Uganda Habituation 7-Day Safari Experience

Your Uganda Habituation 7-Day Safari Experience begins with an early morning pickup from Entebbe International Airport or your hotel in Kampala. After a warm briefing by your professional English-speaking guide from Deks Safaris & Tours Ltd, you’ll embark on a scenic drive northwest towards Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, located approximately 3–4 hours away in Nakasongola District. This privately-managed sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you can encounter wild Southern White Rhinos on foot.

Upon arrival, enjoy a relaxed lunch at Amuka Safari Lodge—a tranquil setting nestled within the acacia woodlands. After lunch, a rhino tracking excursion awaits. Accompanied by experienced rangers and conservationists, you’ll walk through the bush to find and observe the rhinos from a safe distance. The experience is thrilling and informative as the guides share the conservation story, behaviors, and survival challenges faced by these magnificent animals. Along the way, you may also spot bushbucks, waterbucks, oribi, and a variety of bird species.

Dinner and overnight will be at your preferred accommodation inside or near the sanctuary.

Accommodation Options

• Mid-range: Amuka Safari Lodge
• Luxury Upgrade: Ziwa Rhino Guesthouse – Private Cottage

Optional Add-on: En route, stop at Luwero Triangle to learn about Uganda’s historical liberation battles.

After breakfast, you’ll set off for Kibale National Park, a tropical rainforest in western Uganda that is famously known as the Primate Capital of the World. This scenic route takes about 6–7 hours, with rewarding views of traditional Ugandan homesteads, sprawling tea estates, and the rolling green hills of Fort Portal, located in the shadows of the mystical Rwenzori Mountains.

Upon arrival, enjoy lunch at your lodge and later embark on a guided walk through the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary—a community-based ecotourism project teeming with life. The swamp walk introduces you to various primates such as red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and numerous bird species like the great blue turaco. The walk offers a great ecological introduction to the region and contributes to local conservation efforts.

Return to your lodge for dinner and a briefing about the following day’s chimpanzee habituation adventure.

Accommodation Options:

• Mid-range: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
• Luxury Upgrade: Ndali Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge

Optional Cultural Add-on: Visit a local crater lake village for a storytelling session and a traditional dance performance by the Batooro community.

After an early breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre by 6:00 AM to begin your full-day Uganda Chimpanzee Habituation Safari Experience. Unlike the usual 1-hour chimpanzee trekking, this exclusive activity allows you to spend up to 6 hours with a community of wild chimpanzees as they go about their daily routine. You’ll accompany researchers and conservationists who are actively habituating the chimps to human presence.

The experience is raw and enriching. You’ll observe the primates from the moment they de-nest, follow them as they feed, socialize, hunt, or care for their young, and witness first-hand the complexities of chimp behavior and family structure. You may also see other primates like grey-cheeked mangabeys, red colobus, and forest mammals like duikers and bush pigs.

Enjoy a packed lunch within the forest, then return to your lodge in the late afternoon for relaxation and storytelling around the campfire.

Accommodation Options:

• Mid-range: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
• Luxury Upgrade: Crater Safari Lodge or Papaya Lake Lodge

Optional Cultural Add-on: Evening visit to a Kibale cultural village for a local herbal medicine demonstration.

This morning, enjoy a leisurely breakfast before driving south through the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park—famous for its tree-climbing lions. With a bit of luck, you’ll catch sight of these majestic cats lounging in fig trees. Along the way, enjoy wildlife sightings of elephants, buffaloes, topi, and warthogs. The scenic journey toward Bwindi Impenetrable Forest offers breathtaking views of hills, banana plantations, and lush terraced landscapes.

Arrive at your lodge near Rushaga or Nkuringo Sector in time for lunch or late afternoon check-in. Spend the evening resting and preparing for tomorrow’s incredible Uganda gorilla habituation safari experience adventure.

Accommodation Options:

• Mid-range: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge or Rushaga Gorilla Camp
• Luxury Upgrade: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge or Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

Optional Cultural Add-on: Batwa Cultural Experience – Visit a nearby Batwa pygmy community for storytelling, traditional hunting demonstrations, and forest songs.

This is the highlight of your Uganda Habituation Safari Experience —a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend extended time with wild mountain gorillas under habituation. After breakfast, report to the park headquarters at 7:00 AM for a briefing, then set out with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers and researchers into the thick jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Unlike the regular gorilla trekking experience (which allows just 1 hour), this gorilla habituation experience allows 4 full hours in the company of the gorillas once they are located. You will witness the intricate process of gorilla habituation and help researchers collect valuable data. You may observe gorilla families feeding, playing, grooming, or even constructing their nests. Only 4 tourists are allowed per group, making the experience quiet, exclusive, and deeply personal.

Return to the lodge in the late afternoon for a well-deserved rest and a special dinner under the stars.

Accommodation Options:

• Mid-range: Gorilla Valley Lodge
• Luxury Upgrade: Gorilla Heights Lodge or Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp

After breakfast, transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda’s smallest and most scenic park located in the Virunga Mountains. Here, you will embark on the Uganda Golden Monkey Habituation Safari Experience, which allows for extended interaction (up to 4 hours) with a community of endangered golden monkeys. You will join a team of researchers in studying their behavior and movement.

The hike is moderate and offers panoramic views of the volcanoes and lush bamboo forests. Along the way, you might spot forest elephants or even duikers.

Later, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, known as “The Place of Little Birds,” for an evening of relaxation.

Accommodation Options:

• Mid-range: Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort or Arcadia Cottages
• Luxury Upgrade: Birdnest @ Bunyonyi Resort or Bunyonyi Rock Resort

Optional Activity: Sunset canoeing or island tour at Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast by the lake, begin your drive back to Kampala or Entebbe, a scenic journey of approximately 8–9 hours with several stops for photography, local crafts shopping, and a traditional Ankole cultural lunch in Mbarara. If you’re departing the same day, your guide will drop you at Entebbe International Airport in time for your evening flight.

Fly-in Option: Chartered flights can be arranged from Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrips to Entebbe (extra cost applies).

End of Uganda Habituation 7-Day Safari Experience