Immerse yourself on a Uganda wildlife safari that has it all, from treks to meet the rare mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to village walks in Uganda’s welcoming rural communities. Witness wildlife in the country’s incredible national parks, and cruise down the Nile with crocodiles, hippos, and more. Track chimpanzees in the depths of the forest, explore Lake Mburo, and discover the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Entebbe – Kampala
Arriving at the airport you will be warmly welcomed by a representative of Nyumbu Beyond Journeys, and transferred to your hotel in Kampala.
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja, Source of the Nile
After early breakfast, your guide will transfer you to Jinja, the second largest town and the colonial manufacturing hub. In Jinja, the Nile River begins its journey from Lake Victoria all the way up to the Mediterranean Sea.
You will stay at a wonderful lodge in a peaceful spot overlooking the river Nile with breathtaking views of the river rapids and excellent opportunities for watching the birds and local fishermen paddling dugout canoes.
Day 3: Transfer to Sipi Falls
Today, you will be transferred to beautiful Sipi Falls that are on a plateau of 1800m above sea level. The Sipi River flows over the foothills of Mount Elgon, forming a spectacular series of waterfalls, some nearly 100m high, surrounded by village walking trails and lush green coffee-producing hills. You will stay in a wonderful lodge. From your lodge you have beautiful views over one of the waterfalls.
Day 4: Explore Sipi Falls
Today after breakfast, you can choose to go on a 3 hour or for the real adventurers a 7-hour hike through the region. A local guide takes you on your hike to explain flora, fauna and culture of the area.
Whichever option you choose, you can be certain that you will pass many picturesque waterfalls, plantations and caves.
Day 5: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park.
Today after early breakfast, you continue your journey to Murchison Falls National park. Murchison Falls National Park is the largest conservation area in Uganda, covering an area of over 3,840 km². The park’s name derives from its famous waterfall: the mighty Murchison Falls, which are formed where the Victoria Nile powerfully forces its way through a narrow cleft before plunging 43m down with a thunderous roar.
Day 6: Morning game drive- Afternoon boat safari-Top of falls
Today after breakfast, you will depart for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park. 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, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. For the birders amongst you, 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 gap plunging 43 meters into the Nile on the way to Lake Albert. The banks of the Nile are densely populated with crocodiles, hippopotamus, and a range of other wildlife that come to the river to drink.
After the boat safari you will hike to the top of the falls. From here you have a wonderful view and fantastic photo opportunities!
Optional activity: Chimp tracking Budongo forest
Budongo Forest is located in the southern part of Murchison Falls National Park and has the highest number of wild chimpanzees of Uganda. The habituated groups are located in Kaniyo Pabidi, where you can go for chimpanzee tracking. Budongo Forest has an incredible biodiversity that beside the chimpanzee includes several other species like the Blue monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys and Olive baboons.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Today you will begin your journey to Kibale Forest National Park. The long drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda.
Kibale Forest National Park is located in west-central Uganda just east of the Rwenzori Mountains, near the town of Fort Portal. The 766 Km² Park predominantly covers evergreen rain forest and ranges between 1100 and 1600m in elevation. Kibale Forest is one of the last remaining expanses to contain both lowland and montane forests and forms a continuous forest with Queen Elizabeth National Park.
You will have packed lunch en route, arriving in the evening for overnight and dinner
Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking – Bigodi swamp walk
Today you will wake up early to go to the park head offices to be briefed about your chimp tracking experience. Kibale Forest National park boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including the chimpanzees. Approximately 5,000 chimpanzees live in the wild in Uganda, which makes it a perfect place to see them
An experienced ranger will take you chimp tracking chimp in the morning or afternoon; you might also see other monkey species that live here. Once you locate the chimpanzees you will have a full hour of eye-to-eye contact with them. Since they are wild animals, we can never guarantee you to see them and might have to settle with hearing their hoots and hollers.
In the afternoon after lunch, you will go for the guided swamp walk. The walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you with enthusiastic waves. It is usual to spot three to four different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco!
