MURCHISION FALLS, KIBALE FOREST,SEMILIKI WILD LIFE RESERVE, QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK,BWINDI FOREST,LAKE BUNYONYI,LAKE MBURO,JINJA,KAMPLA AND ENTEBBE
Summarized itinerary
Day One: Arrival
Day Two: Drive to Murchison falls with an optional stop at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. Continue to the top of the falls.
Day Three: Morning game drive and afternoon boat ride to the bottom of the falls
Day Four: Nature walk on the Royal mile, continue to Hoima
Day Five: Transfer to Kibale forest national park
Day Six: Morning chimp trek and afternoon nature walk in Bigodi Swap
Day Seven: Transfer to semiliki wildlife reserve with a stop at Sempaya hotsprings
Day Eight: Optional boat ride along lake Albert and evening game drive.
Day Nine: Drive through the foothills of Rwenzori Ranges to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day Ten: Morning game drive and afternoon boat ride along the Kazinga channel
Day Eleven: Transfer to Ishasha, the southern part of Queen Elizabeth
Day Twelve: Morning and afternoon game drives
Day Thirteen: Continue to Bwindi.
Day Fourteen: Gorilla Trekk and optional hike to the Batwa
Day Fifteen: Transfer to lake Bunyonyi
Day Sixteen: 5 hour Bunyonyo trek
Day Seventeen: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
Day Eighteen: Morning Game drive and afternoon boat ride along the lake
Day Nineteen: Transfer to Jinja, boat ride to the source of the Nile
Day Twenty: Half day rafting
Day Twenty one: City tour of Kampala
Day Twenty two: Half day Ngamba Island excursion
Day Twenty three: Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day One: Arrival
One of our company representatives will pick you fro the airport and transfer you to the hotel for overnight stay. Dinner and overnight stay at Kampala Serena hotel (Up market), Golf course hotel (Midrange) or Cassia lodge Buziga (Budget),BB
Day Two: Kampala –Murchison falls National park.
Depart early morning to Uganda’s largest protected area -Murchison falls national park. After a lunch stop in Masindi town, we shall continue to the magnificent top of the falls. Here you will enjoy and Marvel at the Mighty Nile being forced in a seven meter crevice to thunder 45 meters below in a series of cascades that can be viewed at different points at the summit.
Dinner and overnight stay at Baker’s lodge/Paraa safari lodge (Up market), Murchison river lodge(Midrange) and Red Chilli Rest Camp (Budget). B,L,D
Day Three: Murchison Falls National Park
Have an early breakfast at the lodge and go for an early game drive on Albert, Buligi or Queen’s tracks. Frequently observed animals include, bush buck, Defassa waterbuck, Bohor reed buck,Oribi,Warthog,side-stripped jackal,elephants,kob,jackson’s hartebeest,buffallo and Rothschild’s giraffe.
After lunch, we shall go for a boat ride to the bottom of the falls.Enroute we shall view large numbers of hippos, crocodiles, small herds of buffalo, waterbuck, elephants and kob. Some of the sighted bird species include shoe bill especially in the dry season, African fish eagle, Goliath heron, saddle-billed stork, African jacana, pied and malachite king fishers, black winged bishop and African skimmer.
Dinner and overnight stay at Baker’s lodge/Paraa safari lodge (Up market), Murchison River lodge (Midrange) and Red Chilli Rest Camp (Budget). B,L,D
Day Four: Murchison falls – Hoima
Have an early breakfast and check out of the lodge with packed lunches. Drive to Nyabyeya for a bird walk on the Royal Mile. This is regarded as the single best bird watching site in Uganda. Some of the bird species include African dwarf, blue- breasted and Chocolate –backed king fishers are all very common. Other local bird species include Cassin’s hawk eagle, Nahan’s fracolin,white thighed hornbill and the forest fly catcher. Spend the afternoon at leisure, overnight stay at Kontiki hotel – Hoima. B, L, D
Day Five: Hoima – Kibale forest National park.
Have an early breakfast and transfer to Fort portal arriving in time for lunch. Overnight stay at Kyaninga /Crater safari lodge (up market) or Primate’s lodge Kibale. (Midrange or Budget). B,L,D .
