Explore Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari in 10 Days

HIGHLIGHTS

Starts/Ends: Entebbe, Uganda

Country Visited: Uganda

Main Activities:  Game Drives, Boat Rides, Hiking, Chimps Trekking, Gorilla Trekking, Scenic Viewing and culture.

Strength Demand: Moderately Demanding

10 Day Explore Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari

Route: Kampala – Ziwa Rhinos -Murchison – Kibale – Queen – Bwindi – Mburo – Kampala.

Incredible Uganda Tour is truly incredible. The tour gives you satisfaction of being on an African Safari taking you to trek the most famous primates and giving you a taste of hanging among the amazing Savannah wild.

The 10 Day Explore Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari  is more than just the jungle and the wildlife safari but also the incredible Uganda people, with over 40 Languages across the country,their cultures, amazing food, music and celebrations and oh my, the sites.

You will visit some of the most dreamy places like Lake Bunyonyi, Murchison Falls and the rich montane ecosystems across the country.

Strap yourself, collect your documents and lets get you on this 10 Day Explore Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari. But first, take a look at the highlights and the itinerary bellow to get you started.

Safari Highlights

• The awesome and exciting experience of spending time with the Gorillas and watching them at close range as they feed, play and relax.
• A visit to the spectacular Murchison Falls renowned for its scenic beauty as well game and boat drives on the Victoria Nile
• Being tantalized by the squeezing of the Nile River into a 7 meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down in a thunderous explosion
• Watching at close range the wild but habituated chimpanzees, other primates and birds in their natural environment
• Sightseeing of the unique geographical gifting along the Albertine Rift Valley with breathtaking scenic glamour of landscapes
• 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).
• Enjoying game drives in the Queen Elizabeth National Park and a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.
• An opportunity to trek the endangered white Rhinos
• An opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the Equator for memorable photos.

Day 1: Kampala – Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhinos

We drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle on the first day of the 10 Day Uganda Tour and travel to Masindi via Ziwa Rhino Project where you will have the opportunity to trek the Rhinos.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary houses Uganda’s Rhino reintroduction project. You will continue to Masindi Town for lunch and later drive to Murchison Falls National Park. The entire journey takes 6-7 hours. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.

Accommodation Options:
Upscale: 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 2: Murchison Falls National Park Safari and boat trip to bottom of falls

You will wake up very early and set off at 6.30am and cross the river by ferry for a dawn game drive on the Northern bank of the river. With the help of a guide you will spot Elephants, Lions, Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyenas and if you are lucky, the leopard.

You will return to your lodge for breakfast and lunch after which you will go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” popular for taking pictures of the majestic Murchison falls.

 

En-route, you will see hippos, crocodiles, elephants, waterbucks and Uganda Kob. This area is also home to many bird species like the Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, Pelican bee-eater, Kingfisher, Hornbill, Cormorant and the rare Shoebill stork. You will after the boat launch return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Travel to Kibale National Park

After breakfast on the third day of the 10 Days Uganda safari, your guide will drive you south toward Kibale Forest National Park via Fort Portal town. This town rests in the shadows the Rwenzori Mountain, the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”. Along this route you will pass through verdant countryside dotted with traditional homesteads and farms along the Albertine Rift escarpments.

We shall have Lunch in this town after which we shall depart for the chimps home, Kibale National Park, arriving in the evening.

Accommodation options:
Up-scale: 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 4: Chimp trek and Bigodi swamp walk

After breakfast you will go for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, where the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa is exceptionally represented. Here you will search for the wild chimpanzee, red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey and many others.

A guide will provide detailed explanations on the primates and the forest fauna and flora to ensure that your walk is informative. You will return to your lodge for lunch after which we shall depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day 5: Birding and other primate watch, transfer to Queen Elizabeth

After breakfast, We shall look for species such as Afep Pegion, Green-breasted Pitta, Joyful Greenbul, Grey-winged Robin, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Dark Backed Weaver, White Browed Crombec,Olive long Tailed Cuckoo, Yellow Mantled Weaver Emard Cuckoo.

Masked and black-throated Apalises, Chestnut winged Starling, Orange-tufted and tiny sunbirds, White-collared Olive-back and other primates in Bigodi Swamp. Later you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Day 6: Game drive and Boat Cruise

You will rise very early (6.30am) and with your packed lunch go for a morning game drive to catch-up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. You will most likely meet grazing Hippos, Elephants, and Lions, spotted Hyenas, bush buck, water buck, stripped jackal, comical warthogs and the elusive leopard.

In the afternoon you will take a launch cruise along the amazing Kazinga channel to see, at close range, the water animals to include Hippos, Buffalos, Crocodiles and elephants bathing on the channel banks.

There is also a variety of bird species on the water banks especially the famous Shoebill, pelican and Jacana. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge.

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: Chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge, Transfer to Bwindi Via Ishasha sector

After breakfast, you will go for chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge. You will be transferred to Bwindi via the Ishasha sector with a 2-3 hour game drive in Ishasha sector in search for the tree climbing lions. Expect to see other animal species such as the warthogs, leopard, spotted hyena and birds. After, then you will transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable forest. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

Day 8: Bwindi Gorilla Tracking

We set off early in the morning for a 2-8 hour trek to encounter the Gorillas. Gorilla trekking is an enjoyable experience though demanding as we go through steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain drizzles before encountering any Gorilla closely. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek.

Upon the encounter you will spend a maximum of one hour with the Gorillas, taking photos and marveling at these elusive creatures.

You will watch in awe the gorillas go about their activities. Each gorilla safari encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.

After trekking you will return to your lodge for lunch and some rest and if the time permits you will go for a community walk to explore the life styles of the people living around the park.

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 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo, Afternoon/ Evening game drive

You will have an early breakfast and travel 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.

Later after lunch you will go for an afternoon/ evening game drive. Expect to see zebra, hippos, crocodiles, eland, antelope, impala, and a variety of birds. And later retire to the lodge of your booking for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options:
Up-market: Mihingo Lodge
Midrange: Rwakobo Rock / Lake Mburo Safari Lodge
Budget: Eagles Nest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Early Morning Walking Safari and transfer to Kampala/ Entebbe

Early breakfast before embarking on our return to Kampala, You will have a short drive to the Rwonyo park headquarters.

This has often been a good chance of seeing hyenas coming back to the water you will see buffalo zebra, impala and topi and with a bit of luck may be even asitatunga, an antelope rarely seen living in the papyrus swamps.

Later, in the mid-morning you will transfer back in Kampala reaching in the evening. Dinner and overnight will be at your lodge of booking.

End of the 10 Day Uganda Safari Tour.