This 12 Day Best of Uganda Safari encompasses the major tourism attractions in uganda experiencing the Uganda’s wildlife, primates, cultures and sites.
Day 1: Transfer to Murchison Falls –Rhino tracking
Approximate Travel Time is 6 Hours
After an early breakfast our guide from baboon safaris will pick you up brief you about the safari and begin on the journey to Murchison Park. You will drive through the historical Luwero triangle before arriving at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary found close to Masindi where you will get an opportunity to track the black and white rhinos a species which was almost wiped out in Uganda due to the civil wars that took place in the early 1980s. You will have lunch before reaching the park. You will head to the top of the falls and watch the large volumes of water of the river Nile force its way through a narrow gorge and thunderously drop several meters below. It’s a breathtaking view. You will head to you accommodation for dimmer and the night’s rest.
Accommodation options include:
Luxury: Chobe Safari Lodge, or Paraa Safari Lodge,
Mid-range: Bwana Tembo Lodge
Basic: Red Chilli Tented Camp
Day 2: Game Viewing Safari and Launch Cruise
You will have breakfast before going on an early morning game drive in the northern part of this park where you will see various animals such as Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Hartebeests, Bushbucks Buffaloes as well as Giraffes, in addition to a large number of bird species.
After lunch, have a thrilling two hours launch cruise on river Nile to the bottom of the breathtaking Murchison Falls. You will see a range of animals in the river’s shallows and on the banks including: giant Nile crocodiles, hippos, lone buffaloes, some elephants and a distant antelopes not to forget several water birds. Later return to your accommodation for dinner and the night’s rest
Accommodation options include:
Luxury: Chobe Safari Lodge, or Paraa Safari Lodge,
Mid-range: Bwana Tembo Lodge
Basic: Red Chilli Tented Camp
Day 3: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park home of Chimpanzees
Today, after your breakfast you will start of the 6 and a half hours drive to breakfast, you will drive to Kibale Forest National Park found in southern part of Uganda. You will have lunch along the way and enjoy the breathtaking views f the green countryside including traditional homesteads, the rolling terrain and the Great Rift Valley. On arrival you will check into your accommodation where you will have dinner and spend the night.
Accommodation options include:
Luxury: Ndali Lodge
Mid-range: Primates Lodge
Basic: Chimps Nest
Day 4: Chimp tracking and Bigodi swamp walk
You will have an early breakfast, and then go for a briefing by the park warden before setting out on the amazing expedition to track chimpanzees which starts at 8.00am. You will encounter other primates while in the forest such as: Blue tailed monkeys, Grey cheeked Mangabeys, Red-Colobus, Red-tailed monkeys as well as L’hoestes, plus several birds, insects and colorful butterflies.
After lunch, set out on a nature walk to explore the Bigodi swamp– an eco-tourism site, and there you will see a number of rare plant as well as animal species including the largest antelope species – the statunga. There are various birds including: the Narina Trogon, Great blue Turacco, Rwenzori Turaco as well as the little Bulbul.
Accommodation options include:
Luxury: Ndali Lodge
Mid-range: Primates Lodge
Basic: Chimps Nest
Day 5: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Right after your breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park. You will drive through Kasese and enjoy the beautiful views of the legendary snow capped Mountain Rwenzori. Once inside the park, you will see several animals. You will have also have a nature walk in the Maramagambo forest to the blue lake and the bat caves. In the forest you will also encounter several primates.
Later you will transfer to your accommodation for dinner and the night’s rest.
Accommodation Options include:
Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge
Mid-range: Katara Lodge, or Kyambura Game Lodge
Basic: Enganzi Lodge
Day 6: Game drive and Kazinga Launch Cruise
Today you will enjoy the highlight launch cruise. Right after a very early breakfast, you will go for a game drive to see some of the early risers within the park. Some of the animals you will see include Giant Forest Hogs, Bush bucks, Defassa, Cape Buffaloes, Lions, Elephants, Topis, Leopards, Waterbucks and Uganda Kobs among others.
After lunch, you will set out on a 2 hours launch-cruise on the Kazinga Channel during which you will see the largest school of hippos in Uganda, crocodiles, some other animals plus a large number of birds as the park has a bird list of more than 550 birds. Don’t leave your camera behind as you go for this exciting activity. In the evening you will return to your accommodation..
Accommodation Options include:
Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge
Mid-range: Katara Lodge, or Kyambura Game Lodge
Basic: Enganzi Lodge
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Today you will have breakfast early in the morning before transfer to Bwindi National Park the home of mountain gorillas. you will drive through the southern part of the park known as the Ishasha Area which is popular for its population of tree climbing lions. You will have a chance to see the rare lions resting up in the branches of the giant fig trees. You will also encounter some other species of animals as you leave the park. Later you will arrive in Bwindi Gorilla Park where you will dine and spend the night.
