DAY 1:TRANSFER TO KIBALE NP
A driver from Mission Africa Safaris will pick you up very early in the morning from your hotel to start the journey to Kibale National Park. Wake up early, take breakfast and wait for him/her to show up. The journey to Kibale National Park is long but you will be rewarded with amazing sites of the countryside, national parks, forests, rivers, lakes, large plantations, the intriguing Ankole cattle, trading centers, towns, districts and the ever smiling peasant. On arrival at Fort Portal City, you will have lunch and then go for a tour of this small but very beautiful town. Fort Portal is now the tourism district of Uganda. It not only houses the headquarters of the Toro Kingdom, but is also located in an area with excellent climate and beautiful scenery all year round. Because of the tranquility in the city, the town is arguably the best place to live in Uganda.
Dinner and overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury), Primates Lodge (Mid-range) and Chimpanzee Guest House (Budget).
DAY 2:CHIMPANZEE TREKKING & BIGONDI SWAMP TALK
After early morning breakfast, you will be taken to Kibale National Park headquarters for the briefing on chimpanzee trekking. The briefing is led by the Park Guides and is all about the rules of tracking chimpanzees, the park and what to expect. After the briefing, the Park Guides will lead you into the forest to find the chimps. Chimpanzee trekking is quite different from gorilla trekking. Chimps stay longer on top of trees compared to gorillas. Their groups are also more vocal and dramatic. It is possible to hear their cries from a mile away even before getting close to them. By the time you get to them, they would have already seen your group. Tracking chimpanzee usually takes between 3 to 5 hours. You only have an hour to observe them. Use the time to take as many photos as you can.
After spending one hour with the chimps, you will be led back to the park offices where you will find the company driver waiting for you. The driver will take you book to the hotel for lunch and rest. Later in the Afternoon, the driver will take you to visit the Bigodi wetlands sanctuary for a nature walk and birding. The Bigodi swamp is one of the best spots of birding in Uganda. Expect to see small monkeys, butterflies and much more.
Dinner and overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury), Primates Lodge (Mid-range) and Chimpanzee Guest House (Budget).
DAY 3:HEAD TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NP,GAME DRIVES IN ISHASHA & VISIT KYAMBURA GEOGE
You will wake up early to take heavy breakfast and check out. Our Guide will come and pick you to start the 2 hour journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha sector of the park. The Ishasha sector is famous for hosting tree climbing lions. A few of these lions can also be sighted in Kruger National Park of South Africa and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. Researchers believe that the lions have adapted to climbing trees to escape bites from bugs. They also use their position on top of trees to observe movements of their prey. The lions prefer the sturdy acacia and fig trees but you may also spot them on fallen trees.
After Ishasha, the driver will continue the journey to your lodge, check-in and refresh as you wait for the next activity. The next activity is a nature walk at the Kyambura Gorge. The Kyambura Gorge is one of the most amazing natural wonders of Uganda. The gorge contains an underground forest which hosts several primates including chimpanzee, Baboons, monkeys, hippos and birds. You will also spot rare birds, trees and plants that have evolved to grow within the gorge. After visiting the Kyambura gorge, the guide will take you back to the lodge.
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury), Ihamba Lodge / Park view lodge (Mid-range) and Simba safari camp (Budget).
DAY 4:SECOND GAME DRIVE & BOAT TRIP AT KAZINGA CHANNEL
You will wake very early to take breakfast at your lodge. Our guide will take you for your second game drive at the Kasenyi plains. The morning game drive will allow you to catch up with nocturnal animals and predators retreating back to their dens after hunting in the night. You should also spot the early risers and especially birds. Other animals to look out for are hippopotamus, hartebeests, leopard and buffaloes among many other birds. After the game drive, the driver will start the journey back to the lodge for lunch and rest.
After resting for a while, you will be transferred to the Kazinga Channel for a boat cruise. The Kazinga Channel is one of Africa’s greatest birding sites. You can spot both resident and migratory birds in large numbers. During the boat cruise you will also spot most of the water dwelling mammals as well as lions, leopards, antelope and primates drinking the channel. Hippos, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and crocodiles are always seen bathing/drinking by the water.
Dinner and Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury), Ihamba Lodge / Park view lodge (Mid-range) and Simba safari camp (Budget).
DAY 5 :VISIT TO MARAMAGAMBO FOREST-SALT MINING AT KATWE & TRANSFER TO BWINDI NP
Wake up early and take breakfast as you wait for the driver to take you for a truly eventful day. The driver will take you to Lake Katwe to see how the local people mine salt. This is a good time to mingle with the locals to find out how they and their ancestors benefit from the salt. Afterwards you will be taken for a nature walk at the Maramagambo forest where you will visit the Bat caves and the pythons that feed on them from a hidden platform. Apart from bats and pythons, there is also a real chance of seeing red-tailed monkeys, other primates, chimpanzees (not habituated), pygmy antelopes and more. You will also get to see the crater Lakes – Nyamasingiri and Kyasanduka. Later in the afternoon, you will start the journey to Bwindi national park and to your new lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Chameleon Hill Lodge (luxury), Bakiga Lodge (Midrange) and Tarvan Trekkers Bwindi (Budget)
DAY 6 :GORILLA TREKKING AT BWINDI FOREST NP
You should wake up early and order for breakfast as you wait for the driver to pick you up. The driver will take you to the park offices for briefing by 7:00am. This briefing is very important and is where you will meet other tourists and Rangers who will be leading you to the forest. The briefing covers many topics but the most important is how to behave around the gorillas, what to expect and what to carry along while tracking the gorillas. You will be assigned a gorilla family taking into consideration your overall fitness and age. This is because some of the gorilla groups are located deeper in the forest hence requiring more hours of trekking. Porters are available to help you with extra luggage. The Park Rangers will lead you into the forest to track the primates. Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park takes between 2 to 6 hours. Once you spot them, take as many photos as you can because you will be with them for only one hour. Observing mountain gorillas can be amazing. You can see them groom, play, eat or take a nap. Some may come close to you out of curiosity but remember to always remain calm as you follow instructions from the park Guides.
After an hour of observing the mountain gorillas, you will return back to the starting point where our Guide will be waiting for you. Do not forget to get your certificate of completion as you go back to the lodge for lunch and rest. After resting, the driver will take you out to visit the Batwa pygmy community. Bwindi forest was the original home of the Batwa before they were evicted by the government. The government decided to evict them from the park and resettle them elsewhere. Although several projects were started to help the Batwa adjust to life outside the forest, it has not been a success. The Batwa remain very poor because they failed to adapt to life outside the forest or compete with neighboring tribes. While with them, you will learn a lot about their culture and the challenges they face after a life of plenty in the forest. Expect traditional dance and other performances from the tribesmen.
Dinner and overnight at Chameleon Hill Lodge (luxury), Bakiga Lodge (Midrange) and Tarvan Trekkers Bwindi (Budget)
DAY 7 :TRANSFER TO KAMPALA DEPARTURE
This is the last day of the safari and you will wake up at your own time taking into consideration your departure time. The driver will follow another route with a stop at the Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara for lunch and the Equator crossing in Kayabwe for photographs. If time permits, you can also stop at the Buganda Royal drum makers to learn how giant drums were crafted. We hope that you would have enjoyed your time in Uganda. The driver will drop you at the airport in Entebbe or at your hotel.
