. Lake Mburo National Park is an ideal place to do guided nature walks, and you will begin with a drive, then walk on foot to have an adventure closer to nature. The activity and drive can take about 1 or 2 hours, and then drive to Kampala.
You’ll live this beautiful part of the world as you check out of the park and head to Kampala, having lunch at Uganda’s Equator. You will take some pictures and buy some souvenirs, then drive straight to Kampala.
Accommodation: Millennium Terrace Hotel
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Day 11: Drive to Jinja Adventure City for River Nile discovery
After breakfast, drive to Jinja, Uganda’s adventure capital, with a stop at the historic Ssezibwa Falls, about 32 km east of Kampala. The seven-meter-high falls are set in lush vegetation and offer activities such as birdwatching, rock climbing, and guided nature walks.
Continue to Mabira Forest for a guided walk through this expansive tropical rainforest, home to over 300 bird species and several primates. Enjoy an immersive walk beneath the dense canopy, with an optional zip-lining adventure for added excitement.
Later, proceed to Jinja, Uganda’s second-largest city, located on the shores of Lake Victoria and famous as the source of the River Nile. After lunch, enjoy a boat cruise to the Source of the Nile, then return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay, with an optional evening out to experience Jinja’s nightlife.
Accommodation: Brisk Recreation Hotel Triangle
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Day 12: Quad biking and transfer to Kapchorwa
Begin your day with a morning breakfast at your accommodation, and thereafter head to the big day activity. You will transfer from your hotel and go for Quad biking. On arrival, you’ll be briefed about the whole activity and all you have to know before getting on the bikes. You’ll then dress up in protective gear and ride off to explore the trails on four wheels. The activity will take about 3 hours as you enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the place. Later, you will have to drive to Kapchorwa in northeastern Uganda. You will arrive in Sipi in time for lunch, and after lunch, you will visit the community, which is such an amazing experience. You will later stay overnight as you listen to the amazing sound from the falls, and as you wake up the next day to the breathtaking scenery of Kapchorwa.
Accommodation: Sipi Valley Resort
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Day 13: Hike Sipi Falls and nature walk
Today you will wake with the roar of the waters from the falls. After breakfast, you will start the hike to the falls. The Sipi falls is comprised of 3 waterfalls, each flowing from a different altitude. The highest fall drops from an altitude of 100m, referred to as the main fall, since it is the last fall in the series. This fall is a little bigger than the other two falls, but all give Uganda a beautiful scenery. In fact, most people say that Sipi Falls are the ‘most romantic falls’ in Uganda, which is evidenced by the wonderful falls.
This area is where most hikes to Mt. Elgon start from. Hiking up to these falls gives a beautiful scenic view, like Lake Kyoga, the Karamoja lowlands, coffee plantations, and other surrounding areas. Later in the Afternoon you will visit the coffee Plantations and have a nature walk as you wait for the sunset moments on top of the hills.
Later, you will return to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Sipi Valley Resort
Meal plan: all meals and drinking water
Day 14: Drive back to Entebbe International Airport
Begin your day with a morning breakfast at your accommodation. Say farewell to this beautiful part of Uganda, driving back to Entebbe International Airport. You will have a stopover in Jinja and proceed to Entebbe International Airport for your flight.
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch, plus drinking water
End of your 14 Days Uganda Big 5 safari with Primates & Tree Climbing Lions
INCLUDES:
- Park fees (For non-residents)
- Chimp permits (One per person, non-resident)
- Gorilla permits (One per person, non-resident)
- Golden Monkey Permit (One per person, non-resident)
- All activities (Unless labelled as optional)
- All accommodation (Unless listed as an upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (Unless labelled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Round-trip airport transfer
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking water (On all days)
EXCLUDES:
- International flights (From/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp. per day)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- The government imposed an increase in taxes and/or park fees
Why you should travel with Amakula African Safaris?
Golden monkey trekking—hiking through the Virunga Mountains to see these rare primates in the wild—is a popular and rewarding experience often combined with gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda. This adventure offers a lighter, more playful alternative to gorilla trekking while still delivering close encounters with endangered wildlife. Below is essential information to help you plan a successful golden monkey trekking experience.
Affordable quality services. Amakula exists to offer pocket-friendly services which are of a good quality to suit your taste and preference.
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