On this safari, you have a chance to visit the 10 national parks of Uganda and the nearby attractions. Also, take a visit to the source of the might River Nile, Mabira falls in central Uganda, take part in visiting the local communities like the Karamajongs, Bakiga, Batooro, Bagishu, and Batwa among others.
Activities engaged in are Primate trekking, boat cruises, game drives, community tours hiking and nature walks, ballooning, city tour among other. The safari will expose to spot of the big five animals, big cats and other bird species. Enjoy nature such as lakes, hills waterfalls among others.
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to the hotel in Kampala
On arrival, a driver-guide assigned to you will transfer you to the hotel in Kampala after a short briefing, in case you arrive early. Have an optional city tour around Kampala where you will visit the local markets of Nakasero and Owino, then visit the national museum and in case you don’t have Primate trekking permits, this is a great way to acquire them. Thereafter retire at the hotel.
Day 2: Road trip to Jinja (visit Sezibwa falls and Mabira forest en-route)
Take a road trip to Jinja after breakfast where you will have en route stopovers as you visit the different attractions like Sezibwa falls in Mukono District which have a cultural attachment for Baganda, hope to the top of falls and cross to visit the traditional healers with natural powers.
Thereafter head to Mabira forest where you will have a nature walk to take you to Griffin falls and in case you want Zip lining experience is an optional activity. Thereafter proceed to pass through the local markets, tea and sugar plantations.
Have lunch in Jinja and then find your way for a boat cruise on the Nile River which takes you to the source of the Nile. Have good moments at the starting point of the longest river and then head back to Jinja Town where you will spend a night.
Day 3. Transfer to Sipi falls and hike
Wake up early and drive to Kapchorwa where Sipi falls is located. On the arrival, you will take a hike of the Sipi fall which are 3 different falls, the hike begins as you pass through the coffee plantations for Bagishu.
Learn about coffee growing on the slopes of Mount Elgon and after the hike, you will be filled with great moments. An option activity of getting entertainment from the Bagishu local dancers is provided at the lodge where you will spend a night.
Day 4: Nature walks in Mount. Elgon National Park
Head to the park offices and take a nature walk around Mt Elgon national park. You will spot different attractions while using the Budandari trail and among others include tropical forest, and blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus and baboons are likely to cross your tracks.
The nature walk can last for 4 hours and this me and that you require to have enough drinking water and energy-giving snack to keep you fresh.
Day 5: Transfer to Moroto and evening game drive in Pian Upe game reserve
Transfer to Moroto Town passing through Pian Upe game reserve which is the second conservation area after Murchison falls national park. This is one of the most remote areas to enjoy while on this safari.
The reserve has a variety of wildlife that can be spotted on a game drive and these are zebras, buffaloes, leopards, lions, giraffes, greater Kudus, Topis, Oribis, Hartebeests, dik-dik, roan antelopes, jackals, aardvark, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, eland among others and different tree species mostly acacia trees, reptiles like snakes among others. You will take a game drive and then head to Moroto where you will spend a night.
Day 6: Transfer to Kidepo valley National Park
From Moroto Town, you will head to Kidepo national park which is located far northeastern Uganda. This is the most isolated national park with beautiful scenery, a large number of buffalo herds and many can be spotted that elsewhere in the country. In this park, you have over 70% chances of spotting the leopard which is not the case in other national parks with leopards.
This park is located in the Karamoja region and animals to spot in this park are the elephants, leopard, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeests, lions, jackals, baboons, warthogs among others. On the arrival after a long drive, you will check in the lodge and enjoy your dinner.
Day 7: Full day in Kidepo National Park
On this great day adventure, you will start the day with breakfast and then head for a game drive where you will be able to spot different animals such as elephants, zebras, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes, bush pig, black-backed jackal, African hunting dog, bat-eared fox, cheetah, caracal, lions among others in the valleys of the park.
After lunch, head to enjoy the Karamajongs culture at the outskirts of the park and this will be in form of community walks, traditional music, dances and drama among others. Support the locals by purchasing their local handmade crafts and after return to the lodge.
Day 8: Transfer to Murchison falls National Park
Head to Murchison falls national park after breakfast which is the largest conservation destination in the country homing four of the big five that is minus the Rhino. The park is divided into two by Albert Nile which is park you the River Nile hence the southern sector being dominated by forest Vegetation making it difficult to carry a game drive and the northern part being dominated by savannah Vegetation with open punches hence good for animal viewing. On arrival, you will head to the lodge for dinner.
