Itinerary for 8 Day chimpanzee tracking tour, Uganda

Day One
Arrive at the Entebbe International Airport, pick and transfer to you respective accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Day Two
Begin your safari, drive through the famous Luwero Triangle then through Masindi town to Murchison Falls National Park. Have picnic lunch at the spectacular site on top of the falls while viewing the River Nile’s beauty perfected. Dine and stay overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge.

Day Three
Early morning game drive via the Nyamsika Plateau, marvel at elephants, lions, buffalos, giraffes, hartebeests and many more wild animals.

After lunch, proceed for a boat trip on placid Victoria Nile upstream to the base of the falls; en route you will see hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck and a wide variety of birds. The boat stops just a couple of meters from the “Devils Cauldron.” Take pictures of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls.
Return to the Paraa Safari lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day Four
All day drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through the countryside filled with traditional homesteads and farms. Lunch in Fort Portal town. Fort Portal town rests in the shadow of the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”.
Dine and stay overnight at Ndali lodge.

Day Five
Search for Chimpanzees and 10 other primates including I’hoestes, red Colubus monkeys, blue, red tailed and gray magabeys (types of monkeys). The guide will provide detailed explanation on primate forest flora and fauna as you enjoy your picnic lunch.
Dine and overnight at Ndali lodge.

Day Six
Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the scenic Rwenzori Mountain ranges for most of the journey. Game drive on the way to Queen Elizabeth National Park; be rewarded with sight of lions, antelopes, elephants, buffalos, hyenas, etc.

After lunch, enjoy a unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga channel into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos, many other animals may be seen drinking at water edges. The launch offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with well over 500 resident species.

Dine and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day Seven
Early morning game drive, filled with lots of game viewing. Queen Elizabeth national Park being the second largest National park in Uganda, has a lot to offer. Break fast / lunch at leisure.
Evening game drive.
Dine and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day Eight
Early morning departure to Maramagambo Forest, the forest will definitely leave you awed with it captivating features including the lakes and animals. Visitors can walk through the tropical forest and catch a glimpse of primates, including chimpanzees.

Visit the bat caves and the “Blue Lake” This lake has attractively “blue water” like the name suggests. It is the only one of it’s and only seen here in Maramagambo Forest.

Drive onward to Kampala with a stopover in Mbarara for lunch, arriving early in the evening and transfer to your hotel.

Itinerary for the 5 day chimp safari to Kibale and Queen Elizabeth Uganda

Day One
Arrive at the Entebbe International Airport, pick and transfer to you respective accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Day Two
Depart from Kampala with a stopover for lunch in Mbarara town on your way to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Evening game drive on your way to Mweya Safari Lodge.
Dine and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day Three
Early game drive with a magnificent view of the sunrise, the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop provide excellent scene. Expect to see lions, leopards, and elephants, defassa waterbucks, Uganda kobs, and bushbucks. Return to your hotel for a late breakfast.

After breakfast, take on a 9:00am boat ride on Kazinga Channel which offers offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. After lunch, proceed for evening game drive that will surely excite you with lots of sights and views. Dine and overnight at Hotel Margherita.

Day Four
Early morning, drive to Kibale Forest National Park for chimp tracking. Spend the entire morning in Kibale forest, marvel at the birds, chimps and the cheeky-playful monkeys. Picnic lunch in Kibale Forest before an afternoon drive to Fort Portal town for an overnight stay.

Day Five
After breakfast drive back to Kampala via Mubende, arrive late afternoon transfer to your hotel.

Mawa the Chimp of Ngamba Uganda

One of the Island of Lake Victoria, known as Ngamba Island is a habitat to many orphan chimpanzees in Uganda. Once the young chimpanzee loses it parent, it transferred to the island to be cared for. They are first held in reserve in a holding house so as to get used to the environment and later join the others in the forest.

Last year, a juvenile chimpanzee called Mawa was transfered to the island. Like in all animal communities, there is a leader. While in the holding house, Mawa became a leader of the young chimpanzees that had newly come to the island. He settled the fights and conflicts amount the chimpanzees in the house, had the most comfortable place in the house where he would sleep and also ate before the other when food was brought.

When the got used to the environment at Ngamba Island, the caretakers allowed then to walk into the forest to join the other chimpanzees. They were welcomed by the elder primates and these young chimpanzees were delighted because they could eat wild fruits, swing on the branches and had unlimited playing space.

