12 Days Tour to the Pearl of Africa

UNFORGETTABLE AFRICAN SAFARIS IN PEARLS OF AFRICA - 12 DAYS ITINERARY.

Do you want to experience Uganda in a comfortable but also adventurous way?

All the highlights will be served in this 12-day tour.

• Chimp & Gorilla permits included

• Lodges in the best spots

Introduction

Uganda is all about its friendly people and the diversity in landscapes and activities. This trip will show you the best of what Uganda has to offer. Queen Elizabeth National Park features grassland savanna teeming with wildlife and Lake Bunyonyi which is perfect for kicking back and relaxing. All of this is on top of all main highlights like gorilla tracking, chimpanzee tracking and boat safaris. You will overnight in the best mid-range accommodation Uganda has to offer.

Day 1: Welcome to Uganda!

You will be picked up from the airport by a representative of your hotel who will safely transport you to your accommodation where you will have a chance to rest from the long trip.

You will stay in a nice lodge with beautiful views of Lake Victoria. The lodge has cosy safari-style furnished rooms, equipped with satellite TV, fridge bar, telephone, fan, balcony with lake-view and a comfortable bathroom. You will meet your driver/ guide on the morning the next day, when he will pick you up from your hotel.

Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls national park

The journey continues from Kampala - across Uganda - to Murchison Falls National Park.

Covering an area of over 3,840 km², Murchison Falls National Park is the largest conservation area in Uganda. The park’s name derives from its famous waterfall: the mighty Murchison Falls. The Nile River divides the park into its north and south sections. At the spectacular Murchison Falls, the world's longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43 m below. A game drive in the park allows you to be eye-to-eye with the African animal kingdom featuring elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, different species of antelope and many bird species.

Your accommodation for the coming two nights will be at Murchison River Lodge. The lodge has been carefully and sensitively built on the edge of the mighty River Nile overlooking pods of hippos and Uganda’s stunning Murchison Falls National Park. There is a swimming pool overlooking the river. Breakfast and dinner will be provided.

The estimated journey time is around 7 hours.

Day 3: Game drive and boat safari to the waterfalls

After an early breakfast, you will go out on a game drive to explore the northern part of the park. The sun is not yet so bright and temperatures are cooler, also it is the best time to spot wild animals early in the morning. You will have an opportunity to see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, different species of antelopes and many tropical birds. Keep your eyes open, they are all there in Murchison Falls National Park!

In the afternoon you will take a boat safari up the Nile River to Murchison Falls. Carefully watched by crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys and all the other thirsty wildlife that the Nile attracts, you will reach the base of the 43-meter high Falls which approach with a thunderous sound.

After the boat safari, you will hike to the top of the falls, from where you will have a wonderful view.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided during the day.

Optional activity: Rhino Tracking – Possible on day 2

At the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you will go accompanied by an experienced ranger for a safari hike, to the rhinos. You will see the rhinos in a very close range!

Kidepo Valley and Murchison Falls National Parks once had both black and white rhinos; however widespread poaching during the Idi Amin era resulted in the disappearance of these majestic animals. Founded in 1998, Rhino Fund Uganda works to reintroduce black and white rhinos into Uganda's wildlife and runs a breeding program, as well as works on educating the communities about the problem.

Optional activity: Chimp tracking Budongo forest

Budongo Forest is located in the southern part of Murchison Falls National Park and has the highest number of wild chimpanzees in Uganda. The habituated groups are located in Kaniyo Padibi, where you can go for chimpanzee tracking. Budongo Forest has incredible biodiversity, that also includes several other species like the Blue monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys and Olive baboons.

Day 4: Travel to Kibale Forest National Park

You will begin your journey to Kibale Forest National Park. The long drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes this part of Uganda.

A packed lunch is included, which you can enjoy on the way. In the late afternoon you will reach Kibale Forest Camp, where you will be accommodated and have a chance to spend the late afternoon relaxing and enjoying a lovely view of the forest and its wildlife.

The estimated journey time is around 8 hours. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be included during the day.

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking & Swamp Walk

Kibale Forest National Park boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including chimpanzees. Approximately 5,000 of them live in Uganda, which makes it a perfect place to spot them!

An experienced ranger will take you chimp tracking in the morning or afternoon; you might also see other monkey species living there. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will have a full hour of eye-to-eye contact with them. Since they are wild animals, we can never guarantee you to see them and might have to settle with hearing their hoots and hollers.

The swamp walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you. It is common to spot some different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the great blue Turaco.

Optional: Chimpanzee habituation tracking

At an additional fee, you can experience the chimpanzee habituation tracking instead of the regular one. This will take all day and you will be 100% sure to have a very close encounter with our closest relatives. Make sure you do your booking on time, as only 6 persons per day are allowed to go. Your swamp walk can be postponed to the next morning.

The estimated journey time is 15 minutes each way.

Day 6: Travel to the Rwenzori Mountains

It is time for Rwenzori Mountains National Park via the creator lakes area. If requested from the part of visitors, we shall stop at Toro kingdom before our dinner. Planned accommodation is at Ruboni Community camp.

Day 7: Walks of Ruboni

In Rwenzori/Ruboni you can experience the Bakonzo culture. A village or forest walk will lead you through the everyday life and habits of the Bakonzo people. You might see traditional dances, black-smithing, traditional storytelling and traditional healers. After this remarkable experience, there is a lunch scheduled. After lunch, you will leave Ruboni and head towards Queen Elizabeth National Park for overnight.

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has prolific game, including gazelle, Uganda kob, warthog and waterbuck. Lions are often sighted. Be prepared for large numbers of hippos and elephants, and keep your eyes peeled for a leopard lazing in the sunshine. In the late afternoon, you will go for a game drive into the park.

Accommodation will be provided at Marafiki Safari Lodge which is located at a unique location and has been designed and handcrafted using local materials, fitted by artisans from the local community.

The estimated journey time is 1 hour. Breakfast and dinner will be provided.

Day 9: Safari car ride & Boat Safari

After waking up early in the morning (before sunrise) and having delicious breakfast served in the lodge, we will head out for a long game drive in time to see the first rays of light. You will be able to see all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across elephants, buffaloes, lions, water bucks, leopards, Ugandan kobs, and many warthogs. A well-deserved brunch will be served back at the lodge in the late morning.

In the afternoon you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel which joins Lake George and Lake Albert. Here, you will see a lot of hippos, as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or take a bath.

After the boat safari, you drive back to the lodge, where you will enjoy your dinner.

Optional activity: Lion Tracking:

For visitors who yearn to get up close to wild African fauna, a research trip is a rewarding adventure. This new and unique experience allows visitors to actively participate in monitoring some of the lions in the park, using locator devices and learning habituation calls, as well as monitoring weather, surroundings and behaviour. The results are added to researchers’ databases, contributing valuable information to the overall understanding of wildlife ecology - and helping to conserve this wonderful ecosystem. This will as well give you a 95% chance to see the lions! The number of people in each expedition is limited in order to reduce stress for the animals and to increase the quality of the experience for the visitors.

Experiential tours last between one and three hours. They usually take place in the early morning or evening, or occasionally at night.

All activities must be booked through the Visitor Information Centre in Mweya at least 24 hours in advance.

Optional activity: Kyambura Gorge:

Another optional activity in Queen Elisabeth National Park is to visit the Kyambura Gorge. A hike through the gorge gives you the opportunity to see habituated chimpanzees and other types of primates including red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus, baboons and vervet monkeys. Although the chance of spotting chimpanzees is only 50%, the landscape is among the most impressive in Uganda and is absolutely worth it!

Day 10: Travel to Lake Mutanda and Bwindi

On the 10th day of your travel, you will drive to Lake Mutanda in the south-western part of Uganda, close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You cross a beautiful part of the country often referred to as ‘the Switzerland of Africa’. You will pass the countryside and a bamboo forest and have great views over the Virunga Mountains.

For lunch, you will stop at a local restaurant on the road (lunch is not inclusive).

Mutanda Lake Resort offers comfortable accommodation. Situated between Kisoro town, Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks, the resort serves as a perfect base for gorillas trackers, volcano hikers, bird lovers, as well as for those looking for a secluded place in nature.

The estimated journey time is 8 hours. You will be provided with breakfast and dinner.

Day 11: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Forest

Prepare yourself for an encounter with one of Bwindi’s gentle giants: the endangered mountain gorilla. For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest boasts both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees - the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primates, 113 species of mammals, over 200 species of butterflies and 360 species of birds. The gorillas you track belong to one of nine habituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day.

Tracking the gorillas can take from 2 to 7 hours. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience.

The estimated journey time is 1 hour each way. All three meals will be provided during the day.

Day 12: Return to Kampala or Entebbe

After breakfast at the lodge, you will drive back to Kampala or Entebbe (Airport). As you pass through the equator, there will be a stop for the requisite snapshot and a bit of souvenir shopping. Accommodation for the night is not included in the program.

The estimated journey time to Kampala is 9 hours and to Entebbe 10.

For more information, please contact us:

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Email: info@trek-uganda.com

Phone/WhatsApp: +256775159837

Customizations are possible and always welcomed.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!