13 Day Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari
Destinations:
Murchison Falls National Park
Kibale Forest National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Lake Mburo National Park
Overview
This 13-day Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari takes you to the Murchison Falls National Park, the largest national park in Uganda, renowned for its scenic beauty and the spectacular falls from which the park derives its name. The sight and sound of the falls as the Mighty Nile River crashes through a 7-meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down in a thunderous explosion makes a memorable assault on the senses. You will enjoy memorable game drives, a boat safari cruise, and a viewing of the mesmerizing scenery in this national park.
Taking the Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari 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 abundances 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 our 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 Wildlife Safari, we’ll take you to the breathtaking gentle giants of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Very early morning, we’ll set out 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
- Boat launch on the Nile River
- A scenic view of the Murchison falls
- Game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
- Chimpanzee trek in Kibale Forest 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
- Nature walk and Game drive in Lake Mburo National Park
- Boat launch on Lake Mburo
- Equator experience
Travel Schedule
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda and safari briefing
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 and travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP
Day 8: Uganda Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Day 9: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi and transfer to Kisoro town
Day 10: Travel to Lake Mburo National Park via Igongo Cultural Centre
Day 11: Nature walk, Game drive, and Boat cruise on Lake Mburo NP
Day 12: Travel to Kampala
Day 13: Visit the chimp sanctuary at Ngamba Island
[button title=”Enquire About This Tour” icon=”” icon_position=”” link=”#enquire” color=”#21831b” font_color=”” large=”0″ class=”scroll” download=”” onclick=””]
[divider height=”50″]
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
You will be met at the airport by our Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari guide who will transfer you to the hotel reserved for you in Entebbe. Dinner and overnight will be at this hotel.
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 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 Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari route journey takes 6-7 hours.
You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
- Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
- Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
- Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Game drive and Boat safari launch on the Nile
You will have an early start (6.30 am) and set off for a sunrise Best of Uganda Wildlife 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 River. 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 unusual 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
- Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
- Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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 set off on a 6-hour 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 enroute and arrive in the late afternoon. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking
- Luxury: Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kibale Forest/Kyaninga Lodge
- Moderate: Mountains of the moon/Kibale Forest Camp
- Budget: Rwenzori Travelers/Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpanzee Forest Guest House
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Chimp tracking and nature walk in Kibale Forest
After breakfast, you will report to the Kanyanchu Tourist Centre at 08.00 am for a briefing on the rules of chimpanzee tracking. Kibale Forest National Park has the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, a very delightful ape.
The trek takes 2-3 hours and it will provide you with the opportunity to see a variety of other primates and animals as well as birds, and a variety of butterflies. Return to the reserved Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a nature walk in the Bigodi Wetland to see a variety of birds and monkey species. You will have dinner and overnight at your lodge.
- Luxury: Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kibale Forest/Kyaninga Lodge.
- Moderate: Mountains of the moon/Kibale Forest Camp.
- Budget: Rwenzori Travelers/Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
After your morning breakfast, you will have an early morning 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 planned Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari boat safari 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
- Mid-range 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: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 7: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
You will after breakfast move 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.
You will have lunch at one of the Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari lodges in this part of the park and drive south to Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park. Enroute you will see the great countryside, and bamboo forest and have great views of the scenic landscape characteristic of the western rift valley. You will arrive in the late afternoon and retire to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight.
- Lower Budget: Buhoma community Rest camp / Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp / Travellers Rest Hotel Kisolo / Gorilla Valley Lodge
- Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi /Gorilla Safari Lodge / Silver Back Lodge / Lake Kitandara Camp / Chameleon Hill Lodge / Lake Mutanda Resort.
- Upmarket: Mahogany Springs Lodge / Buhoma Lodge / Rushanga Gorilla Satari Lodge.
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 8: Uganda Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
This is the Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari most exciting day you’ll have on this trip. Have an early morning breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers in a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules at 7:45 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 sited before returning to your lodge to rest. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
- Lower Budget: Buhoma community Rest camp / Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp / Travellers Rest Hotel Kisolo / Gorilla Valley Lodge
- Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi /Gorilla Safari Lodge / Silver Back Lodge / Lake Kitandara Camp / Chameleon Hill Lodge / Lake Mutanda Resort.
- Upmarket: Mahogany Springs Lodge / Buhoma Lodge / Rushanga Gorilla Satari Lodge.
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 9: Relaxing day or another Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and transfer to Kisoro town
You can decide to have this Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari day to relax and chill back – recollect your previous gorilla encounter, share stories, and more. Or chose to take another chance at gorilla trekking after your 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 range 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.
- Luxury: Mihingo Lodge/ Mantana Lake Mburo Camp/ Arcadia Cottages
- Moderate: Lake Mburo Safari Lodge/ Rakobo Rock
- Budget: Eagles Nest Camp
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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. Enroute, you will visit the Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch and to learn about the unique history and culture of the Ankole people who are pride in keeping cattle. You will be treated to some Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari traditional dances at this center after which you will be driven 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: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11: Nature walk and Game drive in the park and Boat cruise on Lake Mburo
You will 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 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: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12: Travel to Kampala
After breakfast you will set off for Kampala. You will have 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 6-7 hours arriving in Kampala in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel of your Best of Uganda Wildlife Safari booking.
- Anderita Beach Hotel, Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe, Gately Inn Entebbe (mid-range)
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Visit the chimp sanctuary on Ngamba Island.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the pier on Lake Victoria pier for you to take a boat cruise to Ngamba Island. The boat cruise will be for one hour. You will arrive at the chimpanzee sanctuary and be briefed about the sanctuary after which you will proceed to spend time with the chimps as they feed, relax and do acrobatic swings in the tree branches. Later you will go for a nature walk on the island with the young chimps and cruise back to Entebbe. Depending on the 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 SAFARI
[divider height=”40″]
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)
- 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 (USD800)
- 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 safari vehicle with popup roof
- Bottled drinking water
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Ferry crossing fees
- Visit the top of the Murchison falls
- Rhino trekking fees
- Chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale forest ($200)
- Gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest ($800)
- 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.
Request a quote for this safari
[enquiry_about_pkgs_form]
Check these packages too tailored to offer you the best chimp tracking experience;