14 Days Unforgettable Safaris
Experience Uganda in a comfortable but also adventurous way. All the highlights will be served in this 12-day comfort tour. All lodges have self-contained rooms and are selected for their location and service standards.
HIGHLIGHTS:
All highlights in 14 days
Mid-range & semi-luxury lodging
Gorilla & Chimp permit included!
Day 1: Welcome to Uganda!
Pick up from the airport by a representative of your hotel (Cassia Lodge) and transfer to the accommodation.
Day 2: To Murchison Falls National Park
The journey today goes from Kampala - across Uganda - to Murchison Falls National Park.
Your accommodation for the coming two nights is the Murchison River Lodge.
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park
Get ready for an early wake-up today!
After an early breakfast, you will go out on a game drive to explore the Northern part of the park. Come eye-to-eye with the African animal kingdom: elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions & leopards,
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.
After the boat safari, you will hike to the top of the falls. From here, you have a wonderful view and fantastic photo opportunities!
Optional activity: Rhino Tracking
At the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you have the chance to for a safari hike to the rhinos.
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 of Uganda.
The habituated groups are located in Kaniyo Padibi, where you can go for chimpanzee tracking.
Budongo Forest has incredible biodiversity that – besides the chimpanzee – includes several other species like the Blue Monkeys, Red-tailed Monkeys & Olive Baboons.
Optional activity: Hot Air Balloon Safari
Discover Murchison Falls from the air! Sign up for this optional activity and enjoy a unique experience of flying over Murchison Falls NP in a hot air balloon.
You will have the most amazing views over the river Nile, Lake Albert, the great Murchison Falls and of course, this is the best way to spot lots and lots of animals. You will start early morning, so you will see the sunrise over the park. After your balloon safari, you will have a bush breakfast in the park (inclusive).
Day 4: Travel to Kibale Forest
Today you will begin your journey to Kibale Forest N.P. The long drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda.
A packed lunch is included, which you can join on the way. Spend the late afternoon relaxing and enjoy a lovely view of the forest and its wildlife.
Journey Time 8 hours
Accommodation Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and swamp walk
Today you will experience some serious monkey business! Kibale Forest National Park boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including chimpanzees. Approximately 5,000 chimpanzees live in the wild 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 that live here. 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.
Your swamp walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you with enthusiastic waves. It is usual to spot three to four 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 do the chimpanzee habituation tracking instead of the regular chimpanzee tracking. This will take all day and you will be 100% sure to have a very close encounter with your closest relatives. Book this in time because only 6 persons per day are allowed to go. Your swamp walk can be postponed to the next morning.
Journey Time 15 minutes each way
Accommodation Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan Breakfast and dinner
Day 6:Travel to the Rwenzori mountains
We shall head to Rwenzori mountains national park via the creator lakes area, optional we may do the Toro kingdom tour before we go for dinner and overnight at Ruboni community camp.
Day 7: Walks of Ruboni
Rwenzori/Ruboni explores the Bakonzo community experience in the Mubuku valley in the foothills of the mountain of the moon. Do the village or forest walk and explore the social life of the Bakonzo people like traditional dances, blacksmithing, traditional storytelling and traditional healers. Back to the lodge for lunch and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park for an overnight.
Day 8: Queen Elizabeth National Park
In the morning, you can relax at your lodge. You will then continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth 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 both in and at the entrance to the park. Be prepared for huge numbers of hippos and elephants, and keep your eyes peeled for a leopard lazing in the sunshine.
In the afternoon you will have a game drive in the park. Marafiki Safari Lodge is located at a unique location and has been designed and handcrafted using local materials, fitted by artisans from the local community. Overlooking Lake George in the Queen Elizabeth National Park it offers private safari tents on raised wooden floors and canvas walls that can be rolled up to allow you to sit comfortably watching the Savannah Plains with breathtaking views across the Park and the Rwenzori Mountains. Watch wildlife from your verandah and fall asleep to the roaring of Lions on the distant savannah. This truly is Africa!
Journey Time: 3½ hours
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast and dinner
Day 9: Game drive & boat safari
Today you wake up early. A little before sunrise, coffee, tea and donuts will be served in the lounge before you head out for a long game drive in time to see the first rays of light. You will search for all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across elephants, buffaloes, lions, waterbucks, 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 (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffaloes, crocodiles, bathing elephants, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour.
After the boat safari, you game drive back to the lodge.
Journey Time is depending on the game drive.
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal Plan Breakfast and 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 on each outing is limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and to increase the quality of the experience for visitors.
Optional activity: Kyambura Gorge:
Another optional activity in Queen Elisabeth N.P. 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 the red-tailed monkey, 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: Ishasha area and its tree-climbing lions
After a relaxed breakfast, you will proceed to the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, to the so-called Ishasha area.
Ishasha is home to the famous tree-climbing lions. While lion cubs around the world frequently climb trees for fun, adults rarely do.
The adult lions in Ishasha are an exception to this. It is thought that they sit in the branches to get away from the tsetse flies and to enjoy a cool breeze. If you are lucky you might spot a few during your game drive!
Your accommodation for tonight is the Enjojo Lodge, which is surrounded by acacia forest, lush vegetation with palm trees and scattered grasslands. Find birds, monkeys, and other wildlife around your cottage!
Journey time 2 hours
Accommodation Enjojo Lodge
Meal plan Breakfast and dinner
Day 11: Lake Mutanda/Bwindi
Today you 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 see the great countryside, and bamboo forests and have great views over the Virunga Mountains. For lunch, you will stop at a local restaurant on the road (lunch is not inclusive). Perched on a peninsula in Lake Mutanda in the shadow of the Virunga Mountain Range, Mutanda Lake Resort offers comfortable accommodation combined with the most beautiful views on planet earth. Situated between Kisoro town, Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks the Resort makes a perfect base for gorilla trackers, volcano hikers, bird lovers, as well as for those looking for a secluded place in nature.
Journey Time 7 hours
Accommodation Mutanda Lake Resort
Meal Plan Breakfast and dinner
Day 12: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Forest
Today is the big day… 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.
The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 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. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
Journey Time 1 hour each way
Accommodation Mutanda Lake Resort
Meal Plan Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
Day 13: Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, you will travel to Lake Mburo National Park, one of Uganda’s smallest parks, but certainly not to be underestimated.
It is the only Ugandan national park (besides the Kidepo Valley N.P.) which is home to zebras, elands and impalas, as well as to an abundance of other wildlife - not to mention the lake itself, which is teeming with hippos and crocodiles! Last but not least: The Uganda Wildlife Authority recently brought 15 giraffes from Murchison falls to lake Mburo (1st July 2015)!
The Accommodation for tonight is Rwakobo Rock, a peaceful place with great views just outside the park. The comfortable and spacious cottages are dotted around the hill, all very private and offering great sunset views. At night the sounds of the bush come to life and allow your imagination to run wild. There is a swimming pool too!
Journey time 7 hours
Accommodation Rwakobo Rock
Meal Plan Breakfast and dinner
Optional activity: Night game drive
A night game drive in Lake Mburo national park is absolutely great! You have chances of seeing hyenas, different nocturnal animals and it’s probably your best chance to spot a leopard. Your night safari is either just before dinner or just after dinner and takes about 2 hours.
Day 14: Bush walk, to Entebbe/Kampala
This morning you will go for a bush walk!
Lake Mburo N.P. is one of two parks in Uganda where bush walks with an experienced ranger are permitted. This opportunity should not be missed. From footprints and animal droppings the ranger will be able to tell you which animal has left it and how long ago. It is exciting to approach wildlife at such close range.
Optional activity: Mountainbike Safari:
It’s very exciting to make a safari by mountain bike. Get active and get close to zebra, gazelle, Eland and sometimes even giraffe!
After brunch at the lodge, you will drive back to Kampala or Entebbe (Airport) stopping at the equator for the requisite snapshot and a bit of souvenir shopping.
Accommodation for tonight is not included in the program. If you wish to depart tonight from Entebbe Airport, make sure your flight is at 8 pm or later. If you want us to book one (or more) nights in Kampala and/or Entebbe, please let us know.
Journey Time 5 hours to Kampala / 6 hours to Entebbe
Accommodation Not included
Meal Plan Late breakfast
For more information, please contact us:
Email: info@trek-uganda.com
Phone/WhatsApp: +256775159837
Customizations are possible and always welcomed.
We are looking forward to hearing from you!