Summary

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe-Pick up

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Day 3: Murchison game drive – Boat cruise – Top of the fall’s walk

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 5: Morning game drive – Boat trip on the Kazinga Channel

Day 6: Chimp trekking Kyambura Gorge & Nature walk

Day 7: Exit Queen Elizabeth National Park – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Day 9: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe-Pick up

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, Our representative from Great Nest Image Safari will receive and welcome you to Uganda the Pearl of Africa. Thereafter, you will transfer to the booked hotel in Entebbe/Kampala for your accommodation. In case you have an early landing in Uganda, you can proceed to visit some of the places around Entebbe/Kampala like the busy big markets, African craft shops, gardens (for the bird lovers) or one of the biggest shopping malls around town.

Accommodation:

• Innophine Hotel (Entebbe)/Prestige Hotel (Kampala)
• (Mid-range accommodation)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary

After breakfast, the assigned driver will pick you from the hotel and hit the road to Murchison Falls National Park. En route, make a visit to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for your first Big 5 experience where you will have an hour of rhino tracking and another stop will be in Masindi in order to enjoy your lunch. We shall then proceed to with our journey to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest National Park where you will have the chance of viewing lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. Reaching in the park late afternoon, you will check in your lodge and relax for the evening.

Accommodation

• Red Chili Rest Camp
• (Budget lodge located inside Murchison Falls National Park)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 3: Murchison game drive – Boat cruise – Top of the fall’s walk

You will  have your breakfast early in the morning and go for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park and be on the lookout for wildlife including: lions, giraffe, elephants among others. For any birder, there are quite a number of birds to sight too during the drive like the kingfishers, standard night jar and more. Later return to the lodge for some rest time and lunch. After lunch, you will head out for a 2-3hr boat trip/launch cruise to the base of Murchison Falls where you will also be able to catch sight of more animals including Hippos and Crocodiles and several water birds. Continue with a hike (if you like) to the top of the falls. The hike may be a strenuous one but the thrill on reaching the top is unforgettable. Return to your accommodation and have a relaxed evening.

Accommodation

• Red Chili Rest Camp
• (Budget lodge located inside Murchison Falls National Park)

Meals & Drinks

•  Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you will depart from the Murchison Falls National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park as you drive Southwest through Fort portal and the Albertine Escarpment of the Western Rift Valley and you will have lunch on the way. From here you will continue to Mweya peninsula found in the Queen Elizabeth national park. You will arrive the Park in the evening, have dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Accommodation

• Engiri Game Lodge and Campsite
• (Budget lodge located just outside Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 5: Morning game drive – Boat trip on the Kazinga Channel

Early in the morning have your breakfast, proceed for a morning game drive to the Kasenyi plains and be on the look for Cape buffalos, herds of elephants plus the big cats: lions, leopard (not easy to spot) among others. Return to the lodge for some rest and lunch. After lunch, you will go for a 3 hour boat trip on the Kazinga Channel that connects Lakes George and Edward. During the trip, the sight of wildlife including giant hippos, elephants and crocodiles among others will fascinate you. You will also be able to spot out different species of birds at the water shores. You will have dinner and overnight at your accommodation.

Accommodation

• Engiri game lodge and campsite
• (Budget lodge located just outside Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 6: Chimp trekking Kyambura Gorge & Nature walk

After breakfast, you will head to the park headquarters for briefing about the do’s and don’ts while tracking the chimpanzees and then after head to Kyambura gorge to track Chimpanzees and other primates. Among the primates you will encounter here are:  Chimpanzee, baboons and monkeys. If you are still on time you can go for a forest walk in Maramagambo forest to explore the bat cave as you look for pythons that feed on these bats. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Accommodation

• Engiri game lodge and campsite
• (Budget lodge located just outside Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 7: Exit Queen Elizabeth National Park – Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Have breakfast in the morning then set off for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is about 80% though sometimes are hard to spot most especially when they are down in the grassland looking for prey. You will continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda harboring an estimated 459 mountain, including several habituated groups, which you will trek. With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation, relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience early in the morning the following day.

