Day notes
On your arrival at Entebbe International Airport you will be met by your guide. Having passed immigration and luggage collection please exit the arrival hall and look out for your guide who will be holding up a signboard with your name. Transfer to boutique Hotel No.5, a 10 minutes’ drive, depending on traffic.
Transfer from Entebbe International Airport [EBB] to No.5 Boutique Hotel
Transfer
Entebbe International Airport [EBB]
No.5 Boutique Hotel
Check-in to No.5 Boutique Hotel
Expert tips:
Please have the following ready for entering Uganda:
- Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate
- A print out of your visa approval
- Your passport
Passport requires 6 months validity from return to home country and 2 pages available for each country you are visiting
Day notes
Today you will have the chance to explore Entebbe, there are many activities to do in and around Entebbe:
- Search for Shoebill in Mabamba Swamp (we highly recommend this!)
- Walk through the Entebbe Botanical Gardens
- Visit the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
- Visit the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre
Day notes
After an early breakfast, you will depart for Lake Mburo (5-6 hour drive). The park mainly consists of open savanna and acacia woodland while papyrus swamps line the verges of the lakes.
You will arrive at the lodge in the time for lunch. After some leisure time at the lodge, head out for an evening game drive and return to lodge.
Check-out from No.5 Boutique Hotel
Transfer from No.5 Boutique Hotel to Mihingo Lodge
Transfer
No.5 Boutique Hotel
Mihingo Lodge
Check-in to Mihingo Lodge
Expert tips:
Mihingo lodge offers different activities:
- Horse safari
- Mountain biking
- Walking safari
- Night game drive
- Cultural visit
- Visiting local school
- Boat trip
Day notes
Today your guide drives you to Mutanda lake (6-7 hours). Here you will stay in Chameleon Hill Lodge, a beautiful lodge with stunning surroundings.
Check-out from Mihingo Lodge
Transfer from Mihingo Lodge to Chameleon Hill Lodge
Transfer
Mihingo Lodge
Chameleon Hill Lodge
Check-in to Chameleon Hill Lodge
Day notes
Enjoy a relaxing morning on the lake or do one of the many activities offered. After lunch drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This forest is home to the highest diversity and concentration of primates found in Africa.
This park is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and one of the richest biological and botanical regions in the World. With its south-west position at the edge of the western Rift-Valley, this forest covers 331 km².The treasures of Bwindi are the Mountain Gorillas. They contribute to about half of the world population of these gentle apes.
Check-out from Chameleon Hill Lodge
Transfer from Chameleon Hill Lodge to Buhoma Lodge
Transfer
Chameleon Hill Lodge
Buhoma Lodge
Check-in to Buhoma Lodge
Expert tips:
Activities at Lake Mutanda:
- Boat excursion
- Weave a traditional basket
- Carve a gorilla mask
- Traditional jewelry making
- Local market tour
- Walking trails
- Mountain biking
Day notes
An early start to check in at the park HQ by 07h45 for your briefing. Treks can take anywhere between 3-8 hours including your 1 hour with the gorillas themselves.
A visit to a mountain gorilla family is a life changing experience. Mountain gorillas are highly intelligent, good natured, and fascinating to observe. The silverback’s powerful presence is awe-inspiring, yet his calm demeanor clearly earns him the title, 'gentle giant'. People are equally struck by the tenderness and care that mothers show their young. And then, of course, there are the juveniles who spend most of every waking hour at play and never cease to make visitors smile.
Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), live in colder climates than the other gorilla species, with their longer and thicker fur providing additional warmth. They are usually smaller than their close cousins the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (gorilla beringei graueri). To the untrained eye, all gorillas may appear very similar in appearance, but they have unique nose prints that help to identify individuals.
Expert tips:
Buhoma Area: 3 Habituated Families
1. Mubare Group Family (aka M Group)
11 members: 1 Silverback, 6 adult females, 1 sub-adult and 3 infants.
Lead by Kanyonyi
Kanyonyi was the only male infant to survive the infanticide habits of the previous dominant Silverback Ruhondeza, who clearly saw all young males as a threat.
Trek difficulty varies, originally located near the park headquarters at Buhoma, but are increasingly moving further away.
2. Habinyanja Group Family
17 members:1 Silverback, 1 Black Back, 5 adult females, 1 sub-adult, 3 juveniles and 6 infants
Lead by Makara
The name Habinyanja means ‘water’ in local dialect and was given to them as they were first discovered near a swamp.
Difficult trek this group as they roam across a big area, but not the hardest of all groups.