Day 9: Full day exploration in Murchison falls national park
On this great exploration of Murchison, you will have different options to choose either to take a morning game drive or a balloon safari. Here you will spot different animals that live in this park such as the Lions, buffaloes, waterbuck, Jackson’s hartebeest, Rothschild’s giraffe, Oribis, warthogs, baboons, elephants, leopards among others.
In the afternoon, head to Albert Nile and take on a boat cruise that will take you to the bottom of the falls after spotting animals like hippos and crocodiles with different bird species. Thereafter hike to the top of falls where you will be welcomed by a rainbow that is formed when your water pushes itself in the small cauldron with a lot of pressure. Take photos and then transfer to the hotel in the southern sector.
Day 10: Transfer to Kibale national park
Transfer to Kibale national park after a leisure breakfast and this park is known to inhabit up to 13 primates hence called the Primate capital of the world. The chimpanzees are the main attractions but also have outstanding bird species that can be spotted in this forest such as the green breasted pitta and the Great blue turacos.
Kibale national park is known to be a research station worldwide, because of its inhabitants like the hard wooed tree species, primates, butterflies and bird species. On the arrival after an exciting journey full of attractions like the tea plantations, you will check in the accommodation facility for your lunch/dinner.
Day 11: Chimpanzee trekking and Isunga community tour
Head to the Kanyanchu information center where you will be able to receive a briefing about the instructions you will get to enable you to trek smoothly. Among others are do not mimic, do not make noise, do not feed wild animals, do not spot on the ground while in the forest among others. You are advised to use your face mask while trekking these species in their presence.
Head to the forest and locating them you will have an hour and then as you are enjoying while taking a photo in their presence. After a trek that can take about 4 hours, you will head back to your lodge for lunch and the drive to Isunga Community where you will visit Isunga Cultural Community, a community initiative aimed at uplifting the standards of the people living at 5he edge of the Kibale forest.
They perform the Batooro and Bakiga traditional dances, music and drama, visiting cultural sites like the cold springs, tasting the traditional meals among others. After drive back to the lodge for dinner and retire.
Day 12: Semuliki hot springs and Amabere caves exploration
Drive through the Rwenzori mountain ranges after breakfast and have a beautiful view of the rift valley escarpment while finding the way to Semulik national park. The park is located in Bwamba County Bundibugyo District in the Rwenzori ranges. The host springs i.e. the female and male make the park famous and again its different bird species of over 450 species. On arrival with something you will boil, you will attend a briefing at the park offices and in case you don’t have gumboots, you can hire since the surface is very hot.
Walkthrough the forest as you spot different monkeys like olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys among others and find your way to the valleys where the springs are located, listen to the traditional stories according to their formation, boil your egg or potato and thereafter transfer back to Fort portal for lunch. Head and visit Amabere Ga’Nyinamwiru caves which are the stalactites and stalagmites which have traditional stories of the Bacwezi demi gods attached to their formations.
After enjoying the value of the Nyakasura falls, hike Mwegenywa hill and view 3 crater lakes of Saaka, Wabikere and Kigere. Return to your accommodation site for leisure evening and dinner.
Day 13: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth and afternoon boat cruise
From Kibale National Park, you will head to Queen Elizabeth National Park on slow drive spotting attractions like glaciers, plantations and Rwenzori mountain ranges all this will be after enjoying a leisure breakfast at the lodge. Queen Elizabeth National Park is formally known as Kazinga channel national park has diverse wildlife in its savannah plains, water bodies and forest.
The park has different unique parts like the Kyambura gorge which is a valley forested area having different birds and primates including chimpanzees. Also the Ishasha sector with its rare tree-climbing lions, areas like around Lake Nyamunuka where most mammals and birds gather for healing among others. On the arrival, you will head to the Kazinga channel for a boat cruise which will spend like 3 hours while watching the inhabitants like crocodiles and hippos among others. Drive to the lodge where you will spend a night
Day 14: Game drive and transfer to Ishasha sector
Take a game drive in the early morning around the Mweya peninsula or Kasenyi plains where you will enjoy the wildlife of this park such as lions, leopard, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, warthogs, elephants, buffalos, Uganda kobs, among others and again different birds. Afterwards like 2 to 3 hours in the game drive, you will head to the lodge for mid breakfast and then check out or the lodge as you head to the Ishasha sector.
The Ishasha sector in this park is known for its rare tree-climbing lions but other animals like antelopes, elephant among others also roam in this sector. You will spend your night in this sector as you prepare to transfer to Bwindi national park the next day.
