Best of Uganda Tour Holiday in 17 Days

HIGHLIGHTS

Starts/Ends: Entebbe, Uganda

Country Visited: Uganda

Main Activities: Game Drive, Gorilla Trekking, Boat Ride, Chimpanzee Trekking, Cultural Tours

Strength Demand: Moderately Demanding

17 Day Best of Uganda Tour Holiday

Route: Entebbe – Murchison – Kibale – Queen – Bunyonyi – Bwindi – Mburo – Entebbe

Safari Highlights

• The Best of Uganda Tour Holiday includes the awesome and exciting experience of spending time with the Gorillas and watching them at close range as they feed, play and relax.
• The thrill of gorilla trekking but habituated chimpanzees and other primates in their natural environment
• Enjoying game drives and boat cruisesin Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Park.
• An encounter with the Batwa (former forest dwellers) for a demonstration of their former hunting and trapping techniques, and how to make ointments from native plants to cure all manner of ailments.
• A visit to a Batwa home to see the traditional huts used for grinding millet, cooking over an open fire and distilling local potent gin (Waragi)
• Hiking the volcanic mountains topped with beautiful crater lakes to enjoy the spectacular scenic view of the Virunga mountain ranges
• Having a rare treat at the beautifully created Lake Bunyonyi where you will enjoy cool canoe rides as you spot splendid varieties of birds and wildlife;marvel at spectacular scenic views and experience native cultural exposures.
• The thrill of a game-walking safari and canoe rides at the Lake Mburo National Park
• A visit to Igongo cultural village to experience and learn about the life style and culture of the Ankole and the Bahima people.
• An opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the Equator for memorable photos.

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda

You will be met at the airport by our safari guide who will transfer you to Lake Victoria View Guest House in Entebbe. Dinner and overnight will be at this hotel.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Kampala Hotel/ Kampala Serena Hotel/ Emin Pasha Hotel
Midrange: Shangri-La Hotel Kampala
Budget: Namirembe Guest house
Meal Plan: Breakfast only

Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park

You will have an early breakfast and start the Best of Uganda tour holiday with a 5 hour drive to Murchison Falls National Park via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will have the opportunity to trek the Rhinos. The sanctuary houses Uganda’s Rhino reintroduction project. The trekking is done on foot for one and half hours. You will continue the drive to the Northern bank of the Murchison Falls National Park arriving late in the afternoon. The entire journey takes 5-6 hours. You will have dinner and overnight at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation Options:
Up-market: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
Midrange: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Game drive and Boat launch on the Nile

You will have breakfast and set off for a game drive in the Nyamsika plateau to see the Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob, hartebeest and waterbucks. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog and bush pig plus large carnivores including lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. You will return to the lodge for lunch and then go for a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. The stretch of this river bisects the park thereby providing one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles. On the river banks, prolific wildlife including elephant, crocodile, hippopotamus, lion, giraffe, buffalo and countless antelopes and birds can be observed. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls. You will then hike to the “top of the thunderous Murchison falls”, where you will observe the River Nile squeezing itself in a 7 meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down in a thunderous explosion and then flows down into a very peaceful river. You will have dinner and overnight at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation Options:
Up-market: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
Midrange: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Travel to Kibale Forest National Park

You will after your breakfast set off on a 9-10 hour journey to Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is through a beautiful countryside dotted with traditional homesteads, crop gardens and plantations as well as trading centres and towns. You will have lunch enroute and arrive in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Ndali Lodge/ Kyaninga Lodge/ Kibale Forest Lodge/ Primate Lodge
Midrange: Kibale Forest Camp/ Mountains of the Moon Hotel
Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guest house/ Kibale Forest Camp in tents / Rwenzori Travellers Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Chimp trekking and nature walk in Kibale Forest

After breakfast you will report at the Kanyanchu Tourist Centre at 08.00 am for a briefing on the rules of chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest National Park has the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, a very delightful ape. The trek takes 2-3 hours and it will provide you with the opportunity to see a variety of other primates and animals as well as birds and a variety of butterflies. You will return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a nature walk in the Bigodi Wetland to see a variety of rare birds and more monkey species.

