Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
On your arrival, our tour representative/guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your Hotel in Entebbe for dinner and an overnight stay at Boma Hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Ngamba Islands
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the pier at Entebbe for a boat ride to Ngamba Island for a half-day excursion to see the orphaned Chimpanzees. You will have a 30 minutes briefing from the CSWCT offices in Entebbe. The boat takes about 45 minutes across to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is home to 39 orphaned chimpanzees, and on arrival, you will be given a brief introduction to the sanctuary, after which you will go to watch the chimpanzees as they feed from the visitors’ platform. After returning to the pier with a boat, you will be transferred to your Hotel in Kampala for dinner and an overnight stay at Skyz Hotel Naguru
Day 3: Depart for Murchison Falls National Park
Start your day by having a heavy breakfast at your Hotel in Kampala. The guide will then pick you up and transfer you to Murchison Falls National Park, which is Uganda’s largest park.
The park is a habitat for animals like elephants, buffaloes, giraffe sand a variety of antelopes. En route, you will visit the famous Luweero Triangle and also stop over for lunch in Masindi Town.
Proceed and reach the famous waterfall, which was named after the magnificent Murchison Falls. Upon arrival, visit the Top of the Falls, where water thunders through different rapids from a 7-metre gap to fall over 40 meters into the Gorge below. Dinner and overnight stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge
Day 4: Game drive and launch cruise along the Albert Nile
After an early breakfast, you will go for a game drive on the northern bank of the River Nile. The activity takes about 3-5 hours, and Wildlife in the Park includes elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, Hartebeest, Uganda kobs, oryx, and waterbucks.
After the drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a launch cruise on the Albert Nile, which will give you an exciting panoramic view of the bottom of the mighty Murchison Falls.
Along the cruise, you will encounter crocodiles, hippos, and birds on the river banks like kingfishers, cormorants, bee-eaters, and the rare shoebill stork. Dinner and overnight at Pakuba Safari Lodge as above.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Early morning, after breakfast, you will set out for your long journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This Park is home to almost 13 primate species. These include red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more. You will have lunch in Kagadi. Proceed with the journey to Kibale Forest. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
After breakfast, you will set out for chimpanzee tracking within the Kibale Forest. During your search, expect to see a lot of primate species like chimpanzees, monkeys, and other animals like the forest elephants, bush pig, and duiker, warthogs, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as a colorful variety of butterflies.
Return to the Lodge for lunch. After lunch, go for a nature walk in the Bigodi swamp area and look out for most of the water-loving bird species. The forest /Park has almost 335 species of birds and is therefore a good place for birders. Return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have breakfast and depart Kibale National Park heading to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have a stopover in Fort Portal town and go for an exciting visit to the Amabere Ganyinamwiru stalagmites site, caves, and the waterfall, plus a rewarding hike to the crater lakes followed by lunch.
Proceed with the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving late afternoon. Enjoy the evening at leisure, admiring the landscape. Dinner and overnight stay at Elephant Hab Lodge
Day 8: Game drive and Launch cruise
Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will set out for the game drive in search of early risers in the Kasenyi area. The park has a diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, rivers, crater lakes, forests, swamps, and lakes. These are a home to various types of wildlife, and a game drive in Queen Elizabeth will reward you with views of animals such as lions, antelopes, buffalos, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, and other types of antelopes.
Return to your Lodge for lunch, and after, go for a 3-hour launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos, and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers a good platform for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at Elephant Hab Lodge as above.
Day 9; Ishasha Game Drive & Coffee Tour
Enjoy breakfast and set out for a game drive in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is famous for its tree-climbing lions. This section of the park is still virgin and less explored, and you will encounter a good number of big game in herds as you also look out for the tree climbing lions, with better chances of seeing them during mid-morning hours.
Return to the lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon, you will go for a coffee tour by Omwani Women’s Coffee Cooperative, where you will be guided through all the stages from planting until coffee is ready to drink! Later, return to the lodge to enjoy your dinner and spend another night.
