Overview
This 8-days Uganda safari has a charming blend of wildlife, cultural discovery and thrilling adventures. You will start from the vibrant Kampala city to the breathtaking wilderness of Murchison Falls National Park. Thrilling game drives, boat cruises and an encounter with rhinos will be captivating experiences during these 8 days in Uganda. The safari reaches its highlight with gorilla and chimpanzee trekking tours. In addition to these experiences, you will also go for cultural visits. This 8 days safari in Uganda also takes you to iconic destinations of Bwindi, Kibale and Queen Elizabeth National Parks.
Highlights of the Safari
Day 1: Transfer to Murchison Falls NP and Ziwa Rhino Tracking
Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Village Tour
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi via Ishasha
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Tour
Day 8: Transfer Back to Kampala
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Murchison Falls NP and Ziwa Rhino Tracking
In the morning, our driver will meet and pick you up from your accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe. You will be transferred to Murchison Falls National Park, which is located 234 kilometers away from Kampala by road. There will be a pause made at Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch. This is a chance to experience a 1.5-2.5-hour rhino tracking experience. Head to Murchison Falls National Park, with another pause for enroute lunch. In the park you will head to your pre-booked lodge. Views of lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, warthogs, hartebeests, oribis, waterbucks and giraffes etc. will be had. Check in at your lodge and spend the rest of the day relaxing. Dinner and overnight stay will be enjoyed here.
Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
There will be an early morning breakfast before you go for a wildlife viewing experience across the open savannah. During this 2-3 hour guided game drive, you will spot a variety of mammals and birds including lions, leopards and elephants. Return to your lodge and have lunch before going to the Nile River for a boat cruise. Spotting animals like crocodiles, hippos, elephants and antelopes is also exciting while on a motorboat. The boat moves towards the Murchison Falls where captivating views can be got. Drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park
You will be transferred to Kibale National Park, 253 kilometers away from Murchison Falls National Park by road. However, you will also spot so many birds and mammals in Murchison Falls National Park, some of which you missed yesterday. During this scenic drive, you will also enjoy enroute lunch. Arrive at Kibale National Park and spend the rest of the day relaxing at your pre-booked lodge. There will be dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi Village Tour
Take breakfast in the morning and go to Kibale Forest, at the visitor’s center. You will be briefed by the ranger guide before you enter the forest. This is a chance to meet a habituated chimpanzee community after tracking them for some time. Watching chimpanzees is done for 1 hour, and during this time, you can capture photos. Return to the trailhead and enjoy the debriefing session. You will drive back to your lodge for relaxation and lunch. You will then head to Bigodi Village for a chance to meet the local people living around Kibale Forest.
The people there can entertain you through singing and dancing. The local women group will offer you some tips on how to make handicrafts such as baskets, bags and mats. In the village you will also explore the swamp where you will see a lot of primate and bird species. The great blue turacos and black and white colobus monkeys are some of the most iconic wildlife to spot. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Boat Cruise
After waking up, grab morning breakfast, and check out of the lodge. You will enjoy a scenic drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Only 75.1 kilometers by road separate Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale National Park. Enjoy the marvelous views of scenery including rift valley escarpments. Capture photos of the physical features, including exceptional ones at the Equator crossing in Kikorongo. Enter the park and spot a variety of animals such as lions, leopards, warthogs, elephants, antelopes, buffaloes and waterbucks etc.
Check in at your lodge, have lunch and relax. In the afternoon, you will have a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel, where a variety of wildlife species can be seen. Nile crocodiles and hippopotamuses are common residents here. However, elephants, waterbucks, olive baboons, warthogs and plenty of bird species can be spotted. After this guided boat cruise, you will head back to your lodge. Relax for the rest of the day while getting lovely views of the vast savannah. Have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi via Ishasha
You will wake up early for breakfast. After checking out you will drive southwards across Queen Elizabeth National Park towards the Ishasha sector. This offers some of the best wildlife viewing experiences in the park. In Ishasha, several tree-climbing lions can be seen along with a variety of other mammal and bird species. From there have enroute lunch and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Buhoma sector is only 52.7 kilometers away yet with scenic views. Arrive at your lodge and check in, before being served dinner. Overnight stay is here.
Day 7: Gorilla trekking and Batwa Tour
On this amazing day, you will meet with the highly sought-after mountain gorillas. So after taking your breakfast head to the trailhead to meet the ranger guides. They will be ready to guide you through the gorilla trekking rules in a brief session. Afterwards it will be time to enter the dense forest in a joyful search for a habituated gorilla family. After a thrilling hike following gorilla trails, you will be rewarded with an encounter with the apes. Observe them for an hour and return to the trailhead for debriefing and end the gorilla trekking tour.
In the afternoon, you will head to a Batwa community in a village adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This is an opportunity of encountering the former inhabitants of the dense Bwindi Forest. Learn a few words of the Twa, while you enjoy and join them in singing and dancing to their traditional songs. Listen to their folklore, while they help you explore their local cuisines, herbal medicine and dressing etc. After this guided cultural encounter, you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Transfer back to Kampala
Early morning breakfast before checking out for a 465 kilometers journey back to Kampala city. A guaranteed enroute lunch will be had in Mbarara City during the scenic drive. After arriving in Kampala in the evening, you will be dropped off at your point of convenience. Whether at an accommodation or Entebbe International Airport, will mark the end of your 8 days safari in Uganda.