14-Day–Moderately Priced-Discover Uganda Primate and Wildlife Safari
Adventurous Value+ Midrange 14-Day Discover Uganda Primate-Wildlife Safari.
The Value+ Midrange 14-Day Discover Uganda Primate-Wildlife Safari takes you to some of the best parks and other places in the Pearl of Africa. It is the perfect midrange Safari for the first-time Visitor to Africa, and Uganda is one of the best all-around Safari Destinations in East Africa. Not only will you see the “Big Five,” but also Gorillas and Chimpanzees.
The Value+ Midrange 14-Day Discover Uganda Primate-Wildlife Safari is designed for those with an average fitness level and includes trekking, hiking, nature walks, and dugout canoeing. The Safari also consists of some authentic cultural encounters for you, and the Safari is adjustable to what you want to see and do in Uganda.
The Safari does not have long drive times above five hours, and a feature that safari-goers want on their Safari. You will visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls Park, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Mutanda, Mgahinga Gorilla Park, and Lake Mburo Park.
Take the 14-Day–Discover Uganda Gorilla – Chimpanzee Trekking Wildlife Safari with Kabiza Wilderness Safaris, where you will find American-Style Customer service blended with African Hospitality. We know Uganda, live and work here, and Uganda is our home.
What is a Value+ Midrange Safari?
Our Value+ Safaris are private, full-service Safari using quality, midrange lodges with ensuite rooms or cottages. Our Value+ Hakuna Matata Safaris come with a full-board meal plan and a private safari vehicle with your experienced driver guide, who will show you to Uganda, its primates, wildlife, and the scenic wonders of the Pearl of Africa.
Highlights of your Value+ Midrange 14-Day Discover Uganda Primate-Wildlife Safari:
- Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary: Track Rhinos on foot. Lugogo Swamp Boat Ride, where the Shoebill. Stay overnight at the Amuka Lodge.
- Murchison Falls National Park: Most powerful in the world. Nile Boat Cruise, Game Drives. Stay at Pakuba Safari odge.
Your Value+ Midrange 14-Day Discover Uganda Primate-Wildlife Safari in Detail\;
Day-1: Arrival Day in Entebbe – Uganda:
We assist you with the Safari from arrival to departure. We will let you know all the latest requirements, including visa, yellow fever certificate, and COVID requirements. We will meet and greet you at Entebbe International Airport and take you to your hotel for the day, the Tw0-Friends Beach Hotel on Lake Victoria.
Two-Friends Beach Hotel has rooms with air-conditioning, views of Lake Victoria, a swimming pool, and a tree-house bar on the beach. You will find the rooms, service, and meals above the standards of a moderately priced hotel.
You can visit the nearby famous Entebbe Botanical Gardens. The garden is a beautiful oasis of peace and tranquility except for the sounds of birds and primates found there. A perfect introduction to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.
We suggest an African Safari Sundowner drink at the 2-Friends Beach Hotel treehouse overlooking Lake Victoria.
You have the option for a sundowner cruise with snacks on Lake Victoria. This is recommended if it is a sunny day.
Lodging: 2 Friends Beach Hotel
Day-2: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary:
Your 14-Day–Discover Uganda Gorilla – Chimpanzee Trekking Wildlife Safari begins after Breakfast. We are driving to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which is a four-hour drive from Entebbe, halfway to Murchison Falls Park.
Your Lodge for the night is the Amuka Lodge. Your room is a tented Banda (cottage) with a deck and bath. There is a swimming pool for you to enjoy and the food and service are excellent.
After lunch, you will track Rhinos on foot with Uganda Wildlife Rangers. You get as close as ten meters to the Rhinos. There will be excellent opportunities for picture taking. The Rhino trek is about 90 minutes duration, and you will be able to safely observe them in the wild.
Late afternoon shoebill stork boat safari in Lugogo Swamp. This is one of the best locations to see the Shoebill Storks up close. Watch the fish for lungfish as they stand in the swamp. Lugogo is home to many waterbirds and other species. It is, however, best known for being home to the shoebill storks.
Lodging: Amuka Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-3: Murchison Falls National Park:
Breakfast at Amuka Lodge and we continue to the Paraa area of Murchison Falls National Park. It is a three- and a half-hour drive to Pakuka Lodge where you check-in. Air-Conditioned rooms are available as is a swimming pool. Pakuba Lodge.
Quite a few animals pass the lodge area, which is an extra plus for those staying here. There is also history to Pakuba Lodge. Idi Amin would often come and stay here during his seven-year rule of Uganda
Afternoon Boat Safari on the Nile:
During the afternoon take the boat safari from Paraa to Murchison Falls. On the way up the river Nile, you will see Nile Crocodiles in abundance. Pods of Hippos will be everywhere. Elephant herds, buffaloes, various antelopes, Nile Monitor Lizards plus a variety of water birds can be seen from the boat. There will be many photo opportunities along the way.
