15 day classic Uganda adventure safari

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport

Meet and greet at Entebbe International Airport where your Uganda Adventure Safari starts by our representative who will warmly welcome you and facilitate seamless arrival formalities. Your will then be transferred to your hotel where you will be briefed about your adventure safari.

Accommodation: Airport Link

Meal Plan: Bed & Breakfast

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park with stopover for Rhino Tracking

After your early morning breakfast drive northwest to Murchison Falls National Park, you may stopover at the Rhino Sanctuary for an opportunity to trek Rhinos. There are Rhinos which were reintroduced after their extinction in the 1970s through poaching. A local ranger guide will lead you on foot to an up-close encounter with the rhinos and it may take about 1 and half hours. Proceed to Masindi Town for lunch at your expense and later continue to Murchison Falls National Park arriving at your lodge late afternoon.

Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 3: Morning game drives and afternoon boat cruise on the Nile

Arise very early in the morning for your game drive on the northern bank of the River Nile in your open-roof vehicle which will give you an excellent opportunity to view and photograph the diverse wildlife. Your guide will help you spot elephant, lion, cape buffalo, Roth child’s giraffe, hartebeest, waterbuck, oribi, bushbuck, bohor reed buck, hyena and if you are lucky, the leopard.

After lunch, go for a boat cruise upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just few of meters from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’, marvel at the schools of hippos, crocodiles and over the 17km stretch you may see elephant, waterbuck and Uganda Kob.

This is also the zone of many birds, species like goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. After taking shorts of the photogenic Murchison Falls, you may continue to the top of the falls where you will have the amazing view of the falls! See where the Nile -world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Later, return to your lodge and relax in the evening.

Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park

After your morning breakfast,begin your journey to Kibale Forest National Park. Drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside passing through traditional homesteads, farms and Tea Estates. You will arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon.

Check in at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Turacco Tree Tops

Meal Plan: Full board

Day 5: Kibale – Semliki Day Excursion

Depart early after breakfast for the hot springs tour. Enjoy a full day pursuing the Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve, The Park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio[1]diverse forests; one of the few that survived the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago. Your guide will point out and explain the park’s diversity of wildlife and flora and fauna. The Sempaya hot springs are Semliki’s most famous attraction. There’s a “male” spring, known as Bintente, measuring 12m in diameter and is set in a lush swampy clearing.

The “female” spring Nyasimbi, meaning “the female ancestors”, is a boiling geyser (103°C) which spurts bubbling water and steam up to two meters high – the steam cloud can be seen from as far as 2km away. Local residents used to cook their food in these boiling pools.

Crown the day with a visit to the local Batwa community located in Ntandi. The community dancers put on traditional performances for visitors. The visit to the villages has proven to be an interesting cultural experience. The guide will have lunch arranged for you to be served as a picnic while you experience the “Real Africa”. Return to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Turacco Tree Tops

Meal Plan: Full board

Day 6: Morning Chimpanzee tracking and optional Bigodi swamp walk in the afternoon

After breakfast at your lodge, transfer to the starting point of your Chimpanzee tracking experience in Kibale Forest National Park which is reputed to have the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, man’s closest relative. Kibale’s 1450 Chimpanzee represent Uganda’s largest population of this endangered primate. Kibale is also a home to the rare I’Hoest’s monkey. Other primates include the black and white Colobus, Blue monkey, Grey cheeked mangabey, Red tailed monkey, Olive baboon to mention but a few. So you will enjoy a guided nature walk in the tropical rainforest in search of the wild chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many others. Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, visitors stand a good chance of hearing and seeing our distant cousins as they gloom and bond with one another.

After lunch, head to Bigodi for a swamp walk, Bigodi was established by a local development organization to protect the 4sq-km Magombe Swamp that’s home to around 200 species of birds (highlights include papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler and great blue turaco). The highlight of this tour is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco. The swamp is also good for spotting butterflies and primates, with 8 different species here, including grey-cheeked mangabey. The 2-3 hour guided walk is led by experienced local guides who interact with the guests and make the trip both enjoyable and exciting.

Accommodation: Turacco Tree Tops

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National NP and Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel

After breakfast at your lodge before you proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain Range. Your expert driver guide will take you through the game park where you might spot some animals.

Upon arriving at your lodge, you will enjoy a hot lunch and later in the afternoon take aunique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and this launch/cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous, with well over 550 resident species.

