Day 1: Kampala – Murchison Falls NP
Take your breakfast early in the morning as you wait for our company guide who will pick you and transfer you to Murchison falls NP. En route visit Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino viewing before proceeding to Masindi for a lunch stop. Later proceed to enter this Uganda’s largest National park through its southern gate at Kichumbanyobo as you head straight for a walk to the top of the world’s hardest waterfalls where the Nile crushes through a 7 m wide gap between rocks before plunging down 42 m deep into the gorge producing a heavy roar and a rainbow. The falls were named in 1864 by Sir Samuel Baker after the then president of Britain’s Royal Geographical Society, Sir Roderick Murchison, a famous geologist who had believed sub Saharan Africa to be a geologically dull continent in which nothing of interest had occurred for hundreds of millions of years but was proved wrong by this majestic falls and the Rift valley where it flows. The view of this splendid wonder will take you a step back in time when an European Explorer Earnest Hemmingway and his wife crash landed with their charter air craft as they attempted to over fly the falls during their photography safari from Mombasa to Congo. The pilot failed to control the aircraft as it clipped an old telegram wire and crashed into the nearby forest in 1954. They were rescued and taken to Butiaba where their rescue plane crashed on takeoff but lucky enough all survived though with injuries.
Proceed to check in at the lodge of your choice for dinner and overnight
Accommodation:
Paara safari lodge/ Chobe Safari lodge/ Nile safari lodge (luxury)
Pakuba lodge / Sambiya River lodge (Mid range)
Murchison River lodge /Red chili camp site (budget)
Day 2: Game drive and after noon Boat cruise
Take an early cup of coffee and set out for a ferry to cross the northern part of the park for a game drive if you slept in the southern wing. If you slept in the northern part, good for you as you will start a game drive early enough with high chances of seeing the cats like lions, leopards, jackals as well as other carnivores like hyenas as they return from the night hunt. Fascinating sights of a plethora of wildlife that impressed great figures like Winston Church hill and Theodore Roosevelt will mark your day colorful. You will be left in awe at the sight of this park’s endowment that made Winston Church hill in 1907 to describe it as the ‘Great Kew gardens and zoo’ combined on an unlimited scale before his USA counterpart Theodore Roosevelt spent an equivalent of today’s $1.8 m during his hunting safari in Murchison Falls NP in 1909. Common wildlife sightings include buffalo, elephant, kob, gazelle, hartebeest, giraffe, bush buck, bohor reed buck, water buck among others as well as well as an array of bird species including the highest population of the rare shoebill stalk, malachite kingfisher, Abyssinian horn bills, turacos among others. Return to the lodge for a late breakfast as you wait for lunch.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls as you encounter huge numbers of crocodiles, hippos and other wildlife species like elephants, buffalos and a variety of antelopes drinking water along the Nile under the scorching afternoon sun. A variety of birds throng the banks of the river as they sing their sweet melodies that will make you feel the goodness of nature.
Return in the evening for dinner and relaxation at the lodge of your choice (Day 1)
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National park
After breakfast, drive off south wards to Kibale National park. With an en route lunch, proceed with your journey that will pass you through traditional homesteads, businesses, and plantations in this lush country side. Feel free to have mini stops to interact with the locals and learn more to freshen up your long journey. You will later reach Fort Portal in the back drop of the Rwenzori Mountains as you get immersed in the tranquility and hospitality of its people. If time allows, you may take a brief tour to the King’s palace, and later to the scenic area of Nyakasula to view the stalactites and stalagmites known as ‘Amabeere Ga Nyina Mwiru’ that have some cultural explanations that describe their existence. You will then retire to your lodge for dinner and overnight
Accommodation:
Primates Lodge Kibale/ Kyaninga lodge / Ndali lodge (Luxury)
Kibale Forest camp / Chimp’s Nest / Mountains of the Moon hotel (mid range)
Rwenzori guest house/ Chimpanzee guest house / C V K lodge (budget)
Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP
Take breakfast early and gather at the park headquarters for briefing about the adventure by the senior park ranger guide. You will then proceed in search for man’s closest relative of all apes; the chimpanzee with a DNA similar to a human being’s by 98.4 %. Your voyage will be punctuated by sights of other primates like the black and white, red colobus monkeys, blue monkey, red tailed and grey checked mangabey among others. Several bird species will be proudly praising their creator for yet another day in life as other animals like elephants and buffalos move about in search for food.
You will be instructed to be careful and listen attentively for the chimpanzees’ vocal communications in order to locate them. The forest’s 13 primate species is the highest of any single destination in Africa and was branded the primate capital of the world.