The boat reaches the bottom of the most powerful waterfall in the World. You can disembark here and take the Murchison Falls Trail up to the top of the falls. It is a forty-five-minute hike and most are fit enough to reach the top of the falls. Amazing sights and sounds will greet you along the trail which is led by Uganda Wildlife Rangers.
The sight of the Nile dropping down the Western Rift is incredible, and you will see the rainbow that is most often seen here. Your driver-guide will meet you here and take you back to Pakuba Lodge for dinner and relaxation.
Lodging: Pakuba Lodge – moderately priced with Swimming Pool
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-4: Murchison Falls to Hoima:
Early morning Game Drive in Murchison Falls National Park where you will see large herds of Rothschild/Nubian Giraffes. There are large elephant and buffalo herds. You will see hundreds of antelopes, warthogs, bushpigs but also lions, leopards, and other cats. The game drives last about three hours and the driver-guide will stop the vehicle in all the right places so that you do not miss any animals or birds.
An Uganda Wildlife Authority Ranger will be on board for your safety and protection. The ranger will also give you further insights into the animals and their habits.
Optional: Murchison Falls Park is the only park in Uganda where you can take a Hot Air Balloon Safari. Here you see the animals from above instead of from a vehicle. It adds another dimension to your Safari. A traditional bush breakfast with sparkling wine follows the Hot Air Balloon Safari.
The Hot Air Balloon Safari begins just before sunrise when the wind currents are right for the hour-plus ride. Great photo opportunities will be there for you one this one-of-a-kind experience in Uganda. The cost adds 389 USD to the cost of the safari.
After your morning Murchison Falls Park wildlife experience, we take the scenic route to Hoima where you will spend the night at the Hoima Cultural Lodge. The scenic route takes you along the Western Rift Escarpment and Lake Albert.
You will see the Blue Mountains of DR Congo in the distance. You will pass through fishing villages and rural hamlets giving you cultural insights along the Way. The scenic route will take about three hours to complete, and you will reach Hoima in time for lunch at the Hoima Cultural Lodge.
Home is the kingdom seat of the Bunyoro Kingdom once one of the most powerful ethnic groups in Uganda. They gave the British
more trouble than any other ethnic group in the country. There are various cultural places that you can stay at while at the Hoima Cultural Lodge.
Hoima Cultural Lodge is a perfect break from the road trip between the Murchison falls and Kibale which helps clients rejuvenate for the rest of their journey. The lodge offers spacious en-suite grass-thatched cottages ideal for couples and families with each room brightly colored and furnished with African Art pieces which give clients an African feel.
Those wanting a bit of a challenging hike down the Western Rift Escarpment can take the Kibiro Salt Gardens Hike.
Lodging: Hoima Cultural Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-5: Kibale Forest -Bigodi Wetlands:
Drive to Kibale Forest which is a three-hour-plus drive. Check into the moderately priced Isunga Lodge overlooking Kibale Forest. The lodge is another
example of the value-plus midrange lodges that we use.
In the afternoon it is a visit to nearby Bigodi Swamp Wetland, 135 plus kinds of birds can be found here amidst the papyrus, wild palms, and polita figs. You will also see many monkeys here and even spot the rare sitatunga antelope. You might even find some chimpanzees.
Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary is a jungle swamp that is a remarkable sight. Much of your hike through it is on a crude boardwalk made from planks that keeps you above the swamp. The sights and sounds in the swamp are an experience in themselves.
Often you can see chimpanzees here, other primates, birds including the large, blue Turaco, butterflies, flowers, plants, trees such as palms, and more.
You are led by a knowledgeable guide from the Bigodi Community and there is not much that you will miss during your 3 hours here.
Evening Option: Take the nocturnal Forest Walk with rangers and spotlights in Kibale Forest. Here you will see the creatures of the night in the rainforest. The sights and sounds are totally different from what you experience during the day. It is a world that is rarely seen in Africa and not to be missed.
Lodging: Isunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-6: Chimpanzee Tracking – Queen Elizabeth Park:
Today is Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest. The Best Chimpanzee tracking location in all East Africa. You chance of seeing Chimpanzees this morning is nearly 100%. The trek is three hours long. You will see other primates in the park while you are tracking chimpanzees. There are thirteen primate species in the park. On a normal trek, you will often see about six of them.
The park is also home to forest elephants, forest buffaloes, leopards, antelopes, bush pigs but they are rarely seen. You will see many species of birds and butterflies that make their home here.
We suggest that you have a backpack, a liter of water, hiking boots, long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, rain jacket, and a hat. You might want to have binoculars and a camera.
