10 Days Uganda Safari

• A game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
• Visiting the top of the Murchison Falls
• A launch Cruise along the river Nile to spot wildlife
• Tracking Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park
• Visiting the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary during a Nature walk
• Two game drives in Queen Elizabeth National park
• A Boat cruise along the famous Kazinga channel
• Observing tree climbing lions
• Gorilla tracking in Bwindi forest
• An encounter with the Batwa people
• A game drive in Lake Mburo National Park
• A boat cruise on Lake Mburo
• Visiting the Equator crossing point

Day 1: Head to Murchison Falls National Park – Stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Visit the top of the falls

Day 2: Game drive and a Boat cruise along the Nile

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest – Visit the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale –  Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 5: Morning Game drive – Launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel

Day 6: Nature Walk in Maramagambo forest and the Kyambura Gorge

Day 7: Game drive to see tree climbing lions – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Day 8: Gorilla Tracking – Visit the Batwa in Bwindi

Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park – Afternoon boat cruise

Day 10: Morning game drive – Return to Kampala or Entebbe

Day 1: Head to Murchison Falls National Park – Stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Visit the top of the falls

The office driver will pick you up early in the morning to start the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The Guide/Driver will brief you about the tour before starting the journey to Uganda’s largest national park. Murchison Falls National Park is home to 76 species of mammals and over 450 of birds. Before reaching this amazing park, you will have stops in several small towns and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The Ziwa Rhino sanctuary was established to protect the last remaining rhinos of Uganda. Uganda was once Rhino country with over 1,000 individuals roaming some of the large national parks. Uncontrolled poaching wiped them out and the few remaining white rhinos where taken to the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. The vast sanctuary now has over 30 individuals and there is a plan to re-introduce them in the national parks. The Ziwa rhino sanctuary is one of the best places in the world to learn about Rhino conservation.

After spending time with the white rhinos at the sanctuary, you will have lunch in Masindi town and the proceed to the park. The driver will take you straight to the top of the Murchison falls. Watch as the river Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge before dropping in a thunderous roar leaving behind a beautiful rainbow. After observing one of Africa’s most breathtaking falls, you will be taken to your lodge for a shower, refreshments, relaxation and rest.

Accommodation Options: Heritage Safari Lodge (Budget), Fort Murchison Lodge (Mid-range) and Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury).

Day 2: Game drive and a Boat cruise along the Nile

Wake up early and prepare for an eventful day within the park. The driver/Guide will show up after your breakfast and take you for an early morning game drive. Murchison Falls National Park is vast but there are specific areas with a high concentration of wildlife. Expect to spot lions, giraffe, hyenas, elephants, buffaloes and countless antelopes. After the game drive, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and rest.

In the afternoon, the driver will take you for the afternoon boat cruise along the river Nile. This is where you will meet other tourists and get to experience the unique biodiversity surrounding this part of the Nile river. Expect to observe hippos, crocodiles, elephants, water bucks, birds and so much more. The boat cruise ends at the bottom of the falls hence offering you different views and experiences.

Accommodation Options: Heritage Safari Lodge (Budget), Fort Murchison Lodge (Mid-range) and Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury).

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest – Visit the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary

Wake up at your own convenient time, take breakfast and wait for the Tour Guide to pick you up for the long journey to Fort Portal. As you drive to Fort Portal, take time to enjoy the beautiful scenery and countryside. You will bypass small towns, districts, rivers, lakes, forests and local peasants doing business or tending to their farms. Lunch will be in the town of for Portal before continuing your journey to your hotel while marveling at the majestic views of the Rwenzori ranges of mountains.

After check-in and a shower, the driver will take you for a guided nature walk along the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. This sanctuary is home to over 10 species of primates and an amazing collection of birds. It is an excellent opportunity to mingle with the local people and learn about a local project for women in the area.

Accommodation Options: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (Budget and Mid-range) and Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury).

Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Chimpanzee trekking starts early in the morning with a compulsory briefing. With that knowledge in mind, ensure that you wake up early enough for breakfast and prepare for the challenging task of tracking the chimps. Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest relatives to humans. They are more intelligent than gorillas but gorillas could be thought of as wiser. There are 4 habituated chimpanzee groups in Kibale. It is said that there is no better place to observe wild chimpanzees in the world than at Kibale National Park. Moreover, you also get to also observe an amazing collection of birds, 12 other species of primates (L’Hoest’s monkey, red-tailed monkeys, Uganda Mangabeys, coppery-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others), forest mammals, ancient forest, insects and more. Chimps are very mobile and spend a lot of time on top of trees. You may need to keep following them to get the best photos. Once you have completed observing the chimps, you will go back to the hotel for lunch and then begin the 2-hour drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Accommodation options: Bush Lodge (Budget), Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-range) and Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).

Day 5: Morning Game drive – Launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel

Wake up early for another eventful day and take breakfast. If time doesn’t allow, you can park the breakfast and go with it for the morning game drive along the Kasenyi tract. The morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park provides opportunities to spot buffaloes, lions, elephants, birds, antelopes, hyenas and the occasional leopard. Queen Elizabeth stands out from the Serengeti and Masai Mara because of the beautiful landscape. It remains relatively green even during the dry months of the year. The Kasenyi sector is found in open ground which help attract big game and hence excellent for wildlife viewing. As we already mentioned earlier, the park is blessed with amazing natural features as a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. The formation of the great East African Rift Valley and other earth movements left behind giant crater lakes, forests, savannah grasslands, woodlands and underground gorges.

After observing the wildlife and unique scenery, you will head back to the lodge for lunch. The afternoon boat cruise at the Kazinga Channel starts at 2:00pm. This channel connects Lake Edward to Lake George and has one of the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. A boat cruise along the channel offers tourists an opportunity to observe park animals like hippos, crocodiles and an amazing collection of birds (African fish eagles, Great White Pelicans, Great cormorants and African spoonbills). It can turn out to be the highlight of your tour of the park especially if you visit during the dry season.

Accommodation options: Bush Lodge (Budget), Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-range) and Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).

Day 6: Nature Walk in Maramagambo forest and the Kyambura Gorge

Wake up for heavy breakfast and wait for the driver to come and take you to Maramagambo forest. The Guided walk in Maramagambo is designed to allow participants observe birds, primates, butterflies, moths, pythons and bats. The primate species to look out for are baboons, wild chimpanzees, Red-tailed Monkeys, L’hoest’s monkey, Black and white Colobus among others. The bats and pythons can be observed from a safe viewing point. The pythons frequent the caves to feed on bats and can be seen waiting for their next meal. The driver will take you back to the lodge for lunch and rest after visiting Maramagambo forest.

Later in the afternoon, you will visit the famous Kyambura Gorge. This underground forest was formed millions of years ago. After the formation of the great East African Rift Valley, secondary faulting occurred on its floor resulting into this gorge. The forest inside the Kyambura gorge is home to an incredible collection of birds and mammals. Chimpanzees are the key attractions but tourists can also spot hippos, elephants, birds and smaller primates inside the gorge.

Accommodation options: Bush Lodge (Budget), Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-range) and Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).

Day 7: Game drive to see tree climbing lions – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Wake up at 9am and take breakfast and you wait to start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The driver will take you for another game drive in the Ishasha sector of the park on your way to Bwindi. The main aim of the game drive is to see the famous tree climbing lions in Ishasha.  The area is not only home to lions but also the Uganda Kob, elephants, buffaloes and many other species of antelopes. The best time to spot the lions is at mid-day. They love to spend their time on top of trees around this time to escape from the afternoon heat.

After observing the lions, the journey continues to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with lunch along the way. Bwindi is home to 27 species of frogs, 400 of plants, 120 of mammals and over 350 of birds. The forest covers an area measuring 331 square kilometers. The journey to your lodge in Bwindi will be very eventful especially if you love nature and beautiful scenery. Expect to drive past vast banana plantations, tea plantations, endless forest and valleys.

Accommodation Options: Rushaga Camp (Budget), Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range) and Buhoma lodge (Luxury).

