12 Days Best of Uganda Safari

12 Days Best of Uganda Safari

Destinations:
Murchison Falls National Park
Kibale Forest National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Lake Mburo National Park

Overview

Let’s take you on an unforgettable adventure to the pearl of Africa on this 12 Days Best of Uganda Safari with amazing sceneries of the Nile River and beyond – traversing its wonders through Murchison falls safari trail where you’ll catch a glimpse at Africa’s Big 5 game animals. Complimenting the Murchison falls Big 5 trail, the Murchison Falls National Park, and the adjacent Bugondo Forest Reserve adventure the 76 species of mammals as well as Uganda’s largest population of crocodiles. 450 bird species are present ranging from an easy variety of waterbirds, including the rare shoe-billed stork, Bugondo’s 59

Taking the adventure further down from MFNP, you’ll visit the amazing Chimpanzee families, our closest relatives in Kibale Forest National park, still in the western Uganda area. Primates are very common in Kibale National Forest. The forest has some of the highest abundance of species of primates in the area. There are many species of primates and these species persist in the less disturbed areas of the forest in their natural habitats. Kibale is one of the last remaining expanses to contain both lowland and montane forests. In eastern Africa, it sustains the last significant expanse of pre-montane forest.

Not to miss out on the sight of tree climbing lions, we’ll take the Best of Uganda Safari further south to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National park enjoying the beautiful savanna grasslands set against the backdrop of Rwenzori Mountains – ahh, what a sight. We’ll also take a boat cruise down the Kazinga channel for more stunning views of water animals like hippos and elephants trying to cool themselves on the river banks.

At the height of this adventurous Best of Uganda Safari, we’ll take you to the breathtaking gentle giants of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Very early morning, you’ll setout for a gorilla trekking experience up the misty jungles guided by gorilla experts and you’ll spend about an hour hanging out with gorillas when you find them. A couple of rules will have to be followed to enjoy this adventure, look out for them.

Safari Highlights

• Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
• Game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
• Boat launch on the Nile River
• A scenic view of the Murchison falls
• Chimpanzee trek in Kibale National Park
• A nature walk in the Bigodi swamp
• Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Boat Launch on Kazinga channel
• Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• Batwa cultural experience
• Game drive and Nature walk in Lake Mburo National Park
• Boat launch on Lake Mburo
• Equator experience

Travel Schedule

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda and briefing on safari plan
Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 3: Game drive and Boat launch on the Nile River
Day 4: Visit the top of the fall and travel to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 5: Chimp tracking, nature walk in Kibale Forest & transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP
Day 6: Game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 7: Game drive in Ishasha & Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and transfer to Kisoro town
Day 10: Travel to Lake Mburo National Park via Igongo Cultural Centre
Day 11: Game drive in the park and Boat cruise on Lake Mburo
Day 12: Walking Safari & Travel to Kampala

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DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by our Best of Uganda Safari guide who will transfer you to the hotel of your booking and brief you on the safari plan.

Luxury Lodge: Serena Hotel/ Imperial Hotel 
Moderate:  Emin Pasha Hotel/ Speke Resort Hotel
Budget facility: Acardia Cottages/ Namirembe Guest house
Meal Plan: Half Board Basis 

Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park (5-6hrs)

You will have an early Best of Uganda Safari breakfast and drive to Murchison Falls National Park via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will have the opportunity to trek the Rhinos. The sanctuary houses Uganda’s Rhino reintroduction project. There are 9 white rhinos and tracking is done on foot for 1 and half hours. You will continue to Masindi Town for lunch and later drive to Murchison Falls National Park. This journey takes about 5-6 hours.

Have dinner and overnight at the booked Best of Uganda Safari lodge and we’ll continue the Uganda safari the next morning.

Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge/ Bakers Lodge
Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River 
Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili 
Meal Plan: Full Board Basis

Day 3: Game drive and Boat launch on the Nile

You will have an early start (6.30 am) and set off for a sunrise Best of Uganda Safari game drive in the Nyamsika plateau to see the Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob, hartebeest, and waterbucks. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog, and bush pig plus large carnivores including lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas. Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodiles and hippos will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee-eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork, and the rare shoebill stork. You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast and some relaxation before you set off in the afternoon for a boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. En-route you will see hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck, and a wide variety of birds like the rare shoebill stork. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls.

Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge/ Bakers Lodge 
Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
Meal Plan: Full Board Basis

Day 4: Visit the top of the fall and travel to Kibale Forest National Park

You will after your breakfast visit the “top of the thunderous Murchison falls”, where you will observe the River Nile squeezing itself into a 7-meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down in a thunderous explosion and then flowing down into a very peaceful river whose water banks are swarmed with a profusion of water and land animals as well as birds.

You will thereafter set off on an 8-hour Best of Uganda Safari journey to Kibale Forest National Park.  The drive is through beautiful countryside dotted with traditional homesteads, crop gardens, and plantations as well as trading centers and towns. You will have lunch en-route and arrive in the late afternoon. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking

Luxury: Ndali lodge/Primate lodge/Kyaninga lodge
Moderate: Mountains of the moon/Kibale forest camp/crater safari lodge/ Primate Lodge
Budget: Rwenzori travelers/Kibale forest camp/Chimpanzee forest guest house
Meal plan: Full Board Basis 

Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking, Nature walk & Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, head to Kibale Forest National Park to view the primates. The chimpanzee tracking activity begins at 8.00 am with a briefing on the rule for trekking the chimpanzees after which you set off to search for them in the forest. The exercise takes half a day and along the way, you will see other primates such as Grey cheeked Mangabeys, Phoestes, Red-Colobus, and the Blue-tailed and Red-tailed monkeys swinging in the braches of this thick forest. Your Best of Uganda Safari guide will give you informative briefings on the lifestyles of the primates you will be coming across and on the plants as well as on the insects and butterflies in this forest to ensure that the trek is not only enjoyable but informative as well. In the afternoon you will go for a guided nature walk in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. The sanctuary offers great birding opportunities and nature walks. Besides birding, Bigodi village has a rich cultural heritage site where you can mix with the local people and enjoy the African traditions in terms of lifestyle and entertainment. You will thereafter transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Luxury Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge: Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge
Moderate:  Bush Lodge (in rooms) / Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents
Meal Plan: Full Board Basis

Day 6: Game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park

After your morning breakfast, have an early morning Best of Uganda Safari Game drive where you will see the lion, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephant, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, topi, and bushbuck among others. You will return to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is a 42kms channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful, with well over 550 resident species. Dinner and overnight will be spent at your reserved lodge.

Luxury Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge / Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge
Moderate:  Bush Lodge (in rooms) / Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents
Meal Plan: Full Board Basis

Day 7: Game drive in Ishasha & Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

After breakfast, drive to the Ishasha sector of the Queen Elizabeth National Park famous for the tree-climbing lions lounging in the tree branches while keeping a close eye on herds of Uganda kob, their favorite prey. It is also home to many buffaloes, elephants as well as rare shoebills. Have lunch at one of the lodges in this part of the park and drive south to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. En-route you will see great countryside, and and bamboo forest, and have great views of the scenic landscape characteristic of the western rift valley.

Arrive in the late afternoon and retire to your booked Best of Uganda Safari lodge for dinner and overnight.

Budget: Buhoma community Rest camp / Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp / Gorilla Valley Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi /Gorilla Safari Lodge / Lake Mutanda Resort/ Gorilla Mist Camp.
Up market: Mahogany Springs Lodge / Buhoma Lodge / Rushanga Gorilla Satari Lodge.
Meal plan: Full Board Basis 

Day 8: Uganda Gorilla trekking Safari in Bwindi

Have an early morning Best of Uganda Safari breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers in a briefing about the Gorilla trekking rules at 7:30 am. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 2-8 hours. The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access by tourists. You will have one hour to stay with the Gorillas once sighted before returning to your lodge to rest.

You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.