3. Rushegura Group Family
16 members: 1 Silverback, 4 Black backs, 4 adult females, 3 juveniles and 4 infants
Lead by Kabukojo
Easier trek as they tend to hang around the park headquarters. On rare occasions they even ventured out of the park down to closest lodge!
Day notes
After breakfast drive in about 5 hours to Ishasha Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a game drive on route. After which you will transfer to Ishasha Wilderness Camp for your overnight stay within the park.
Check-out from Buhoma Lodge
Transfer from Buhoma Lodge to Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Transfer
Buhoma Lodge
Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Check-in to Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Day notes
After an early breakfast set out to catch the dawn activities of the wildlife before they retire to hide from the afternoon sun. Take a packed lunch so you can enjoy a full day doing game drives in the park. Queen Elizabeth NP covers almost 2,000 square km in the western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley. The park is home to a variety of wildlife including elephant, lion, hippo, leopard, buffalo and Uganda kob. Birds present are all typical of riverine and savannah habitats. The Ishasha area of the park is most well known for the tree climbing lions that live here. Once you have finished, return to the lodge in time for dinner to discuss all the wildlife you have seen today.
Day notes
This morning start with a game drive to the Kasenyi Area. Many animals will cross your paths, including elephants, antelopes and with a bit of luck also lions or hyenas. Head back to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon embark on a boat trip. This will allow you to experience wildlife from a different viewpoint. Hippos huff and spray mere feet away, buffalo linger in the shallows and a tremendous variety of birds grace the grasses on the river’s edge. Amongst those you will see, are the malachite and pied kingfishers, great white and pink-backed pelicans and the open-billed stork. You may even spot elephants on the river banks coming for a drink and a bath.
After the boat trip, drive to your lodge for dinner.
Check-out from Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Transfer from Ishasha Wilderness Camp to Katara Lodge
Transfer
Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Katara Lodge
Check-in to Katara Lodge
Day notes
After a relaxing morning, drive in about 3 hours to Kibale Forest. Look out for a view of the snow capped peaks of the Rwenzori mountains (aka the legendary Mountains of the Moon) along the way.
Spend the afternoon at the lodge and spot the different primates from your terrace.
Check-out from Katara Lodge
Transfer from Katara Lodge to Primate Lodge Kibale
Transfer
Katara Lodge
Primate Lodge Kibale
Check-in to Primate Lodge Kibale
Expert tips:
There are many different activities one can enjoy in and around Kibale Forest:
- Chimp Tracking
- Chimp Habituation Experience
- Forest Walk
- Birding
- Nocturnal Walk
- Bigodi Swamp Walk
- Bigodi Village Walk
- Exploration of the Crater Lakes
- Sebitoli Forest
- Cultural Heritage and Nature Trail
- Hike at the slopes of the Rwenzori Mountains
- Visit to the tea estates
Day notes
After breakfast, report to the ranger headquarters at 07:45 am in Kibale Forest National Park to track habituated chimpanzees. These engaging apes, our closest living relative, are great fun to watch as they play and fight in the fruiting trees. Your experienced guides will introduce you to the different members of the chimp families. The trails through the forest are generally easy to navigate and you will always be accompanied by Rangers.
The elusive forest elephant, smaller and hairier than its savanna counterpart, moves seasonally into areas of Kibale Forest. Occasionally other large mammals such as buffalo, giant forest hog and numerous antelope species can also be seen. Birders will be on the look-out for an incredible list of 335 bird species. Butterfly lovers and botanists will be impressed by equally long lists of rare and endemic forest species. Some of the birds you might spot are the great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, barbets, woodpeckers, blue-throated rollers, grey parrot, bronze sunbirds, grey-backed black finch, swamp flycatcher…and so the list goes on.
In the afternoon visit the neighboring Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. Cleverly constructed boardwalks lead you through the Papyrus plants. With over 130 bird species, multi-colored butterflies, eight different species of primates and the rare, semi-aquatic Sitatunga (antelope), this is community tourism at its best.
Expert tips:
Note, the pace of chimpanzee tracking can be quite quick. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and wear clothes that protect you from the dense forest. Be ready to go at a quicker pace today as the chimpanzees can move quite quickly.
Day notes
A long drive today to Murchison Falls (8-9 hours). The wildlife biodiversity in Murchison Falls National Park contains the most astonishing number of species - 76 types of mammals and 451 different birds. The River Nile, on its journey from Murchison Falls, attracts various wildlife including crocodiles, hippos, and water birds. Other animals include lion, warthogs, buffalo, rare aquatic sitatunga antelope, giant forest hog, Uganda kob, topi, waterbuck, elephant and leopard.
