14 Days Uganda Safari

Our Ugandan partners’ driver/guide will be waiting for you at Entebbe International Airport, then transfer you to your accommodation for the night at Protea Hotel by Marriott International a 5 min (2.3mi) drive. Check-in freshen up for dinner. Meals: Dinner. Overnight at Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe.

Day begins with a scenic drive to Murchison Falls National Park, with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary a 3 hr 35 min (125mi) drive for rhino tracking. Lunch will be at Masindi Town – Masindi Hotel a 46min (32.4mi) drive. After lunch, proceed on to Murchison Falls National Park, the conservation area, which includes Karuma and Bugungu Forest Reserves and is one of the largest Parks in East Africa. You have a chance to stop by the ‘top of the falls’ where the Nile compresses from a width of 50 meters into a 7-meter canyon that forms the waterfall where the park gets its name. Continue on 1 hr 50 mins (70.4mi) drive to the Chobe Safari Lodge for check-in and relaxation thereafter. Dinner at the Lodge. Meals: lunch, dinner and overnight at Chobe Safari Lodge.

Early morning game drive with your driver guide into the northern bank of the river Nile, which attracts a number of different wildlife such as crocodiles, hippos and water birds. Other animals include lion, warthogs, Cape buffalo, rare aquatic sitatunga antelope, giant forest hog, Uganda kob, topi, waterbuck, elephant and leopard, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Oribi, Bohor reedbuck, bushbuck, hyena and with a sharp eye you might see the leopard. Return to the lodge for breakfast, relax by the swimming pool with a magnificent panoramic view of the river Nile before lunch. After lunch, you will depart for a boat ride, which takes you upstream on the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just a few meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. The boat cruise gives you a chance to experience the hippos floating in the water, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob are seen on this 19km stretch of the Nile. If you are a birdie, birds seen along River Nile banks includes malachite kingfishers, the blue-headed coucal, swamp flycatcher, Squacco heron. African jacana, sandpipers, Denham’s bustard, Black-headed gonolek, bastern brey blantain-eater, biapiac, Silverbird, weaver birds, red-throated bee-eater, Abyssinian ground-hornbill, white-browed sparrow weaver, speckle-fronted weaver, black-billed barbet, and African quail-finch. After the boat cruise, return to the lodge for dinner. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Chobe Safari Lodge.

After an early breakfast at the lodge, check-out for a 2hr 57min (107mi) to Hoima for a brief stop to stretch your legs (3 hr 30min/122mi) on the way see green country side, traditional homes, eat plantations etc., then on to Fort Portal for lunch before the drive to Papaya Lake Lodge another 51min (17mi) drive for check-in, freshen-up for dinner. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Papaya Lake Lodge.

After an early breakfast, your driver guide will drive you to Park office, for a brief on the Chimpanzee tracking before your guided primate walk begins. The walk takes 2.5 - 3 hour and is a must for bird lovers. You will be searching for chimpanzees and 12 other primates like L'Hoest's monkey, red colobus, blue, red-tailed monkeys, brown monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabey, the fauna and flora, the park ranger will answer all your questions as you go along. You are permitted to spend an hour with the chimps before heading back to the office where your driver guide will drive you back for lunch at the Lodge. After lunch, relax before your community visit to Bigodi Swamp is a 5-km, three-hour tour through this protected forest on the outskirts of Bigodi Trading Center. This is home to the great blue Turaco bird whilst the swamp has over 200 bird species and eight primate species. An evening tour of the scenic crater lake and ancient forest, visit to “top of the World Trail “that takes you to villages, crater lakes, Tea Plantations, and incredible views of snow cap Rwenzori on a clear day. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Papaya Lake Lodge.

After breakfast, check-out on a 2 hr 2 min (62.3mi) drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park , the views of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains dominate the northern border. Check-in at the Kyambura Gorge Lodge, freshen-up for lunch. The lodge is located on the edge of the park with sweeping views of the rolling savanna, the distant mountains of the moon, and the sunken Kyambura Gorge. After lunch, depart for a boat cruise along Kazinga Channel, a 32-kilometer-long channel, rich in wildlife, linking lakes Edward and George. Departure from Mweya Safari lodge (1 hr drive from the lodge) and the boat ride is 3-4 hours, lots of opportunity to take photographs of the surrounding, animals like lions, buffalo, hippo, elephant and the elusive leopard who come drinking at the water’s edge. The prolific birdlife of over 600 species to identify along this channel include kingfishers, African shoebills, yellow billed stork, African skimmer, falcons, black great white and pink backed pelicans, open billed stork, great and long tailed cormorants, darters, black crake, jacana, saddle bill stork. Return to the lodge, freshen-up for dinner. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Wake up to an early breakfast and head out for a game drive with packed lunch to catch up with the early risers and cats as they retire from the morning hunt. The game drive will lead you across the verdant savannah plains where you will most likely meet hippos grazing, elephants, lions, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, waterbuck, stripped jackal, comical warthogs, and the elusive leopard. Stop for picnic at one designated picnic area on the north side, among the Arboretum trees, west of the duck pond along Park Drive picnic tables are available (May to October). Later, you will proceed to Maramagambo forest where pythons are often observed in the cracks of the bat cave floor and use the bats as a source of food. You may also see forest birds such as bat hawks, brown-eared woodpeckers, and other primates. Return to the lodge, freshen-up for dinner. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge

