Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
Today you will arrive at Entebbe airport and you will be welcomed by your safari guide. After finalizing your emigration formalities, you shall exit the airport to be received by your guide. You shall be transported to your hotel which is only 10 minutes from the airport. Depending on your time of arrival, you may have an optional city tour of Entebbe town. Entebbe is one of the oldest towns in Uganda and has many buildings that date over half a century ago. It sits on the shores of Lake Victoria and here is found the only international airport in Uganda.
Accommodations
Budget: Papyrus Guest House
Midrange: The Boma Hotel
High end: Hotel Number 5
Meal plan: Breakfast, -, -
Day 2: Drive to Jinja; Half day water rafting and boat ride on the Nile.
Early in the morning you will drive from Entebbe to Jinja and assemble at the water rafting point for initial briefing. You will be fitted out with life jackets and helmets before heading off down river to the start point. Once down at the river’s edge, you will receive a detailed safety briefing, before launching into the river for some practical instruction. The rafting carries through meanders of the Nile through beautiful scenery and challenge points selected for an enthralling but safe adventure. You have the opportunity to choose the intensity of your adventure and the level of rapids to raft. After lunch you will drive to Jinja town for a city tour and boat ride to the source of the Nile. Jinja town is best known for the source of the Nile where the river starts its 4000-mile journey to the Mediterranean from Lake Victoria.
Accommodation
Budget: Gately on the Nile
Medium: Haven eco Lodge
High End: Wildwaters Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Drive to Murchison falls via Zziwa Rhinos sanctuary
This morning you will start your safari by driving to Murchison Falls National Park. This journey through the beautiful green countryside is filled with numerous photography opportunities and you may be able to stop along the way. En-route, you will visit Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the home to the only remaining rhinos in the country after the animals were extinct in the wilderness. You have a guided walk to see the rhinos and learn about the history and motives of the sanctuary. Upon completion, you will have lunch at the sanctuary and later proceed to Murchison falls national where you will arrive in the evening. Drive to the top of falls for a brief picturesque walk at the point where the Nile squeezes through a 7 meters gap. Your accommodation is located inside the park besides the great River Nile. In the night you can hear the calls and roars of the wilderness.
Accommodations
Budget: Murchison River Lodge
Midrange: Twiga safari lodge
Highend: Paraa Safari Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Morning game drive and afternoon Boat ride
After an early breakfast, proceed for a game drive. Murchison falls National Park is the largest in Uganda and boasts of 76 mammals’ species and 451 birds’ species. Elephant, Cape buffalo, Rothschild's giraffe, Uganda kob, hartebeest and waterbuck are commonly seen. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, bush duiker, warthog and bushpig. Large carnivores include lion, leopard and spotted hyena. After lunch, you will go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos and crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch where you may also see elephant, waterbuck and Uganda Kob besides the Nile. This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. The boat will stop just tens of metres from the sinister, frothing and bubbling base of the falls. Afterwards you shall return to your accommodation.
Accommodations
Budget: Murchison River Lodge
Midrange: Twiga safari lodge
Highend: Paraa Safari Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast you will depart Murchison falls national park and drive southwards to Fort Portal town. This drive will last 5 hours. It will lead you through the green countryside with some rough road surfaces. Along the way you will enjoy spectacular views of tea plantations. You may stop at any of them for photo moments and also to interact with the tea pickers. You will stop in Fort Portal town for lunch.
After lunch you will drive to Bigodi community for a swamp walk. This is an opportunity for birdwatching and spotting some primates species that inhabit the swamps. Later you will proceed to your accommodation near Kibale Forest national park.
Accommodations
Budget: Kibale Forest camp
Midrange: Turaco treetops Lodge
Highend: Papaya Lake Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and visit Bigodi swamp
After breakfast you will embark on the search for chimpanzees inside Kibale Forest national park. You will be led by experienced ranger guides who will provide detailed information, not only about primates, but on all the forest fauna and flora and will ensure that your walk is both informative and enjoyable. The tracking lasts approximately 3 hours. You will spend an hour photographing the chimps before concluding and returning to the lodge. In the afternoon you will visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary to search for smaller mammals and primates. Look out for the rare red colobus monkey and the sitatunga. The guided 4.5km circular trail through the swamp is also one of the best guided bird trails in East Africa as well as offering a realistic opportunity to see up to six different primate species in a space of a few hours. This walk is excellent for viewing bird life and seeing primates at close quarters.
