8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking

8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking

8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking is a thrilling adventurous safari that will have you experiencing gorilla and chimpanzee habituation as you accompany researchers in areas that are usually off-limits to tourists. This 8 Days Primate Habituation and Lions Tracking safari will have you visiting semi-habituated mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, lions spending at the least 4 hours with each as you learn of their behaviours, habits, survival mechanisms, among so many others. You will get to capture perfect photos and videos of the primates and lions. This safari is best suited for travellers after spending extra time with gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, lions and so much more. 

Tour Summary of 8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking safari

• Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park, Guided Bigodi Swamp visit
• Day 2: Chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park
• Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Crater lakes and Rwenzori Viewing
• Day 4: Lion Tracking experience in Kasenyi sector, Launch Cruise 
• Day 5: Game drive in Ishasha sector, Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Day 6: Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi
• Day 7: Golden monkey habituation experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
• Day 8: Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park, Guided Bigodi Swamp visit

• Transfer to Kibale: On this first day of your 8 Days Primate Habituation and Lions Tracking safari, you will be picked up by our driver guide who will first brief you about the safari before you embark on a transfer to Kibale National Park. Enjoy the countryside as you drive to the park, gape at the vast plantations of tea, bananas, and the locals as they go about their day-to-day activities. The drive is approximately 6 hours, so you will have lunch en-route and a number of stops to stretch. Up on your arrival in the park, check in at the lodge and rest for a bit.
• Guided Bigodi Swamp visit: After your short rest, you will go out for a guided Bigodi swamp visit where you will spot a number of primates like the L’Hoest monkeys, Black and white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey among so many others. Birds like the rumped tinker bird, the crowned eagle, black bee eater among others, as well as other wild animals can all be spotted. 

After, you will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 2: Chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park

• Chimpanzee habituation:  On the second day of your 8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking safari, you will wake up early in the morning and have your breakfast at the lodge. You will then accompany researchers on a chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park. The experience requires you to start with the chimpanzees when they rise at 6am. You will follow them throughout the day as they go about their daily routine that includes among others feeding, playing, hunting for food and resting. A chimpanzee habituation experience enables travellers to spend more time with the chimpanzees as they learn of their behaviours and lifestyle. A chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park will at the end of the day enlighten you of the great efforts that researchers put in to make the chimpanzees comfortable enough with humans who take part in a chimpanzee tracking adventure.
• Your chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest National Park takes place the whole day and it ends with you seeing the chimpanzees retire. You will then trek back and be transferred back to the lodge where you will have dinner and an overnight stay to rejuvenate you.

Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Crater lakes and Rwenzori Viewing

• Transfer to Queen: After a mouth-watering breakfast at the lodge, you will bid the primate capital farewell and proceed to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is a vast savannah plain that hosts hundreds of mammals and birds. The drive rewards you with great views of the Rwenzori mountain ranges that can be seen from a far, as well as the crater lakes. You will have an opportunity to visit the Amabeere ga Nyina Mwiru caves whose history you will learn about while there. After, you will proceed with the drive to Fort Portal town from where you will have lunch at a selected restaurant before you proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Once in the park, check in and relax at the lodge as you await dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 4: Lion Tracking experience in Kasenyi sector, Launch cruise

• Lion Tracking experience: After your breakfast today, you will go for a game drive where you will have a rear opportunity of a lion tracking experience in the Kasenyi sector. Each of the members of the pride of lions to be tracked have a radio collar attached that researchers use to know of their location. You will learn with the help of the researchers lions’ behaviour say why they leave sticky urine in some places, how they scent mark their territories, among others. The session takes between 1-3 hours. After, you will return to the lodge where you will enjoy a sumptuous lunch.
• Launch cruise: After lunch, you will go for an afternoon launch cruise on the Kazinga channel. This gives you an opportunity to spot a number of animals say hippos, crocodile and a number of water birds. Elephants, kobs and many other animals can be spotted at the shores taking an afternoon drink. After your two-hour launch cruise, you will return to your lodge, relax and wait for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 5: Game drive in Ishasha sector, Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

• Game drive in Ishasha: After enjoying breakfast at the lodge, you will have a game viewing experience. You will have a game drive in Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famously known for the tree climbing lions. Many tree climbing lions will be spotted here as they hunt for a meal. During the game drive, you see a number of other animals like kobs, topi, giant forest hogs, elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, among so many others.
• Transfer to Bwindi: After, you will proceed for a transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park making a lunch stopover en-route. The park is only 4 hours away. Once in the park, check in at your lodge of stay, relax as you prepare for your gorilla habituation experience the next day. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Day 6: Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi

• Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi: Today, you will enjoy a thrilling gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi. You will rise early to a sumptuous breakfast at the lodge and then proceed to the park headquarters for a briefing by the park officials. You will then receive rules and guidelines to be followed whilst in the forest. You will then go with the researchers and gorilla experts in the search of a gorilla family that is to be habituated. You will spend up to 4 hours with the gorillas as the researchers do all they can to have them get used to human presence. You will get a chance to learn of the gorillas’ behaviours, mannerisms and stress factors. After, you will return to the lodge where you will spend the rest of the evening resting, and later have dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 7: Golden monkey habituation experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

• Golden monkey habituation: This 7th Day of your 8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking safari will have you waking up very early in the morning, have breakfast at the lodge and then proceed for a transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You will drive straight to the starting point for your golden monkey tracking experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This activity requires you to start the trek as early as 6am so as to catch up with the golden monkeys as they rise up to kick-start their day. Watch them go about their day-to-day activity of playing, stretching, bond with themselves, feed and hunt for their food. Watch the researchers as they carry out simulation activities to habituate the golden monkeys to human presence. Get to learn more about the golden monkeys from the researchers say their feeding habits, their reactions and different noises they make when they feel invaded by humans, their diet, how mothers care for their children, among so many others. Lunch will be in the jungle since the activity can take almost the whole day. You will also have an opportunity to learn of the forest and all there is within. After, you will return to the lodge where you will spend time relaxing as you await dinner and an overnight stay. 

Day 8: Departure

• Departure: On this last day of your 8 Days Primate Habituation and Lions Tracking safari, you will enjoy your breakfast at the lodge leisurely before you check out and proceed for a transfer to Entebbe. You will have stops en-route for a polar water experiment and an opportunity to stand in two different hemispheres of the world. You will have a lunch stopover en-route, and then drive further to Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight.

End of 8 Days Primates Habituation and Lions Tracking Safari

Inclusions;

• Airport pickup and drop-off
• Transportation during the safari in a 4WD safari vehicle fit for game viewing and photography
• Gorilla habituation permit
• Chimpanzee habituation permit
• Golden monkey habituation permit
• All park entrance fees and activities mentioned in the itinerary
• Full-board accommodation
• Services of a professional English speaking driver-guide
• Bottled drinking water in the safari vehicle

Exclusions;

• Air tickets
• Visas
• Extra activities not mentioned in the itinerary
• Beverages
• Personal expenses like laundry, telephone, etc.
• Tips and souvenirs