Dinner and overnight will still be at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Ndali Lodge/ Kyaninga Lodge/ Kibale Forest Lodge/ Primate Lodge
Midrange: Kibale Forest Camp/ Mountains of the Moon Hotel
Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guest house/ Kibale Forest Camp in tents / Rwenzori Travellers Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Game drive in the Park

After your breakfast, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and have lunch at the lodge of your booking. In the afternoon you will go for a game drive. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Mweya Safari Lodge / Katara Lodge
Mid-range: Ihamba Safari Lodge/ Bush Lodge / Buffalo Safari Resort / Enganzi Lodge
Budget: Bush Lodge

Day 7: Game drive in Queen Elizabeth and Boat launch on Kazinga channel

You will after breakfast go for another game drive to see more wildlife. You will return to the lodge for lunch and later in the afternoon (3:00pm) go for a 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is a 42km channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and offers an excellent opportunity for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful, with well over 550 resident species. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Mweya Safari Lodge / Katara Lodge
Mid-range: Ihamba Safari Lodge/ Bush Lodge / Buffalo Safari Resort / Enganzi Lodge
Budget: Bush Lodge

Day 8: Game drive in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park

You will after breakfast move to the Ishasha sector of the Queen Elizabeth National Park famous for the tree climbing lions lounging in the tree branches while keeping a close eye on herds of Uganda kob, their favourite prey. It is also home to many buffaloes, elephants as well as the rare shoebill. You will spend the day game driving in this part of the park and return late in the afternoon to your lodge of booking for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Mweya Safari Lodge / Katara Lodge
Mid-range: Ihamba Safari Lodge/ Bush Lodge / Buffalo Safari Resort / Enganzi Lodge
Budget: Bush Lodge

Day 9: Travel to Lake Bunyonyi – Canoe ride / Hiking to the view point / Swimming

The best of Uganda tour holiday continues after breakfast with a drive to Lake Bunyonyi. This lake is said to be one of the most beautiful places in western Uganda. It is the second deepest lake in Africa [900 meters deep] and also one of the few places in the country where it is considered safe to swim as it is bilharzias free. The journey takes 6-7 hours and you will have your lunch enroute. The landscape around the lake is made up of terraced hills protruding from the water’s edge. Bunyonyi means “place of little birds” and as the name suggests, there is plenty of birdlife around the lake. You will in the afternoon choose either to go for a canoe ride, swim on the lake or hike to the view point on the hills to see the exceedingly beautiful scenery of this part of the country.

Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Bird’s Nest / Archadia Cottages
Midrange: Bird’s Nest
Budget: Bushara Island Camp

Day 10: Commuinty walk around Lake Bunyonyi and travel Bwindi

This morning you take a 2-3 hour walk along Lake Bunyonyi [14 Kms] to enjoy different viewpoints of this beautiful place. You will go through the villages of the local people to have an experience of how they go about their daily routine activities and be amazed by the way they skillfully cultivate the hill sides and how they care for their animals (cows) that are a prime source of pride. You will after the walk drive to Kisoro town near the border with Rwanda and Congo. The drive will be through a beautiful part of the country often referred to as ‘the Switzerland of Africa’ because of its unique cool weather despite being near the Equator. You will see a great country-side, bamboo forests and have great views of the Virunga Mountains.

Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge/ Mahogany Lodge/Chameleon Hill Lodge/ Trackers Lodge Buhoma
Mid-range: Silverback Lodge / Nkuringo Gorilla Camp/ Gorilla Mist Camp
Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Camp/ Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp/Gorilla Valley Lodge /Buhoma Community Campground
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 11: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

You will have an early morning breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers at 7:45 am for a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 2-8 hours depending on the location of the gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest. You will have one hour to stay with these intelligent, majestic, and gentle giants that share over 90% of their genetic material with humans.

