7 Days Uganda Primate Safari: Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi Parks

On arrival at the airport, a representative receives you and transfers you to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala for the night. Dinner is provided depending on the time of arrival. Overnight at Serena Kampala Hotel or Sheraton Hotel (luxury), Cassia Lodge or Hilton Gardens Hotel Kampala (mid-range), or Airport Guest House or Emmaus Guest House (budget). Meal plan: lunch and dinner.

After breakfast at 8am, your driver-guide collects you from the hotel to begin the journey to Kibale Forest, the capital of primates. The drive passes through Uganda's countryside, with agricultural lands, homesteads, roadside fruit and vegetable markets and forests, stopping only for washrooms and stretching as needed. Lunch is taken in the beautiful Fort Portal town, with spectacular landscapes of the Rwenzori Mountains in the background, before continuing to the lodge ahead of chimpanzee trekking the next day. Overnight at Kyaninga Safari Lodge or Primate Safari Lodge (luxury), Turaco Treetops Lodge (mid-range), or Kibale Forest Camp or Rwenzori View Guest House (budget). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Today is chimpanzee tracking day in Kibale National Park, the primate capital of the world. After breakfast, transfer to the briefing point, where an experienced ranger guide explains what to expect and how to conduct yourself in the forest. Hike the tropical forest in search of man's closest relatives, the chimpanzees, spending one hour in their presence once located. After lunch, take a swamp walk in the Bigodi community, whose proceeds support community development; the walk also includes visits to local homes for coffee, banana brewing, basketry and traditional medicine experiences. Overnight at Kyaninga Safari Lodge or Primate Safari Lodge (luxury), Turaco Treetops Lodge (mid-range), or Kibale Forest Camp or Rwenzori View Guest House (budget). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, taking in the scenery en route. In the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.

After an early breakfast at 6am, head out for a game drive at 6:30am to see a vast, unrivaled number of species living in the wild; Queen Elizabeth National Park has the highest biodiversity of any protected area in Africa. The best game-viewing times are in the morning, when predators look out for prey before going back into hiding, and the vehicle's pop-up roof maximises viewing. Look for elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes and Uganda kobs during the 3-4 hour game drive, then head to the lodge at 10am to check out and continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home of half the world's remaining mountain gorillas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Overnight at Mahogany Springs Lodge or Buhoma Lodge (luxury), Four Gorillas Lodge Rushaga or The Haven Lodge Buhoma (mid-range), or Ride for a Woman or Rushaga Gorilla Camp (budget). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The ultimate safari experience in the jungles of Africa: spend the day with the gigantic, gentle mountain gorillas. Hiking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in search of gorillas is a unique experience. Begin with a briefing from the ranger guides, after which you are divided into groups to track different gorilla families. Hike the forest with your ranger guide and, once located, observe the gorillas for one hour before walking out of the forest back to the lodge. Overnight at Mahogany Springs Lodge or Buhoma Lodge (luxury), Four Gorillas Lodge Rushaga or The Haven Lodge Buhoma (mid-range), or Ride for a Woman or Rushaga Gorilla Camp (budget). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Your driver-guide collects you after breakfast at 7:30am to drive back to Kampala. Depart the park and stop over at the Equator monument for lunch, souvenirs and photo sessions in both the northern and southern hemispheres. This marks the end of your Uganda primate safari. Meal plan: breakfast and lunch.