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14 breakfasts, 14 lunchs and 13 dinners
Meet and greet at 7 am in Kampala or Entebbe.
Transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Driving to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary will take around 3 hours, and this is where you will enjoy a walking safari with rhinos. The sanctuary was established to reintroduce rhinos in Uganda’s wild areas – and give them a truly wild ecosystem where they roam free.
Continue to Murchison Falls National Park.
After seeing the rhinos, you will continue to the nearby Masindi town for lunch. You will reach Murchison Falls with enough time to visit the top of the falls and enjoy the golden hour. Here you will get to see the waters of the Nile as they squeeze through a narrow 7-metre gap to produce the world’s strongest falls. You will be feeling the strength of the falls from under your feet.
After your first moment with the falls and some photography, you will go to your lodge for relaxation and an overnight stay.
Breakfast Early Morning:
You will start the day early with breakfast and then go for your wildlife game drive.
Morning Gamedrive:
During the game drive, you will see many animals, such as giraffes, antelopes, lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, hippos, and hundreds of bird species. The game drive takes a couple of hours, after which you return to the lodge for a break and lunch.
Boat Ride on Victoria Nile
After lunch, you will go for a boat safari upstream of the calm Victoria Nile. En route, marvel at the toothsome hippos and crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch where you may also see elephants, waterbuck and Uganda Kob besides the Nile.
This is also a zone of many bird species like the Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. The boat will stop just a few metres from the sinister, frothing and bubbling base of the falls.
Back to Lodge
You will then return to the starting point, and this time the water’s direction will make the cruise take half the time. Your guide will be waiting to take you back to the lodge.
After your breakfast, you will leave Murchison Falls and drive south to Fort Portal Town. This drive will take you around 5 hours through lush countryside, farms and small towns.
You will reach Fort Portal in time for lunch, after which you will proceed for 30 minutes to your lodge near Kibale National Park.
Early Morning Breakfast
After breakfast, you will go for a chimp tracking briefing by the park officials and then proceed to start your search for chimpanzees in the forest.
The tracking is led by an experienced ranger who will provide detailed information about the chimps, other primates, and the entire ecosystem of the forests – making your walk enjoyable and insightful.
Upon meeting the chimpanzees, you will spend about 1 hour with them before heading back to the starting point of your hike. The whole experience takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on the pace of the group and the movement of the chimps.
In the afternoon you will visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary to see smaller mammals and primates – such as the rare red colobus monkey and the sitatunga. The guide circular trail offers great opportunities to see up to 6 primate species and many birds in a short period.
In the morning, you will leave Kibale and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, 2 hours away.
You will reach Queen Elizabeth in time for a game drive in the park and lunch.
Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain range for much of the journey. A game drive en-route may be rewarded with views of lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, hyena, and a variety of antelope species.
In the evening, you will go for a relaxing 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel – and into Lake Edward. This will take you through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and many animals will be seen drinking at the water’s edge. The launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing.
Today, you will get to explore the park’s expanse by enjoying two game drives. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse eco-systems of grassy plains, tropical forests, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters, home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.
Game drives in this park provide an excellent opportunity to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, buffalo, elephants, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, hyenas, and hippos.
These two game drives are a great of discovering the abundant wildlife, birds and stunning landscapes in Uganda’s most popular safari park.
Today, you will leave Queen Elizabeth and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Driving from the hot rift valley floor to the high altitude Kigezi highlands is quite the experience. From the steep (and yet cultivated) hills with winding roads, you will attest to why many people refer to Kigezi as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’.
In Bwindi, the temperatures will be much cooler (even cold) and you will check into your accommodation. You can relax around the lodge or take a leisurely visit to the nearby communities to meet the locals and interact.
You will rest for the night as you have to wake up early the next day for gorilla tracking.
After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the park offices for a briefing about gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will be assigned the gorilla family and experienced ranger guide to lead your gorilla tracking experience.
The rangers are experienced and know the forest very well and will lead your hike to see the gorillas. Your hike goes through dense untamed rain forest, steep slopes and simple trails and it can take 2-8 hours depending on how the gorillas move around.
During your gorilla trek, the rangers will share a lot of information and insights about the gorillas and the forest. You can ask any questions you have and they will answer you.
Upon meeting the gorillas, you will spend 1 hour with them, watching them play, eat, groom and go about their day. You will ask more questions, get to take pictures and take in the moment of peace among the gorillas.
After your time with gorillas, you will hike back to the starting point for your gorilla trekking certificate.
You will go back to the lodge to refresh and relax for the rest of the day.
After breakfast, you will leave Bwindi and transfer to the nearby Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga is nearby and you will have a lovely drive to enjoy the stunning views on your way. You will reach the lodge in time for lunch and an afternoon of rest and relaxation.
Today is another day for you to see gorillas in the wild, but this time in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
While the briefing and trekking procedures are similar to those of Bwindi, which you have already experienced, the terrain is different and the gorillas are totally different too.
The terrain in Mgahinga is a bit easier than that of Bwindi, and the bamboo forests give even better opportunities for photography.
After spending 1 hour with the gorillas, you will come down the mountain and back to your lodge for some time to relax and rest.
After breakfast, you will leave Mgahinga to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale – some 2 hours away.
Lake Bunyonyi is a popular destination for relaxing and you will reach in time for lunch – the rest of the day being free for relaxation.
After breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park. You will drive through the countryside, descending from the highlands of Kabale to the lower areas Ntungamo and Mbarara.
You will stop for lunch in Mbarara and then continue to Lake Mburo National park, arriving in time for a boat cruise around the lake for a view of hippos, crocodiles, and other animals and birds around the shores.
From the boat, you will have a short game drive as you head to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
After breakfast, proceed for a game drive and a safari walk under the escort of an armed ranger.
Among the animals you will see in Lake Mburo are zebras, giraffes, antelopes, elands, buffaloes, hippos, hyenas, and over 100 species of birds.
The leisurely pace of a walking safari also provides excellent opportunities for the keen photographer.
Due to cattle herding in the area, it is amusing to see zebra grazing alongside the long-horned Ankole Cattle.
In the evening, we shall take you to visit the Bahima and their Ankole cattle for a first-hand experience in their traditional ways of keeping cattle. From details like naming the cows, milking, grazing, and utilizing the animal products, you will learn about the special place these cows hold, and get some hands-on experience from the locals.
After your cattle-keeping experience, you will go to the lodge for overnight stay and relaxation.
For the final day, you will have an early start with a guided nature walk under the escort of an armed ranger. Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, with many animals to see and even close encounters with the zebras and giraffes of the park.
You will return to the lodge for breakfast and then transfer to Entebbe for your flight. On the way to Entebbe, you will have enough time to stop for some photography at the equator.
Here are some important things to know about tracking gorillas or chimps in Uganda and Rwanda.
Although nearly all of the trip’s featured activities are gentle if examined separately, the full range of activities requires a moderate amount of stamina in order to get the most out of your vacation.
Here are some general safari packing recommendations to consider. Your agreed itinerary will have recommendations based on your trip and schedule.
Both Rwanda and Uganda have simple to use online visa self-service portals where you can apply and get your visa in a few days. At Safari Archive, we normally help our visitors with the visa application process upon booking confirmation.
All our safari packages can be customized and personalized to fit your budget, preferences and schedule. You can start the process through an already existing safari which is speaking to you – but not quite fully, and we shall tailor that trip to your wishes.
You can also directly reach out for us and request for a custom safari, and we shall work closely with you, start from scratch and build a safari that is 100% you.
