5 Days Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari

A 5-day Uganda chimpanzee tracking safari is a tour package that allows you to explore the forests of Uganda in search of chimpanzees. This type of adventure typically includes activities such as hiking, bird watching, and wildlife viewing, as well as opportunities to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat. The itinerary may also include visits to national parks and other conservation areas, as well as cultural encounters with local communities. The duration of the tour can vary, but 5 days is a common length for a chimpanzee tracking safari in Uganda.

The 5-day Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari is a tour package that will take you on a journey through some of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich regions of Uganda. The itinerary includes visiting two of the country’s most popular national parks, Kibale National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, as well as exploring the nearby Lake Katwe.

The trip starts with a transfer from Kampala to Kibale National Park, where visitors will have the opportunity to go chimpanzee trekking and observe these fascinating primates in their natural habitat. After a transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, visitors will enjoy a game drive and boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, where they will be able to see a variety of wildlife, including elephants, lions, buffalos, and many bird species.

The final day of the trip is dedicated to exploring Lake Katwe, where visitors will learn about the salt production process and visit the salt mines. The 5-day Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari is an adventure that offers a unique combination of wildlife encounters, cultural experiences, and scenic beauty, and is an ideal way to discover the best of Uganda’s natural and cultural wonders.

Trip Highlights

The 5-day Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari offers a range of exciting experiences and highlights, including:

1. Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale National Park: One of the main attractions of the trip is the opportunity to go chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park. During the trek, you will hike through the jungle in search of habituated chimpanzee groups, observing them as they forage for food, play, and interact with each other. Chimpanzee trekking is a unique and unforgettable experience, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of these intelligent primates.
2. Wildlife Viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Another highlight of the trip is the game drives and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including elephants, lions, buffalos, and many bird species. During the game drives, you will have the opportunity to see these animals in their natural habitats, and during the boat cruise, you will see hippos, elephants, and a variety of bird species up close.
3. Cultural Encounters in Lake Katwe: On the final day of the trip, you will visit Lake Katwe, which is located near Queen Elizabeth National Park. This area is home to one of the largest salt production sites in East Africa and is an important source of income for the local communities. During the visit, you will learn about the salt production process and have the opportunity to interact with the local people, providing a glimpse into the cultural and economic life of the area.
4. Scenic Beauty: Throughout the 5-day Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari, you will have the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful and unspoiled landscapes in Uganda, including the rolling hills of the Ugandan countryside, the lush forests of Kibale National Park, and the stunning vistas of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Pick Up and Transfer to Kibale National Park

On the first day of the 5-day Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari, you will be picked up from your hotel in Kampala and transferred to Kibale National Park. The drive to Kibale takes approximately 4-5 hours and offers scenic views of the Ugandan countryside. You will arrive at your lodge in the park in time for lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing and acclimatizing to your surroundings. Kibale National Park is one of the most important conservation areas in East Africa and is home to a large population of chimpanzees, as well as other primate species, such as red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and blue monkeys.

Location: Kibale Forest National Park

Accommodation Option:

Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner

Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey

Day 2: Kibale Forest National Park – Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Village Sanctuary  

Wake up early and ensure that you take heavy breakfast in preparation for a long day of activities. The key activity will be chimpanzee tracking during the Kanyanchu primates walk. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale starts with a briefing at the park office. The Rangers will locate the group by following their hoots and calls. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale is more predictable compared to the ones in Nyungwe in Rwanda or Budongo forest in Murchison Falls National Park. They are easier to find than anywhere else in Uganda. 3 large communities of chimps have been habituated in Kibale forest. An advance team is sent to locate them before letting the lead ranger know using radio call. Chimpanzee trekking takes between two to four hours depending on the location of the particular group you are assigned.

Chimpanzee communities have complex social structures with the large males acting as protectors of the group. Unlike mountain gorillas, the reign of a dominant chimp alpha male is short-lived because he has to deal with far more challenges especially when you consider the size of chimp communities. Moreover, chimp communities tend to split into smaller groups to feed during times of scarcity.  During your one-hour encounter with the Chimps, you will notice that they are very mobile primates. They tend to move a lot and do not stay on the ground most of the time like mountain gorillas. You have to prepare to follow them for a while as they swing from tree to tree.

