9 days Uganda highlights safari

Itinerary

Day 1 – Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

On arrival, you will be met by our representative and after a small safari briefing about your tour, you will be driven in a comfortable and secure touring vehicle to the extreme South-West in which will take around 8 hours of drive. Lunch will be provided en-route at Mbarara, arriving late in the evening for an overnight and relax at the resort with stunning views of the lake with scattered Islands as you wait for the next day’s adventure.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs – click here for more info about your lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 2 – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorilla Trekking)

After an early morning breakfast at 6:30 am and with packed Lunch you will move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers in a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules at 7:30 am. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 1-8 hours. The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access by tourists. You will stay with Gorillas sometime once sited and transfer back to your lodge for a relaxed afternoon or opt to do a cultural visit to the Batwa community a minority tribe in Uganda that used tom live in the forest before government relocated them so avoid conflicts between them and the gorillas an experience not worthy missing out.

Accommodation: Mahogany Springs – click here for more info about your lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 3 – Bwindi to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park (Game drive)

After a relax breakfast you will set off for Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, this 2 hours drives takes you through the small villages and huge banana plantation, on arrival you will have a game viewing drive en-route to your lodge. Lunch will be served at your lodge followed by an evening game drive in Ishasha sector culminating to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Ishasha Jungle Lodge – click here for more info about your lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 4 – Ishasha to Kazinga Channel (Boat Ride)

After your breakfast you will be taken to Ishasha Sector, famous for the tree climbing lions lounging in the tree branches while keeping a close eye on herds of Uganda kob, their favorite prey. You could have a chance to spot some tree climbing lions after proceeding to your lodge.

In the afternoon you will take a Boat Cruise along the amazing Kazinga channel to see, at close range, the water animals to include Hippos, Buffalos, Crocodiles and elephants bathing on the channel banks. There is also a variety of bird species on the water banks especially the famous Shoebill, pelican and Jacana.

Accommodation: Engazi Game Lodge – click here for more info about your lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 5 – Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park and transfer to Kibale National Park

After breakfast you will take a packed lunch and head for game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park to see Africa’s highly famed “Big 5”, Bush Bucks, Giant Hogs, Antelopes, Waterbucks and plenty of birds. Later in the evening you will be transferred to Kibale Forest National Park.

Accommodation: Turaco Treetops – click here for more info about your accommodation

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 6 – Kibale National Park (Chimp Tracking and Bigodi Swamp Walk)

The activity begins at 8.00 am with a briefing of the rule for trekking the chimpanzees after which you set off to search for them in the forest. Kibale Forest National Park boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including the 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. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will spend an hour with them and then head back to the accommodation for Lunch.

Post Lunch you will be taken for Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary walk this is a guided swamp walk that takes you closer seeing primates mostly monkeys, birds and butterflies. The wetland is a birder’s paradise with about 138 species and is best known for being home to the Great Blue Turaco.

This is a 2.5 – 3 hour walk and is a must for bird lovers. The walk is almost as popular as the Kibale Forest Walk. You will need good walking shoes since part of the walk is sometimes muddy. Hopefully you will spot the elusive Sitatunga antelope and the Shoebill Stork. This is nothing to be missed. You will meet some of the primates here, even a chimpanzee at times. Other primate species include the black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed, l’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, and olive baboons. Also, Bushbucks and mongooses and many more can also be found here. There is also an abundance of butterflies. Bigodi Sanctuary is located outside the park in Magombe Swamp.

Accommodation: Turaco Treetops – click here for more info about your accommodation

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 7 – Kibale National Park to Murchison Falls National Park

After breakfast you will be transferred to Murchison Falls National Park which will take around 7/8 hours of drive, Head straight to tour the Top and bottom of majestic falls, where the Nile crashes through a 7 metres gorge to the falls 45 metres. Numerous scenic viewpoints are a photographers’ delight, The most impressive view of the foaming waters rushing into the gorge with a deafening roar.

Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge – click here for more information about your

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 8 – Murchison Falls National Park (Game Drives and Boat Ride)

You will set off at 6:30 am cross to the northern bank of river Nile head for a sunrise game drive in the Nyamsika plateau to see the Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob, hartebeest and waterbucks. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog and bush pig plus large carnivores including lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodiles and hippos will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee- eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork and the rare shoebill stork.

You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast and some relaxation before setting off in the afternoon for a Boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. En route you will see hippos, crocodiles, water buck and a wide variety of birds including the unusual shoebill stork. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls.

Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge – click here for more information about your lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 9 – Murchison Falls National Park (Visit to top of Falls) to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (Rhino Tracking) to Kampala

After an early morning breakfast, drive to top of Falls and then depart with great memories of the moments spent at Murchison falls, You will be driven to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, after a briefing from the ranger you trek the sanctuary for close to two hours. With Lunch en-route you will be transferred back to Kampala (or Entebbe).

Accommodation: No accommodation pre-booked for you on this day

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch – Dinner on own account

Tour includes

  • Ground transport in a safari 4 x 4 or a safari minivan
  • Gorilla permit fees
  • Chimpanzee permit
  • Park entrance
  • 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 trekking tips

  1. Bwindi impenetrable national park requires hiking, you should pace yourself and drink plenty of water.
  2. Eating, drinking and smoking near the gorillas is forbidden. Your ranger guide will communicate designated time and place for such.
  3. We encourage you to carry a rain poncho
  4. Waterproof walking shoes or hiking boots are essential.
  5. Gardening gloves for protection against stinging plants
  6. Long trousers and long sleeved sweaters or shirts while in the forest to avoid insect stings.
  7. Photography is permitted, although you must not use flash
  8. Porters are available to help you carry your day pack for a minimum fee of $20 or UGX 50,000