Best of Uganda
UGANDA SAFARI SPECIAL – GAME, APES & MORE
13 DAYS / 12 NIGHTS
This 13-Day Uganda safari special starts in Entebbe from where you drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls National Park is crossed by the Nile and it is the river that lends it one of the most spectacular nature boat launches to the bottom of the powerful falls. From Murchison Falls National Park, your safari will continue to Kibale Forest National Park across woodland and forested landscape. Kibale forest harbours the greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa. Not less than 13 different species are living in this small area of 560sq km, including Black-and-White Colobus Monkeys, Blue Monkeys and Grey-cheeked Mangabeys. More important, the dense forest hosts a population of more than 1,000 chimpanzees, allowing visitors the unique opportunity to view these great apes in their natural environment. You will then continue to Queen Elizabeth N.P – the second largest national park in Uganda.
From here you proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – the home of the famed Mountain Gorillas for your date with the ‘so-called gentle giants’. Your safari finishes in Lake Mburo National Park where you view game on foot during a bush walk.
Day 01: Arrival in Uganda
You arrive at Entebbe International Airport, located on a peninsula that juts out into the largest fresh water lake in Africa, where our representative or your driver/guide will receive you and transfer you to the hotel/guest house you have selected (see the two accommodation options we have suggested at the bottom of this itinerary) for dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 02: Drive to Murchison Falls N.P via Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary
This morning, you enjoy breakfast and commence your 4-5 hour transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. The drive to the ferry-crossing should take you some 4-5 hours, with a break along the way for you to stretch your legs. After the break you will continue to Murchison Falls via Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary where rhinos that got wiped out in the Ugandan wild are being bred before they are re-introduced back in the Uganda national parks. When you arrive at the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a guide and armed rangers will take you on either a walking/by vehicle safari to look for the rhinos. Once you have spotted the rhinos, you will stay in their presence for a while. You will enjoy lunch within the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary after, which you will return to your vehicle to complete your transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. You will check-in at lodge you have selected and have the rest of the day to yourselves.
Day 03: Morning game drive & afternoon boat safari to bottom of falls
Game in Murchison Falls National Park is among the best in Uganda, garnished with wonderful birdlife that makes the park a wildlife and birders’ paradise. The park is home to 76 mammal species including herds of buffalo, elephants that are scattered in the savannah woodland areas. The park is also home to a good number of camouflage leopards as well as a good number of lion prides. The park is also known for the endangered Rothschild’s Giraffe. On the Nile’s banks and in the pools, you find hippos and crocodiles. Today, you are up at 6.00am, have breakfast and head out for a game drive for a chance to view the glorious day-break from across the open savannah, birds and dotted woodland as well as riverine vegetation along the Nile. You explore the area and are in search for game ranging from lion, buffalo, elephant, giraffes, antelope and a lot more. At between 10-11am, you will return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. After lunch, at 2.00pm, you will head out for the boat launch to the bottom of the powerful Murchison Falls. This three-hour boat cruise climaxes at the edge of the rift valley escarpment at which point you will get off the boat and trek to the top of the falls (wear sports shoes while on the boat for ease of trekking to the top). Having worked up a sweat, once at the top, get bathed in the misty spray that the Nile create as it forces itself into the 7-metre cleft to create the famous Murchison Falls. Your guide will be waiting up top to transfer you back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 04: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Depart Murchison Falls after an early breakfast, head to Kibale Forest National Park – the primate capital of East Africa. This is the area where Semliki & Kibale Forest National Parks are situated; the drive is almost 8 hours over a dirt road that is under construction in some parts – so be ready to experience what we call ‘the African massage’. You will make a stop in Fort Portal for a hot lunch before completing your transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. On arrival in Kibale Forest National Park, check-in at Primate Lodge Kibale or Similar for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 05: Chimpanzee tracking & Visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
Today you are in for some real monkey business! After breakfast, you visit Kibale Forest National Park, reputed for having the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. You will go on a guided nature walk in the tropical rain forest in search of the wild chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many others. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will have a full hour with them at close quarters. It is a large family and you will encounter them either atop the large fruit trees or on the ground. It is a more rewarding experience if you encounter them on the ground! After the mandatory 1-hour is finished, your guides/rangers will lead you back to your lodge (Primate Lodge Kibale) where you enjoy hot lunch.