Day 15: Transfer to Bwindi national park and Batwa community tour
Head to Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park locates in Southwestern Uganda, the park is found in the Virunga Mountains and has over half of the gorilla population worldwide. The park is divided into four sectors where you can find these gorillas. The journey from Queen Elizabeth National Park to this park is as interesting as you are advised to keep your eyes out through the window to enjoy the most beautiful country in Africa. After, head back to the lodge for lunch followed by the Batwa community tour. Batwa pygmies used to stay in the forest before they were evicted from the forest and they used to live on hunting, fruit and root gating as their food. You will learn more about this culture through the dances, music, hunting methods, making fire using local trees among others. After heading to the lodge for your dinner
Day 16: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Mgahinga national park
Head for a short briefing at the park offices led by the Warden or ranger guide. The briefing is very important and here precautions are given out that will make your experience more memorable as you move in the forest smoothly. The precautions are not making noise, following ranger guide instructions while in the forest, keeping your face mask on while in the presence of gorillas, 10 meters distance emphasized from the gorilla family, keeping in one side that is not surrounding the gorilla family among others.
Head in the forest with the guidance of the park ranger guide and then on locating these gorillas, you will have an hour with them as you enjoy their presence while taking pics for a great memorable experience. Later after lunch, transfer to the smallest national park in the pearl of Africa where you will be able to find the golden monkeys in the whole of the country. The park is also home to gorillas and has only two habituated gorilla families that are Nyakagezi and Hirwa. On the arrival, you will check in the accommodation that is reserved for you.
Day 17: Golden monkey trekking
Head to the park offices after enjoying morning breakfast and then be briefed about the rules and regulations while in the forest. The rule and regulations are not feeding primates, no pitting on the ground while in the forest, use of flashlight cameras is emphasized as the golden monkeys tend to come closer hence enjoying the flashlight, visitors who have infectious diseases are not allowed to trek the primates among others.
Head to the forest and search for the golden monkeys and it will not take more than 2 hours and after locating them in the bamboo forests, you will notice that some don’t have tails as they are chopped off while being stack in the tree branches. An hour in their presence and then after head back to the lodge and relax for the rest of the evening.
Day 18: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Have breakfast and check out from the lodge, start a journey heading to Lake Mburo national park one of the savannah conservation areas and being the smallest savannah national park in the pearl of Africa-Uganda.
The park is located in Kiruhura District and the nearest town being Mbarara. The journey is as interesting as you keep your eyes outside the window watching over the rolling terraced hills, farmlands, blue skies among others.
A stopover will be in Mbarara city where you will buy some snacks in one of the supermarkets if interested and again another one in at Igongo cultural center where you will each traditional meals for Banyankole culture like the ‘Eshabwe’ made from cow ghee. Visit the museum at Igongo and in case time allows, hike the Biharwe eclipse. Thereafter, head to The Park and be welcomed with Zebras grazing with impalas alongside the Ankole long-horned cattle while finding your way to the lodge.
Day 19: Game drive and Boat cruise
Lake Mburo has a lot to discover while taking a boat cruise and game drives and this means that after breakfast, you will embark on a morning game drive in the savannah plains where you will be able to spot different animals such as the zebras, impalas, warthogs, eland, leopards, buffalos among others as you spot different bird species.
The game drive will be done with a help of the park ranger guide who is well conversed and knowledgeable about the attractions in the park, he explains the gestation period, lifespan, among others. After the 3 hours rolling around the smallest savannah national park in the beautiful country of Africa, you will retire at the lodge as you are preparing to enjoy lunch. Immediate head to lake Mburo where you will be able to take a boat cruise and spot animals like crocodiles, hippos among others, birds like American fish eagle, hamerkop, Kingfishers, African mourning dove among others. Return to the lodge in the evening after a 2 to 3 hours cruise.
Day 20. Transfer back to Kampala and relax at the beach in Entebbe
Take a hearty breakfast and then transfer to Kampala on a leisure drive with different stopovers such as the one at the Uganda equator where you will enjoy taking memorable photos and again buying some souvenirs.
Thereafter proceed to Kampala and then head to the beach located on Lake Victoria. Relax and get one African lady to massage you for the rest of the evening while taking juice from fresh organic fruits. Spend your night at the resort in Entebbe
Day 21: Visit Uganda wildlife education Centre and departure flight
As you wake up, check out of the resort and pack your baggage in the vehicle after having your breakfast. Then head to Uganda wildlife education Centre where you will spot different wildlife in captivity such as chimpanzees, lions, elephants, zebras, impalas, crocodiles, rhino’s with birds like ostriches, peacock, crested crane, rare shoebill stork among others.
Relax at the beach inside the education center as you wait for your time to depart. The driver-guide later will drop you at the international airport in Entebbe and this will be the end of the safari.
