2 Weeks -Big 5 Safari Gorilla,Chimp and Wildlife 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: Boma Guest House or Similar
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Day 2: Kampala- Murchison Falls National Park

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 15 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 or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 3: Murchsion Falls National Park- Game Drives and Boat Safari

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 or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 4: Murchison Falls to Kibale Forest National Park

After your morning breakfast, Carry packed lunch from the Lodge and 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: Turracco Tree Tops or Similar
Meal Plan: Full board

Day 5: Chimp Trekking – Afternoon Swamp Walk

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 an optional afternoon 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 blueturaco. 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: Turracco Tree Tops or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 6: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Evening Game Drive

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.

Accommodation: Bush Lodge or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 7:Game Drives – Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel

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!

You will enjoy lunch and later in the afternoon take a unique 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: Bush Lodge or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 8: Ishasha- 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 or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 9: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable National Park

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: Mutanda Lake Resort or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 10: 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.

You may opt for Gorilla Habituation on supplement of $900 per person – here you will be sure of meeting and spending enough time with the Gorillas.
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: Mutanda Lake Resort or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 11: Drive 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: Birds nest Resort or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 12: Leisure Day in Lake Bunyonyi

Wake up and take your breakfast as you prepare for a day full of fun. The first thing to do is enjoy the beautiful sounds of birds in the morning. The lake has an amazing collection of birds including the African harrier, egrets, grey crowned cranes, hawks, herons, levillant cuckoo, Rufus breathed wryneck, weaver birds and the white tailed blue monad among many others.

Take a stroll along the lake shores to spot some of the birds as you wait for the Driver/Guide. Afterwards, you can walk back to the hotel/lodge for lunch before proceeding for a boat ride or canoeing. You will be taken to visit the beautiful islands where you will get even better views of the lake, surrounding areas, rolling hills and terraces. Most of the islands are named after the dominant bird species there. One particular island is known as the punishment island.

The Bakiga tribe living in the area once had a cruel culture of abandoning all girls who got pregnant before marriage in this particular island. They were left there to die since most couldn’t swim.

Most of the girls were eventually rescued by the men who had impregnated them or bachelors who couldn’t who couldn’t pay the bride price required by parents of virgins.

While at the islands, you will interact with the people, visit some of the schools and health facilities. If you are the inquisitive type, you might want to visit the local traditional healer in one of the islands. After you are done with the activities, the boat will bring you back ashore for refreshment and relaxation at the lodge. The evening should be reserved for relaxation and short walks along the lake shores.

Accommodation: Birds nest Resort or Similar
Meal Plan: Full Board

Day 13:Transfer to Entebbe

After breakfast 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 arriving in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Boma Guest House or Similar
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Day 14:Mabamba Swamp Shoe Bill Trek -Departure

You will be picked up in the Morning depending on where you are staying in Kampala or Entebbe. Drive to Mabamba in Buwaya which is about 1 hour, longer if we go birding along the way. Cultivations, gardens, marshes and bush lands that we drive past can provide some good bird sightings.

On arrival our boat man and site guide shall be waiting, we will immediately get into the motorized wooden boats/canoes and begin exploring the water channels to find the Shoebill as first priority. The search will go on to find the shoebill. Local fishermen who go out at dusk may help provide information if they spotted the Shoebill.

After spending time with the Shoebill you will then transfer to the Airport.
Meal Plan; Breakfast