12 Days Active tour of Uganda

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and after all the formalities, you shall be welcomed by our safari guide, who will then drive you to your hotel for an overnight.

Today you will officially begin the fun of your safari; you will drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary located in Nakasongola along the way to Murchison Falls National Park. You will have a walking safari to the Southern white Rhinos that have been reintroduced in Uganda and were facing extinction, thereafter continue to Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls National Park sits on the shore of Lake Albert, in northwest Uganda. It’s known for the famous Murchison Falls, where the Victoria Nile River surges through a narrow gap over a massive drop. Murchison falls is a home to different wildlife species; over 76 mammal and 451 bird species including the Buffaloes, Jackson hartebeests, Antelopes, Lions, Kobs, Giraffes, Hyenas, Bushbucks, Warthogs and chimpanzees in the Kaniyo Pabidi mahogany forest.

The Lake Albert Delta is home to rare shoebill storks. The park is also bisected by the renowned River Nile into two parts such as the Northern bank and the Southern bank. Game drives are best done in the Northern bank since that’s where you can find a large concentration of wildlife in the Savannah plains whereas the Southern bank a lesser number of antelope herds and other few animals. You will have a game drive. Retire to your lodge for an overnight.

Today you will go for a beautiful morning game across the savannah, Borassus Palm Forest and grassland down to Lake Albert where the Albert Nile heads north. Drive in the open African savanna in search for Lions, Jackson Hartebeest, Leopard, Hyena, Buffalo, Elephant Oribi, Waterbucks, Uganda Kobs, and enjoy spotting various Bird species such as the Secretary Bird, Black Chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles Carmine and Swallow Tailed Bee-Eaters, and many more. The animals are widely spread all over the Savannah grasslands, grazing or hunting for prey.

This makes the park’s landscape so amazing for game viewing/game driving. In the afternoon, you will go for an exciting boat ride on the Nile to the bottom of the falls where the park derives its name. You will see a number of hippos, crocodiles basking by the river banks, other animals like the Elephants, Waterbucks, Buffaloes, kobs and rarely the Giraffe gather by the banks of the river to drink water, you will also spot a number of bird species like; the Heron, African fish eagle, pied and Malachite king fisher’s and the African skimmer among others. Thereafter you will hike to the Top of falls where the Nile squeezes through a 7meter gap and at the bottom of the Nile. Enjoy these spectacular views. Return to the lodge for an overnight

After breakfast, you will drive to Kibale National Park. Kibale National Park is suited in the western part of Uganda and covers an area of about 795km and it’s acknowledged to have one of Uganda’s most gorgeous tropical forest, and the park’s highest point is at 1590m above sea level. It is one of Uganda’s most rewarding destinations to explore. The park is home to a total of 70 mammal species, most famously 13 species of primate including the chimpanzee.

It also contains over 375 species of birds. Along the way you will pass many tea plantations, you will arrive later in the afternoon, stopover in Fort Portal town, and then proceed to your accommodation for an overnight. Depending on the time you arrive, you may visit the nearby crater lakes, or visit the Kings Palace in Fort Portal; otherwise you will relax at the lodge.

Accommodation: Medium: Isunga Lodge | High end: Papaya Lake Lodge
Meal: B,L,D

After an early breakfast, you will head to the park headquarters for briefing about the does and don’ts while trekking chimpanzees thereafter proceed for chimpanzee tracking. Led by an experienced ranger guide, trekking the chimpanzees might take about 2 to 6 hours depending on the location of chimpanzees. You will also be able to see different birds, monkeys like the black and white colobus, grey cheeked Mangabey, golden monkeys among others, and various trees species as you walk through the forest. After lunch you go for a guided Bigodi Swamp walk which is rich in biodiversity and scenic beauty.

This wonderful place shelters over 200 species of birds including Hornbills, Turacos, Parrots, Cranes, Kingfishers and many more swamp endemics. Furthermore, the sanctuary is the home of 8 species of primates, including the Black and White Colobus, Red Colobus, Red Tailed Monkey, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon, L’hoest Monkey, Vervet Monkey and the Blue Monkey. Later in the day you may choose to visit the local communities nearby, interact with them as you get to learn more about their way of life and tradition, or you may visit a local school nearby if it is a school day, participate in the class lessons and have a chat with the students. Return to the lodge for a good night sleep.