Day Six: Kibale Forest National park (Chimp trekking)
Check out of the lodge with packed lunches and transfer to the park headquarters at Kanyanchu. Attend a brief briefing from the guides and go for a chimp trek.
The park is highly alluring to nature lovers for its excellent bird watching and Chimpanzee trekking, not to mention the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates of any forest in Africa. Other Primate species include Vervet, red-tailed,L’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, grey –cheecked mangabey,red colobus,black-and- white Colobus, and Olive baboon. Nocturnal species include bush baby and potto.The forest has also got a high concentration of birds like Nahan’s Francolin and blue –headed bee-eater. Other large mammals that inhabit the forest include forest elephants, giant forest hog and buffalo.
In the afternoon, we can go for a nature walk to Bigodi wetland. The swamp is a community based activity that was set up to enable tourists give back to the community.
Various bird species like the great blue turaco, papayrus gonolek, grey throated barbet, yellow bill and sunbird. Butterflies are abundant in the swamp and it’s a home to sitatunga, antelope, mongoose and most of the primate species found in the forest.
Dinner and overnight stay at Kyaninga /Crater safari lodge (up market) or Primate’s lodge Kibale. (Midrange or Budget)
Day Seven: Kibale Forest- Semiliki Wildlife Reserve.
Have an early lunch at the lodge and transfer Semiliki wildlife reserve with a stop at Sempaya hot springs. Overnight stay at Semiliki Safari lodge. B,L,D
Day Eight: Semiliki wild life reserve
Early an early breakfast and go for an optional boat ride on the lake. This is usually organized by the lodge at Ntoroko and are particularly worth while for bird watcher since his is the most reliable site in Uganda for the shoe bill. Other common water birds include red throated bee eater. After lunch, enjoy a swim in the pool.Go for an evening game drive and view animals like buffalo, elephant and waterbuck. Leopards, owls and night jars are often spotted during the night drives. Overnight stay at Semiliki Safari lodge. B, L,D.
Day Nine: Semiliki – Queen Elizabeth National park.
Have an early lunch at the lodge and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park arriving in late in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya safari lodge/Kasenyi Safari camp (Up market) and Simba safari camp (Budget) . B,L,D
Day Ten: Queen Elizabeth National park.
Wake up for an early game drive in the park today. Queen Elizabeth National park is Uganda’s popular and Uganda’s most accessible Savannah reserve and it’s associated with open savannah, large areas of swamp around Lake George, forest and crater lakes. Animals that can be sighted during the game drive include the Uganda Kob, bush buck,topi,and defassa waterbuck, buffaloes, sitatunga and elephant. The Park’s predators include side stripped jackal, spotted hyena, lion and leopard.
Return to the lodge for a late breakfast and go for a boat ride along the Kazinga channel in the afternoon. This is the most popular activity in the park. View animals like elephants, buffalo, waterbuck, hippos and crocodiles. Water birds are also plenty and these include water thickknee, yellow-billed stork and various plovers, pink blacked pelicans ,pied king fishers and white bellied cormorants and the sunbird.
Overnight stay at Mweya safari lodge/Kasenyi Safari camp (Up market) and Simba safari camp (Budget) . B,L,D
Day Eleven: Queen Elizabeth – Ishasha.
Early morning game drive in the park to capture what you missed out on the previous game drive. Have an early lunch at the lodge and drive to the southern part of the park. Overnight stay at Ishasha wilderness camp (Up market) Ishahsa Jungle lodge (Midrange) or at the River Ishasha (Budget).B, L,D
Day Twelve: Ishasha sector
Morning and afternoon game drives today. Ishasha region is well known for the most alluring game viewing areas in the country and if lucky, we can spot the tree climbing lions. Overnight stay at Ishasha wilderness camp (Up market) Ishahsa Jungle lodge (Midrange) or at the River Ishasha (Budget).B,L,D
Day Thirteen: Ishasha – Bwindi
Check out of the lodge with packed lunches and transfer to Bwindi arriving in the afternoon. Bwindi Forest is regarded as the most biologically diverse forests in Africa since it dates before the Pleistocene ice age making it over 2,500 years old has got an altitude range of between 1,160 m and 2,607m above sea level. Bwindi is a true rain forest spread over a series of steep ridges and valleys that form the eastern edge of the Albertine rift valley. Overnight stay at Gorilla Forest Camp (Up market) ,Mahogany springs lodge (Midrange) and Buhoma community rest camp (Budget). B,L,D
Day Fourteen: Bwindi Forest National park (Gorilla Trekking)
Have an early morning breakfast and transfer to your respective Gorilla trekking points for a briefing from the guides. Gorilla trekking is unpredictable and it usually takes 2-8 hours `depending on where the gorillas built their nest the previous night. Your efforts will be rewarded when you encounter with the humble giants. Enjoy the infant Gorillas as they feed, play and swing from on branch to another. For conservation purposes, the time spent with the Gorillas is only one hour. Bwindi harbors at least 120 mammal species,11 types of primates and a total of 350 bird species.