Optional Activites:
Chimpanzee habituation tracking
At an additional fee of only $300 US Dollar per person, you can do the chimpanzee habituation tracking instead of the regular chimpanzee tracking. This will take all day and you will be 100% sure to have a very close encounter with our cousins. Book this in time because only 6 persons per day are allowed to go. Your swamp walk can be postponed to the next morning before heading to Queen Elizabeth National park
Crater Lakes Hike:
Formed by ancient volcanic activity, the crater lakes of Uganda are located near Fort Portal, and are a great hiking option. Typical hikes take you through local villages and tea plantations, to the base of several of these incredibly serene and beautiful lakes. With the Rwenzori Mountains in the background, this is by far one of Uganda’s most peaceful and extraordinary sights,
Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, your guide will drive you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to a high concentration of Uganda’s mammals that include tree climbing and savanna lions, elephants, wart hogs, Uganda kob, water buck, cape buffalo, hippos, leopards, as well as more than 600 species of birds that include the African spoon bill, pied kingfishers, fish eagles, pelicans, vultures
Queen Elizabeth National park is Uganda’s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has game including Uganda kob, warthog and waterbuck. Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park. Be ready to see huge numbers of hippos and elephants, and keep your eyes on the lookout for a leopard lazing in the sunshine.
In the late afternoon you will relax at the lodge. You will stay in a nice lodge, overlooking the Lake George.
Day 10: Game drive & Kazinga channel boat safari
Today you wake up early. A little before sunrise coffee, tea and donuts will be served in the lounge before we head out for a long game drive in time to see the first rays of light. You will search for all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, and many Warthogs.
A well-deserved brunch will be served back at the lodge in the late morning.
In the afternoon you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel which joins Lake George and Lake Edward.
Here, you will see a lot of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour.
After the boat safari you game drive back to the lodge.
Optional activities:
Lion Tracking:
For visitors who yearn to get up close to wild African fauna, a research trip is a rewarding adventure. This new and unique experience allows visitors to actively participate in monitoring some of lions in the park, using locator devices and learn habituation calls, as well as monitoring weather, surroundings and behavior. The results are added to researchers’ databases, contributing valuable information to the overall understanding of wildlife ecology – and helping to conserve this wonderful ecosystem. This will as well give you a 95% chance to see the lions!
The number of people on each outing is limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and to increase the quality of the experience for visitors.
The experiential tourism activities currently available are Mongoose Tracking, Lion Tracking, Hippo Census, and Bird Counts.
Experiential tours last between one and three hours. They usually take place in the early morning or evening, or occasionally at night. All activities must be booked through the Visitor Information Centre in Mweya at least 24 hours in advance.
Day 11: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Today after breakfast, you transfer to Lake Mutanda in the south-western part of Uganda; close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You will see a great country-side, bamboo forest and have great views over the Virunga Mountains. For lunch you will stop at a local restaurant on the road.
Day 12: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi impenetrable Forest
Today after early breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for briefing about gorilla tracking. You will encounter one of Bwindi’s endangered mountain gorillas. For most people this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park boasts both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees – the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primates, 113 species of mammals, over 200 species of butterflies and 360 species of birds. The gorillas you track are habituated and can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period of time, every day.
The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 7 hours. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
Optional Activities:
Batwa Trail: During this moving tour, the Batwa demonstrate hunting techniques; gather honey; point out medicinal plants and demonstrate how to make bamboo cups.
Guests invited to the sacred Ngarama Cave, once home to the Batwa King to be entertained by traditional music and dance.
Village Walk: Overlooking the imposing hillsides of Bwindi Impenetrable forest, with the mist swirling over the summits. This is one of the most dramatic settings for your cultural tour! Among others, meet a traditional healer, who not only treats the sick. But uses his knowledge to conserve and educate about the various medicinal plants.
Day 12: Terraced Hillsides & Mountain Views
Depart after breakfast for Lake Mburo, arriving in time to relax at the lodge and enjoy an evening game drive in the park.
Lake Mburo National Park is considered the best place in the country to witness the enormous Eland Antelope, zebra, Topi, Impala, and the numerous birds drawn to the Acacia tree.
Day 14: Back to Kampala or Entebbe
After breakfast at the lodge, explore the park with a morning walking safari in the company of a ranger, followed by a game drive and an afternoon boat safari on the lake. You will drive back to Kampala or Entebbe (Airport). As you pass through the equator, there will be a stop for the requisite snapshot and a bit of souvenir shopping.
Accommodation for tonight is not inclusive in the program. If you wish to depart tonight from Entebbe Airport, make sure your flight is at 10 pm or later. If you want us to book one (or more) nights in Kampala and/or Entebbe, please let us know.