Check-out from Primate Lodge Kibale
Transfer from Primate Lodge Kibale to Bakers Lodge
Transfer
Primate Lodge Kibale
Bakers Lodge
Check-in to Bakers Lodge
Day notes
After an early breakfast head out on a game drive in the park.
After lunch in the lodge, enjoy a boat ride to the bottom of the falls where you will see a lot of water birds and animals coming for a drink along the water shores. You also have the opportunity to walk to the top of the falls which offers a unique perspective of the falls.
Expert tips:
Other activities in Murchison Falls include:
- Boat Safaris to the Victoria Nile Delta
- Sport fishing
- Chimpanzee trekking and birding in Budongo Forest
- Hot air ballooning
Day notes
After breakfast drive to Kidepo Valley, a real hidden gem. This is one of the most remote parks on the entire continent and Uganda’s most beautiful and least-explored park. The terrain varies from open savannah, which stretches as far as the eye can see, to dense jungle forests. It is home to over 77 mammal species, 28 of which are found at no other park in the country, including cheetah, wild dog, aardwolf, caracal and striped hyena. Visitors can enjoy excellent wildlife sightings with big herds of buffaloes and elephants, lion, leopard and Rothshild giraffe.
You will stay here in Apoka Safari Lodge. Located on a 'kopje' in the heart of the park, this sustainable lodge offers private thatched-roof cottages, each one with its own veranda overlooking the savannah.
Check-out from Bakers Lodge
Transfer from Bakers Lodge to Apoka Safari Lodge
Transfer
Bakers Lodge
Apoka Safari Lodge
Check-in to Apoka Safari Lodge
Day notes
After an early morning breakfast, embark on a morning game drive to Kanangorok hot spring. Where a variety of animals and birds can be seen roving around like the fast running Ostrich.
Go out for an afternoon game drive that will take you through the Narus Valley in the south of the park. The south is the green region of the park with savannah grasslands mixed with acacia woodland. During the hot afternoons, many animals collect around water sources. You will see large herds of Buffaloes, lots Zebras, and antelope species. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Expert tips:
Activities in Kidepo National Park:
- Game Drives
- Guided nature walks
- Bird watching
- Visiting the local Karamajong community
- Spotlight night drives
Day notes
Have an early breakfast and go for a nature walk to view a variety of fauna and flora species in the park. Return to your camp for lunch and a brief rest in the mid-afternoon. Take another exciting game drive across savannah, hills, small forests, dry river beds and rings of mountains around you.
Or you might want to visit a Karamojong village to learn more about their culture, music and dance. Karamoja has a cattle culture and the Karamojong are notorious as cattle raiders. Unlike most other Ugandans, many Karamojong wear “traditional” dress of a blanket -like shawl, often in red and black. The women wear elaborate beadwork.
Day notes
After an early breakfast experience a beautiful scenery drive to Wildwaters Lodge. The main lodge is located quite unbelievably on a solid rock peninsula, amidst the rapids of the River Nile. This is the ultimate location to enjoy one of the last wild areas of the entire Nile.
Check-out from Apoka Safari Lodge
Transfer from Apoka Safari Lodge to Lemala Wildwaters Lodge
Transfer
Apoka Safari Lodge
Lemala Wildwaters Lodge
Check-in to Lemala Wildwaters Lodge
Day notes
This morning after breakfast, your guide will collect you from your hotel and drive you to go for a full day wild water rafting on the mighty river Nile.
The White Nile has up to seven times the volume of the Zambezi. It thunders between heavily forested islands and then leaps widely into a series of spectacular drops. You will plunge into the rapids and ride the mountainous waves downstream whilst relaxing and swimming in warm pools in the equatorial sunshine during parts of the trip. This is white water rafting at its best!
You will be given an introduction before departing with large rubber boats taking eight people and a guide. A safety boat is accompanying you all throughout the trip so you can enjoy the thrill and exhilaration of world-class white water rafting in the security of knowing that you are in the safest hands. The river is full of grade five rapids so be prepared to hold your breath when plunging into the rapids! Besides the adrenaline rush the rural scenery along the river side’s make for an exhilarating day. A delicious buffet lunch on a private island in the middle of the Nile will be served.
Expert tips:
Other activities in and around Jinja:
- Kayaking
- Quad biking
- Jet boating
- Horse back riding
- Bungee jumping
- Guided walks
- Fishing
Day notes
Enjoy your last day of the incredible views of the Nile, before driving back to Entebbe (3 hours drive) for your international flight out.
Check-out from Lemala Wildwaters Lodge
Transfer from Lemala Wildwaters Lodge to Entebbe International Airport [EBB]
Transfer
Lemala Wildwaters Lodge
Entebbe International Airport [EBB]