Note: Chimpanzee trekking requires some agility and fitness Early breakfast, check-out on a guide chimpanzee trekking along Kyambura Gorge to look for the habituated chimps at 8am. The walk lasts between 2-3 hours descending the steep gorge and crossing the log bridges over the river as the chimps effortlessly cross and scamper through the trees above the gorge. Visitors on the other hand must cross the river using natural bridges to keep up with the chimps. From the walk, proceed to the Ishasha sector of the park with your driver guide, along the deep and wide dry craters in search of the tree-climbing lions. Using the Ishasha road to Bwindi lodge a 3 hr 44 min(83.1mi) drive located in the heart of Bwindi town. Check-in, followed by lunch at the lodge with 10 newly renovated luxury bandas all offer spectacular views of the forest. Spend the afternoon relaxing on your private terrace over looking the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with scenic panoramic view or enjoy Spa treatment (on own account) dinner and an early night in preparation for an early rise next day. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Bwindi Lodge

Wake up to a very early breakfast at 5am before starting the journey to the park office. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest starts with a briefing at the park headquarters at around 7:30am. You will be divided into groups of 8 maximum with the Park Guides from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, two armed rangers and porters to each group and the trip can last between 30 minutes to 7hours. Return to the park office where your driver will drive you to the lodge for lunch, relax with time permitting, a community tour to explore the lifestyle of the people living around the park. Return to the lodge, freshen up for dinner. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Bwindi Lodge.

After breakfast, check-out for a leisurely drive to Lake Bunyonyi southwest of Uganda in the Kabale town 3 hr 48min (62.7mi) away. A brief stop in Kabale town for lunch before proceeding on to Bunyonyi. Arrival at the Birdnest@Bunyonyi Resort, check-in, spend the afternoon relaxing, enjoy swimming, dug-out canoeing, sunbathing, hill climbing or mountain bike riding and cray fishing. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Birdnest@Bunyonyi Resort.

Spend the day relaxing at the Resort, afternoon boat ride to some of the Islands on the lake or choose a tour of one of the most impressive activities of Lake Bunyonyi- the Batwa visit (extra charge). The Batwa are a local Pygmy tribe that is located on the top of the hill near the end of Lake Bunyonyi and with a short hike (around 20 minutes) you will arrive at the tribe. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Birdnest@Bunyonyi Resort

After breakfast, check-out for a 2 hr 42min (101mi) drive to Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara for lunch and visit of the center, experience the culture of the Banyankole people before the drive of 1 hr 32 min (35.8mi) to Lake Mburo National Park, located near the highway connecting Kampala to the western Uganda parks. Though the smallest of the savannah parks in Uganda it is underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. Home to 350 bird species as well as zebras, impalas, elands, buffalos, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck. Check-in at Mihingo Lodge, There are many activities available, all meals at the lodge. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight at Mihingo Lodge.

After breakfast, morning game drive with choice inside the park where you will embark on the Research Track a favorite drive where you are likely to see buffalo wallowing in the mud, zebra, impala, topi, bush buck, reed buck, oribi and warthog. The spectacular views enable you to park at the bottom of Kazuma look-out and walk up to the top; from here the view is stunning and you can see 5 lakes including Lake Mburo. For some 4 x 4 vehicles during the rainy season Eland track can be most challenging. This Park contains much woodland as there are no elephants to tame the vegetation. Outside the park, the game drive is both cultural and a wildlife experience. You will pass homesteads, farmers herding their cattle, kids walking to school and motorbikes ferrying people to and from. Amongst the wildlife who roam freely; zebras, impalas, topi, warthogs, waterbuck and even the shy eland are all possible to spot. Return to the lodge for lunch, afternoon depart for a boat cruise on the Lake, a tour of approx. 1½ hours. Lifejackets are available at the landing site also in children’s sizes. The boat is small, holding a maximum of fourteen and has a covered roof. The lake has an abundance of over 315 species of birds including Papyrus Gonolek, Brown-faced Lapwing, Carruthers Cisticola, the extraordinary White-winged Warbler, and Bare-Faced-Go-Away bird, and many water birds such as Finfoot and Fish Eagles, hippos and crocodiles are a common sighting as other animals come to drink. Lake Mburo National Park is one of the few parks you can go on a night game drive, here you have a chance to see a variety of animals you may not see during the day including bush pigs, genet cat, white-tailed mongoose, the drive gives you the best chance of spotting leopards and the spotted hyena. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight in Mihingo Lodge.

After breakfast, proceed on a guided walk safari in the park with an armed ranger escort, you may come across herds of zebra grazing along side the long-horned Ankole cattle, an early walk will take you to see Lake Mburo hyenas in their cave. Return to the lodge for lunch, check-out and drive to Entebbe International Airport with a stopover at the Mpigi Royal drum Makers where you will witness the making of ceremonial drums passed through generations. You will have time to stop at the equator for photographs reaching Kampala in the early evening, then on to Entebbe International Airport for your out bound flight. Meals: Breakfast, lunch.