Chimps are also very noisy and vocal compared to mountain gorillas. Apart from the chimps, the primates walk in Kanyanchu will expose you to all of the primates in the park including pottos, Grey Vervet Monkeys, baboons, Colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, grey checked mangabey, blue monkeys and Red Tailed Monkeys. After being with one chimp family for an hour, you will continue to see the other primates in the park before returning back to your hotel for lunch. In the afternoon, explore the Bigodi village. You have opportunity to visit a swamp with abundant butterflies, plants, animals and spectacular birds like Great Blue Turaco and will be of great interest to birders. After this experience you will take a village walk that will lead you to the Coffee experience, banana bear making, busked making and traditional healer.

Location: Kibale Forest National Park

Accommodation Option:

Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner

Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for Evening Game Drive

After breakfast on the third day, you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is approximately a 3-hour drive from Kibale. Upon arrival, you will check in at your lodge and have lunch. In the evening, you will embark on a game drive through the park, giving you the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife, including elephants, lions, buffaloes, and more.

Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Accommodation Option:

Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner

Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey

Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Morning Game Drive and Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel

Wake up early and take breakfast. If time doesn’t allow, you can park the breakfast and go with it for the morning game drive along the Kasenyi tract. The morning game drive give us opportunities to spot buffaloes, lions, elephants, birds, antelopes, hyenas and the occasional leopard. Queen Elizabeth stands out from the Serengeti and Masai Mara because of the beautiful landscape. It remains relatively green even during the dry months of the year. The Kasenyi sector is found in open ground which help attract big game and hence excellent for wildlife viewing. As we already mentioned earlier, the park is blessed with amazing natural features as a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. The formation of the great East African Rift Valley and other earth movements left behind giant crater lakes, forests, savannah grasslands, woodlands and underground gorges.

After observing the wildlife and unique scenery, you will head back to the lodge for lunch. The afternoon boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel starts at 2:00pm. This channel connects Lake Edward to Lake George and has one of the highest concentrations of hippos in Africa. A boat cruise along the channel offers tourists an opportunity to observe park animals like hippos, crocodiles and an amazing collection of birds (African fish eagles, Great White Pelicans, Great cormorants and African spoonbills). It can turn out to be the highlight of your tour of the park especially if you visit during the dry season.

Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Accommodation Option:

Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner

Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey

Day 5: Explore Lake Katwe and Transfer Back to Kampala

On the final day, you will explore Lake Katwe, which is located near Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lake Katwe is home to one of the largest salt production sites in East Africa and is an important source of income for the local communities. You will have the opportunity to learn about the salt production process and visit the nearby salt mines. After the visit, you will transfer back to Kampala, where your 5-day Uganda chimpanzee tracking safari will come to an end.

In summary, the 5-day Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari is a comprehensive and immersive adventure that offers a unique combination of wildlife encounters, cultural experiences, and scenic beauty, making it an ideal way to discover the best of Uganda’s natural and cultural wonders. Thank you for specifically choosing Paradise Adventure Vacations and we hope to see you again in Uganda.

Location: Kampala (City)

Accommodation Option: No (End of tour)

Meals Plan: Breakfast, and Lunch

Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey

Cost Includes on 5 Days Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari:

• Return airport transfers (pick up and drop off)
• Private transport for 5 days in a well-modified safari Extended land-cruiser (4WD,air-conditioned and pop-up roof)
• Flue for 5 days
• English safari driver guide for 5 days
• Mid-range accommodation for 4 night on full board (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
• All en-route meals and bottled mineral water throughout your tour
• All park entrance and activities feel and all applicable government taxes
• Bigodi sanctuary swamp and community safari
• 1 Chimpanzee Trekking permit per person (Kibale forest national park)
• A visit to the Equator land mark

Cost Excludes on 5 Days Uganda Chimpanzee Tracking Safari:

• International and domestic flights
• Country entry visa
• Personal travel insurance
• Items of personal nature/laundry/telephone charges
• Souvenirs and gifts, Tips
• Alcoholic and other soft drinks (sodas, special juice order at the lodge and wines)

Special Deals on African Safari 2023-2024 (Rates Per Person in USD)

We believe in value for money. Every guest would like to have the most reliable and comfortable vehicles on safari. In response to the clients’ needs, we have a very strict vehicle replacement policy that ensures a young fleet at all times. We have a total fleet of 225 well-maintained motor vehicles, predominantly 4-wheel drives. This does away with the problem of sub-contracting vehicles and driver-guides, which may compromise the quality of services. Our safari vehicles are specifically converted for maximum space and comfort. All of them have hatched roof and sliding windows to facilitate good viewing and convenient photography during game drives and sight seeing.