Budget: Buhoma community Rest camp / Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp / Gorilla Valley Lodge.
Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi /Gorilla Safari Lodge / Lake Mutanda Resort/ Gorilla Mist Camp.
Up market: Mahogany Springs Lodge / Buhoma Lodge / Rushanga Gorilla Satari Lodge.
Meal plan: Full Board Basis.

Day 9: Second Bwindi Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and transfer to Kisoro town

You will have an early morning breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers at 7:45 am for a briefing about the Gorilla trekking rules. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 2-8 hours depending on the location of the Gorillas as they loiter freely in the impenetrable forest. You will have one hour to stay with these intelligent, majestic, and gentle giants that share over 90% of their genetic material with humans.

Budget: Buhoma community Rest camp / Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp / Gorilla Valley Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi /Gorilla Safari Lodge / Lake Mutanda Resort/ Gorilla Mist Camp.
Up market: Mahogany Springs Lodge / Buhoma Lodge / Rushanga Gorilla Satari Lodge.
Meal plan: Full Board Basis

Day 10: Travel to Lake Mburo National Park via Igongo Cultural Centre

You will have breakfast and travel to Lake Mburo National Park centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes rich in bird life while its green acacia woodland harbors wildlife like the Zebra, Warthog, Elands, and Impala among others. En-route, you will visit the Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch and to learn about the unique history and culture of the Ankole people who pride in keeping cattle.  You will be treated to some traditional dances at this center after which your Best of Uganda Safari designated driver will drive you to the lodge of your booking for Dinner and overnight.

Luxury: Mihingo Lodge/ Mantana Lake Mburo Camp/ Arcadia Cottages
Moderate: Lake Mburo Safari Lodge/ Rakobo Rock
Budget: Eagles Nest Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board Basis

Day 11: Game drive in the park and Boat cruise on Lake Mburo

After breakfast go for a tour of the park on foot with an experienced game ranger who will explain to you which animals have left behind footprints and droppings and how long ago. Mburo is one of the two parks in Uganda where it is permitted to go for a tour on foot. You will after the nature walk go for a game drive and return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will go for a 2-hour boat cruise that will get you quite close to the water animals that including crocodiles, hippos, and a variety of birds. You will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Luxury: Mihingo Lodge/ Mantana Lake Mburo Camp/ Arcadia Cottages
Moderate: Lake Mburo Safari Lodge/ Rakobo Rock
Budget: Eagles Nest Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board Basis

Day 12: Walking Safari & Travel to Kampala

After breakfast, you will set off for Kampala with a stopover at the Equator where you will have an opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the same time and take some photos. The entire stretch of this journey will take 5-6 hours to arrive in Kampala in the late afternoon. Depending on the Best of Uganda Safari driver timing of your departure flight you will either be transferred to the Airport for your scheduled flight back home or to the hotel of your booking for dinner and overnight.

End of the 12 Days Best of Uganda Safari

Requirements for this Safari

• A Visa – you can apply for a visa online or very easily get one at the point of entry into the country (airport)
• Yellow fever vaccination card.
• Chimpanzee and Uganda Gorilla trekking permits – You can apply and secure these online but experience has shown that it is better coordinated when you send money to the tour firm to handle it for you at no extra cost to the standard fee (USD700)
• Travel &Health insurance – This should be arranged by you in your home country before you travel.
• Physical fitness

The Safari package includes

• Full board accommodation as per the itinerary
• 4WD with popup roof safari vehicle
• Bottled drinking water
• Rhino trekking fees
• Game drives
• Boat trips
• Ferry crossing fees
• Chimpanzee trekking permit at $200 per person per trek
• Gorilla trekking permit at $700 per person per trek
• Services of an English Speaking Driver/guide.
• Community visit fees
• Guided nature walks
• Pickup and Return airport transfers.

The Safari package excludes expenses of a personal nature such as:

• Other drinks.
• Laundry.
• Tips to local guides.
• Telephone expenses.
• Porter fees while trekking Gorillas and chimpanzees.
• Personal Insurance.
• Cigarettes.

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