However, Mawa was not very pleased because the old ones did not take him as a leader, and would not allow for him to eat first at meals. When they had conflicts, he would interfere and help to solve them and therefore wanted them to give him respect as the young chimpanzees had done before in the holding house.

With this, the older chimpanzees were not pleased with Mawa’s idea since he was younger then. Maki, the then leader hated Mawa even more because he wanted to over throw him. The begun mistreating him, scratched him with their long nail and beating him every time the met him.

Mawa became so miserable, love the forest no more and tried to find means of going back to the holding house but was not easy for him. There is an electric fence separating the part of the island with the holding house from the forest. He got shocked while trying to climb the fence and failed so he had to find other means in order to leave the forest.

He climbing to the top of a tall tree and at a high speed swung and fell on the other side of the island and went into the holding house happy that he had left the forest.

At the house, the caretakers were not happy with him and took him back. Though he was not bullied any more, he felt insecure and feld back to the holding house.

Currently, the care takers are planning to raise the fence higher, and the take him to the forest. He has learnt his lesson and will always respect his elders.

You can book now for a safari to Ngamba Island and see Mawa, Maki and other chimpanzees in the forest like young Rambo, Oketch, Surprise, Katie and many more. For schools in Uganda, a visit to the island is free if you go as a school group.

With the populations of Chimpanzees coming under pressure, this is your chance to see these endangered animals in the wild. Unlike in most countries, Uganda has chimps conserved in their natural environment among thick vegetation mountains and valleys.

A chimpanzee safari involves a visit to the chimpanzees of Kibale. Chimp trekking is an amazing experience but as you walk through the forest you may come across a variety of other Uganda forest life along the way such as birds, reptiles, monkeys and other primates.

Kibale Chimpanzee Safari is in Western Uganda, 35 km from Fort Portal town, which is 360kms from Kampala via Mubende town. The Park is home to several families of primates including habituated chimpanzees. It has 11 species of primates, including many families of chimps and colobus monkeys, buffalo, warthog, Uganda kob and over 300 bird species.

Bwindi is one of the few forests where gorillas and chimps co-exist. Chimps, however, are rarely seen there, as they live lower down when both species are present. The Ugandan variety (Pan Troglodytes Schweinfurthi) is long-haired and lives in those forests where there is a rich, all year round food supply.

You can also trek Chimpanzees at Kyambura Gorge and on your way south, depending on your route, you have the opportunity to visit the tree climbing lions of Ishasha before arriving at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you track the endangered mountain gorilla!

You will also visit the Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary which was established on an island in Lake Victoria to provide a safe-haven for orphaned animals, it has already become a popular tourist attraction.

Murchison falls also hosts a number of them so do not forget to trek through the forest to watch them.

More Information on Chimpanzees in Uganda

* Chimpanzee Ngamba Island
* Uganda chimp safari 5 days
* Chimpanzee tracking tour 8 days

Itinerary for 7 days gorilla tracking safari

Day One
Arrive at the Entebbe Airport, transfer to you respective accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Day Two
Pick from your respective hotel in Kampala, drive towards Western Uganda with a stop over for lunch in Mbarara town.
Evening and overnight at White Horse Regency in Kabale town.

Day Three
After breakfast visit Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest lake in Africa. It is a unique lake with 29 islands and over 200 bird species. After lunch proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Dine / overnight in Buhoma.

Day Four
Early morning, have a briefing by the guides, with packed lunch head for Gorilla Tracking all day with an opportunity to enter the gorilla sanctuary for the adventure of a lifetime.
In the evening return at Buhoma for overnight stay.

Day Five
After breakfast drive slowly to Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route have a game viewing adventure to Mweya Lodge for overnight stay.

Day Six
Early morning game drive. After breakfast proceed for a boat cruise on the popular Kazinga Channel, which offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing; spend the rest of the evening game viewing in the enormous Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Dine and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.

Day Seven
Early breakfast, have en route game drive as you proceed to Mbarara town where you we will have stop over for lunch.
Evening you are back at your respective hotel.

Tour Itinerary for the 4 Day Uganda Gorilla Tours

Day One
Arrive at the Entebbe Airport, transfer to you respective accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Day Two
Early morning drive to Southwestern Uganda with stop overs for snacks along the way.  Arrive in Kabale for late lunch. Evening you are in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Dine and overnight at Buhoma Tented Camp.