You will then return to the park headquarters for a transfer back to your lodge for lunch by your guide. After your lunch, you may first go for a nature walk to the Bigodi wetland sanctuary for more bird and primate watching as well as supporting the local community projects in Bigodi trading center like the Bigodi women projects among others. In the evening, proceed to Queen Elizabeth NP arriving late in the evening for dinner and overnight at your lodge
Accommodation:
Mweya Safari lodge / Katara lodge/ Kyambura game lodge (luxury)
Enganzi lodge / Ihamba safari lodge / Queen Elizabeth Bush lodge (mid range)
Simba safari camp / Kingfisher lodge (budget)
Day 5: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise
A wake up call and an early breakfast as you prepare for a refreshing game drive along the Kasenyi trail to view some of the savanna wildlife you may have missed on the previous game drives in Murchison falls. Bearing in mind that this is the most diversified park in East Africa, with over 100 mammal species, 7 primate species and over 607 bird varieties, look out for as many species as possible. Early raisers and the carnivores like jackals, spotted hyenas, lions and leopards returning from a night hunt can be interesting sights to begin you 2-3 hours search. Return to the lodge as you relax and wait for your lunch.
In the afternoon, set off for a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel anticipating to see crocodiles and hippos trouncing the water. The two hours you will spend on this channel that connects lakes, George and Edward will reward you with sights of several wildlife species like elephants and buffalos as they quench their thirst and cool their bodies in the hot afternoon. Sights of water birds like African skimmer, African fish eagle, pelicans and many others are possible along the channel’s banks.
Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight (Day 4)
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi NP
After your breakfast, drive to the southern sector of the park in the Ishasha plains as you look out for the tree climbing lions resting in the fig trees as they scan the horizons for their next prey. The game drive will captivate you with sights of several antelopes like bush bucks, kobs, gazelles, among others as well as buffalos grazing in the plains. Have lunch there and proceed to Bwindi, arriving in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Gorilla resort / Gorilla Forest camp / Clouds Mountain Gorilla lodge (luxury)
Bakiga lodge/ Engagi lodge / Gorilla valley lodge (mid range)
Wagtail Eco community camp / Buhoma community rest camp (budget)
Day 7: Gorilla tracking
Take an early breakfast and report to the park headquarters with packed lunch for briefing by the senior park ranger guide. Later proceed into this impenetrable forest which is one of the most ancient tropical rain forests that survived through the last ice age. The forest is home to about 10 primate species and a variety of bird and mammal species. The time taken to see the gorillas depends on where they will have spent the previous night and varies between 30 minutes to 8 hours. During your trek, you may also encounter other primates like several monkey species and a variety of birds. Once you capture sight of the gentle giants, you have one hour guaranteed as you observe and watch them play, and interact while taking photos to seal your experience. You will then return to your lodge for dinner and over night. (Day 6)
Day 8: Bwindi – L. Mburo National park
After your breakfast, depart for L. Mburo National park through the magnificent scenic hills of Kabale to reach in Mbarara in time for lunch at Igongo cultural center. You have a chance to explore the Ankole culture at this site before continuing to the park for an afternoon boat cruise on L. Mburo. The boat will reward you with views of hippos and a variety of birds like the papyrus gonolek and others. You may also catch up with other animals drinking water at the lake like the buffalos, bush bucks and water bucks among others. After the cruise, proceed to the lodge for overnight and dinner.
Accommodation:
Rwonyo safari camp / Rwakobo rock cottages / Eagle’s Nest (Budget)
Mburo safari lodge / Arcadia cottages (Mid range)
Mihingo lodge / Mantana luxury tented camp (luxury)
Day 9: Game drive and transfer to Kampala
Start the day with an early breakfast and take a game drive along any of the tracks in the park with hopes of sighting a variety of wildlife as you bid farewell to Uganda’s wildlife. Look out for the park’s endemics like the impala that can’t be sighted anywhere else in the country, zebra which is only here and in the far off Kidepo NP as well as the semi- aquatic Sitatunga. You may also spot a lion which has been recently sighted as well as the elusive leopard. L. Mburo National park is one of the parks where wildlife can be viewed easily at a close range and is the only of its kind in Uganda where one can explore the park on a horse back. Return to the lodge to pick your luggage as you set off for Kampala. En route stop at the Equator for experiment and photography, you may have lunch there and buy some souvenirs before proceeding to Kampala. You will arrive in the evening to be dropped off at either your hotel or airport depending on your travel schedule.
End of Tour;