You will most often hear the chimpanzees hooting before you see them. Uganda Wildlife Authority Rangers will guide and lead you on the trek. Please follow their instructions.
Lunch at Isunga Lodge and continue to Queen Elizabeth Park. It is about a three-hour drive to the park. You will see many scenic crater lakes and the Rwenzori Mountains on this part of your Safari.
After reaching Queen Elizabeth National Park where we take the 27-kilometer explosion crater drive – one of the most scenic drives in all of Uganda – it is one of the highlights of your time in Queen Elizabeth Park – with scenes like out of National Geographic – simply most amazing and you can also see some wildlife here such as elephants, buffaloes and a leopard once in a while.
You can see the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon, into the Congo in the distance, Lake George and Lake Albert, the Western Rift Escarpment, and more.
Check into Enganzi Safari Lodge with magnificent views of the savannah below. The rooms are roomy tented cottages. You have a small swimming pool that you can use.
Lodging: Enganzi Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-7: Queen Elizabeth Park:
Lion Tracking Research: This is a one-of-a-kind game drive with researchers from the Uganda Carnivore Project. You will be tracking collared Lions on the Kasenyi planes. You will be seeing carnivores but also elephant and buffalo herds, antelopes, and other wildlife. The activity begins early and lasts about three hours.
If you do not want to do Lion Tracking, we will go on a normal game drive on the Kasenyi plains where you will see an abundance of wildlife including lions, leopards, elephants, and buffaloes.
There are many other activities that you can do in and around Queen Elizabeth such as hiking in Maramagambo Forest. You can take the nearby Cycad Trail in Mpanga River Gorge. There you see Cycads are an ancient group of vascular plants that were once a prominent component of the world’s flora. The oldest cycad fossils date to the early Permian (280 million years ago) or late Carboniferous period (300–325 million years ago). This is a definite off-of-the-beaten tourist path activity. Other Queen Elizabeth Park activities are hiking down the Kyambura Gorge and seeing chimpanzees, wildlife, primates, and birds.
During the Afternoon you embark on a Kazinga Channel Boat Safari. The Kazinga Channel is a natural channel that flows from Lake George into Lake
Edward. The boat cruise is one of the favorite activities in the park. The channel is home to the highest concentration of hippos in East Africa. You will see lots of Elephants, Buffaloes, antelopes, and hundreds of species of birds.
Nile Crocodiles will be seen on the Boat Cruise. Crocodiles returned to the channel in the 1950s as they made their way up from the Semliki River to Lake Edward and the Kazinqa Channel.
The boat safari begins and ends at the Mweya Peninsula landing site. The Boat Cruise lasts for over two hours. The boat moves slowly along the shore where the wildlife is found. You will also see some fishing villages. You will see others fish for Tilapia on the channel
Lodging: Enganzi Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 8 – Queen Elizabeth Park: 
This morning we take the drive to the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth Park. This is home to the famous Tree-Climbing Lions. Ishasha is the best place in East Africa to see them. Our goal is the Ishasha Jungle Lodge where you will stay the night in a tented cottage (Banda) with a bath.
Enjoy a pleasant lunch and afterward, we are off on a game drive in search of the Tree-Climbing Lions that sleep the day away in the trees after a night of hunting. They can sleep up to fifteen hours a day. Why they sleep in trees is not really known. Researchers speculate that it is to get away from insects, others claim that it is a local practice by the lions.
Ishasha is photogenic Uganda at its best. You can take some great pictures of the lions in the trees. Pictures that will remind you of your time in the Pearl of Africa.
You will see other wildlife in abundance such as Leopards in a tree with their prey, elephants, buffaloes, Topi and other antelopes and more.
Lodging: Ishasha Jungle Lodge –
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-9: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Buhoma region:
After breakfast, we drive to the Buhoma area and check into the Haven Lodge. The lodge is a better moderately priced lodge with great food and service overlooking Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
After an early lunch explore the rainforest with the Batwa, the first people of the forest on the Batwa Experience. The Batwa people lived in the forests for thousands of years, long before the Bantu ethnic groups appeared on the scene invading the forest and turning it into grazing and farmland. The Batwa had lived as hunters and gatherers in the forest leaving a low ecological footprint behind them.
In 1991 the Batwa of Uganda was evicted from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest without compensation for conservation and gorilla tourism. They became conservation refugees. The Kellerman foundation bought a forest buffer zone where the Batwa will show how they used to live in their beloved forest. This is one of the best Batwa Cultural experiences with them. It is not poverty-pity tourism but preservation of their cultural ways for future generations.
We recommend that you have a daypack, 1 liter of water, hiking boots, and long trousers. long-sleeved shirt in a neutral color, hat. We will provide you with a walking stick for an easier hike.