Afternoon/Optional: After lunch, you either relax at the lodge or visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary – a community project. The swamp offers visitors a platform to see more primates, swamp and forest birds. On your tour, you will likely see several kinds of monkeys including black and white colobus, red colobus etc. Other wetlands mammals include baboons, Sitatunga (an increasingly endangered swamp antelope), bush pigs, civet cats, mongooses, bush bucks and an occasional chimpanzee appearance. The walk is 4.5 kilometres in length and lasts 3 hours. It is a paradise for keen birders as it supports close to 200 species. Birds to look out for include the Great Blue Turraco and others. Money generated from the activities in Bigodi is used to fund community projects including a school and a clinic. Later, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 06: Drive to Queen & Visit Lake Katwe
You wake up at leisure and enjoy your breakfast. You are not in a hurry and so you will depart Kibale Forest National Park for Queen Elizabeth National Park at leisure. You will transfer through the beautiful crater region where the views and scenery are to die for! After seeing some of the many craters in the region, back on the road, you continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park with the Rwenzori Mountains in the backdrop as you lose altitude to arrive in or around the Park. On arrival and after check-in at the lodge you have selected, you enjoy lunch and can relax.
In the late afternoon, head to the Katwe Crater Lake where locals have mined salt through the ages. This lake – situated just north of the impressive Mweya peninsula, is far too salty to support any wildlife. However, since the 16th Century, it has ensured the survival of the Katwe residents, who spend their days under the equatorial sun, harvesting salt from its milky waters. Enjoy the spectacular drive to Katwe as you look out for wildlife including buffaloes and elephants. Once you arrive at the salt mines, marvel at the network of paths and huts that have been built across the lake to support hundreds of workers. The salt is sold to traders from across Uganda, and as far as Congo and Rwanda. This excursion gives visitors a unique insight into the fascinating yet tough process of salt mining and meeting and interacting with the locals. During the tour of the lake you will see community members at work and you get to talk to them. Later, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 07: Game Drive & Boat Safari along Kazinga Channel
After your breakfast at 6.30am, your day begins early, heading for the mating grounds of the Uganda Kob. You search for the lions in their natural habitat, elephants, buffaloes etc. before returning for lunch. After your lunch, at 3.00pm, you will embark on a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel – a major highlight of the safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the boat cruise, you will have the opportunity to view great numbers of wildlife including elephants, crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes and large numbers of birds like eagles, kingfishers, sparrows, doves, weaver birds, eaglets and sun birds converging at the channel waters to enjoy a sip of the natural waters. On the cruise abundant bird life is sighted and perhaps the highest concentration of hippos in Africa – there are 1500 hippos found along the channel. Elephant herds that can number 50 in the dry season, buffalos, and crocodiles can all be seen during the boat cruise. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 08: Drive to Ishasha Sector & Explore Area
You are up at leisure and enjoy your breakfast. At about 9.00am, you leave the Mweya (north) part of the park and head south to the Ishasha sector. The drive, which will serve as our morning game drive will last between 2-3 hours. Have your eyes peeled for more game! On arrival in the Ishasha sector, we search for the famous and unique tree-climbing lions. If it is a hot day, be sure to find them atop the sycamore fig trees or the acacia trees that dominate this part of the park. There are about 4 Prides of lions in the area numbering more than 40 in total. Look out for the males with their black mane, which is a notable attribute. Also, there are about 1000+ elephants present in the area and you normally see large numbers. There are Topi and Uganda Kob antelopes in large numbers. The drive is a fantastic opportunity to take lots of pictures. You can check-in at the lodge you have selected for lunch. After lunch, continue to explore this area of the park till very late in the evening! At 7.00pm, you will head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 09: Game Drive, finish Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
You wake up at day-break, enjoy your breakfast and go on a morning game drive along the Ishasha plains. Given the diversity of game in the southern sector, you should be able to see a lot more animals before the sun is out. You are on the look-out for the famous residents of the area after a night of hunting, huge elephants, the cheeky baboons along the game tracks and a lot more. You will take your time to really search and explore the area and your driver/guide will advise what time to exit the park and commence the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On arrival, you check-in at the lodge you have selected or Similar and enjoy late lunch. After lunch, you can go out for a nature walk to meet the Ugandans who neighbour the park. Later, return and have the rest of the day to yourselves. Dinner and overnight at Mahogany Springs Lodge.