Accommodations
Budget: Kibale Forest camp
Midrange: Turaco treetops Lodge
Highend: Papaya Lake Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Drive to Queen Elizabeth national park
Morning Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Ruwenzori Mountain range for much of the journey. Along the way you will have a stop at Rubona Trading centre where you will visit a group of women who make and sell colorful baskets. This association of women was started to support families affected by HIV in the area. The women will demonstrate how they use local herbs to dye materials that they use into different colors. You may also purchase some baskets as souvenirs to support them. Upon arrival into the park, you may choose to do an evening game drive which might be rewarded with spotting of antelopes, elephants, buffaloes and sometimes lions.
Accommodation
Budget: Simba safari camp
Midrange: Marafiki camp
High end: Elephant plains Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat ride
Early in the morning you will set off for a game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park. Queen Elizabeth National Park's diverse eco-system of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Along this game drive, you will be able to search out for lions, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Topi and bush buck and numerous birds. In the afternoon you will enjoy the unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and many animals may be seen drinking at the water's edge. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing.
Accommodation
Budget: Simba safari camp
Midrange: Marafiki camp
High end: Elephant plains Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Drive to Bwindi via Ishasha Sector Queen Elizabeth
After breakfast you will drive to Ishasha Area of Queen Elizabeth national park where you will have game drive in search of the famous tree-climbing lions and the large herds of game. You will be led by a ranger guide to assist you track the location of the big cats.
Afterwards you will drive through the "Switzerland of Africa" area known as the Kigezi Highlands with its terraced hillside and winding roads to Bwindi. You will proceed to your accommodation located in the foreground of Bwindi impenetrable national park – The home of Mountain Gorillas in Uganda.
Accommodations
Budget: Buhoma Rest Camp
Midrange: Haven Lodge Bwindi
High end: Buhoma Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park.
After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters from where you shall be briefed and grouped for the Gorilla trekking exercise. You will be led by experienced ranger guides and guards off into the tangled and mist-shrouded forests with trackers that assist in locating the gorillas by finding the nest the family had used the previous night. The search for these majestic animals goes through thick untamed rainforest and it can be arduous at times, but the encounter is worth the effort. Tracking gorillas on average takes 3 – 8 hours depending on how far the animals have moved. Watching gorillas in their natural habitat is a memory that will last a lifetime. The experienced ranger guides will willingly share with you a lot of information about history and lifestyle of the Gorillas. You will spend an hour following, observing and photographing the Gorillas as they feed, play and groom each other. After the experience you will exit Bwindi Forest and rest at your accommodation.
Accommodations
Budget: Buhoma Rest Camp
Midrange: Haven Lodge Bwindi
High end: Buhoma Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park, evening game drive
After an early breakfast, you will and drive to Lake Mburo National Park. You will have a stop in Mbarara town where you shall have a COVID-19 test and lunch. Enjoy an evening game drive on your way into the park. Drive along the Lake and stand chance to see herds of zebra, Cape buffalo and eland. Birdwatchers will enjoy some of the 250 species of birds found in Lake Mburo including Papyrus Gonolek, Brown faced Lapwing, Carruther's Cisticola and White winged Warbler.
Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem, located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks and underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. It is home to 350 bird species as well as zebra, impala, eland, buffalo, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck. Together with 13 other lakes in the area, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders.
Accommodations
Budget: Eagle’s nest lodge
Midrange: Rwakobo rock
High end: Mihingo Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12: Morning nature walk, return to Entebbe and departure
Early in the morning you will proceed for a morning nature walk under the escort of an armed ranger. Enjoy the sights of animals including close encounters with herds of Zebra and antelopes. You will return to the lodge for breakfast and later depart for Entebbe where you will take your flight to your next destination. There will also be time to stop at the equator for photographs.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, -