14-night classic Uganda – wildlife and primates

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your guide who will transfer you to your hotel, a short drive away. They will accompany you throughout your safari.
Accommodation: The Boma Hotel – Entebbe.
Meal Plan: If arriving early, meals can be purchased at the hotel

08:00 transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (approx. 3-4-hours), the only place in Uganda where you can see rhino. Have lunch and take a guided nature walk, tracking rhinos with chances to see them at very close range. The sanctuary also has bush buck, monkeys and many bird species that can be spotted during your walk.
Accommodation: Amuka Lodge – Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drive approx. 1 hour to Masindi and spend time visiting a fruit farm. Take a tour of the gardens, see the animals, and learn about local juice and wine making. Have a local lunch on this farm and then continue to Murchison Falls, Uganda’s largest national park (2 hours). Visit the top of the powerful waterfalls for spectacular views before continuing to your lodge.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls national park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Your day starts with an early morning game drive in the northern sector of the park while animals are most active. Search for animals like lions, elephants, buffalos, hartebeest, antelopes and tropical birds.  After lunch, enjoy a relaxing boat cruise (2 hours) on the River Nile to the bottom of Murchison falls: see animals along the shore, as well as a wealth of birds.

Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls national park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A local fisherman will take you on a 2–4-hour birding trip down the Nile and on to Lake Albert where you can search for the iconic Shoebill and other bird species. Your guide will be waiting at Wanseko fishing village to transfer you to Lake Albert Lodge approx. 2-3 hours, driving against the stunning backdrop of the blue mountains of Congo. Settle-in and, later, prepare for a bush dinner overlooking Lake Albert.

Accommodation: Lake Albert Lodge, Lake Albert
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, you will transfer to Kibale national park – the famous primate capital of East Africa (approx. 4-5 hours). The scenic countryside drive takes you past roadside markets, tea plantations, forested areas and small villages, enjoying the sights and sounds of rural Uganda along the way. Later in the afternoon, after your lunch, drive to Lake Nkuruba for approx. 1-2-hour nature walk, watching wildlife, birds and primates in the forest and around the crater lake.

Accommodation: Turaco TreeTops, Kibale national park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early morning briefing at 07:30, trek into Kibale forest and track your chimpanzee family. Once you find them, you can spend an enchanting hour with them watching as they go about their activities. Later in the afternoon, explore Bigodi swamp, a community initiative to protect the environment and wildlife. The swamp is home to a number of monkey species, plants and birds.

Accommodation: Turaco TreeTops, Kibale national park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Head to Queen Elizabeth national park via the beautiful, and geologically fascinating crater lakes region. Check into your lodge and have lunch. In the early evening, take a game drive in the park to make the most of the excellent wildlife-spotting opportunities. Look out for elephants, lion, buffalo, various types of antelopes and birds.

Accommodation: Kasenyi Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth national park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, you will join rangers and researchers for your lion tracking experience. Get off-track and participate in their daily activities which may include monitoring the animals, climate and habitat and learn about tracking and animal behaviour. After lunch, take a boat cruise on the famous Kazinga Channel, known for its high concentration of hippos. Look out for crocodiles, buffalo, elephant and water birds along the shores.

Accommodation: Kasenyi Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth national park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a two-hour drive, you will reach Ishasha, home of the famous tree-climbing lions. It is also home to lion, elephant and large herds of antelope. Take a game drive in this sector of the park for these animals and so much more.  Have lunch and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park – home of the endangered mountain gorillas (2 hours).

Accommodation: Engagi Lodge – Bwindi Impenetrable national park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early morning briefing, you will trek into the forest, with your small group, in search of your gorilla family. Once found, you can watch the gorillas for one magical hour as they eat, play, groom and sleep – a truly memorable experience. On your return, if time allows, take a community walk, interact with the locals that live alongside the gorilla and learn about their culture.

Accommodation: Engagi Lodge – Bwindi Impenetrable national park
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Transfer to Lake Mburo, one of the amazing national parks in the country, approx. 5-6 hours. Settle-in, have lunch and relax at the lodge. Later, visit a nearby Bahima community to learn about their Ankole Long-horn cows. Visit the calves, talk to the cattle-keepers and learn about the wooden milk pots and how milk is traditionally processed into products like ghee.

Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock, Lake Mburo national park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Start your day with a guided nature walk in the park for about two hours. This provides a different pace and a different view of the park and you will learn a lot from your guide as you go. Keep an eye out for giraffe, translocated here from another park – a great conservation success story. Later, head out for a game drive in this beautiful park. Look out for the zebra, impala, eland, warthog and other wildlife.
Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock, Lake Mburo national park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Transfer to Masaka (approx. 3 hours) and spend time on a local coffee farm.  Visit the gardens, pick the coffee cherries in season, plant a tree, pick, participate in roasting and prepare a cup for yourself. This is such a good opportunity to learn all about village life in this area. After lunch, continue to Entebbe with a stop at the Equator to stretch your legs, enjoy photo moments with a foot in the southern hemisphere and another in the northern.

Accommodation: The Boma Hotel – Entebbe
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit Mabamba wetlands, one of Uganda’s 12 RAMSAR sites – sites of international importance to conservation. Take a boat ride on this extensive marsh, in search of the globally threatened Shoebill and other water birds. On your return, have lunch and visit Entebbe’s craft village for souvenir shopping. Your guide will later transfer you back to the airport in time for your flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch