Safari Overview
This 10 Days Best of Uganda Photography safari is aimed at giving you the best of Uganda as it exposes you to the best wild encounters Uganda has to offer. While on this Ugandan safari journey, expect to enjoy memorable encounters with Uganda’s wild mammals as you are set to visit national parks such as Murchison falls National park and Queen Elizabeth park which are home to a myriad of savanna wild mammals. Further still you have will have a chance to enjoy a close encounter with chimpanzees as you are set to visit Kibale national park which is the primate capital of the world with 13 primate species calling this park their home. The epitome of this safari will be a memorable encounter with the gentle giants the mountain gorillas as you will get to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National park which is home to these shy primates.
Safari Highlight
Day 1: Arrival and Pick up from Entebbe airport then transfer to a hotel in Entebbe
Day 2: Day will have you visit Mabamba swamp for shoe bill tracking and also a city tour in the afternoon for photography
Day 3: Transfer to Murchison Falls Park with a visit to Ziwa rhino sanctuary and a hot lunch at Kabalega dinners
Day 4: Engage in a morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise with a hike to the top of the falls
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park with a hot lunch in Hoima
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale and visit Bigodi community and drive to Queen Elizabeth Park
Day 7: Moring game drive in Kasenyi or optional Lion tracking and an afternoon boat cruise
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi via Ishasha for possible sighting of the tree climbing lions
Day 9: Enjoy gorilla sightings as you do gorilla habituation. In the evening you can do an optional Batwa community visit.
Day 10: Transfer to Kihihi airstrip and fly to Entebbe airport where your safari ends from.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and pick up from airport and transfer to hotel
The first day of this safari will have arrive in Uganda and you will be picked up by one of our friendly guides who will warmly welcome you to the pearl of Africa. You will then transfer to your already booked hotel in Entebbe where you will relax from your jet lag. If your flight lands in the afternoon or early in the evening, you will have a welcome dinner at the lodge before you get to rest off the jet lag.
Accommodation: Karibu Guest house
Meal Plan: breakfast & Dinner
Day 2: You will transfer to Mabamba swamp and search for the elusive shoebill then in the afternoon you go to Kampala for photography of the local market.
Day 2 will have wake up at around 7am local time and have breakfast then transfer to the jetty and take a speed boat to Mabamba swamp and kick start your search for the shoebill stork that are found in this swamp. This bird is a bit shy and that’s what makes its hunt more thrilling. You will spend about 3 hours traversing the water ways of this swamp and you will see these birds. From here you will return to the lodge for a lunch break at your own cost. After lunch you will be driven to Kampala which is 40km or 1hrs drive away from Entebbe. You will visit some of the busiest local markets such as Nakasero which will give you an opportunity to see how the locals go about their daily routines which includes sale, local modes of transport, watch out for boda boda riders which will stun with their crazy riding skills. You can capture the lives of Ugandans with many photographs as you can. You will return to Entebbe late in the evening and go to your lodge for dinner at your own cost before you go to bed.
Accommodation: Karibu Guest house
Meal Plan: breakfast
Day 3: Transfer to Murchison falls Park with enroute rhino trekking
Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park which promises to give you thrilling encounters with a myriad of Uganda’s wildlife. Along your journey, you will make a stop over at Ziwa rhino sanctuary where you will have an encounter with the rhinos is assured as this sanctuary is home to an ever-growing number of rhinos. You will have an enroute lunch at Kabalega dinners. The journey to Murchison Falls Park from Entebbe will last anywhere between 7-9hours given you will have an enroute stop at Ziwa.
Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise
Today you will engage in a stunning morning game drive in Murchison falls National Park and this will give a face to face encounter with the dwellers of this park such as 4 of the Africa’s big five lions, African elephants, leopards and cape buffaloes among many others like giraffes and a multitude of birds. In the afternoon you will enjoy a mind-blowing boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison falls and the thunderous roar from these falls will surely let you know why they are referred to us the world’s strongest water falls. From here, you will hike to the top of these magnificent falls where you will be able to take numerous pictures in order to immortalize your visit forever.
Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale N.P
This day will see you transfer to Kibale National park with an enroute lunch in Hoima. Kibale Park lies about 310km or 6-7 hours’ drive through rural Uganda which is quite fascinating for a first-time traveler in this country.
Accommodation: Isunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Trekking Chimpanzees and Bigodi wetland walk
On this day, you will have a chance to have an upclose encounter with the man’s closest wild cousin the chimpanzees as you engage in an exciting chimpanzee trekking experience as Kibale national park is home to these humbling primates. After your encounter with Chimps, you visit Bigodi for a community walk in the evening that will expose you to the way of life of the people living next to these chimps. Later in the evening, you will do a 1.5-2 hours drive to Queen Elizabeth park. As you drive Queen Elizabeth Park, you will see the foot hills of Rwenzori mountain which gives birth to Rwenzori National Park. Rwenzori mountain is home to the 3rd, 4th and 5th highest peaks in Africa hence it’s a highly sought out destination for hiking tourists.
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Moring game drive and an afternoon boat cruise (optional lion tracking)
This day will see you being exposed to what Queen Elizabeth national park has to offer. You will kick off with an early morning game drive where you meet more of Uganda wildlife mammals which include lions, Cape buffaloes, African elephants Topis Bush bucks. You can also choose to engage in an optional lion tracking session in the morning, this session guarantees your chances of sighting the lions of Queen Elizabeth as you will be following rangers who will be tracking lions which have been fitted with GPS collars hence their positions are always monitored and known. In order to participate in this event each person pays 200$. In the afternoon enjoy another round of thrilling boat ride as you get to cruise the Kazinga channel and this comes with numerous encounters with hippos, more grassland wild animals and a myriad of bird species as this park is home to 600 bird species.
Optional activity: Lion tracking – 200$ per person
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi
Day 8 will have you transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable park which is home to the biggest primates on earth the giant mountain gorillas. Enroute to the Bwindi you will have a chance to see the famous tree climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth that are usually sighted in the Ishasha sector.
Accommodation: Ichumbi gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Gorilla habituation and optional visit to the Batwa
This day you will get you to actually meet the gorillas as you engage in a memorable gorilla habituation experience which will have you meet these gentle giants in their natural habitat. The beauty of gorilla habituation that enables you to spend 4 hours with these shy apes. You will spend the 4 hours observing these majestic creatures in order to have an understanding their habits which aren’t far from our own. In the afternoon after returning from the trek, you can decide to do an optional visit to the Batwa. The Btwa are the original inhabitants of Bwindi and while with they will take you through how they used to live in perfect harmony with these giant apes. You will also be treated to a thrilling Batwa cultural music performance and feel free to join in in the merry as you groove to these African beats and rhythms. To undertake this activity you will need to pay $30 per person and the guides will help you arrange it.
Option activity: Batwa community visit – $30 per person
Accommodation: Ichumbi Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Transfer to Kisoro airstrip and fly back to Entebbe
This is the final day of your safari with us and you will wake up early for breakfast, then transfer to Kisoro airstrip and fly to Entebbe airport with the flight lasting about an 1 hour. Upon landing at Entebbe, you will be received by our guide who will drive you to a restaurant in Entebbe and have a farewell lunch before you go back to the airport for your departure flight back home or your next destination.
The price for safari
For the 8pax US$ 4799 per person in a double /twin room
Single room supplement of US$339 per person for anyone staying in a single room
For the 2 Tour leaders US$ 3,879 per person in a twin room
Tour Inclusions
Safari Exclusions
