12 Day Wildlife, Primate and Cultural Safari
Day 1: Transfer from Entebbe – Kampala cultural city tour – Jinja.
This morning you will be met by your guide who will drive you to Uganda Capital City Kampala, start your tour to the Buganda Kingdom, This is the official residence of the ruling king in Buganda, you will be taken through the amazing history of this kingdom and you will be amazed at how these people of Buganda stood and fought through to make Uganda what it is today, Buganda sits in the capital, Kampala, and much of Uganda’s history flows from Buganda. The tour of the palace is very informative and opens up a lot about Uganda’s history. The major stops here include: The Twekobe, Empukku (Amin’s torture chambers) and Bulange (Buganda parliament). You will definitely feel privileged to see where the great kings of all time in Uganda as a country call home. You will then have lunch in a city restaurant before you are transferred to Jinja; arrive in time or an afternoon boat cruise to the source of the Nile. Retire for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Haven Jinja – click here for more info about your accommodation
Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast
Day 2: Jinja – Sipi Falls.
After breakfast, transfer to Sipi. Arrive in time for lunch and later depart for a coffee tour followed by a hike to Sipi Falls, The falls are in a beautiful crater landscape on the slopes of Mount Elgon (4321 m); traversing the rolling landscapes of eastern Uganda marked by extensive rice fields and sugar cane plantations; not forgetting the natural wetlands that mark the flat undulating sceneries in the area. Arrive in Sipi for lunch and make a beautiful walk to the 3 huge waterfalls. This area is known for its stunning panoramas of the Karamoja plains below and nice hanging valleys. It offers views of the soothing waters and landscapes overlooking; not forgetting plain farmlands in the Bugishu region. Retreat for dinner and overnight. Sipi Falls is notably the highest Waterfall in Uganda; the water falls down for 100 meters.
Accommodation: Sipi River Lodge click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal Plan: Full Board (Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast)
Day 3: Sipi Falls – Kidepo Valley National Park
After breakfast transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park is a 1,442 square kilometres national park in the Karamoja region in northeast Uganda. Kidepo is rugged savannah, dominated by the 2,750 metres Mount Morungole and transected by the Kidepo and Narus rivers. It is one of the best national parks in Uganda with high chances to see lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes and large numbers of buffalo and a home to the Somali Ostrich. You will have your evening game viewing drive before retiring to your lodge for overnight.
Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge – Click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal Plan: Full Board (Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast)
Day 4: Game viewing drive in Kidepo Valley National Park and visit Karamajong Community tour.
After a sumptuous breakfast, undertake a morning game drive encounter in the extensive dry savannah plain lands of Kidepo Valley National Park. The park is one of the most beautiful parks that Africa has ever had and scattered with counts of wild game including; lions, elephants, buffaloes, Rothschild giraffes, cheetah among other wildlife. You drive through the magnificent Narus Valley; where animals tend to flock to quench their thirst from the many water points in this place.
The stretch to Kidepo Valley offers you chances to view an elusive Ostrich. Retreat from the 3 – 4 activity and relax at the lodge for a luxurious lunch. In the afternoon, you embark on the exploration of the Karamajong pastoralist communities with their amazing culture and heritage that characterize these people. They will take you around their traditional home steads, cattle Kraals, calf pens and their cultural Manyattas. You can attend one of their musical performances. Then retreat in the evening for relaxation, dinner and an overnight.
Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge – Click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal Plan: Full Board (Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast)
Day 5: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park.
After breakfast, embark on the trip to Murchison Falls National Park. This is notably the largest national Park in Uganda; perched in a natural rolling savannah vegetation crossed by the mighty Nile River; leaving a permanent natural land mark – Murchison Falls. This is arguably the most powerful falls in the world and noted to be the greatest natural feature to ever happen on the Nile River.
You will drive through the undulating savannah grasslands in Kitgum and Gulu. These are noted to be former hiding grounds of Lord’s Resistance Army with their furious commander Joseph Kony. The area is now war free and you only encounter the remains of the war and meet war survivors still dwelling in the IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps. Some people are still suffering from the post war trauma. Then finally arrive in Murchison Falls National Park in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge – Click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal Plan: Full Board (Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast)
Day 6: Morning game drive, afternoon Nile launch cruise and hike to the top of the falls.
After an early morning cup of tea at the lodge, continue to the park for a morning game drive; which tends to last 3 – 4 hours exploring the park’s attractive wilderness in its authenticity. The activity is carried out in the northern sector of the park. This is a renowned hub where numerous counts of wildlife dwell including; lions, Rothschild giraffes, leopards, elephants, Buffaloes, Jackson Hartebeest, Oribis, and Kobs among others. Return from the activity and head back to the lodge for relaxation and a sumptuous lunch after which you assemble at Paraa Jetty for a thrilling afternoon Nile launch cruise.
