Start: Kampala
Destinations: Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi Forest National Park.
Activities: Scenery Viewing, Gorilla trekking, Chimpanzee tracking, Bird watching, Boat launch and Game drive among others.
Trip Summary
This trip takes you to Western Uganda for exclusive wildlife adventure. It starts with exploring Murchison Falls National Park where there is a lot of wonders to see and a number of activities to do including a Murchison falls and delta boat cruises, hiking to the top of the falls, game viewing, Chimpanzee tracking in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest and bird watching among others.
The trip then ascends to Kibale Forest National Park that has an Impressive list of primates species including Chimpanzee, monkeys, pottos, mangabays among others before continuing to Queen Elizabeth National park for a boat cruise no the Kazinga channel and game drives.
End your Safari after tracking the endangered mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Forest, of Africa’s oldest and richest forests and the spectacular lake Bunyonyi.
ITINERARY:
Day 1: Pickup and Kampala city Tour
Meet up with our guide who you will find waiting for you at the Airport (Entebbe) to transfer you to Hotel Equatorial in Kampala.
If time allows, the guide will take you around Kampala, the capital of Uganda to explore different cultural and historical sites including the Kabaka’s palace, Kasubi tombs, Kabaka’s lake, Uganda museum, Bahai Temple, historical monuments, administration blocks like the parliamentary building, Bank of Uganda among others.
You can also make a brief night drive within the city center to witness on the astonishing nightlife of the people within the town before you go back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
After having your breakfast, depart for Murchison Falls National Park via the famous Luwero Triangle. You will have lunch Masindi town before you proceed to the lodging facility within or around the park.
In the evening, you can go for a hike to the top of the falls to see, hear and feel the world’s longest river’s waters exploding through the cliffs thundering through a 6m-wide Fajao gorge.
Though the site can be reached by the Vehicle, it is more adventurous and rewarding to climb up to the Top of the falls.
- Dinner and overnight at Paraa Lodge.
Day 3: Game Viewing and launch cruise
In the early morning, you will embark on a game drive in the park, in search of jackals, giraffe, elephants and lions among other amazing wildlife.
In the afternoon after having lunch, go for launch cruise on the Nile that offers a great photo taking experience. Watch over the wealth of riverside wildlife on the way, including hippos, crocodile, and herds of visiting elephants & buffalo, and water birds such as the rare shoe bill among others.
For a more adventurous experience, the boat can also run downward the river from Paraa to explore the Nile delta where a maze of channels threads between wetland islands that choke the river’s exit into Lake Albert.
- Dinner and overnight at Paraa Lodge.
Day 4: Nature Walk in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest
After breakfast, proceed to Pabidi eco-tourism site in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest, part of Budongo forest for a nature walk.
The forest is in the south of Murchison falls conservation area and is a home to a habituated chimp group as well as an essential birding site due to the presence of Albertine Rift endemics and other restricted range species including the chocolate-backed kingfisher, white thighed hornbill and Puvel’s illadopsis among others.
Return to lodge (Paraa) for lunch and have an evening game drive to see more of the evening hunters such as lions, rare leopard’s among others.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Forest
Depart in the morning after breakfast, southwest through Albertine escarpment of the Rift Valley. Continue through Hoima town to Fort Portal, en route you will have a chance to view splendid scenery then to Ndali Lodge/Mantana luxury tented camps.
After lunch, tour the crater lakes areas for view of the panoramic site. Return to lodge/camp for dinner and overnight.
- Dinner and Overnight at Ndali Lodge.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Tracking
Early morning, venture into Kibale National Forest Park, for trekking chimpanzees, and other Primates including L’Hoest monkeys, Mangabays, blue monkeys, vervet, red colobus, patas monkeys, baboons among others. It should be noted that Kibale Forest is a home to 13 species of primates, of which some like the Pottos, Bush babies and others are nocturnal.
While trekking in search of the chimps, you will learn how their life is quite similar to humans. You will be able to follow them as they raise up from sleep to how they go on with their day to day life. If you booked a Chimpanzee habituation permit, you can also follow them up to the time of building new nests later in the evening.
Return to the lodge/camp for dinner and overnight.
- Dinner and Overnight at Ndali Lodge.
Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. En-route, enjoy the magnificent views of the ‘mountains of the moon’, the Rwenzori ranges. Arive in time at the lodge (before lunch).
After lunch, go for a two hour launch excursion along the Kazinga Channel which offers a rare opportunity to experience a close quarters of hippos, variety of water birds and herds of elephants.
- Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Day 8: Game Viewing in Queen Elizabeth
Early morning after breakfast, go for a game drive along the tracks to see herds of buffaloes, warthogs, elephants, antelopes among others.
Queen Elizabeth’s various habitats support a wealth of wildlife with more mammal species than any other Ugandan park and over 600 bird species.
Move to Ishasha area, to see the unique tree-climbing lions. Leopard sightings in the park are quite frequent though unpredictable.
After lunch, depart for Lake Bunyonyi to arrive in the evening at White Horse Inn/Lake Bunyonyi overland.
- Dinner and overnight Lake Bunyonyi Resort.
Day 9: Exploring Lake Bunyonyi
In the morning, proceed for excursions around Lake Bunyonyi environment, enjoying the magnificent views of one of Africa’s deepest lakes and taking photos. Experience the lava-dammed lake with 38 islands in a canoe before getting back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, drive through a rugged terrain, enjoying valleys, beautiful scenery, to Bwindi impenetrable Forest National Park. Get some rest as you prepare for an adventure in the country’s top tourism activity, mountain Gorilla trekking the next morning.
- Dinner and overnight Buhoma Homestead
NOTE: Dinner and Overnight facility may change depending on the sector you booked for. The sectors include Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo. The time to get to these sectors also vary depending on the route you used to get to Bwindi Forest National Park.
Day 10: Gorilla Tracking Experience
After an early morning breakfast, go for briefing about gorilla trekking etiquette at the respective Gorilla trekking sector’s headquarters depending on which you booked.
Start the search for the mountain gorillas and this can take up to 2 – 6 hours depending on how easily a gorilla family is located.
Return to the camp with memories of spending an hour with these peaceful gigantic primates.
Day 11: Return to Kampala
After having rest and breakfast in the morning, depart for Kampala via Mbarara where you will have lunch from. Arrive in the Afternoon or in the Evening to either go catch your flight back home or at Hotel Equatorial if your flight happens to be scheduled on the next day.
END OF SAFARI
This trip includes:
- Full board accommodation
- Park entrance fee
- Transportation
- Game drives and Boat trips
- Services of professional English speaking guide/ driver
- Gorilla Trekking Fees
It Excludes:
- Extras at the lodging i.e. luxurious drinks, telephone, laundry etc.
- Tips to guides, porters and drivers
- Air Tickets and Visa