Accommodation

• Gorilla closeup lodge
• (Mid-range lodge outside Bwindi National Park)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

You will have breakfast and then move to the rangers’ post and here you will receive some briefing on the dos and don’ts during the trekking. Thereafter, you will enter the gorilla sanctuary for your adventure. The area offers dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken and the terrain vary with the movements of these great primates and once you have located a gorilla group, you will be allowed an hour in their presence. The experience of coming face to face with these peaceful giants is very overwhelming. Later you will head back to your lodge, freshen up, have lunch and in the after you can decided to visit the Batwa community, they will tell you their forest stories, learn about their culture, learn their dances as you join them in dancing and much more. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation

• Gorilla closeup lodge
• (Mid-range lodge outside Bwindi National Park)

Meals & Drinks

• Breakfast
• Bottled Drinking water 

Day 9: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe

After breakfast, you will check out and later return to Kampala/Entebbe having lunch along the way in Mbarara. You will reach Kampala/Entebbe late in the afternoon and you will be transferred direct to the airport to catch your flight back home or transferred to your accommodation.

END OF SAFARI TOUR

BEST TIME TO VISIT

All the above parks can be visited throughout the year and all the activities can be enjoyed any time of the year.

ACTIVITIES

• Zziwa Rhino
• Boat cruise
• Top of the falls
• Game drives
• Chimpanzee tracking
• Gorilla trekking
• Nature walk

Optional activities

• Birding watching in Bwindi

Birders with a limited amount of time in Buhoma are strongly urged to stick to the Munyaga River Trail, which starts on the edge of the park behind the gorilla tracking trailhead and follows the same old road through the forest south of Buhoma as the waterfall trail. The open road provides better birding opportunities than a narrow forest path and on a good morning you could hope to see over 60 bird species. Among the common species seen include; the great blue turaco, black bee-eater, red-tailed bulbul, bar tailed trogon, Doherty’s bush-shrike, white bellied robin-chat and much more.

• Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The park has a bird list of more than 501 different bird species which in fact makes it the best place for enthusiastic birders to enjoy such a tour. Among the species commonly seen here are: the Long-tailed Cormorants, African Mourning Doves, African open-billed Stork, Great-white and Pink-backed Pelicans, Squaco Heron Grey-capped Warbler, Grey-headed Kingfisher, as well as the Swamp Fly-catcher.

• Village walk in Bwindi

This 3 hour stroll through Buhoma and its margins immerses visitors in the customs and practices of the Bakiga and Batwa people. The tour takes in varied activities such as farming, brewing local beer, dispensing traditional medicines and concludes with dancing displays by members of the Batwa community.

• Visit the Traditional Salt Mine at Katwe in Queen Elizabeth National Park

You will have an opportunity to check out this very old salt mine which since the fourteenth (14^th) century has been in existence up to date. You will see the traditional mining methods being used by the locals to mine the salt as well as their fascination way of life.

• Nature Walks in Maramagambo Forest (Queen Elizabeth National Park)

We organize short and longer nature walks guided by very knowledgeable and skilled guides inside the Maramagambo forest. During these walks, holidaymakers will get an opportunity to visit the bat caves found near the breathtaking Blue Lake. These ancient caves today are habitat to large pythons which prey on the hundreds and hundreds of bats that live here. You will also encounter several beautifully colored butterflies and several bird species as you explore this forest.

Number of Days

9 Days / 8 Nights

Included

• All Park entry fees
• Gorilla permits
• Chimp permits
• A professional driver/guide
• All transportation including fuel
• All activities (included in the itinerary)
• All accommodation (included in the itinerary)
• All Taxes/VAT
• Roundtrip/Airport transfer
• Drinking water
• Ferry crossing

Excluded

• International flights
• Personal items
• Meals
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
• Tips
• Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees

PERMITS

In Uganda chimpanzee and Gorilla tracking is done throughout the year. Chimpanzee permit goes for $50 per person while a Gorilla trekking permit goes for $700 per person and all these are payable through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or through our Company.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SAFARI

• Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking permits should be paid in advance through our Company or Uganda Wildlife Authority.
• Proof of Yellow fever vaccination.
• Good physical, fit health and mental condition.
• Uganda Visa which can be got on arrival at the Airport.
• Travelers must be at least 15 years old on the day of the trekking.
• Travel & Health insurance arranged from your home Country.
• Hiking shoes.
• Water proof Jacket.
• Long Sleeves shirt & Waterproof Pants.
• Warm Jacket.

Standard 4X4 Safari Vans/Land cruisers

Our standard mode of transport is by road and we use 4×4 Safari van and Land cruisers with open roof tops customized for game viewing and photography.  Each Safari van/Land cruiser comes with a professionally trained driver/guide with fuel for the whole safari. Each client is entitled to a window seat and can take up to 8-10 people. We also have very comfortable super customs which can carry up 6 people with their luggage also have small vehicles like Alphads, Harrier and much more that can carry 4-5 people.