After an early breakfast, you will drive Queen Elisabeth National Park and enjoy a game drive on your way in. Named after her Majesty the Queen of England, the park is Uganda’s most famous national park and traveler’s destination. The park’s sites include several beautiful crates lakes that winding through the rolling hills, the panoramic display of the Kazinga Channel.

The park stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of the Rwenzori range in the north, along the shores of Lake Edward to the remote Ishasha River in the south, incorporating a wide variety of habitats that range from savanna and wetlands and lowland forest. The park’s diverse eco systems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds. You will have a game drive in the park.

Today you will head out for an early Morning Game Drive in the park, there are over 100 mammal species in the park that include Lions, Spotted Hyena, Elephants, Hippos, Buffaloes, the elusive Giant Forest Hog and Leopard. The Primates include Chimpanzees, Blue, Black faced Red Colobus, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Red tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons. Thereafter transfer to Kasenyi fishing village for a walking in to the local fishing communities and market, learn about the different fish types caught, boat making and learn more about the daily life of a fisherman.

In the afternoon, you shall have a boat ride on Kazinga Channel, you will enjoy the fresh river breeze whilst observing a large selection of animal’s and views of numerous flora and fauna while on the launch cruise. The shores of this channel attracts a great number of wild animals like the hippos, elephants, crocodiles, antelopes and others which makes the channel a marvelous place that draws many visitors on a wildlife safari in Uganda. The boat cruise takes about 2-3 hours and is a spectacular experience along the channel as you explore more about African wildlife like birds, animals, reptiles among others.

After an early morning breakfast, you will depart for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Along the way, you will have an en route game drive in Ishasha sector, the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, only here the lions have a habit of climbing trees and it is one of the few places in Africa where lions are found in Fig trees preying on other animals like the Uganda Kobs and Topi. Thereafter continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park the home to endangered mountain gorillas which lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley.

Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemic bird species including Blue-throated Broadbill, bar-tailed Trogon and other beautiful forest species.

After an early morning breakfast, you will head to the park headquarters and meet with excellent local ranger guides and trackers who will brief you about the etiquette of gorilla trekking. Thereafter head off to the forest for Gorilla trekking in the company of an experienced ranger who will tell you interesting facts about flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas. Trekking the Mountain Gorilla is one of the most exciting wildlife experiences, although the hike is physically demanding the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery makes the trekking worthwhile.

The trek will take between 2 and 6 hours, but is well worth the effort and such an amazing experience. As an alternative to gorilla trekking, you could choose to take a guided forest walk in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. A forest walk in Bwindi rewards the travelers with an exclusive feeling of a natural virgin forest, sweet melodies of birds singing up in the trees as well a close encounter with wild animals such as baboons, vervet monkeys, L’Hoest’s Guenon, duikers, giant forest hogs and bush pigs among others.

Today, drive to Lake Mburo National Park. You will have a game drive as you enter the park. Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem, located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks and it is home to 350 bird species including flame head Barbet, Long-tailed Zitting Cisticola (Tabora), African Bins Rail, Collared Barbet, binding Bush singer among others, as well as Zebra, Impala, Eland, Buffallo, Orbi, Defassa waterbuck, Topi, Leopard, Hippo, Hyna, Reedbuck and many more.

The park forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Once covered by open savanna, Lake Mburo National Park now contains much woodland as there are no elephants to tame the vegetation. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes. Once you have settled in and time allowing, you will visit a cattle keeping family nearby, get to learn more about their way of life, participate in milking of the cow, learn how to make local butter and much more. Retire to the lodge for an overnight.

You will get up early in the morning for a guided nature walk in the park, thereafter start your journey to Jinja which is a former Industrial city as well as the second largest town in Uganda which was established in 1907 and is also home to the Source of the River Nile.

Upon arrival and time allowing, you will have a city tour of Jinja, visit a market and then retire to your accommodation for an overnight.

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After an early morning breakfast, you will enjoy a boat ride to the source of the Nile. The Nile is a major north-flowing river in north eastern Africa, regarded as the longest river in the world (6,853 km long). After the boat ride you will drive to Entebbe Airport and catch your flight back home.

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