Safari Overview
This tour package takes you to all of Uganda’s most popular tourist destinations for true African wilderness, starting with Murchison Falls National Park, then Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for mountain gorilla tracking, and Lake Mburo National Park among others. Various tourist activities will include Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk, game drives, forest walk, and fantastic boat cruise among others.
Detailed Itinerary for 12 Day Uganda safari adventure
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda – Entebbe International Airport
Meet one of our company representatives upon arrival at Entebbe airport, and transfer to Kampala for dinner and overnight at Hotel Ruch, Buziga Country Resort, Cassia Lodge Buziga, or Kampala Lodge among others
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park Via Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary
After your breakfast, embark on the journey northwest through the famous Luwero Triangle and, travel to Masindi via Ziwa Rhino Project. En-route visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino tracking, lunch and drive to Murchison falls, dinner and overnight, and dinner at Murchison River Lodge/ Shoebill campsite/ Red chili Rest Camp.
Day 3: Game Drive and Boat Cruise to the Bottom of the fall
Begin the day with a cup of African Coffee/tea. Thereafter, start a game drive in search of animals such as Elephants, African Lions, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena, and if you are lucky, the leopard.
Return to the hotel/lodge for late breakfast and lunch as you prepare for the boat cruise upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos, crocodiles and over this 17m stretch you may see elephants, waterbucks, Uganda Kobs, and crocodiles.
This area also hosts many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant, and the rare shoebill stork. There you leave the boat and start your – quite heavy – hike to the Top of the Falls (approx. 1 hour).
Meet where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Your safari guide/ driver will be waiting to bring you back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Connect to Kibale National Park, Home to 13 primate species
After breakfast, embark on 7-hour drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside and past traditional homesteads and farms along Albertine Rift escarpments. Fort Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon. Have dinner and overnight at Mountains of the moon/Chimp Nest Lodge / Chimpanzee guest house or Kyaninga Lodge.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking or Habituation Experience
After early breakfast, report at Kanyanchu Tourist Centre for briefing and set out to track chimpanzees in the forest. The chances of viewing the chimpanzees are over 90%. Kibale National Park is one of the most beautiful and stunning forests in Uganda. It is home to our closest living relatives the endangered Chimpanzee, the threatened Red colobus monkey, and the rare L’Hoest’s monkey. The forest also boasts of having one of the highest diversity and density of primates in Africa totaling 13 species including the Black and white colobus, Blue monkey, Grey-cheeked mangabey, Red-tailed monkey, Bushbabies, and Pottos.
After lunch, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary from where you will take on a guided walk around the Swamp that will provide you with the opportunity to see a wide range of flora and fauna. View a variety of colorful butterflies, birds, and other insects.
Chimpanzee habituation experience takes a full day while chimpanzee tracking takes just half a day.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park viewing the mystical Rwenzori Mountain ranges for much of the journey. Check-in at your lodge as you wait for your lunch. After lunch, take on an afternoon boat cruise along Kazinga Channel, one that joins Lakes Edward and George. The cruise is a wonderful way to view hippo, buffalos, Kob, and among others and a spectacular bird watching on the water bank. Many who experience the launch cruise consider it the highlight of their entire African safari, dinner, and overnight at Mweya safari lodge / Mweya Hostels / Enganzi Lodge / Simba Safari Camp / Twin Lake safari lodge.
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park Exploration
After breakfast, move with your packed lunch for the morning game drive to catch up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. Expect to meet the grazing Hippos, Elephants, and Lions, spotted Hyenas, bushbuck, waterbuck, stripped jackal, comical warthogs, and the elusive leopard. Proceed to Maramagambo forest. Many surprises await you here for example pythons are often observed in the crevices of the bat cave floor using the bats as a source of food. The cave is near a picturesque formerly Blue lake and Hunters cave. You may also see forest birds such as bat hawks, brown eared woodpecker, and other primates.
Alternatively; we can take an afternoon forest walk in Kyambura gorge for Chimpanzee tracking adventure. Return for dinner and overnight stay your lodge as on day six.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Breakfast and proceed to Ishasha sector to encounter the climbing lions in southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lunch in Ishasha and connect to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The journey takes about 4 hours but driving through interesting features, arriving in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by late afternoon or early evening. The park is home for the rare mountain gorillas plus other primates like the blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush, green and there are streams running through it. Dinner and overnight stay at Mahogany Springs Lodge/ Gorilla Mist Camp/ Wagtail Eco Safari/Gift of Nature Lodge / Bakiga lodge
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking Adventure
After breakfast, get a briefing from the ranger guides, and thereafter, set off early with guides to trek the gorillas. The thrill of encountering gorillas will erase the difficulties you went through in trying to find them. However, it is wise to carry packed lunch and mineral water, tracking gears among others. Each gorilla safari encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Time permitting; spend the afternoon on a community foot tour to explore the lifestyle of the people living in the nearby communities, or we can drive to the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, drive to Lake Mburo National park for a game drive. The park is renowned for zebras, impalas, buffaloes, hippos, topi, and elands including the rare shoebill, crested crane, pelicans, fish eagle, heron, and many water birds. Have dinner and overnight at Mihingo Safari Lodge / Arcadia Cottages/ Mantana Tented Camp / Lake Mburo safari lodge.
Day 11: Lake Mburo Wildlife Exploration
Morning game drive in the Park which is an extension of the Tanzanian Plains with big herds of Zebra, Impala, Eland, Warthogs, buffalo, and other savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best places to find African Finfoot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike among others. The evening is spent on an evening boat cruise amidst the Hippos is amazing and relaxing at the Lodge observing game moving in the park. Time permitting; we can take a nature walk to the salt lick area where animals gather to lick salt from the soil, Dinner, and overnight at your lodge.
Day 12: Return to Kampala/Entebbe -Departure
Breakfast and drive back to Kampala with en-route visit to Igongo Cultural village to explore and learn the Bahima and Ankole culture, a place where the future meets the past. Stop at the equator for photographs, arrive in Kampala/Entebbe by afternoon to catch up on your evening flight back home.