This 17 Days Uganda Safari takes you through Murchison Falls National Park where you will encounter lots of game and view the famous water falls, visit Kibale forest for Chimpanzee tracking, marvel at the tree climbing lions in Ishasha and crown it with Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and finally unwind at the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi.
Day 1: Arrival & Hotel Transfer
On arrival, our company representative/guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your Hotel in Entebbe for dinner and overnight stay at Boma Hotel
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Tracking & Murchison Falls National Park
Enjoy breakfast and embark on the drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino tracking – the only place where you can see Rhinos in Uganda on this 17 days Uganda Safari. The activity lasts between 2 to 3 hours and later continue to Murchison falls National park with lunch en-route and proceed to your hotel.
Dinner and overnight stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge.
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Ride
Rise to an early morning sip of coffee and head for a morning game drive around the park. You will get to see the Rothschild Giraffes, Elephants, Buffaloes, Oribi, Warthogs, Kobs, Leopards plus so many other species of wildlife. After this drive, you return to the lodge for your main breakfast meal and relax till afternoon.
Right after your lunch, you will head for a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile till the bottom of the falls. This ride will also let you see lots of hippopotamus, crocodiles, Elephants, birds and more malls that come to drink water at the river bank.
You will take the hike from the bottom to the top of the falls where you will observe them at different levels and get the chance to take some quality photos. Return to Pakuba Safari Lodge as above.
Day 4: Full day Game drive – Murchison Falls NP
Have breakfast and head out for a day of extensive game drives in Murchison falls National park. This is Uganda’s largest National Park and the more time you spend on the drives, the more you are likely to see and keep your lenses happy.
Return to the lodge for lunch and take on the evening game drive as well. Return to the lodge in the evening at Pakuba Safari Lodge as above.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Have an early morning breakfast and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park, driving through Fort Portal – a town with one of the most beautiful scenery in Uganda.
This is a long drive, arriving Kibale in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpundu Lodge
Day 6: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Walk
Head to the forests of Kibale to trek Man’s closest cousins – the chimpanzees. As you meet these great apes, you will also get a chance to see primates like colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys plus several other species of birdlife.
Retreat from this awesome activity, head to your safari lodge for lunch and in the evening, head out for a nature walk in Bigodi Wetland where you will encounter lots of butterflies, birds and picturesque nature. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpundu Lodge as above.
Day 7: Crater Lakes Tour & Transfer to Queen Elizabeth NP.
Have breakfast and drive to Fort Portal where you will visit Amabere G’anyinamwiru stalagmites site and explore the 3 Crate Lakes with a hike to the top of Kyeganywa hill giving you 360 degrees view of the area and exquisite photos with the Rwenzori ranges clearly in sight.
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park arriving in time lunch and head out for an evening game drive. Dinner and overnight stay at Buffalo Safari Lodge.
Day 8: Game Drive and Boat Cruise.
This day you carry out a morning game drive in the Kasenyi Trails, an area with one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here you will see kobs, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes plus several more wildlife species.
Return to the lodge for lunch and later head out for the afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel which is known to posses the highest concentration of hippos in the world.
You can as well expect to see crocodiles and lots of birds. Return to Buffalo Safari Lodge as above.
Day 9: Ishasha – Queen Elizabeth NP.
Wake up to early morning breakfast and drive south to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive. The Ishasha sector is less explored, fresh and the only place you can see the tree climbing lions.
Have lunch and head out for the evening game drive to maximize your chances of seeing as much wildlife as you can. Dinner and overnight stay at Ishasha Jungle Lodge.
Day 10: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Have breakfast and depart Ishasha for Bwindi with lunch en-route in Kabale town. Arrive Bwindi late afternoon and relax at the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at Four Gorillas Lodge
Day 11: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rushaga – Bwindi
This day you experience one of the most interesting things to do in Uganda. You will meet mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and see them in their natural environment. Mountain gorillas share over 98% of our DNA and act much more like us.
You have to set off for the briefing point and arrive by 7:30am. After this meeting, you will then head to the forests to search for gorillas. When you locate them, you will be granted 1 full hour with them before returning to your starting point where you will connect with your driver / guide and return to Four Gorillas Lodge as above.
Day 12: 2nd Gorilla Trek in Bwindi.
So, you will head out for another Gorilla trek – same procedure as above but visiting a different Gorilla family this time. Trek until you encounter them and spend 1 lovely hour with the gentle primates.
Receive your Gorilla trekking certificate, meet your driver and return to the lodge as above.
Day 13: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
This is the day you kill off all the fatigue on this 17 days Uganda safari. Lake Bunyonyi is one of the best places in Uganda where you can unwind and relax from. This lake has over 29 islands and one of them is the Punishment Island, an island that has a lot of history.
This is the island where girls who got engaged into premarital sex were sent and left to die from. Any man who went and rescued the girl got himself a free wife and paid no bride price for her.
The views of Lake Bunyonyi are awesome. You will enjoy a boat ride and learn a lot about the surrounding community. Dinner and overnight stay at Arcadia Lodges Bunyonyi
Day 14: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
This day, you head to Uganda’s smallest Savannah Park – Lake Mburo National Park with lunch en-route at Igongo Cultural Center in Mbarara and proceed to Lake Mburo National Park for an afternoon boat ride.
This ride will reward you sights of Hippopotamuses, Crocodiles, Buffaloes, Birds and so many other animal species. Stay at Mihingo Lodge
Day 15: Whole day at Lake Mburo National Park & Mihingo Lodge
Wake up to an early morning breakfast and head out for a game drive with chances of seeing the leopard among other game. Check-in, have lunch, relax and head out in the evening for a walking safari with a ranger guide and a chance to get closer to the animals. Return to the lodge for a luxurious evening and overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge
Day 16: Transfer Back to Entebbe.
Have breakfast at leisure and embark on the transfer to Entebbe with a stopover at the equator for photos. Proceed to Entebbe Referral Hospital where your samples will be taken for the tests and drive to 2 Friends Beach Hotel for a quiet evening, dinner and stay the night.
Day 17: Mabamba Swamp & Airport Transfer.
After an early breakfast, we will head out to the Mabamba Wetlands on the shores of Lake Victoria. This is one of the few remaining swamps in the country protected by the local communities.
It is an extensive papyrus swamp, with a labyrinth of channels and lagoons, and is home to several pairs of Shoebills, Uganda’s most famous avian resident. This charismatic monotypic species is certainly among the most sought-after birds in Africa, and we’ll make special efforts today to find it by paddling through the channels by boat.
There will of course be a good selection of classic East African water birds to observe along the way like Pink-backed Pelican, Long-tailed Cormorant, Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Duck, Malachite Kingfisher, Long-toed Plover, Blue-headed Coucal and Blue-breasted Bee-eater among others.
Bird your way back to Entebbe looking out for birds like African open billed Stork, Grey Kestrel, African Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Red-headed Lovebird, Swifts, Sun-birds, Weavers, Finches among other birds. Return to the Guesthouse where you will refresh and transfer to the airport for your onward flight with lasting memories of this 17 Days Uganda Safari.