Day 8: Gorilla Tracking – Visit the Batwa in Bwindi

This will be an eventful day and you need to wake up at around 6am. As you take breakfast, request the hotel to prepare for you parked lunch just in case the activity goes on past mid-day. The driver will take you to the park offices so that you are in time for the briefing which starts at 7:30am. The briefing covers everything there is to know about gorilla trekking including the gorilla groups in the sector, history of the forest and what to expect. After the briefing, you will be assigned a gorilla family along with 7 other travelers. The Park Guides will offer you a hiking stick and a chance to hire porters to help you with any heavy luggage/cameras. After everyone is assembled, you will begin tracking the primates.

Gorilla trekking can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the gorilla family you are tracking and their location on the day of the trek. Once you get to them, you are allowed only one hour of observation. Use this time to study the group and individual members. Do not forget to take some videos and photos or else no one will know that you ever took part in such a fascinating activity.

After spending time with the primates, you will be led back to the starting point for your certificate of participation. You will find our office Guide waiting to take you back to the hotel for lunch and rest. Late in the afternoon, you will be taken to visit the Batwa pygmies of Bwindi. The Batwa where the original inhabitants of the forests in Bwindi, Mgahinga, the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga in Congo. Most were forced out of the forests but without compensation or proper adjustment to the modern life. The nature walk will offer you an opportunity to learn about their ancient ways of life and the struggles to adapt to modern life outside the forest.

Accommodation Options: Rushaga Camp (Budget), Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range) and Buhoma lodge (Luxury).

Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park – Afternoon boat cruise

After taking breakfast, you will leave Bwindi for Lake Mburo National Park. The journey to Lake Mburo National Park takes you through an area known as the “Switzerland of Africa”. Expect to drive past the beautiful looking terraced hills, valleys and vast banana plantations. Lunch will be in Mbarara town before continuing to the park. Lake Mburo National Park covers an area of about 371 square Kilometers. The park is blessed with over 335 species of birds, Zebras, buffaloes, impalas, reedbucks, warthogs, leopards, oribi, topis, eland and waterbucks among many other creatures. You will arrive in time to catch the 2-hour afternoon boat cruise in Lake Mburo to see water birds, hippos, zebras, crocodiles and most of the park animals drinking or bathing by the shores.

Accommodation Options: Mihingo lodge (Upper Market), Rwakobo Rock (Mid-range) and Rwonyo Rest Camp (Budget).

Day 10: Morning game drive – Return to Kampala or Entebbe

After yesterday’s boat cruise, the activity today will be a standard game drive to spot the park animals and marvel at the unique savannah vegetation. The morning game drive starts after breakfast and by the end of it all, you would have spotted zebras, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, hyenas, buffaloes and a leopards or two if you are lucky. Lake Mburo is one of the few parks in Uganda where you can go for walking safaris, horseback safaris or game viewing using Quad bikes. If you don’t want the game drive using a car, you can let us know so that you can go for the other game viewing options.

After the morning game drive, you will start the journey back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport. The driver will stop at the equator crossing for lunch as you also get an opportunity to take photos of yourself with your legs stepping on two of the earth’s hemispheres. If you don’t have an evening flight, the driver can also stop at the Centre for the Buganda Royal Drum Makers. The Centre collects some of the finest drum makers in Buganda. They make giant ceremonial drums for traditional occasions and even churches.

End of Tour

What is Included?

The 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari package includes: –

1. Transport in a standard Safari Vehicle
2. Fuel and a Driver
3. Lunch and Bottled drinking water while traveling
4. Game drives including one to see tree climbing lions
5. Gorilla Permits
6. Chimpanzee Permits
7. Boat Cruises
8. A Cultural Encounter with the Batwa
9. Accommodation for 9 nights

What is not included?

The 10 Days Uganda Tour doesn’t include Air tickets, Visas, Insurance and Personal Expenses (Expensive Wines, Laundry, Tips to staff or cigars).

For the best wildlife experiences, June to August and Late November to February are excellent for visiting in Uganda. June to September are considered peak seasons for safaris and you need to be book your tour and gorilla permits in advance.

The low season is in March to May and also October to November. They are rainy seasons and hence not excellent for game viewing and gorilla trekking. The park roads get slippery, forest paths become dense and the rains may reduce the quality of game drives. The congregation of animals in waterholes is also less because there is plenty of food/water. However, the rainy season has less visitors and the luxury hotels tend to reduce their prices. If you wish to have a more private safari, then you should visit during the low season.