Day Three
Early morning, have a briefing by the guides, with packed lunch head for Gorilla Tracking all day with an opportunity to enter the gorilla sanctuary for the adventure of a lifetime.
Evening you are back at Buhoma for an overnight stay.

Day Four
Depart from your camp to Kampala with stop over for lunch and snacks en rout.

For one to enjoy a gorilla tracking, one has to buy a permit issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority. It is necessary to book permits as early as possible, as only 8 people per group per day are allowed. For one to ensure tracking on the requested date, one is advised to book at least three months earlier. Prices may increase in the future, though Gorilla permits cost US $ 500 per person.

By a boding by the above rules, you too are contributing to the conservation of the mountain gorilla. The funds generated from the sale of these permits are used by the Uganda Wildlife Authority for the management of the national parks. Part of the sum of the funds raised from the park entrance fees is donated to local communities that live near the parks, for their development and improvement of the natural resource management in the region.

Sale conditions of the gorilla permit:
* Any tourist who shows signs of illness will not be allowed to join the gorilla tracking.
* A tourist shall be declared unfit to track due to illness by a Warden-n-charge in the park, 50% of the touring fee will be refunded.
Sickness is determined at the discretion of the Warden-in-charge. This policy will apply to tourists who fall sick prior to their trek to the park.
* Permits are not refundable, but tourists who travel the whole day and fail to see the gorillas for whatever reason, will be refunded 75% of the tracking fee.
* The gorilla permit is not a guarantee that the gorilla will be clearly viewed.
* 15 years is the minimum age limit for visiting the gorillas.

They live in small numbers of about 25 to 35 members per group. They usually have one leading male, accompanied by several females with their young. A Gorilla that has just been born weighs on average 2.5Kgs. This is approximately half the weight of a human baby.

Within 40 weeks however, the gorilla can walk, and reaching 3 years, it slowly becomes independent; hence develops twice as fast.
At 6 years, they are about 1.20 meters tall and weigh almost 70Kgs. The gorillas continue gaining weight for the next 4 years, though the female one matures at this age. On the other hand, males don’t reach maturity till they are 10 years old. When that black back begins turning into grey, it is time for them to depart the parental group. These wonder alone or join other males for some time, before attracting females who will join them. They form their own family in this way.

Their world population doesn’t increase rapidly as they reproduce slowly. Gestation period is approximately 8.5 months and gorilla mothers give birth to a baby once every 4 years. Due to diseases and accidents, at least 30% doesn’t survive their first year. Another incident that leads to death among the baby gorillas is when their father dies and another silverback takes over. The new male often secures his own genes in the posterity, killing all the babies of his predecessor.

The great ape family includes the Chimpanzee and Orang-utan, with the gorilla being the largest. This can be divided in three subspecies;

* The Western lowland Gorilla, which are mostly seen in zoos with a population of about 50,000 lives in West central Africa.
* Eastern lowland Gorilla with about 2,500 living in the wild. They are harboured in the Eastern Congolese rainforest.
* Mountain Gorilla, which are the most endangered of all, with only 620 remaining.

They are harboured in the afro montane forests in North Wets Rwanda, Eastern DRC and South West Uganda.

Incidentally, the most dangerous specie of the ape family is the Mountain Gorilla. Since they can’t survive in captivity, one will never see them in the zoo.

The dense parts of the tropical forests are the homes of the Mountain gorillas in East Africa. The whole world’s population is spread out over only 2 different places.

About 320 individuals inhabit the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, stretching out from the border area in Congo to Rwanda. The remaining 300 are found in Bwindi National park in Uganda; occupying an area of about 330 sq. Kms.

The gorilla resembles us in even more aspects although the chimpanzee is our closest living relative on the planet. Their hands and feet are like ours, they spend more time on the ground and consequently gorillas are better able to walk. They share almost 98% of the DNA!

The gorillas’ relationships within the family are very important, hence have high social qualities. They bring out their feelings, varying from loving and hating to shame and jealousy, by at least 20-distinct vocalisations, all with different meaning. They also use beating on the chests or falling on the ground as a common form of communication. The silverback mainly does this to show his power and intimidate others.

Despite their impressive looks, they are extremely gentle and peace loving.

Violence rarely happens in the gorilla families. They have solidarity in case of danger. When two leaders of different groups meet each other, then it is only when serious fights might take place.