On arrival to Entebbe you will be met at the Airport by your tour representative who will escort you to your safari vehicle and will introduce you to your Driver who will also be your Guide. The first stop will be a short drive to your accommodation where you will be able to relax and contemplate the adventure that lies ahead or the end of an eventful safari. All your transport will be in a 4x4 vehicle.,
Your guide will be with you for the entire safari and will be more than willing to help you with any questions or needs you might have!
Your Ugandan safari adventure begins in earnest with a trip to Lake Mburo National Park. You will head west on a scenic drive towards the heartland of the Ankole Kingdom. The drive is one of the most scenic in Uganda as you transition out of the suburbs of the city and into open marsh and the grasslands, where the famous long horned Ankole cattle graze. One of the best activities to do in Lake Mburo is a scenic boat ride on the lake. This is one of the best ways to see the diverse wildlife that the Park has.
The boat ride can be done at dawn or dusk depending on your safari itinerary and will normally take around 2 hours. All the rides begin at the Rwonyo jetty, it will not take you long before you begin to see large groups of hippos in the water as well as crocodiles and buffalo lining the banks of the lake. The lake is also famous for it's bird life, from majestic fish eagles, colourful kingfishers, to hammerkops and their enormous nests.
A short game drive in Lake Mburo National Park is a great way to start the day. The park has a variety of wildlife that almost contradicts its small size in comparison to the other parks in Uganda. The park doesn't have any large cats apart from leopards who are normally only seen at night.
Lake Mburo has a large variety of antelopes and Rothschild's giraffe have recently been reintroduced. However the highlights of the park have to be the Burchell's zebra and eland which are only found in two National Parks in Uganda. Saying goodbye to Lake Mburo National Park is never easy. It has an uncanny ability to charm visitors with its peaceful and tranquil atmosphere, stunning landscapes and great wildlife viewing. The safari will continue westwards leaving the Ankole Kingdom, heading towards Bwindi and the Kigezi Kingdom, home of the remarkable mountain gorillas.
Your Gorilla Trekking experience is finally here, hope your camera is charges and you are ready for what lies ahead. An early start will see you transfer to the Park Headquarters for a briefing with the Uganda Wildlife Authority guides. An advance party of guides will have gone ahead into the forest to locate where the gorillas slept the previous night and will have began to track their movements. These guides will communicate with your team via a walkie talkie and the trek into the forest will begin. Locating the Gorillas can take a few hours or the whole day depending on how far they have moved from the place they spent the previous night. For conservation purposes, time allowed with the Gorillas is 1 hour. As you trek in the forest you will appreciate why the forest is called impenetrable. There are also a multitude of other animals that you might encounter including antelopes and rare monkeys not to mention the beauty of the forest itself. Once you have completed the trek you will return to the lodge, for a well earned rest and time to reflect on a truly magical experience. We try and support the communities that we interact with as part of the business we run, with a view to minimising the impact we have on communities as well as ensuring that they too benefit from our operations. One such community in the Buhoma area of Bwindi is called Ride 4 a Woman. You will get to visit these incredible woman and lean more about their story!
With your Gorilla Trekking experience still fresh in your memory it will be time to head north to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The landscape changes as you move away from the thick forest into the open savannah lands. You will begin to notice the traditional home steds and farms that characterise this area. Entry to the Park will be via its southern sector also known as the Ishasha sector.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most famous National Parks in Uganda and for good reason. There diverse landscape houses a wide range of animals, birds and plants which enables any visitor to partake in games drives in different locations of the park, a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel where animals and birds line the banks of this waterway that stretches between two lakes and Chimpanzee Trek in Kyambura Gorge.
A game drive in the Ishasha sector gives you a chance to see the famous tree climbing lions that can been seen hanging out of large fig trees. No one really knows why lions in this area climb trees but there are many theories surrounding this behaviour. However lions are not the only animals to be found in the park. Large herds of Uganda Kob, Hippos, elephant and antelope also roam this part of the park making it an ideal place to view the capture wildlife at its best.
Today is set aside for game drives in the fabulous QENP
With the anticipation of your Chimpanzee Trek, the safari will head further north into the Kibale Forest region. You leave the Rwenzururu Kingdom and journey into the heart of the Tooro Kingdom towards the principal city Fort Portal. Look out for the King of Tooro's grand palace on top of the largest hill in the area.
The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is a part of the Magombe Swamp just south of Kibale National Park. A visit to the sanctuary enables you to see rare mammals and birds, like the webbed feet sitatunga as the great blue turaco call this place home. However, if you aren't lucky enough to see them there are still plenty of other animals, including bush pigs, black and white colobus monkeys and over 200 species of birds that inhabit the swamp. The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is a community-based programme that supports local residents and encourages a healthy link between tourism and the community it affects.
Your Chimpanzee Trekking experience has finally arrived! It begins at the Uganda Wildlife Authority HQ at Kayanchu Gate where your trekking group will head into the forest with a guide after a short briefing. About 1 hour before your group sets off an advance party of guides will have entered the forest to locate where the Chimpanzees spent the night. Once located the advance party send a radio message back to your trekking group so that you can navigate through the forest.
During the trek, you will also get to see the different birds, animals and plant species within the forest. Once you locate the Chimpanzees you can only spend one hour with them this ensures that the Chimpanzees don't become accustomed to human contact.
After an exhilarating experience with the chimpanzees you will begin your return trip to Entebbe. The journey will see you leave the Kiblale Forest National Park in the Tooro Kingdom and head eastwards back to theBuganda Kingdom. The relaxing ride back to Entebbe will allow you to reminisce about the amazing time you have spent in Uganda and all the wonderful experiences you have had.
Lunch en-route
If you would prefer an additional night in Entebbe before heading home then we can of course arrange this for you.