Depart at 2pm and head for the bottom of the waterfalls. The boat cruise avails you with opportunities to encounter numerous birds, terrestrial and aquatic species such as; the Nile Crocodiles, Hippos and the elusive shoebill stork; not forgetting other wild game that quench their thirst from the Nile waters during sunny afternoons. The stretch to the bottom of the falls and the eventual hike to the top of the falls soon you are exposed to the thunderous roar of the waters of the Nile, arguably the longest river in the world where it squeezes its self to penetrate through a less than 8m gorge forming a rapid drop of spray marked by a trade mark rain bow as it plunges 43m below to what has been termed as the Devil’s Cauldron. Retire from this rather interesting 3 hour activity for relaxation, dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge – Click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal Plan: Full Board (Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 7: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Today we depart for the home of Chimpanzee in Kibale National Park. Kibale forest is home to 13 species of primates with the main attraction being chimpanzee tracking and bird watching. The journey to this tropical forest passes villages and colorful road markets. Lunch will en route or packed.
Accommodation: Turaco Treetops – click here for more info about your accommodation
Meal plan: Dinner and Breakfast
Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking in their natural habitat
Chimpanzee tracking is a fulfilling adventure that takes you deep in the tropical forests with streams of water and abundant wildlife. You will start with a briefing from the ranger guide about your chimp trek. On your trek, you might have sightings of red-tailed monkeys, black-and white Columbus monkeys, butterflies, and birds calling from the canopies. With the help of your ranger guide, you will locate the chimps. Enjoy picture moments and watch them as they play, groom, and feed. After chimps trekking continues to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Enjoy an afternoon game viewing drive before you retire in your lodge for overnight.
Accommodation: Enganzi Lodge – click here for more info about your accommodation
Meal plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 9: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
After breakfast you will depart your lodge with picnic lunch and have a boat cruise in the famous Kazinga channel, The Kazinga Channel in Uganda is a wide, 32-kilometre long natural channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George, and a dominant feature of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, with one of the world’s largest concentration of hippos and numerous Nile crocodiles, after you will be transferred to Nkuringo sector of Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park.
Accommodation: Lake Mulehe Lodge – Click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 10: Full day community visit and canoe sundowner in Lake Mutanda
Today you will have a full day of community visit, where you will encounter the Batwa community before visiting the popular blacksmith-called Nicholas takes memories to the Stone Age period with the sound of the sheepskin tool emitting air into a charcoal-fired furnace, from where Nicholas the skilled blacksmith attached red-hot metals, and then moulds it into several tools such as machetes, knives, saucepans. You will also visit one of the homesteads, the famous one being Cecilia’s home where you will be welcomed to several traditional grass-thatched hats housing the bedroom, kitchen-with millet grinding stone, cooking pots and distillery for making local banana gin. You will also visit the traditional healer (called Pena) who skillfully uses plants to mix into different herbal powders, ointments and tea for treating a wide range of illness. This Foundation provides assistance to the local artisans and the local Batwa community with its handcraft shop, and also train some of the orphans who perform in traditional dances and songs at the adjacent Lodge. Enjoy a dugout canoe ride at lake Mutanda before retiring to you lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Lake Mulehe Lodge – Click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal plan: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Day 11: Mountain Gorilla trekking
Mountain gorillas are true gentle giants found in Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda. Bwindi impenetrable forestis abounding with life hosting species of birds, butterflies, primates, mammals, and trees. Your ranger guide will guide you to in conjunction with early trackers to the enormous and rare mountain gorillas deep in the jungles of Bwindi. The trekking experience takes anything from on hour (rarely) to about 8 hours to accomplish, you only have one hour with gorillas to capture your finest moment. For those not interested in gorilla tracking can take a community village walk or short guided forest walk. After the gorilla trekking you will be transferred to Lake Bunyonyi for a relaxed afternoon. Lake Bunyonyi is in south-western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale, and it is close to the border with Rwanda.
Accommodation: Bunyonyi Safari Resort – click here for more information about your accommodation
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 12: Depart
After an early breakfast, you will be transferred back to Entebbe international Airport for your outbound flight back home with a brief stopover at the Equator for lunch and enjoy photo session in the northern and southern hemisphere!
Tour includes
- Ground transport in a safari 4 x 4 or a safari minivan
- Gorilla permit fees (US$700.00)
- Chimpanzee permit (US$200.00)
- Park entrance
- All community and cultural visits as per itinerary
- Boat trips as mentioned in the itinerary
- Bottled water in the safari vehicle
- Full board accommodation for two nights
- Service of an English-speaking driver guide
- All mentioned activities except for the optional ones
Tour excludes
- Extras at the accommodation i.e. drinks, telephone, laundry etc.
- Tips to porters and driver/ guide
- Insurance
- Any item of personal nature
- Any service mentioned as optional in the itinerary or not mentioned in inclusion list
Gorilla and chimps trekking tips
- Bwindi impenetrable national park requires hiking, you should pace yourself and drink plenty of water.
- Eating, drinking and smoking near the gorillas is forbidden. Your ranger guide will communicate designated time and place for such.
- We encourage you to carry a rain poncho
- Waterproof walking shoes or hiking boots are essential.
- Gardening gloves for protection against stinging plants
- Long trousers and long sleeved sweaters or shirts while in the forest to avoid insect stings.
- Photography is permitted, although you must not use flash
- Porters are available to help you carry your day pack for a mini