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Venture Treks and Safaris
13 days Uganda Classic Gorilla/Wildlife Safari
This safari starts and ends in Uganda. First, you will visit Murchison Falls National Park for a Nile cruise and game drives in the park, head to Kibale Forest National Park for chimpanzee tracking and swamp walk at the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, and en route to Queen Elizabeth National Park for game viewing and launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, drive to Lake Mburo National Park for game drives and boat rides on Lake Mburo and finally drive to Jinja for white water rafting.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe International Airport
The safari representative will pick you up at the airport on arrival. Transfer to your preferred Lodge for the overnight. Accommodation: Kampala Serena Hotel (Luxury), Cassia Lodge (Midrange) and The Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Lunch and dinner[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Day 2: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, depart for Murchison Falls National Park arriving in the afternoon. The drive will take approximately 5-6 hours and will give you a good insight into the Ugandan way of life. Take a stopover at Masindi hotel for lunch. We will continue through the park stopping at the top of the falls which is a fantastic sight. Here the Nile, the longest river in the world, is forced through a narrow gap in the rock (only 7 meters wide), before ferociously plunging down 43 meters. Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge/Chobe Safari Lodge (Luxury), Sambiya River Lodge (Midrange) and Bwana Tembo Safari Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Game drive and Launch cruise
Following a morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the northern part of the park for a game drive. View Elephants, Buffaloes, Bushbucks, Lions, and a variety of bird species. After lunch, proceed for a two-hour launch cruise up to the substructure of the mighty Murchison falls where sinister water escapes from the narrow gorge, an opportunity to see the amazing hippos, crocodiles, and water birds along the river banks enabling a wonderful birding safari. Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge/Chobe Safari Lodge (Luxury), Sambiya River Lodge (Midrange) and Bwana Tembo Safari Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Depart for Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, you will depart with our packed lunch to Kibale National Park. This scenic drive takes approx. 9 hours. You will pass close to Lake Albert. On a clear day, the view on the top of the Albert rift is spectacular. Arrive at Fort portal town in the late afternoon. Tonight you will sleep at Ndali Lodge prior to your chimpanzee tracking in the morning. Accommodation: Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury), Chimps Nest (Mid-range) and Ataco Country Resort (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and swamp walk
A relatively early morning start, to report to the ranger station in Kibale National Park at 08.00 am to track habituated chimps – these delightful apes, more closely related to humans than to any other living creature, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. The incredibly diverse forest is home to over 13 species of primates including the red-Colobus monkey, the rare L’Hoest, blue monkey, grey mangabey, pottos, black-faced vervet monkeys, baboons and also bush babies. A network of shady forest trails provides much to delight botanists and butterfly lovers, while birders are in for a treat with 335 species recorded including the endemic Prirogrine’s ground thrush. The elusive forest elephant, smaller and hairier than its savannah counterpart, moves seasonally into the developed part of the park, while other terrestrial mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog and a half dozen antelope species. After lunch, a visit to the Bigodi swamp eco-tourism site is amazing, as we shall encounter rare and beautiful flora and fauna. Accommodation: Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury), Chimps Nest (Midrange) and Ataco Country Resort (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 6: Depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth is host to a large variety and volume of wildlife. It boasts one o the highest biodiversity ratings of any game park in the world, from the open Savannah to Rain forest, dense swamps and beautiful crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. Almost 100 species that include Hippos, Lions, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted hyenas and the elusive giant forest hog, there are over 606 species of birds found here including the martial eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, Verreaux’s eagle owl and African skimmer to name but a few. The primates include Chimps, Black and white Colobus Monkeys, Blue, Black Faced Red Colobus, Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons. Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury), Katara Lodge (Midrange) and Enganzi Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 7: Game drives and launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel
After breakfast, your safari guide will drive you to the Kasenyi area of the Park for a sunrise game drive. Here you will be able to see numerous elephants as well as water hog, lion, hyena, Uganda kob, water-buck and bush-buck. In the afternoon a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel gives you the opportunity to view wildlife up close: hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, and buffalo linger in the shallows. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle billed stork and many others. After this wonderful afternoon, a slow drive back to Lodge. Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury), Katara Lodge (Mid-range) and Enganzi Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 8: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
This morning, we will leave for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to the few remaining mountain gorillas. Bird-life and primate life in Bwindi are quite superb, and there is an incredible variety of flora. Bwindi is the Bird watchers haven! It holds 348 species of birds and supports 24 of 26 Albertine Rift Endemics that occur in Uganda; and seven red data book species. Once continuous with the forests of the Virunga Volcanoes (Dian Fossey’s stomping ground), Bwindi is now an ecological island, surrounded by cultivation on the rich volcanic soils. Accommodation: Lake Mutanda Lodge (Luxury), Lake Kitandara Tented Camp (Mid-range) and Wag Tail Eco-Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 9: Gorilla trekking
Go gorilla tracking, walking up steep densely forested hills before finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation. An inspiring moment! (This trek can take from half an hour to 5 hours – a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as a sturdy pair of walking shoes) Sit in the forest among the gorillas, listening to them grumble to each other, and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant male; the silver-back. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rain-forest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. It’s amazing to think there are only about 700 of these beautiful creatures left. Accommodation: Lake Mutanda Lodge (Luxury), Lake Kitandara Tented Camp (Mid-range) and Wag Tail Eco-Lodge (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Following a morning breakfast, we will depart for Lake Mburo National Park. We will drive through some of Uganda’s finest scenery. Lake Mburo National Park is an extension of the Tanzanian plains with big herds of zebra, impala, eland and other ungulates (cloved hoofed animals). For birders, this is one of the best places to find African fin foot and papyrus bush shrike. We will check-in at the lodge and relax for a little while before going for an evening game drive. Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge/Mantana Tented Camp (Luxury), Arcadia Cottages (Mid-range) and Rwonyo Camp (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 11: Game drives and canoe rides
After breakfast takes a game drive through the Kazuma track which passes through wooded grassland-black-bellied bustards. The fascinating scenery of the Kazuma hill gives a real exposure and exploration of Lake Mburo National Park. Along this trail, you will also be able to see all the five lakes within the park and rolling hills. After lunch go for a 2-hour canoe ride on Lake Mburo. Different animals and birds can be seen while on the boat ride. These include crocodiles, hippos as well as water birds. Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge/Mantana Tented Camp (Luxury), Arcadia Cottages (Mid range) and Rwonyo Camp (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 12: Depart to Jinja
Explore Lake Mburo once more while preparing to depart to Kampala and then Jinja. Have a stopover along the Equator for a photographic opportunity as well as an informative talk. Accommodation: Wild Waters Lodge (Luxury), Jinja Nile Resort (Mid-range) and Sunset Hotel (Budget). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Day 13: White water rafting and later return to Kampala
In the morning, you will have a chance to carry out water rafting and be rowed downstream by professional guides in the safety raft OR choose to raft in the paddle-powered boats. After lunch, you will drive back to Kampala. Meal Plan: Breakfast and lunch[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
