7-Day Tree Planting and Great Apes Conservation Safari in Uganda

Upon arrival, you will be met by safari staff, who will then transfer you to Lake Height Hotel or Lake Victoria or Palm Beach Hotel or 2 friends beach hotel a stone throw from Entebbe international airport for relaxation and your overnight stay.

Day 1: Kampala- Kibale National park (Fort Portal)

On this day, we will have our breakfast and embark on a 4-5hr drive to Kibale National park with several stops along the way before reaching Fort Portal town and the Park. We will arrive in the afternoon and have our lunch at one the following lodges or hotels: Mountains of the Moon Hotel, Fort Motel, Primate Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Rwenzori Travellers Inn, Fort View Hotel. After lunch, we will go to ‘Amabere ga nyina mwiru’ Cultural Center for tree planting activities to promote conservation. Here you can also visit the mysterious caves and participate in wildlife and conservation experiences before returning to the Mountains of the Moon Hotel for relaxation, dinner and our overnight stay.

Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking and Conservation Experience – Kibale National Park

We will wake up early and have breakfast before moving to Kibale National Park for a morning Chimpanzee tracking and conservation experience at Kanyanchu Visitors Centre. Here we will also be able to see abundant wildlife including: baboons, red tailed Colubus monkeys, vervet monkeys, various bird species, butterflies and many more. We will have our lunch and then move to a cultural site called Bigodi for a guided nature walk, bird and other wildlife viewing. Afterwards we will join a Kibale community conservation group in tree planting activities and community conservation awareness activities. After the tree planting activities, we will return to the hotel for relaxation, dinner and our overnight stay at Kibale Forest Camp, Ndali Lodge or Primate Lodge located at the heart of Kibale National Park.

Day 3: Nature Walk/Hot Spring Conservation Experience – Semuliki National Park

On this day, we will wake up early again and enjoy breakfast before moving to Semuliki National Park for a hot spring experience, a guided nature walk and conservation experience. Here we expect to see abundant wildlife, including baboons, red tailed Colobus monkeys, Vervet monkeys, various bird species, butterflies and many more. We will have our lunch and then drive back to Fort Portal to visit the Toro Kingdom palace, Toro King’s burial site called “Karuzika”. We will join the Toro cultural group for tree planting activities to save Mpanga River and traditional dances. We will drive back to the Mountains of the Moon hotel, Kyaninga Lodge or Nyeika hotel for relaxation, dinner and our overnight stay.

Day 4:  Fort Portal-Queen Elizabeth National Park

After our morning breakfast, we will embark on an exciting drive to Queen Elizabeth National park situated in the shadows of Mt. Rwenzori with several stops along the way for equator and landscape viewing and tree planting activity with pearls of Uganda, Rwenzori community arriving at the park in the afternoon. We will have our lunch and then embark on a 2hrs thrilling launch trip along the Kazinga channel where we will see hundreds of hippos, buffalos, while elephants linger on the shoreline and spot over 60 bird species during the trip. We will return to the Lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Jacana Lodge or Mweya Safari Lodge or Ihamba Safari Lodge.

Day 5: Wildlife Conservation Tour – Queen Elizabeth National Park

After our morning breakfast, we will begin our day with a game drive in the morning where we are likely to see early risers, like predators, bush bucks, hyenas, elephants, bush pigs, lions, buffaloes and jackals and climbing lions. After the drive, we will return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, we will embark on an exciting road tour through the Kigezi highlands and terraced hills of the Bakiga and Bafumbira people towards Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park. We will check in at Gorilla Mist Camp or Buhoma Lodge for relaxation, dinner and our overnight stay.

Day 6: Mountain Gorilla Tracking and Conservation experience – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After an early morning breakfast and briefing by Uganda Wildlife Authority guides, we will set off for our Gorilla tracking experience within the forest sanctuary. The activity starts at 8:00am and we will be joined by other people according to the gorilla family distribution (only 8 people are allowed to view each gorilla family per day). We will need to carry with us packed lunch, drinking water, rain jackets and trekking boots. Walking sticks will be provided if you are not sure of your fitness level. We will hire a porter to help carry the bag throughout the tracking experience because we cannot predict how long it will take for us to find the gorillas as they freely move in the forest. Our encounter with the Gorillas will last for about one hour – a truly rewarding and amazing experience. After Gorilla tracking, we will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight stay at Gorilla mist hotel. We could go for the Batwa trail experience if time allows.

Day 7: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Entebbe International Airport/Entebbe

On this day, we will wake up early in the morning for our breakfast and then visit a local Buhoma Community Primary School – supported and managed by the Bwindi community members – that thrives on support from visitors and community efforts. The school’s mission is to create awareness of the environment for sustainable development through quality education. We will then embark on an exciting road conservation trip to Kampala and Entebbe international airport with a stopover at Igongo Cultural centre for lunch, landscape, equator viewing and experience. We will arrive at Entebbe international airport in the evening to catch up with your flight back home.

What’s included?

• Tree planting fees
• Gorilla Permit fees
• Chimpanzees trekking fees
• All park entrance fees
• Cultural entertainment fees
• Nature walk fees
• Conservation interventions fees
• Park Ranger fees
• All relevant Government Taxes
• Full Board accommodation and en-route meals as indicated in the itinerary.
• Full time English-speaking Driver/Guide
• Ground transportation by a 4×4 safari vehicle
• Airport transfer.

What’s not included?

• Airfares
• Visa Fees
• Personal Insurance
• Expenses of personal nature such as; drinks, tips, laundry, telephone, accommodation & meals not indicated in the itinerary and optional activities.