Overnight stay at Gorilla Forest Camp (Up market) ,Mahogany springs lodge (Midrange) and Buhoma community rest camp(Budget). B, L, D
Day Fifteen: Bwindi – Lake Bunyonyi.
Check out of the lodge and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi. The Island is popularly referred to as a ‘place for little birds and the best place in Africa to see the diurnal spotted –necked otter. Overnight stay at Bird nest resort. L,D
Day Sixteen: Lake Bunyonyi
5 hour Bunyonyi trek which involves caaual hiking, dugout canoeing, nursery school fun and a visit to a traditional healer and craft maker. Overnight stay at Birdnest Resort lake Bunyonyi. B,L,D
Day Seventeen: Lake Bunyonyi – Lake Mburo
Early breakfast and transfer to lake Mburo arriving late in the afternoon. Diner and overnight stay at Mihingo lodge (Up market) Rwakobo Rock lodge (Midrange) and Eagle’s Nest (Budget). B,L,D
Day Eighteen: Lake Mburo National park
Have an early game drive in the park and view animals like Impala, Zebra,waterbuck,buffalo,topi,hippopotamus,warthog, bushbuck, common duiker, Eland as well as a variety of woodland and water associated birds Return to the lodge for a late breakfast. After lunch, we shall go for a boat ride on the lake in the afternoon. Have good sightings of hippo, crocodile, buffalo, waterbuck, bush buck and otters. Bird species include African fish eagle, marabou stork, pied king fisher, various egrets and herons. While Ross’s turaco and Narina trogon are frequently sighed in the lake side thickets, Lake Mburo is possibly the easiest place in Uganda to see the exclusive African fin foot that is associated with still water below overhanging branches.
Overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge (Up market), Rwakobo rock lodge (Midrange) and Eagle’s Nest (Budget). B,L,D
Day Nineteen: Lake Mburo – Jinja.
Transfer to Jinja and arrive in time for an afternoon boat ride at the source of the Nile. Overnight stay at Wild water’s lodge Jinja (Up market), Gately on the Nile (Midrange) or Two Friend’s guest house (Budget). B,L,D
Day Twenty: Jinja
Alternatively go for a half day rafting trip on the Nile, a quad bike or bungee Jumping. Overnight stay at Wild water’s lodge Jinja (Up market), Gately on the Nile (Midrange) or Two Friend’s guest house (Budget).B,L,D
Day Twenty One: Jinja – Kampala
Have an early breakfast and transfer to Kampala for a brief city tour. Visit places like Rubaga and Namirembe cathedrals, Bahai temple, Kabaka’s lake and old Kampala mosque. We shall visit the craft village in the afternoon for some souvenirs. Overnight stay at Kampala Serena Hotel (Up market), Golf course Hotel (Budget) and Cassia lodge (Budget). B,L,D
Day Twenty Two: Kampala – Entebbe.
Transfer to Entebbe for a half day trip to Ngamba Islands.After a pleasant boat ride, you will arrive at the Islands and you will be directed to the visitor’s centre to learn more about the chimps. You will be able to view and photograph these fascinating chimps in their natural environment. Transfer back to Entebbe for lunch. Send the afternoon at leisure, overnight stay at Lake heights (Up market), or the Boma guest house (Midrange) . B,L
Day Twenty Three: Departure.
Drive to the airport arriving in time for your departure flight
END OF SAFARI