Accommodation: Elephant Hub

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 8: Game drive and Afternoon Nature Walk to the bat cave

Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse eco-system of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Have an early morning game drive where you have an opportunity to view the massive Rwenzori as backdrop, which provides excellent opportunities to spot lion, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephant, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, topi and bushbuck. The game drives and the boat trip (taken prior) are memorable methods of discovering a vast array of Ugandan wildlife. Be sure to have your camera ready for these amazing sightings!

Have an afternoon Nature Walk to the bat and hunters cave where we take a close look at the bats, rock python and forest cobras. The same walk will provide a chance of seeing birds, primates, tree species etc. Return to the lodge for dinner and your last overnight stay.

Accommodation: Elephant Hub

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 9:Transfer to Ishasha Sector – Tree Climbing Lions Search

After your early morning breakfast, pack-up your bags and transfer to Ishasha Plains, a Sector in Queen Elizabeth, Enjoy the wilderness and its habitants that are highlighted by Uganda’s Tree Climbing Lions as well as numerous Birds and more Mammals.

Have Lunch and Proceed with another afternoon Search for More mammals or relax at the Lodge.

Accommodation: Enjojo Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 10:Transfer to Bwindi

After your early morning breakfast, pack-up your bags and drive through Ishasha plains for your final visit with the tree climbing lions and other wildlife before heading out of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Bwindi. The drive takes you through the Switzerland of Africa area known as the Kigezi Highlands with its terraced hillside and winding roads to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, arriving in the evening. Check into the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Accommodation: Ichumbi Lodg

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 11: Ultimate Gorilla Trekking

After an early breakfast depart to the starting point for briefing about your gorilla trekking adventure after which you will be led by experienced gorilla trackers on the slopes of the volcanoes. You will start from the site where the gorillas were encountered the day before and from here the gorilla tracking begins. Although the hike can be physically demanding, the anticipation of the exciting experience ahead is amazing, and the beauty of the gorilla forest and its inhabitants are fascinating. One of Africa’s major highlights is when you encounter these gentle apes. It is a humbling experience to stand just meters from man’s distant cousins as they eat rest, play and bond with their young ones. Follow the mountain gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest, and discover their gorgeous natural habitual and the many species they share it with. You are allowed an hour with the gorillas before finally sloping down back to your lodge. If your trek was relatively short, you may have a guided nature walk around the lodge and the surrounding communities in the evening. Return to the lodge where you will enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers before getting a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s safari adventure.

Don’t forget to carry your rain gear, packed lunch, plenty of water, gloves, hat, and water proof bag for protection of your camera in case of rain

Accommodation: Ichumbi Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 12: Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast drive to Lake Bunyonyi which has breathtaking scenery. Spend the night overlooking Uganda deepest lake, where you may try your hand at paddling at dugout canoe, or eating fresh water crayfish.

Accommodation: Bunyonyi Rock Resort

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 13: Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo

After breakfast, at 08.00 hours you will travel to L. Mburo National Park, the smallest National Park of Uganda. Though being small, it has a lot offer!! Centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes its birdlife is very rich. The green acacia woodland harbors wildlife like Zebra, warthog, Eland, Impala, not to mention the lake itself, which is home to schools of hippos and crocodiles!

Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 14: Walking Safari– Afternoon Boat Cruise

After breakfast have a safari walk under the escort of an armed ranger. The Kopjes are particularly interesting with the camouflage kilspringers and topis. Due to cattle herding in the area it is amusing to see zebra grazing alongside the long horned Ankole cattle peaceably. It is exciting to approach wildlife at such close range.

You will arrive at the lodge in time for lunch. Later in the afternoon, enjoy a boat ride on Lake Mburo and get quite close to the croc and hippos. As you return to your Lodge, you may have an evening game drive as you return to your lodge.

Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock

Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 15: Lake Mburo to Entebbe

After breakfast have a safari walk under the escort of an armed ranger. The Kopjes are particularly interesting with the camouflage kilspringers and topis. Due to cattle herding in the area it is amusing to see zebra grazing alongside the long horned Ankole cattle peaceably. It is exciting to approach wildlife at such close range.

Later drive to Entebbe with a stopover at the Equator for water experience, here you will too have an opportunity to stand in 2 hemispheres at the same time. Take some photos, then another stop over at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers where you will be able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using methods passed down through the generations, You will arrive in Entebbe in the afternoon and wait for your Flight Back Home.