14 DAYS WILDLIFE AND GORILLA SAFARI IN UGANDA

Safari summary.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel.

Day 2: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary enroute.

Day 3: Game drive & an afternoon boat cruise along R. Nile.

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale forest. Visit Amabere G’anyinamwiru caves and Fort portal

Crater Lake area.

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking & Bigodi wetland walk.

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park & take an afternoon boat cruise along

Kazinga Channel.

Day 7: Game drive & transfer to Ishasha sector.

Day 8: Morning game drive in Ishasha sector and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable

National Park.

Day 9: Gorilla trekking & Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Day 10: Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and transfer to Lake

Bunyonyi.

Day 11: Whole day relaxation at Lake Bunyonyi with 29 Islands dubbed the lake of a

thousand Islands.

Day 12: To Lake Mburo National Park & evening game drive.

Day 13: Game walking safari & boat cruise.

Day 14: Transfer to Kampala / Entebbe. Departure flight.

ITINERARY IN DETAILS.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport, pick up and transfer to your hotel.

As soon as you arrive at Entebbe International Airport, you will be picked up by a driver

who will then transport you to your hotel in the heart of Kampala, to check. Here you

can relax or, depending on your arrival time, spend some time exploring Kampala city

before settling in.

Accommodation:

Budget: Dolphin Suites, Kampala

Day 2: Transfer from Kampala - Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa rhino

sanctuary.

After breakfast at a lodge in Kampala, embark on the transfer to Murchison Falls

National Park in the north of Uganda, a journey of 311km about 5 hours’ drive.

Traverse through the undulating hill slopes of Nakasongola before branching off at

Nakitoma for 7 km to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary just 176km north of Kampala. Ziwa Rhino

and Wildlife Ranch is the proud home of the only wild rhinos in Uganda following their

extinction and thus offers an unforgettable Rhino tracking experience. Ziwa is the only

place where you will be able to see rhinos in the wild.

Presently the sanctuary is now home to over 29 southern white rhinos. The sanctuary

has become increasingly popular with tourists; for rhino trekking, bird watching, nature

walks and relaxation.

After this activity, you will continue on the drive to Murchison Falls National Park for

relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

Budget: Parkside Safari Lodge

Day 3: Morning game drive & boat cruise along R. Nile to bottom of the falls.

You will wake up very early in the morning to go for a morning game drive where you

will have a chance to spot early risers and nocturnal species before they return to their

hideouts. This is the most beautiful national park in Uganda and this is because it hosts

4/5 of the big 5 animals and also it also home to one of the most beautiful and powerful

falls in the world so far.

Traverse the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest national park before returning later to the

lodge for breakfast. The 3,893 sq. km park is home to a range of animals, and you will

have a chance of viewing some of the Park’s residents including lions, giraffes,

Jackson’s hartebeests, antelopes, buffalo, and elephants. For the birders, you will enjoy

a cock tail of them as these areas support the secretary bird and the black chested

snake eagle, to name a few.

In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile

thunders through a small 7-meter gorge plunging 43 meters into the Nile on the way to

Lake Albert. Lots of bird diversity can be spotted and numerous animals resting and

drinking water along the banks of the Nile. The most common ones being hippos,

buffaloes, Nile crocodiles and birds include, the African fish eagle, Yellow billed stork,

Egyptian goose, Egrets, Malachite kingfisher among others.

The boat cruise will take you close to the falls’ base where you will be shown the spot

where Ernest Hemingway’s plane crashed during sightseeing tour to Murchison falls in

1954.

After the cruise, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

Budget: Parkside Safari Lodge

Day 4: Travel to Kibale forest. Hike to Amabere G’anyinamwiru caves and fort

portal Crater Lake area.

After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Fort Portal city, for about 5 hours’ drive

traversing the rural sceneries and traditional homesteads of Kagadi district before

suddenly getting into Kyenjojo and eventually Fort Portal tourism city. You take a rest

before you continue to the cater fields and Fortportal caves for lunch. Later drive to visit

the Amabere G’anyinamwiru caves which is an ancient site with great traditional

significance attached to the natives.

The Amabere G’anyinamwiru literally translated in Rutooro as the ‘breasts of

Nyinamwiru’ are breast like features that are arguably believed to have been the breasts

of Nyinamwiru the daughter of Bukuku a self-enthroned king of the Bachwezi who

chopped off her breasts and hanged them in protest of her father’s decision that denied

her an opportunity to breastfeed her baby Ndahura.

From this activity, you proceed to hike the fort portal crater field, the magnificent

Nyakasura hills that overlook fort portal town and summiting the towering Kyeganywa

hill offers you impressive vistas of the crater lakes and crater hollows below and the

distant views of the legendary mountains of the moon, Rwenzori Mountains on a clear

day. Retreat for relaxation, dinner and night stay.

Accommodation:

Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge

Day 5: Morning Chimpanzee trekking & Bigodi wetland walk.

After an early breakfast, drive to Kanyanchu, Kibale Park Headquarters, by 8.00 am for

chimpanzee pre-trekking briefing by the park staff. The Chimpanzee trekking

experience tends to last 2 – 5 hours and including one hour of direct encounter with

these amazing creatures. In addition to chimps, Kibale forest is home to other primates

including the red-tailed and grey-cheeked Mangabeys, L’Hoest’s, blue and red-

Colobuses.