Accommodation Options include:
Luxury: Mahogany Lodge, or Buhoma Lodge
Mid-range: Lake Kitandara Camp, or Engagi Lodge or Gorilla Safari Lodge, or Silverback Lodge
Budget: Travellers Rest Hotel or Buhoma Community Campground, or Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp
Basic: Buhoma Community Bandas, Wagtail Eco Lodge
Day 8: Mountain Gorilla Trekking
You will have a very early breakfast, before going for the early morning briefing by the park warden who will brief you on the dos and the don’ts while on this activity. By 8:00 am you will set out deep in the forest led by guides and rangers as you search through the thick vegetation for gorillas. You will traverse through the forested muddy slopes until you eventually meet the gorillas. The trek may take anything between 2 and 6 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. On finding them you will be allowed one hour in their presence for purposes of their conservation. You will observe them go about their day to day routine and even take photos and capture videos. It’s a very exciting moment coming face to face with these gorillas. you will be amazed by the huge size of the silverback which is the dominant male – the can grow to a weight of 230 kilograms and reach a height of over 1.8 meters.
While in the forest you will encounter different other wildlife including birds, butterflies, moths, various reptiles, chimpanzees, baboons, L’Hoest’s, black & white colobus, blue monkeys and the red tailed monkeys in addition to several small mammals.
At the end of the trek, you will return to your accommodation where you will have your dinner and spend the night.
Options include:
Luxury: Mahogany Lodge, or Buhoma Lodge
Mid-range: Lake Kitandara Camp, or Engagi Lodge or Gorilla Safari Lodge, or Silverback Lodge
Budget: Travellers Rest Hotel or Buhoma Community Campground, or Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp
Day 9: Drive to Lake Bunyonyi
In the morning you enjoy a nice breakfast and thereafter head out for a community walk within Buhoma to interact with the locals and see their traditional way of life. Afterwards you will drive to Lake Bunyonyi going through the hilly Kabale also referred to as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’. The lake Bunyonyi was named after the large number of different bird species that live around it. This lake is Uganda’s deepest lake as well as the second deepest on the entire African continent. On arrival there, you will enjoy a canoe ride on the lake to the different small Islands. In the evening you will head back to the mainland where you will dine and have the night’s rest.
Accommodation options include: Bunyonyi overland camp, or Arcadia cottages, or Bushara Island Camp
Day 10: Entire day Exploring Lake Bunyonyi
Today morning you will enjoy your breakfast, and then set out for different activities on and around the lake. You may trip to the Bakiga Cultural Museum, the local markets found in Kabale and also visit some of the beautiful dairy-farms and plantations. Or you may visit the pygmy Batwa community staying on one of the lake’s Islands and there you will enjoy a cultural experience during which you will interact with these short people and see their amazing traditional lifestyle.
Later return for dinner and the night’s rest at your accommodation.
Accommodation options include: Bunyonyi overland camp, or Arcadia cottages, or Bushara Island Camp
Day 11: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After a delicious breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park going through Kabale also referred to as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’ due to its amazing topography dominated by hills plus highlands. You will stopover in Mbarara town for lunch and later enter Lake Mburo Park through Nshara gate. Once in the park, you will have a boat ride on the lake to look for various animals such as giant crocodiles and hippos. Dine and overnight rest at Arcadia Cottages, Mihingo Lodge, or Mantana Luxury tented Camp
Approximate Travel Time: 5 hours
This morning immediately after breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park going through the Kabale also referred to as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’dominanted with terraced beautiful hills. You will have lunch in Mbarara town before entering this park using the Nshara gate. On arrival, you will have a boat ride to search for some of the water loving animals such as hippos as well as crocodiles. Later dine and spend the night at your accommodation.
Accommodation options include:
Luxury: Mihingo Lodge
Mid-range: Arcadia Cottages
Basic: Lake View Resort Hotel
Day 12: Game drive and Return to Kampala
After an early breakfast, go for a game drive in the park during which you will see the largest number of zebras in the country, topi, cape buffaloes and elands, plus a large number of bird species including the Bare-Faced Go-away, Bush Shrike, Brown-faced Lapwings, Carruther’s Cisticolas, Papyrus Gonoleks, and the African Fin foot. Later transfer to Kampala having an en route lunch plus a stopover at the Uganda equator. Once in Kampala, depending on your flight you will be transferred to the airport. This will be the end of this exciting Safari. Will be dropped off at the airport or your hotel