Best of Uganda Safari

13 days

The Republic of Uganda is as enchanting as a fairytale and utterly ready to surprise and delight you.

This amazing country hosts around 11% of the world’s bird species, the highest density of primates and, even though it is only the size of Oregon, more inland bodies of water than anywhere else on the planet.

And just in case that isn’t exotic enough… let’s also add pygmies and Bushmen and the largest volcanic base on earth.

Your breath will catch as a Boda Boda races past (an Über style motorcycle taxi) and your heart will be lost when the jungle introduces you, with the softest rustle and no fanfare, to the darling, brown-eyed gaze of the chimpanzee family and the gorilla baby.

Long after the Mountains of the Moon have joined all your other travel memories, you will continue to dream of Uganda.

Highlights

  • Trekking in Kibale Forest National Park
  • Scenic drive along Mountains of the Moon & Great African Rift Valley
  • Daily safari drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Boat safari in Murchison Falls National Park
  • Gorilla trek
  • Kazinga Channel Cruise
  • Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
  • Gorilla Habituation Experience

Itinerary

DAY 1

Arrive Entebbe

Welcome to Africa. At the Protea Hotel in Entebbe you can cool down in the large outdoor pool while you enjoy superb lake views from the terrace. Tonight a leisurely dinner awaits before you retire to your bedroom.

DAY 2

Murchison Falls – Nile Safari Lodge

After breakfast, drive to Murchison Falls National Park. The mighty Nile, the longest river in the world, flows through the heart of the park. En-route to the lodge, stop to admire the 40-meter high Murchison Falls, where the Nile is forced through an 8-meter gap in the Rift Valley escarpment. Arrive at camp in time for a late lunch and afternoon rest. This evening, enjoy a sundowner cocktail as you inhale the sights and sounds of Africa.

DAY 3

The Nile

Enjoy a game drive early in the morning to visit the top of the falls. The launch trip takes you along the Nile to the bottom of the falls. Murchison Falls National Park is said to be the best game park in Uganda and if you are a bird lover then you are in for a treat.

DAY 4

Launch Trip and Game drive

Set out early for a Delta boat trip on the Victoria Nile River. The area you will take a game drive in is where part of The African Queen was filmed. Game is plentiful.

DAY 5

Kibale Tropical Rain Forest – Ndali Lodge

Today you leave the Rift Valley to drive to the Kibale Forest area in the lower foothills of the Mountains of the Moon. Beautiful tea plantations will signal that you have almost reached the end of your long journey.

DAY 6

Chimpanzee Habituation

A limited number of people spend time with a team of trackers, researchers and the chimpanzees in their natural setting. The Habituation Experience uses a process that takes up to two years to habituate the chimpanzees to human presence and with your visit you become part of the experiment.

DAY 7

Queen Elizabeth National Park – Kyambura Gorge Lodge

After a drive to the fertile, equatorial area of Queen Elizabeth National Park you will find yourself in Uganda’s most popular and accessible savannah reserve. The area has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world, including a total of 95 recorded mammal species and more than 610 species of birds.

DAY 8

Kazinga Channel

After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. During the afternoon you will spend two hours exploring the Kazinga Channel to view some of the largest concentrations of hippo in the world.

DAY 9

Ntungwe River – Ishasha

Transferring to the remote Ishasha Wilderness Camp in the idyllic Southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park on the Ntungwe River. An exclusive camp with superb accommodations for people who enjoy the retreat of a true wilderness, Ishasha is also one of only two places in the world where you can see tree-climbing lions.

DAY 10

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park – Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge

Moving on to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rife Valley. Bwindi is renowned for its Mountain gorilla population – slightly more than half the world’s Mountain gorilla population is resident here.

DAY 11

Mountain Gorillas

Wake early this morning and set out on foot to view the Mountain gorillas. Typically, tracking can take from three to eight hours. You’ll be joined by a guide and several trackers as you head towards the gorillas through the dense forest. Once you find them, you will be able to spend one magical hour observing these amazing creatures in the wild, which is the crown jewel of any Uganda safari. Return to camp for a warm shower, dinner and overnight.

DAY 12

Gorilla Habituation – Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge

Gorilla Habituation is done in southern Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Rushaga section. Only four participants are allowed to join the habituation experiment every day. Visitors have a golden opportunity to spend four hours with the gorillas as they go about their daily life of feeding, playing, grooming and bonding.

DAY 13

Travel home

Take a last few breaths of scintillating African air before bidding your Uganda Safari adieu and hopping on a flight from Kihihi Airstrip, back to Entebbe to connect with your outbound plane.