Overview
Visit the pearl of Africa through exploring the parks ‘traditional’ savanna offers along with boat tours, forest hikes, Gorilla tracking, chimpanzee trek and wildlife.
Trip Highlights
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 2: Lake Mburo National Park/Boat trip/game drive
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Gorilla Forest
Day 4: Mountain Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Gorilla Forest
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Ishasha sector
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and afternoon boat trip
Day 7: Game Viewing in Kasenyi/transfer to Kibale
Day 8: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest
Day 9: Murchison Falls National Park
Day 10: Launch Trip on the Nile
Day 11: Game Viewing Safari in Murchison Falls with a transfer to Jinja
Day 12: Bujagali Falls & Source of the Nile
Detailed Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay
Arrive at Entebbe Airport where your guide will warmly greet you and transfer you to your hotel in Kampala. Your guide will brief you about your safari. Depending on the time of arrival fore stance, if your flight arrives in the morning, you can visit some of the landmarks in town with the help of our driver/guide. Among the places you will visit includes, The Uganda Museum; this is a display of Uganda’s cultural heritage where on can see ethnological and natural-historical exhibitions. It is a vivid reminder of the country’s colorful past, The Bahai Temple; it’s called ‘MashriquI-Adhkar’, the Persian translation of the dawning place of the praise of God. It is also a mother temple of Africa. The Kasubi Tombs; this is a burial place for the Buganda Kings. Overnight at Serena hotel/Sheraton hotel /Holiday Express budget (BB)
Day 2: Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, your guide will pick you from the hotel and set off on the southbound road, have a stop over to look at the Royal Drum makers, and then the Equator and thereafter proceed to Lake Mburo National Park, having a game drive as you enter the Park arriving at Mihingo lodge in the afternoon. After lunch, you may decide to go for a boat trip or relax in your room. Lake Mburo is an extension of the Tanzanian Plains with big herds of Zebra, Impala, Eland and other savanna species. For birders, this is one of the best places to find African Fin foot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike among others. Go for an evening game drive. Dinner and over night at Mihingo lodge /Rwonyo camp.
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Gorilla Forest
After breakfast, proceed to Bwindi passing through Kabale the Switzerland of Uganda with beautiful scenery and terraced farming arriving in the afternoon. Best known for its Mountain Gorillas, the Montane Forest also attracts spectacular birds. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African Green Broadbill, Bar Tailed Trogon and other beautiful forest species. You may decide to relax in the afternoon or take a nature walk which will lead you to the Munyaga Waterfall and a chance to see primates such as the Grey Cheeked Mangabey Blue Monkeys and others species.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma lodge/Gorilla safari lodge/gorilla resort Buhoma community Bandas/Wagtail eco lodge.
Day 4: Mountain Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Gorilla Forest
This morning you will have to wake up very early to get ready for Gorilla tracking. Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare Mountain Gorilla, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only 650 left in the world! The tracking may take between 2 and 8 hours but its well worth the effort. There are always park guides with you who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas. In the afternoon relax at the camp or take a forest walk.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma lodge/Gorilla safari lodge/gorilla resort Buhoma communityBandas/Wagtail eco lodge.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Ishasha sector
After breakfast, you will depart the Impenetrable Forest for Queen Elizabeth National park via the Ishasha sector famous for its mysterious tree climbing Lions arriving in the afternoon. Relax around the pool after lunch and later go for an evening game drive. Its little wonder that Queen Elizabeth boasts of one of the highest bio diversity ratings than any game park or reserve in the world, – from the open Savannah to Rain Forest, dense Papyrus Swamps and brooding Crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. Almost 100 mammal species that include Lions, Hippos, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Elephants and the elusive Giant Forest Hog plus remarkable 606 bird species that include the Black Chested Eagle, the Swallow Tailed Bee Eaters, to mention but a few. The Primates include Chimps, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Blue, Black Faced Red Colobus, and Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons. Reptiles are the amazing huge Rock-Python, Puff adders, Spitting Cobras, Gabon Rippers, Green Mambas, Turtles etc. All these are regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula and all this makes a superb safari territory. Dinner and overnight at Mweya safari lodge/Kyambura game lodge/Ihamba safari lodge.