Note: Uganda can be visited throughout the year and there is nothing to stop you coming whenever an opportunity arises. With the current global warming, the rains can appear at any time of the month and the dry season sometimes appears in months where everyone is expecting rain. Gorilla trekking is done throughout the year and nothing (including rain) stops the activity.

Camera and a pair of binoculars: Your family, colleagues and friends will never know about your amazing experience in Uganda if you have nothing to show for it. Remember to travel with a good camera and a pair of binoculars. Flash cameras are not allowed for gorilla trekking.

Water: This is very important whenever you go out for game drives, gorilla/chimpanzee trekking and any other day activities. Uganda can be hot during the day especially if you are traveling during the dry season. Your body will require a lot of water. Ensure that you travel with water filtration tablets or accept the mineral water available in our tour vans.

Long Shirts and Trousers: The forest in Bwindi, Maramagambo and Kibale consist of thick undergrowth. You will need long-sleeved shirts and trousers to protect you against sharp tree branches and insects.

Socks and Gloves: These will help you tuck in the trousers and shirts to avoid crawling insects. Gardening gloves are perfect for grabbing leaves and tree branches as you find your way through the dense forests. They will also protect your feet and hands from thorns found in the savannah.

Hiking Boots: Sturdy hiking boots are important for forest trekking and nature walks. Ensure that they are waterproof and comfortable. The forest trails and park roads are often mud-filled during the rainy season.

Rain Jacket: Do not forget to carry a rain jacket regardless of which month you plan to travel. Bwindi Impenetrable forest receives some rain throughout the year. Global warming also means that the rains can appear at any time of the year.

Light Snack: Light snacks are important when tracking gorillas and chimpanzees. You can ask the hotel to prepare something for you when you are going out for morning activities.

Rwonyo Rest Camp: This budget lodge is found close to one of the entrances to Lake Mburo National Park (Nshara gate). The distance between the lodge and the park offices is just 2 kilometers. Rwonyo is built as a campsite (wooden hats and tented camps) and is owned by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The lodge is constructed using local material (wood, thatched grass and local Ugandan art) and is unique from all accommodation facilities in the area. The local material used helps attract wild animals to the camp hence offering visitors a chance to see them up-close. The wooden hats have shared showers but the tented camps have their own showers (self-contained). The tented rooms are built on an elevated platform and completely self-contained with great views of the park animals (warthogs, impala etc.). Meals are prepared by professional chefs and cater to the needs of both vegetarians and those who love meat. Book with Rwonyo Rest Camo if you want an affordable accommodation facility that can bring you close to nature.

Enganzi Lodge: Enganzi is a popular budget lodge found in Queen Elizabeth National park. It is built on a hill bordering the park and hence offers amazing views of the savannah grasslands below it. The lodge offers 7 self-contained cottages that provide that feeling of being out in the African wilderness. One can choose a single, double, twin or triple room arrangement. The lodge has laundry facilities, an indoor fireplace, a large parking space, barbecue, a restaurant and well-stocked bar. Enganzi is an excellent starting point for game viewing, nature walks and bird-watching. It provides quality facilities that rival some mid-range lodges.

Buhoma Lodge: This is one of the best luxury lodges in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It was built in 2005 to offer tourists the ultimate comfort while on a gorilla trekking expedition. Each room is built differently but with the same quality, spacious and luxury. The building materials were sourced locally and every effort have been made to ensure that it is a true Eco-friendly lodge. Apart from the amazing views of the dense Bwindi Forest National Park, the lodge attracts some gorilla groups to its premises on certain days. If you are lucky, this could turn out to be a great treat and addition to what you experience while out tracking them. Every room has a private verandah with large windows to allow you observe birds, butterflies and other forest creatures. Beds are as comfortable as they can get but the lodge also has en-suite bathrooms with a hot shower and flushing toilet. There is a local bar serving local and international drinks. Food is prepared fresh and to international standards. Buhoma Lodge also boosts of some of the friendliest and professional staff in Bwindi.