OVERVIEW :
With this 14 Days best of Uganda wildlife safari, you will experience all the best highlights of Uganda in a comfortable but adventurous way.
HIGHLIGHTS :
Rhino tracking and Game drives
Chimpanzee trekking and Gorilla trekking
Tree climbing lions
Boat safaris
Visit a cultural village
DETAILED ITINARARY :
Day 1: Entebbe – Kampala /Travel Time 42 km, 1 hour
Arriving at the airport you will be warmly welcomed by a representative of Peak Cruise Safaris, and transferred to your hotel in Kampala.
Optional Activities:
City Tour: Depending on your time of your arrival explore the vibrant and chaotic city of Kampala. Discover historical and political sites including the ancient tombs of the Kabakas, where the Buganda tribe laid their kings to rest or the Bahai Temple, etc.
Eat Out: Kampala is a town full of culinary wonders. Stray out from your hotel to taste some of the eclectic cuisine of the region including Kampala’s delicious Indian food!
You will stay in a nice lodge with beautiful views on Lake Victoria. The hotel has cosy safari style furnished rooms, equipped with satellite TV, fridge bar, telephone, fan, balcony with lake-view and a comfortable bathroom.
Journey Time: 1 Hour
Accommodation: Cassia Lodge /No meals inclusive
Days 2: Kampala – Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
Travel Time: 300 km, 6 hours (2.5 hours to Ziwa)
Today after breakfast, your guide will pick you from Kampala to Murchison falls national park. En route, you will visit ziwa Rhino sanctuary where you will go for a game walk with an experienced ranger, which gives you a unique opportunity to view the rhinos from a close distance.
Murchison falls national park and Kidepo valley national park once had both black and white rhinos; however, widespread poaching during the Idi Amin era resulted in the disappearance of these majestic animals from the wild. Founded in 1998, Rhino Fund Uganda works to reintroduce black and white rhinos into Uganda and runs a breeding programme.
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
The mighty Nile River divides the park into its north and south sections. At the spectacular Murchison Falls the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. As the river attracts large numbers of game, a boat safari up the Nile provides the perfect opportunity to see and photograph the animals. You will be carefully watched by crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, apes and all the other thirsty wildlife that the Nile attracts; you go to the bottom of the Murchison Falls, which approaches you with a thunderous sound. By car or after a short hike you can reach the “Top of the falls” from where you have a perfect view of the impressive falls and the river snaking below.
You will be staying at a great mid-range lodge. Here you can relax during the rest of your day.
Journey Time: 6 hours
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge /All meals
Pakuba Game lodge: A wonderful safari game lodge found in the Murchison Falls National Park; the lodge has been refurbished with a touch of class. It has 11 Guest rooms which are self-contained. It offers a warm and inviting atmosphere and it’s a home to a wonderful selection of birds, all the general plains game from Giraffe to Impala and innumerable species of reptiles and insects. The area is blessed with a temperate climate all year round. Accommodation is luxurious and all rooms have bathroom en suite and a terrace.
Meals are a combination of Ugandan and French cuisine with excellent Ugandan wines to complete the experience. Special diets are available on request.
Day 3: 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!
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge /All meals
Optional activity: Chimp tracking Budongo forestBudongo 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 Padibi, 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.
Costing: $95 US Dollars p.p.
or
Optional activity: Hot air balloon safari
Discover Murchison Falls from the air and enjoy the unique experience of flying over Murchison Falls National Park in a Hot air balloon. You will have the most amazing views over the river Nile, Lake Albert, the great Murchison Falls and of course this is the best way to spot lots and lots of animals. You will start early morning, so you will see the sun rise over the park. After your balloon safari you will have a bush breakfast in the park (inclusive).
Costing: $380 us dollar p.p.
Day 4: 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 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
Journey Time: 8 hours
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp /Meal Plan: All meals
Kibale Forest Camp offers a unique classic canvas experience in the form of African-style safari tents set in a lush forested surrounding. Complemented by excellent food and service it forms your perfect base to explore the area.
The safari tents are comfortably furnished with twin or double beds. Each tent has its own private en suite bathroom with an eco-friendly toilet, a dressing room and a bush shower.
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking – Bigodi swamp walk
Today you will wake up early to go to the park head offices to be briefed about your chimpanzee tracking experience. Kibale Forest National park boasts the highest number of primates in world, 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 Activities:
Chimpanzee habituation tracking:At an additional fee of only $70 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
Optional Activities:
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
Journey Time: 15 minutes each way
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp / Meal Plane: All meals
Day 6: 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 national 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.
Journey Time: 3 ½ hours
Accommodation: Marafiki Safari Lodge / Meal Plan: All meals
Marafiki Safari Lodge is in a unique location and has been designed and handcrafted using local materials, fitted by artisans from the local community. Overlooking Lake George in the Queen Elizabeth National Park it offers private luxury safari tents on raised wooden floors and canvas walls that can be rolled up to allow you to sit comfortably watching the Savannah Plains with breath taking views across the park and the Rwenzori and Virunga mountains.
Day 7: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 8: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 9: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 10: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 11: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 12: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 13: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.
Day 14: Transfer to Kigali and departure
You will depart for Kigali after breakfast and will
enjoy a city tour including a visit to the museum and
the genocide memorial site and will have lunch in Kigali.