Return to the Haven Lodge in the late afternoon where you can relax with a sundowner drink, a longstanding safari tradition.
Lodging: The Haven Lodge – Buhoma
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-10: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Gorilla Trekking:
This is one of the biggest days of your life, Tracking (Trekking) the endangered Mountain Gorillas, an early breakfast, a packed lunch and off it is to an orientation and then a long hike up to a full day tracking your group of Mountain Gorillas.
It can take up to six hours but is usually shorter. All well worth it, the cost of the Mountain Gorilla fades into the distance as you view these magnificent creatures up close.
Things needed for your gorilla trek – light daypack, packed lunch, bottled water, long-sleeved shirt, jeans, hiking boots, hat, poncho or rain jacket, cotton gardening gloves to pull yourself up on vines, branches.
The long clothing is for protection from nettles, thorns, mosquitoes, and more.
We supply you with a walking stick and the services of a porter to assist you on the Trek.
You will spend one hour with a Gorilla Family which is the experience of a lifetime for most. We can include a second gorilla trek on day eleven instead of going to Lake Bunyonyi.
Lodging: The Haven Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-11: Lake Bunyonyi:
After breakfast, we take the scenic drive to Lake Bunyonyi, one of Africa’s most beautiful. Additionally, it is the second deepest lake in Africa. If you enjoy crayfish, this is one of the few places in Africa where they thrive in the wild at Lake Bunyonyi. The Louisiana Crayfish were imported from Kenya under Idi Amin.
The lake is the perfect setting for relaxing and relaxing toward the end of your safari. There are many things to do and see at the Lake. It is not only a favorite with tourists, but many Ugandans and Rwandans come here to enjoy a break.
Scenic Lake Bunyonyi is like a scene from Lord of the Rings, a photographer’s dream destination.
Check into Birdnest Resort and take in your views. Enjoy the food offered here. It draws people from everywhere.
Activities You can do along Lake Bunyonyi
- Relax and Chill Out: Read a book. You can find some great reads on our Safari Reads Page.
- Dug Out Canoeing: Paddle to a nearby Island taking a picnic lunch that we will arrange.
- Motorboat cruise on the Lake: There are 29 islands to visit. We will point out the more prominent ones such as Punishment Island.
- Swimming: The lake is crocodile, hippo, and Bilharzia Free.
- Biking: Bike around the lake from village to village.
- Nature Walks – Hikes: Enjoy hikes around the lakes and walks on the islands.
- Village Visits: Visit villages on the islands or around the lake.
- Ziplining: Do something adventurous like Ziplining into the Lake.
We suggest that you pick what you would like to do while at Lake Bunyonyi and we will insert it into your 14-Day–Moderately Priced-Discover Uganda Primate and Wildlife Safari.
Lodging: Birdnest Resort
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-12: – Lake Bunyonyi:
Enjoy another great day at Lake Bunyonyi. Choose the activities that you would like to do at one of Uganda’s best places to relax and chill out.
Lodging: Birdnest Resort
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-13 – Lake Mburo Park: 
Early Morning Breakfast and it is off for Lake Mburo National Park where we check into Rwakobo Rock Lodge. A comfortable midrange lodge with a swimming pool. The view from here is incredible, the rooms comfortable with bath, great food, and service
Afternoon boat ride to view Hippos, Crocodiles, 3 kinds of otters Impala, Eland, Buffaloes,Zebras on the shore, birds in abundance such as African Finfoot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike and many other (315 kinds of birds).
Sunset game drive where you will see Giraffe, Zebras, the giant Eland antelopes, and more.
Lake Mburo is a continuance of the Tanzanian Plains into Uganda, and it is Savannah beauty dotted with acacia trees is simply lovely to behold it is one of only two parks with Zebras and a must for Zebra lovers. There are only two kinds of primates here the Vervet Monkey and Baboons.
Lodging: Rwakobo Rock
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day-14: Entebbe
Morning Nature Walk to a salt lick on foot where you will see lots of wildlife gathering, there is also a hide there from where you can take some great photos of the wildlife below.
The nature walk is guided and starts at the Lake and goes inward to the salt lick. Lake Mburo Park is the only park where you can take guided walks on foot anywhere in the park.
The wildlife that you can see here include Zebras, Giraffes, Eland and Topi Antelopes, Warthogs, Bush Pigs and other wildlife, there are also forest and savanna birds to be seen.
We drive toward Entebbe and have Lunch at the Igongo Cultural Center – you can choose to see the exhibits at an extra cost.
Stop the Equator and have your pictures taken – buy some souvenirs
If time permits – we can take you to a restaurant where you can have dinner before your flight out.
Drop off at Entebbe Airport for Departure.
