14 Days Highlights Uganda Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda

You will be met at the airport by our safari guide who will transfer you to the hotel reserved for you in Kampala. 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 (5-6hrs)

The 14 Day Highlights Uganda Safari starts with an early breakfast and 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. There are 9 white rhinos and tracking is done on foot for 1 and half hours. 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:
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 an early start (6.30am) and set off at for a sunrise 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.

Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodiles and hippos will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee-eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork and the rare shoebill stork.

You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast and some relaxation before you set off in the afternoon for a boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. En route you will see hippos, crocodiles, water buck and a wide variety of birds like the unusual shoebill stork. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls.

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: Visit to the top of the fall and travel to Kibale Forest National Park

You will after your breakfast visit 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 whose water banks are swarmed with a profusion of water and land animals as well as birds.

You will thereafter set off on a 9 hour journey to Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is through verdant countryside dotted with traditional homesteads and farms and via the towns of Hoima and Fort Portal which rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your 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 tracking 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 tracking. 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 birds and monkey species. You will have dinner and overnight at your lodge.

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: Game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park

After your morning breakfast, you will have an early morning Game drive where you will see the lion, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephant, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, topi and bushbuck among others. You will return to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.

It is a 42kms channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful, with well over 550 resident species.

Dinner and overnight will be spent at your reserved 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: Game Drive and travel to Lake Bunyonyi

You will wake up early for a morning game drive in the park during which you will see Lions, Elephants, Topis, Leopards, Bush bucks, Cape Buffaloes, Defassa Waterbucks, Giant Forest Hogs, Uganda Kobs, among others. You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast after which you will travel to Lake Bunyonyi.

The lake lies close to the border with Rwanda, and is said to be one of the most beautiful places in western Uganda. It is the second deepest lake in Africa 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.

Dinner and overnight will be at one of the many lodges near the lake.

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

Day 8: Canoeing and hiking on Lake Bunyonyi

This morning you can choose to either have a canoe-ride on the lake or a walk through the surrounding hills. The landscape around the lake is made up of steep slopes covered with lush green vegetation protruding from the water’s edge. Bunyonyi means “place of little birds” and as the name suggests, there is plenty of bird life around the lake.

You can get to know the seven islands, visit the local families and admire views of volcanoes. In the afternoon you will drive to Kisoro in the south-western part of Uganda; close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You will go through a beautiful part of the country often referred to as ‘the Switzerland of Africa’.

You will see a great country-side, bamboo forests and have great views of the Virunga Mountains and if it is a Monday or Thursday you will see a large colourful market in Kisoro. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your 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 9: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

The ninth day of the 14 Day Highlights Uganda Safari begins with an early morning breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers in a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules at 7:45 am. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 2-8 hours.

The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access by tourists. You will have one hour to stay with the Gorillas once sited before returning to your lodge to rest. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your 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 10: Cultural Village Walk

You will, after breakfast, go for a guided 3-5 hour community walk through the farms and villages of the Bufumbira and Bakiga tribes to experience the livelihoods of these local communities.

You will visit a traditional herbalist to see how he prepares native medicine to treat a wide array of human sicknesses, see how local beer is brewed using local methods and be entertained by the traditional dances offered by the local community entertainment groups. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your 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: Game drive in the Mburo Park and boat cruise on the Lake

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.

You will have lunch in Mbarara town and continue the drive to the park. In the afternoon you will go for a 2 hour boat ride on Lake Mburo and get quite close to the water animals that include crocodiles and hippos. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.

Day 12: Travel to Kampala

On the twelfth day we make a u-turn from Western Uganda back to the city, the journey an adventure on its own. 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 tour on foot. You will after the game walk return to the lodge for lunch and later set off on your return journey to 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.

You will have another stopover at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers centre where you will be able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using traditional methods passed down through the generations. You will arrive 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 13: 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 14: Adventure on the Nile

On the other side of Uganda, our 14 Day Highlights Uganda Safari continues in Eastern Uganda.

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 09:30am with a comprehensive briefing and being fitted with the 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 and that ends the adventurous 14 Day Uganda Total Safari.

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

Excluded

• International Flights & Air tickets,
• Personal travel insurance,
• Visa Fees
• Drinks
• Cigarettes
• Tips