There are many beautiful birds’ species, butterflies and many small insects as well. A

visit to Bigodi swamp ecotourism site, given its astounding flora and fauna, will be worth

it too. The swamp has numerous populations of birds, a wide range of over 138 different

species of birds including the Great Blue Turaco, and swamp animals like Sitatunga

antelope. Retreat from this as activity and return to the lodge for relaxation dinner and

night stay.

Accommodation:

Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Boat cruise on Kazinga

Channel.

After breakfast, undertake a trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the south of Kibale,

a journey of about 80 km, 1.5 hours’ drive. Traverse through the magnificent plain

landscapes of Kasese and make a few stopovers along the way to take pictures.

Continue to the park for lunch and boat cruise later. Kazinga Channel which stretches to

45km in length at one time had much concentration of Hippopotamus population in the

region until the management decided to carry out culling in 1960s.

On the boat cruise, you will enjoy the vivid views of Nile crocodiles and other wild game

quenching their thirst on the waters of Kazinga and flocking its shores on a hot day.

Retreat from the 2 hours’ activity; engage in an evening game drive along the channel

track as you head to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight nay.

Accommodation:

Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages

Day 7: Morning game drive & transfer to Ishasha sector.

After a morning cup of African coffee, engage in an early game drive in the undulating

savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park and the extensive Kasenyi tracks to

explore the park’s unique scenery marked with numerous herds of wildlife including

lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, water bucks, jackals and flocks of unfamiliar bird

species.

The game drive normally lasts for 3 – 4 hours after which you return to the lodge for

relaxation and lunch before you transfer to Ishasha sector for a short evening game

drive as you head to the lodge.

Accommodation:

Midrange: Topi Lodge

Day 8: Morning game drive in Ishasha sector and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable

National Park.

After breakfast, before you embark on the trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in

south western part of Uganda. You undertake a game drive in this part of park

searching for the tree climbing lions.

Ishasha sector is well endowed with the infamous climbing lions together with other wild

game that dwell in this woodland part of the park. The tree climbing lions prefer to lie flat

on fig tree branches in the mid-morning sun while waiting for their prey. After this

encounter, proceed on the drive to Bwindi arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner

and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge

Day 9: Gorilla trekking & transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

After an early breakfast, you will take a packed lunch, have a briefing by the game

guides at the park headquarters and start your gorilla trail. Hiking through the thick,

verdant, rain forest to eventually come across the gorillas in their natural habitat, is an

amazing and unforgettable experience.

This encounter takes between 2 to 9 hours and is the highlight of an Africa exploration

safari. You will only have 1 hour of close contact with these calm gentle apes, take

pictures and get acquainted to them.

You are free to take as many photos as you desire before you retreat from the activity to

return to the starting point. After this encounter, you will travel to Mgahinga Gorilla

National Park traversing the impressive sloping of Kigezi and the magnificent views of

the Virungas for relaxation, dinner and night stay.

Accommodation:

Midrange: Travelers Rest Hotel

Day 10: Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga national park. Transfer to Lake

Bunyonyi

After your morning breakfast, you will undertake the golden monkey tracking where you

have a chance to encounter the other critically endangered apes known to exist only in

the Virunga massif in this part of the world. Return from the activity and transfer to Lake

Bunyonyi for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

Midrange: Bunyonyi Rock Resort

Day 11: Lake Bunyonyi and visit the 29 Islands.

After a relaxed breakfast, you will undertake a tour on Lake Bunyonyi, spending the

entire day at Uganda’s deepest lake, dubbed the lake of a thousand Islands. You

explore the attractive landscapes of the lake and impressive relief of Kigezi region.

Reach out to some of its 29 Virgin Islands amidst the pleasantly undulating hills of

Kigezi. This 5 – 6pm boat cruise is a rewarding experience worth venturing. You return

to the lodge and spend the rest of the day relaxed, enjoying dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation:

Midrange: Bunyonyi Rock Resort

Day 12: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park & do evening game drive.

After breakfast, embark on the trip to Lake Mburo National Park, a journey of 199km

about 4 – 5 hours’ drive traversing the impressive plain lands in the countryside of south

western Uganda before getting to Igongo Cultural Centre, 12km past Mbarara town for a

traditional sumptuous lunch.

Proceed through Sanga gate and continue for a distance of 33km to Lake Mburo

National Park for an evening game drive activity exploring the park’s savannah low

lands with impressive faunal and floral species. Retire for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation:

Budget: Mpogo Lodge

Day 13: Morning game walking safari & boat cruise.

After breakfast, embark on a fascinating game walking safari after the sunrise to explore

the magnificent savannah acacia landscapes with gentle rolling hills marked with the

extrusive Kopje rocks and other ancient Precambrian rocks that have existed in that

locality for the past 500 million years.

The animals which can be encountered include; Impala antelope which only exists in

this small but rich national park, Lake Mburo National Park, Burchell’s Zebra, Rothschild

Giraffes, Topis, water bucks, warthogs, among other wildlife.

Retreat from the 3 – 4 hours’ activity for lunch and then an afternoon boat cruise on

Lake Mburo.

Accommodation:

Budget: Mpogo Lodge

Day 14: Transfer back to Kampala / Entebbe airport. Departure flight.

Have a relaxed breakfast and embark on the transfer back to Kampala - 240km / about

4 hours’ drive. You will make a stop at Uganda Equator crossing Kayabwe for an

amazing photo session for memories and craft shopping.

Proceed to Kampala for overnight stay at the hotel or to Entebbe airport for an evening

international outbound flight. End of safari.