Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by a guide and transferred to your hotel, your home for this night. Your guide will give you the plan for tomorrow.
Today you will depart for the most beautiful protected area in Uganda: Murchison Falls National Park. En route you will make a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, home to the only wild rhinos in Uganda. The reserve was created to reintroduce rhinos to the country which had been extinct since 1982. Together with a guide you will track the rhinos and observe them in their habitat at a very close and safe distance. Have lunch at the Rhino sanctuary and thereafter we will drive to Murchison Falls National Park and drive for an hour deeper into the National Park to the site of Murchison Falls after which the park is named– one of Uganda most beautiful sights. If time allows, you will be able to visit to Top of the Falls for a first view of the magnificent waterfalls. Check in at Twiga Safari lodge for dinner and overnight.
After an early breakfast you start the day with a game drive on the northern bank of the Nile, with chances of seeing Rothschild Giraffe, elephants, lions, Jackson Hartebeest, Oribis, Waterbucks, different species of the savannah woodland birds, and if lucky even the elusive leopard to top the Africa’s “The Big 5” amongst a multitude of African plains game returning to Twiga Safari Lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, enjoy a Nile launch cruise to the bottom of the water falls for game viewing at close quarters, after the launch cruise, get off from the bottom of the falls and hike up to the top of the falls where you will be rewarded with amazing views of the Nile.
After breakfast, check out and drive south to Fort Portal, with lunch (packed) en-route. Fort portal rests in the shadow of the fabled ‘Mountains of the Moon’ and is famous for her many tea plantations. You will continue into Kibale National Park arriving at Primate Lodge in time for dinner and overnight.
Today the forest opens for a sensational chimp tracking. Kibale Forest is reputable for having the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. After a pre-tracking briefing at walking distance from your accommodation, you will start your hike adventure into the forest. Follow the footsteps of a large habituated family of chimpanzees, with over 120 individuals that have made Kibale one of the best locations in Africa for chimp viewing. En route your guide will explain more about the forest and the other inhabitants, including other primates and birds such as the Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Black-billed Turaco, Pied Hornbill, Chestnut winged Starlings and many more. Upon sighting the chimpanzees, you will stay with them for one unforgettable hour as they continue their daily routine – growling, grooming, feeding, taking care of the young ones and agilely climbing up trees. It certainly is one unforgettable wildlife encounter and the hour is always over too soon.
After your forest walk, return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you transfer towards the south while passing the majestic foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains as the “Mountains of the Moon”. Enroute you will explore the scenic crater lakes region that surrounds the dense forest of Kibale National park.
The day begins early when with a morning game drive and head to the mating ground of the Uganda Kobs. We search for lions, elephants, buffaloes and other wild animals in their natural habitat.
In the afternoon you take on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural channel between Lake Edward and Lake George. The channel is 33 km long and 2-3 km at its widest points. The scheduled 2-hour boat ride (beverages and snacks included!) will cover a 12-14 km stretch of the channel, with almost guaranteed excellent wildlife sightings including multitudes of hippopotamus – possibly the world’s highest concentration – Nile crocodiles, wallowing buffaloes on its reedy banks, elephants, and many birds.
Awaken to a new day for another extremely beautiful new day. After morning breakfast, you depart Queen Elizabeth National Park and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, home of the endangered mountain gorillas. Check in at Mahogany Springs.
Arise early today and prepare for the highlight of your safari, an unforgettable encounter with the Gentle Giants!
Following breakfast, transfer to the national park offices where you will be allocated a gorilla family in groups of 8 as well as a gorilla tracking guide. After a pre-tracking briefing by your guide touching on the gorillas generally, your assigned gorilla family as well as appropriate safety precautions, you drive to the trailhead for the start of a thrilling adventure. Expect to walk between 2 and 8 hours in steep and sometimes muddy conditions with rain overhead, which can be tough and require a degree of (average) fitness. However, the thrill of coming face to face with a giant Mountain Gorilla silverback completely makes up for the effort!
Please remember to bring your passport for registration, appropriate, water proof hiking boots and a light rain coat. To protect from stinging nettles, we recommend long pants and long sleeved tops. A pair of old gardening gloves can help grabbing onto the vegetation while most hotels/lodges provide a walking stick that come in very handy especially when hiking downhill. A small waterproof backpack is an excellent idea to carry a light snack, bottled water as well as protection for your camera.
Upon sighting the gorillas, you spend the allowed one hour with them as they go about their daily life; feeding, moving, playing, raising their young and sometimes wrestling with the juveniles – it is a totally unique and unforgettable experience!
After breakfast we depart the impenetrable forest of Bwindi and head to Lake Mburo National Park. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant before we enter the national park, and with a game drive en-route we will calmly proceed to our accommodation, with beautiful views of the park.
In the evening you will have the opportunity to enjoy a night game drive (pre-booking required).
Early start of the day we will go for a bush walk guided by a ranger. Experience a safari on foot that will allow you to notice the smaller, often overlooked, details and usually brings you much closer to the wildlife than when in a car.
Return the lodge for breakfast and with a game drive on our way out we depart the protected area and back towards the capital city. En-route we will pass the Equator where we will make a stop for lunch, photos and souvenir shopping. In time you will be dropped at Entebbe Airport for your international flight.
