This new mid range itinerary gives
everything that the standard 10 day itinerary does, but with a little
more consideration for the budget traveler in terms of accommodations.
The itinerary includes visits to 4 National Parks, Kibale Forest,
Queen Elizabeth,
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and
Lake Mburo National Parks. In the rainforests of Kibale Forest
there will be the two opportunities to trek for the chimpanzees.
Trekking twice allows for the observations of the chimpanzees during a
different section of their daily lives, once in the morning and then
again in the afternoon. Game drives and a shared boat trip on the
Kazinga channel whilst at
Queen Elizabeth National Park
will reward your senses with the sights and sounds of the open savannah
and lush grasslands of this spectacular wildlife reserve. The highlight
of the safari is a hike in the
Bwindi forests in search of the rare mountain gorilla. An hour spent with one of the habituated
gorilla families
will provide a lifetime of memories. You will watch the infants and
juveniles tumble and play alongside their mothers and as your eyes spot
the shining back of the mighty Silverback the hairs on your arms tingle
as the excitement mounts and you realise the opportunity which you have
been given to share this experience with your fellow trekkers and this
incredible apes.
Day 1:
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, meet and greet and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight at Karibu Guesthouse (accommodation booked on bed and breakfast basis).
Day 2:
Drive to Kibale Forest
area, the drive is a full day of approximately seven hours. After
leaving the Lake Victoria Basin pass through beautiful agricultural
countryside where every type of fruit and vegetable imaginable is grown.
Upon reaching Kyanjojo, in the lower foothills of the Rwenzori
Mountains {Mountains of the Moon}, we drive through beautiful tea
plantations and into Kibale tropical rain forest.
Overnight at Primate Lodge (BLD)
Day 3:
Today we get the opportunity to explore Kibale Forest National Park. Kibale Forest
is home to 13 primate species and a guided forest trek can be taken in
search of one of the most popular primate species in the world – the
chimpanzee. There are 9 diurnal primates, these include, vervet,
red-tailed, L’Hoest’s, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked manabey, red colobus,
black and white colobus, olive baboon and the most famous of all, the
chimpanzee. Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, the odds are
good with the chance of encountering them standing at higher then 90%.
This morning you will go on a forest walk in search of primates. Whilst
trekking in the depths of the lush green forest, you will be surrounded
by bird song and can expect to see at least 5 or 6 other types of
primate, most probably the grey-cheeked managebey and the red-tailed
monkey and of course the chimpanzee. The walking is fairly easy due to
the well-maintained trails and reasonably flat terrain. You will get
another chance to trek the chimpanzees in the afternoon, allowing for
observation of the chimpanzees during a different section of their daily
lives.
Overnight at
Primate Lodge (BLD)
Day 4:
Drive to
Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The drive passes through Fort Portal and then south along the eastern
length of The Rwenzori Mountains, with the hope of viewing the glaciated
peaks. We gently descend into The Great African Rift Valley and
Queen Elizabeth National Park
and Mweya Lodge, situated on a peninsula overlooking Lake Edward and
Kasinga Channel, offering beautiful views of the park with the Rwenzori
Mountains in the background.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
resides in a fertile, equatorial area and has beautiful scenery. It is
Uganda’s most popular and accessible savannah reserve, with a total area
of 1978km². It is primarily associated with grassy savannah plains, but
this impressive park also includes within its boundaries, leafy
rainforests, dense papyrus swamps and natural volcanic crater lakes. As a
result it has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game
reserve in the world, including a total of 95 recorded mammal species
and more then 610 species of birds. In the afternoon, we will explore
the park and its wonders on a game drive.
****Alternatively we could have a swamp walk in Bigodi Community and drive to
Queen Elizabeth National Park
in the afternoon. Bigodi village is situated in the highlands of
western Uganda, in the shadow of the Ruwenzori Mountains, the famous
“Mountains of the Moon”. The swamp walk takes place in the Bigodi
Wetlands Sanctuary, which is located in the Magombe wetland. The
sanctuary is a major eco-tourism attraction in the Kibale Forest area.
The Sanctuary is operated by the Kibale Association for Rural and
Environmental Development (KAFRED), a registered local community based
organization
Overnight at Kyambura Game Lodge (BLD)
Day 5:
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
including a private boat trip of about two hours on the Kazinga Channel
to view some of the largest concentration of hippo in the world
{reported to be about 30,000} and other game with excellent birding. Queen Elizabeth National Park
is one of best birding parks in Africa, with 560 + recorded species and
a record of 296 bird species seen in one 24 hour period.
Overnight at Kyambura Game Lodge (BLD)
Day 6:
Today we drive through the park to the Ishasha region. Game drive in
search of tree climbing lion (75% success rate) and other game.
Afternoon drive to Bwindi Impenetrable
(a World Heritage Sight) passing through the scenic area known as The
Switzerland of East Africa. The driving today is about 5 1/2 hours (not
including game drives).
Overnight Mahogany Springs Lodge (BLD)
Day 7:
Gorilla tracking day.
After breakfast take a short drive to
Park Headquarters and meet with excellent local guides and trackers who
will give a talk on the etiquette of gorilla trekking. We then hike into
the forest where the gorillas were seen the night before and track from
that point. The trekking can take from 1 to 6 hours and climb to
altitudes in excess of 7,500 feet. The terrain is rough and at times
muddy. Although the Hike is physically demanding the beauty of the
forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthwhile. Once the
gorillas are located all fatigue is forgotten, as the experience is
often described as being the most profound natural history experience in
the world. Picnic lunches are provided and it is important to take
plenty of water. Cameras and plenty of fast speed film is recommended.
It can rain at a few minutes notice; hence waterproof clothing is a good
essential including zip lock bags for cameras and film.
Overnight at Mahogany Springs Lodge (BLD)
Day 8:
Second day gorilla tracking.
OR
Batwa Cultural Experience.
Overnight at Mahogany Springs Lodge (BLD)
Day 9:
Drive to Mbarara passing through the Switzerland of East Africa area and
eventually into Ankole Cattle country around Mbarara. These cattle are
incredible with horns larger than one can imagine. Continue to
Lake Mburo National Park, game drive. The drive today is 6 to 7 hours.
Lake Mburo National Park
is a small park, excellent for birding, antelope and other grazers, one
of the only places to easily see Impala and zebra in Uganda. Game
drives offer particularly picturesque game viewing with the Park’s
mixture of savannah, acacia woodlands, grassy valleys, rocky outcrops,
swamps, lakes and rolling hills. Herds of impala (found nowhere else in
Uganda), buffalo and zebra, plus waterbuck and eland are amongst the
variety of wildlife to be seen. Birders will enjoy the Park’s 310
recorded water and dry land species. In this valley we can operate night
drives and walks. This is the only park where we will see Impala and
Burchell’s Zebra. It is an excellent place for walking and exploring a
nearby Khopji to perhaps see Klipspringer. Game drive to the lodge.
Overnight at Mihingo Lodge (BLD)
Day 10:
This morning we drive back to Entebbe,
this takes approximately 5 hours – road and weather dependent. If time
permits it is possible to stop in Kampala for shopping and lunch and a
visit to the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers. You are then transferred to
Entebbe International airport to connect with your departure flight.
Please note the departure flight must be in the late afternoon or
evening, alternatively we can arrange another overnight in Entebbe.
Please book this tour now via our 24/7 hot line
+256 777 50 61 26 , +256 704 63 5044 OR via
We are warmly waiting for you inquiry!
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