DAY 1:KAMPALA TO MURCHISON FALLS,STOP AT RHINO SANCTUARY-VISIT TOP OF THE FALLS
The office driver will pick you up early in the morning to start the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The Guide/Driver will brief you about the tour before starting the journey to Uganda’s largest national park. Murchison Falls National Park is home to 76 species of mammals and over 450 of birds. Before reaching this amazing park, you will have stops in several small towns and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The Ziwa Rhino sanctuary was established to protect the last remaining rhinos of Uganda. Uganda was once Rhino country with over 1,000 individuals roaming some of the large national parks. Uncontrolled poaching wiped them out and the few remaining white rhinos where taken to the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. The vast sanctuary now has over 30 individuals and there is a plan to re-introduce them in the national parks. The Ziwa rhino sanctuary is one of the best places in the world to learn about Rhino conservation.
After spending time with the white rhinos at the sanctuary, you will have lunch in Masindi town and the proceed to the park. The driver will take you straight to the top of the Murchison falls. Watch as the river Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge before dropping in a thunderous roar leaving behind a beautiful rainbow. After observing one of Africa’s most breathtaking falls, you will be taken to your lodge for a shower, refreshments, relaxation and rest.
Accommodation Options: Heritage Safari Lodge (Budget), Fort Murchison Lodge (Mid-range) and Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury).
DAY 2:GAME DRIVE AND BOAT CRUISE ALONG THE NILE
Wake up early and prepare for an eventful day within the park. The driver/Guide will show up after your breakfast and take you for an early morning game drive. Murchison Falls National Park is vast but there are specific areas with a high concentration of wildlife. Expect to spot lions, giraffe, hyenas, elephants, buffaloes and countless antelopes. After the game drive, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and rest.
In the afternoon, the driver will take you for the afternoon boat cruise along the river Nile. This is where you will meet other tourists and get to experience the unique biodiversity surrounding this part of the Nile river. Expect to observe hippos, crocodiles, elephants, water bucks, birds and so much more. The boat cruise ends at the bottom of the falls hence offering you different views and experiences.
Accommodation Options: Heritage Safari Lodge (Budget), Fort Murchison Lodge (Mid-range) and Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury).
DAY 3:TRANSFER TO KIBALE FOREST & VISIT TO BIGONDI SANCTUARY
Wake up at your own convenient time, take breakfast and wait for the Tour Guide to pick you up for the long journey to Fort Portal. As you drive to Fort Portal, take time to enjoy the beautiful scenery and countryside. You will bypass small towns, districts, rivers, lakes, forests and local peasants doing business or tending to their farms. Lunch will be in the town of for Portal before continuing your journey to your hotel while marveling at the majestic views of the Rwenzori ranges of mountains.
After check-in and a shower, the driver will take you for a guided nature walk along the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. This sanctuary is home to over 10 species of primates and an amazing collection of birds. It is an excellent opportunity to mingle with the local people and learn about a local project for women in the area.
Accommodation Options: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (Budget and Mid-range) and Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury).
DAY 4:CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN KIBALE
Chimpanzee trekking starts early in the morning with a compulsory briefing. With that knowledge in mind, ensure that you wake up early enough for breakfast and prepare for the challenging task of tracking the chimps. Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest relatives to humans. They are more intelligent than gorillas but gorillas could be thought of as wiser. There are 4 habituated chimpanzee groups in Kibale. It is said that there is no better place to observe wild chimpanzees in the world than at Kibale National Park. Moreover, you also get to also observe an amazing collection of birds, 12 other species of primates (L’Hoest’s monkey, red-tailed monkeys, Uganda Mangabeys, coppery-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others), forest mammals, ancient forest, insects and more. Chimps are very mobile and spend a lot of time on top of trees. You may need to keep following them to get the best photos. Once you have completed observing the chimps, you will go back to the hotel for lunch and then begin the 2-hour drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Accommodation options: Bush Lodge (Budget), Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-range) and Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).
DAY 5: MORNING GAME DRIVE & CRUISE ALONG KAZINGA CHANNEL
Wake up early for another eventful day and take breakfast. If time doesn’t allow, you can park the breakfast and go with it for the morning game drive along the Kasenyi tract. The morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park provides opportunities to spot buffaloes, lions, elephants, birds, antelopes, hyenas and the occasional leopard. Queen Elizabeth stands out from the Serengeti and Masai Mara because of the beautiful landscape. It remains relatively green even during the dry months of the year. The Kasenyi sector is found in open ground which help attract big game and hence excellent for wildlife viewing. As we already mentioned earlier, the park is blessed with amazing natural features as a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. The formation of the great East African Rift Valley and other earth movements left behind giant crater lakes, forests, savannah grasslands, woodlands and underground gorges.
After observing the wildlife and unique scenery, you will head back to the lodge for lunch. The afternoon boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel starts at 2:00pm. This channel connects Lake Edward to Lake George and has one of the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. A boat cruise along the channel offers tourists an opportunity to observe park animals like hippos, crocodiles and an amazing collection of birds (African fish eagles, Great White Pelicans, Great cormorants and African spoonbills). It can turn out to be the highlight of your tour of the park especially if you visit during the dry season.