Day 10: Gorilla tracking & return to Lodge
You are up early (6.00am) and enjoy your breakfast. After, you are transferred to the specific gate of either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where rangers of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) will take you through some formalities and a briefing on what to expect when you go to trek the Mountain Gorillas. With packed lunch in your carry-on, you will be allocated the Gorilla family you will be tracking this morning. Once the briefing is complete, you will commence your gorilla trek. When you finally locate the family that you are tracking, take in everything as you watch the gorillas feed and generally go through their day. Take lots of pictures (and a selfie if you happen to have a gorilla in your selfie frame) and a video as the one-hour will be over before you know it. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rainforest with the knowledge that you are in the presence of the few remaining wild mountain gorillas. After the mandatory one hour is up, the rangers will lead you back to the trail-head where you will find your driver/guide to take you back to the lodge for a hot lunch and relaxation as you continue to take in one of the most beautiful places on earth. After lunch, you can look back on your awe-inspiring encounter with the gorillas through the lens of your camera as you also take in more of the sights and sounds of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 11: Drive to Lake Bunyonyi
You wake up at leisure and enjoy your breakfast. After breakfast, you say goodbye to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – headed to the beautiful and picturesque Lake Bunyonyi. The area you drive through is scenic so you can ask your driver to stop from time to time as you take more pictures. When you arrive in Lake Bunyonyi, check-in at Birdnest Resort Bunyonyi and have the rest of the day to yourself. Lake Bunyonyi is a good place to chill out, relax and read a book or simply go out on a canoe or motorized boat tour of some of the 29 islets that create the scenic appeal of the lake. Options of things to do include: canoeing/boating, swimming (this is recommended for strong swimmers), birding, nature walks & hikes and cultural visits. Overnight at Birdnest Resort Bunyonyi.
Day 12: Drive to Lake Mburo, Night Game Drive
This morning, wake up at leisure and enjoy your breakfast. At 9.00am, check-out and start your drive to Lake Mburo National Park. On arrival, check-in at the lodge you have selected or Similar and enjoy lunch. Lake Mburo National Park is the only park in Uganda with Eland, Impala antelopes and Burchell’ s Zebra. The scenery of rolling hills, lakes, swamps make Africa real, and it is in Lake Mburo where the Tanzanian Savannah meets Uganda in a most scenic fashion. At about 4.30pm, you will head out for an evening game drive where you explore the small park. Your evening game drive will give way into a night/nocturnal game drive. A night game drive is one of the memorable activities one can do here. Spot the creatures of the night such as leopards. You can even spot Bush Babies, Porcupines – all the mammals that move at night. The drive is normally about two and half hours and you can choose to have dinner before or after the night game drive. Spotlights are used to point out various animals that without them you might miss. After the drive, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 13: Bush Walk, Drive to Entebbe & Departure
Wake up at 6.00am and enjoy breakfast. Lake Mburo National Park is one of two game parks in Uganda where visitors are allowed to go for a bush nature walk with an experienced ranger. On a morning guided walk, you often encounter hyenas who are returning to their dens after a night of being on the prowl – at the same time you can often see hippos returning from grazing during the night and returning to the lake to keep cool during the day and protect their sensitive skin from the sun. On a nature walk you will often see Zebras, Giraffes, Eland, Topi and other antelopes, buffaloes, birds, butterflies. After your walk, return to the lodge, take a shower and check-out – ready for drive to Entebbe. At the Equator crossing, take some fun pictures and purchase crafts from your Uganda safari. Enjoy lunch at the Equator and continue to Entebbe International Airport in time for you to check-in for your onward flight home.