You will thereafter travel to Kisoro town near the Rwanda border in preparation for the following day’s activities in the volcanic mountains. And if it is a Monday or Thursday there is a large colourful market in Kisoro which you can visit. You will have dinner and overnight at your lodge of booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge/ Mahogany Lodge/Chameleon Hill Lodge/ Trackers Lodge Buhoma
Mid-range: Silverback Lodge / Nkuringo Gorilla Camp/ Gorilla Mist Camp
Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Camp/ Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp/Gorilla Valley Lodge /Buhoma Community Campground
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 12: Hiking / Trekking / Canoe ride / Local coffee preparation experience

Today you will choose one of the four activities that can be undertaken in this place. You will either go for Volcano hiking, golden monkey trekking, Canoe ride on Lake Mutanda or be taken through the process of how coffee is raised in the garden and locally processed for drinking. You will return to your lodge for a late lunch and spend the rest of the day resting till dinner time and overnight.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge/ Mahogany Lodge/Chameleon Hill Lodge/ Trackers Lodge Buhoma
Mid-range: Silverback Lodge / Nkuringo Gorilla Camp/ Gorilla Mist Camp
Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Camp/ Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp/Gorilla Valley Lodge /Buhoma Community Campground
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 13: Travel to Lake Mburo National Park via Igongo Cultural Centre

The best of Uganda tour holiday at this point takes you to Lake Mburo National Park, centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes rich in bird life while its green acacia woodland harbors wildlife like the Zebra, Warthog, Elands, Impala among others. Enroute, you will visit the Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch and to learn about the unique history and culture of the Ankole people who pride in keeping cattle. You will be treated to some traditional dances at this centre after which you will be driven to your lodge of booking for Dinner and overnight.

Day 14: Nature walk and Game drive in the park and Boat cruise on Lake Mburo

You will after breakfast go for a tour of the park on foot with an experienced game ranger who will explain to you which animals have left behind footprints and droppings and how long ago. Mburo is one of the two parks in Uganda where it is permitted to go for a tour on foot. You will after the nature walk go for a game drive and return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will go for a 2 hour boat cruise that will get you quite close to the water animals that include crocodiles, hippos and a variety of birds. You will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 15:Travel to Kampala

After breakfast you will set off for Kampala. You will have a stopover at the Equator where you will have an opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the same time and take some photos. The entire stretch of this journey will take 6-7 hours arriving in Kampala in the late afternoon.Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel of your booking.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Kampala Hotel/ Kampala Serena Hotel/ Emin Pasha Hotel
Midrange: Shangri-La Hotel Kampala
Budget: Namirembe Guest house
Meal Plan: Breakfast only

Day 16: Transfer to Jinja

We leave early in the morning and head to Jinja to visit the source of the Nile and to enjoy some of the adventurous activities whose options include white water rafting, jet boating, horse riding, mountain biking, quad biking or bungee jumping. Enroute, you will have a stopover at the Equator where you will have an opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the same time and take some photos. You will arrive in the late afternoon and relax at the hotel of your booking till dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Jinja Nile Resort / Wild Waters Lodge
Midrange: Gately Jinja Guest House / 2 Friends Guest house
Budget: Black Lantern Nile Porch
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 17: Adventures on the Nile and departure

You will, after breakfast, go for the adventurous white water rafting on the Nile River. The rafting begins at the Source of the Nile at 09:30 am with a comprehensive briefing and being fitted with the special rafting gear. The rafting is done on an 18 Km stretch of the Nile River and no prior experience of rafting is required. The first few rapids are of low grade (1, 2) to build the confidence of the participants before guiding them gradually into the more challenging grades. A total of eight major rapids are rafted to maximize the adrenaline rush of this adventure.

You will, after the rafting adventure, be treated to a barbecue lunch and drinks before returning to Kampala for your late departure flight or retire to a hotel of your booking for a well-deserved rest.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Kampala Hotel/ Kampala Serena Hotel/ Emin Pasha Hotel
Midrange: Shangri-La Hotel Kampala
Budget: Namirembe Guest house
Meal Plan: Breakfast only