Day 10: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
This morning, you will have breakfast, check out, and embark on your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, passing through the Ishasha sector to boost your chances of seeing the rare tree-climbing lions. The lions can be seen up on the fig trees.
However, it’s not a guarantee that the lions will be seen. Sometimes it depends on luck and the time of reaching the area. You will have lunch in the Ishasha sector, and after that, you will proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in preparation for your next day’s gorilla trek. Dinner and overnight stay at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge.
Day 11: Gorilla trek in Bwindi Forest Park
Early in the morning, after breakfast and a briefing from the UWA officials, set off for the gorilla tracking. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and an unforgettable adventure. The ranger guides will lead you into the thick forest and start your search for the endangered Mountain Gorillas.
You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about1hour.
The activity can take 2 -7 hours since the gorillas roam the park freely. On finding them, you will be allowed up to a maximum of 1 hour to see and photograph the gorillas; this is an awesome and exciting moment. En-route, there are other types of primates such as monkeys, birds, and more.
Return to the starting point for your gorilla trekking certificate and transfer back to the lodge, where you will spend the evening relaxing. Dinner and overnight stay at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge as above.
Day 12: Full Day in Bwindi
This day, you will have breakfast, after which you will spend the whole day in Bwindi, where you will go and pay a visit to the Batwa Pygmies. Participate in a mock hunt and take turns using a bow and arrow, including the evening cultural performances, and so on. Return for dinner and overnight stay at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge as above.
Day 13: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, you will depart for Lake Bunyonyi, which is one of the deepest lakes in Africa. The Lake has almost 32 Islands. The Lake is a good stopover for relaxation for people trekking to see mountain gorillas. Upon arrival, you will go on a boat ride. This will enable you to visit most of the islands on the Lake.
Each Island is named according to the bird species found on the Island, and some were named because of their purposes, for example, the Punishment Island, which is the smallest and was used by the Bakiga people to drop their girls who got pregnant before marriage.
After the Boat ride, return to the Lodge for relaxation while you watch the beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight at Arcadia Lodge Bunyonyi
Day 14: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
You will start your day with an early morning breakfast, and then you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park. You will reach Mbarara town in time for lunch, after which you will enter the Park with a game drive en route, which will give you clear views of animals such as Zebras, buffalo, and elands.
Upon reaching the park headquarters, register and later go for the evening nature walk along the Kigambara loop. This loop offers interesting guided walks alongside the Lake. Dinner and overnight stay at Rwakobo Rock
Day 15: Hyena walk and transfer to Ssese Island
Early morning, you will have breakfast and then go for the hyena walk within the Park. This is a guided walk, and you will be escorted by an official from the Uganda Wildlife Authority for security purposes and to provide you with more information about the Park and the trail.
Later, start on your journey to Ssese Island with lunch en route in Masaka town. Dinner and overnight stay at Brovad Sands Lodge
Day 16: Nature Walk and Sunset Cruise
Enjoy breakfast at leisure and go for a guided nature walk on the beautiful Ssese Island, where you will encounter lots of birds and enjoy the tranquil nature.
Return to the lodge to relax and have lunch. In the afternoon/evening, you will go for a sunset boat cruise coupled with cold drinks for a really great time! Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight as above.
Day 17: Ferry Crossing & Entebbe Tour
Enjoy breakfast and depart Ssese early for a ferry to Nakiwogo in Entebbe and embark on a tour of Entebbe town including the local markets and Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where they will enjoy walking through with a guide explaining all of the nature and lots of monkeys, spiders, lizards, trees, flowers, and herbs. There are bars next to Lake Victoria where one can get drinks and sit on a sun lounger overlooking Lake Victoria, taking in the fresh breezes, which are lovely and relaxing. One can even take a dip in the fresh waters of Lake Victoria if they wish!
Have lunch at the Botanical Gardens and transfer to the airport for your onward flight, marking the end of this 17 Days Uganda Safari.
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