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and afternoon boat trip
Have an early breakfast and then go for Chimp tracking, drive to the crater lakes in Kyambura Game Reserve to see thousands of colourful Lesser Flamingoes, as they feed in these soda lakes. After lunch, go for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Expect to see Hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, Buffalo linger in the shallows, a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the shores. Great White and Pink-Backed Pelicans, great and long-Tailed Cormorants, open-Billed Stork, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers are commonly seen. February and March offer spectacular sightings of some of the bird migrants. Dinner and overnight at Mweya safari lodge/Kyambura game lodge/Ihamba safari lodge.
Day 7: Game Viewing in Kasenyi
This morning, we will have a game drive to the Kasenyi Kob mating ground area to look for Lion prides and other wildlife like the Uganda Kob that mate around this area then head for Kibale National Park. Kibale Forest is a large protected block of rainforest, which has the highest number of primates in Africa such as Chimpanzees, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Red Tailed monkey and Red Colobus. You will go for a guided walk to the Magombe Swamp at Bigodi to look for the Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue Throated Roller and other rare species and also find the fruiting trees, which attract Narina Trogon, Pied Hornbill, Yellow Spotted, Hairy Breasted and Yellow-Billed Barbets.
Dinner and overnight at Rwenzori View Guesthouse or Ndali Lodge, a stunning location overlooking a dramatic Crater Lake and the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest
This morning, we will go for the morning Chimp tracking in Kibale Forest then proceed to Murchison Falls National Park having lunch at Masindi Hotel and arriving at Paraa Safari Lodge/sambya river lodge in the evening. This is a long drive as we travel north through the evergreen tea estates. Once we reach the Nile in the heart of the Park we will cross on the ferry to Paraa Safari Lodge. The drive from the ferry crossing might reveal Blue Napped Mouse birds, Silver bird, and Red Headed Agama.
Dinner and Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge / Paraa Rest Camp.
Paraa Lodge over looks the mighty Nile where Hippos wallow in the water. The lodge is located on the North bank, which is the closest location to the wildlife in the Park.
Day 9: Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, you will go for a morning game drive on to the rolling plains where you can view Lions, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Buffalo and Elephant as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For the birders amongst you these areas support the Secretary Bird, Black Chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles Carmine and Swallow Tailed Bee-Eaters. This is a beautiful drive across Borassus Palm Forest and grassland savanna down to Lake Albert where the Albert Nile heads north to the Sudan. In the afternoon, go for a launch trip to the foot of Murchison Falls where the Nile thunders through a small 7 meter gap, or down river to the delta where the Nile empties into Lake Albert. This is an experience not to be missed! The banks of the Nile are home to many species. You may see huge Nile Crocodiles, big Pods of Hippos and other wildlife that may come down to drink from the river.
Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge / the Paraa Rest Camp.
Day 10: Launch Trip on the Nile
Early morning game drive to see other wildlife or take another boat trip down the river and then back to the lodge in time for lunch. In the evening, go out for another game drive returning to the lodge at dusk. Dinner and Over night at Paraa Safari Lodge / Sambiya River lodge.
Day 11: Game Viewing Safari in Murchison Falls with a transfer to Jinja
Early game drive to the top of Murchison Falls where you can have a close look into the gorge where the Nile squeezes into a 7 meter gorge dropping 40 meters. The falls are spectacular and thunderous with a beautiful rainbow displayed on sunny days. Later proceed towards Kampala through Kichumbanyobo gate having lunch enroute. Arrive in Jinja in the evening.
Dinner and overnight at Nile resort / King Fisher Resort.
Day 12: Bujagali Falls & Source of the Nile
This morning you will visit the spectacular Bujagali Falls and the Source of the Nile. In the afternoon, visit Ssezibwa Falls on the way to Kampala, which is a cultural heritage site, used by the Kabaka’s (Kings) for traditional healing. A Witch Doctor lives on the site and Ugandans from all over the country come and visit the site regularly. Transfer to Entebbe and later fly out depending on flight departure.