Accommodation options: Bush Lodge (Budget), Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-range) and Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).
DAY 6 :NATURE WALK AT MARAMAGAMBO FOREST AND KYAMBURA GEOGE
Wake up for heavy breakfast and wait for the driver to come and take you to Maramagambo forest. The Guided walk in Maramagambo is designed to allow participants observe birds, primates, butterflies, moths, pythons and bats. The primate species to look out for are baboons, wild chimpanzees, Red-tailed Monkeys, L’hoest’s monkey, Black and white Colobus among others. The bats and pythons can be observed from a safe viewing point. The pythons frequent the caves to feed on bats and can be seen waiting for their next meal. The driver will take you back to the lodge for lunch and rest after visiting Maramagambo forest.
Later in the afternoon, you will visit the famous Kyambura Gorge. This underground forest was formed millions of years ago. After the formation of the great East African Rift Valley, secondary faulting occurred on its floor resulting into this gorge. The forest inside the Kyambura gorge is home to an incredible collection of birds and mammals. Chimpanzees are the key attractions but tourists can also spot hippos, elephants, birds and smaller primates inside the gorge.
Accommodation options: Bush Lodge (Budget), Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-range) and Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).
DAY 7 :GAME DRIVE TO SEE CLIMBING LIONS-VISIT BWINDI IMPENETRATABLE FOREST
Wake up at 9am and take breakfast and you wait to start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The driver will take you for another game drive in the Ishasha sector of the park on your way to Bwindi. The main aim of the game drive is to see the famous tree climbing lions in Ishasha. The area is not only home to lions but also the Uganda Kob, elephants, buffaloes and many other species of antelopes. The best time to spot the lions is at mid-day. They love to spend their time on top of trees around this time to escape from the afternoon heat.
After observing the lions, the journey continues to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with lunch along the way. Bwindi is home to 27 species of frogs, 400 of plants, 120 of mammals and over 350 of birds. The forest covers an area measuring 331 square kilometers. The journey to your lodge in Bwindi will be very eventful especially if you love nature and beautiful scenery. Expect to drive past vast banana plantations, tea plantations, endless forest and valleys.
Accommodation Options: Rushaga Camp (Budget), Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range) and Buhoma lodge (Luxury).
DAY 8 :GORILLA TRACKING,VISIT BATWA IN BWINDI
After taking breakfast, you will leave Bwindi for Lake Mburo National Park. The journey to Lake Mburo National Park takes you through an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa”. Expect to drive past the beautiful looking terraced hills, valleys and vast banana plantations. Lunch will be in Mbarara town before continuing to the park. Lake Mburo National Park covers an area of about 371 square Kilometers. The park is blessed with over 335 species of birds, Zebras, buffaloes, impalas, reedbucks, warthogs, leopards, oribi, topis, eland and waterbucks among many other creatures. You will arrive in time to catch the 2-hour afternoon boat cruise in Lake Mburo to see water birds, hippos, zebras, crocodiles and most of the park animals drinking or bathing by the shores.
Accommodation Options: Mihingo lodge (Upper Market), Rwakobo Rock (Mid-range) and Rwonyo Rest Camp (Budget).
DAY 9 :TRANSFER TO MBURO NATIONAL PARK
After taking breakfast, you will leave Bwindi for Lake Mburo National Park. The journey to Lake Mburo National Park takes you through an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa”. Expect to drive past the beautiful looking terraced hills, valleys and vast banana plantations. Lunch will be in Mbarara town before continuing to the park. Lake Mburo National Park covers an area of about 371 square Kilometers. The park is blessed with over 335 species of birds, Zebras, buffaloes, impalas, reedbucks, warthogs, leopards, oribi, topis, eland and waterbucks among many other creatures. You will arrive in time to catch the 2-hour afternoon boat cruise in Lake Mburo to see water birds, hippos, zebras, crocodiles and most of the park animals drinking or bathing by the shores.
Accommodation Options: Mihingo lodge (Upper Market), Rwakobo Rock (Mid-range) and Rwonyo Rest Camp (Budget).
DAY 10 :MORNING GAME DRIVE AND RETURN TO KAMPALA
After yesterday’s boat cruise, the activity today will be a standard game drive to spot the park animals and marvel at the unique savannah vegetation. The morning game drive starts after breakfast and by the end of it all, you would have spotted zebras, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, hyenas, buffaloes and a leopards or two if you are lucky. Lake Mburo is one of the few parks in Uganda where you can go for walking safaris, horseback safaris or game viewing using Quad bikes. If you don’t want the game drive using a car, you can let us know so that you can go for the other game viewing options.
After the morning game drive, you will start the journey back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport. The driver will stop at the equator crossing for lunch as you also get an opportunity to take photos of yourself with your legs stepping on two of the earth’s hemispheres. If you don’t have an evening flight, the driver can also stop at the Centre for the Buganda Royal Drum Makers. The Centre collects some of the finest drum makers in Buganda. They make giant ceremonial drums for traditional occasions and even churches.
End of Tour
