11 Days Best of Uganda Safari

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport

Arrive at Entebbe International airport, meet and greet assistance. You will be warmly welcomed by Luxland Africa Vacations representative outside customs and Immigration hall then you will be transferred to your hotel. Tour briefing will be done at the hotel lobby over a welcome drink.

Overnight at Entebbe Forest Lodge (Luxury) or Hotel No.5 (High end)

Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park (5 hours drive)

Be picked up from your place of residence or hotel in Kampala drive along Kampala- Gulu highway to Murchison Falls National Park. Rhino trekking en-route at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Lunch at Kabalega Dinner. Proceed to Murchison Falls National Park. It is the largest national park in Uganda. It consists of 76 species of mammal and 450 bird species and well known of its powerful Murchison falls and the Victoria Nile which bisects it into the southern bank and northern bank. Before checking in to your lodge, visit the top of the falls to experience the Murchison falls while on the top as water makes a thunderous sound splashing on your face and this is a refreshening therapy you can ever get on an African soil.

Overnight at Nile safari Lodge (Luxury) or Entikko Safari Lodge (High end)

Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Game drive and Boat cruise to the bottom of the falls

Have breakfast and get ready for the morning game drive starting at 7:00am. Savannah in northern bank of River Nile is very extensive and uneven. It is quite exciting to search animals and birds in such environment. The game drive takes 3-4 hours and expects to see various animals including the Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, and Jackson’s hartebeests, Uganda Kobs, Oribi and Water back among many others. Afternoon will be spent on boat cruise to the bottom of the falls. Ascend the Victoria Nile up to the bottom of the Murchison Fall by boat. Home of many water birds, hippos and Nile Crocodiles, also high chance of seeing elephants and buffaloes on the banks. It takes 3 hours to and from the boat cruise over the 17km stretch on the Nile as you witness the Murchison falls with its powerful water flow falling for 45m through the 7m canyon.

Overnight at Nile safari Lodge (Luxury) or Entikko Safari Lodge (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Murchison Falls National Park – Kibale National Park (6 hours drive)

Breakfast at the lodge then exit the park through the Bugungu gate through the towns of Bulisa and Hoima. This region is characterized by diverse landscapes, including mountains, hills, valleys, and escarpments. Proceed to Fort portal town, the gateway to the most tourist attractions in western Uganda including the Ruwenzori Mountains, Semuliki, and Kibale National Park. The afternoon will be spent at leisure and relaxation in your lodge

Overnight at Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury) or Chimpundu Lodge (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and afternoon leisure and relaxation

The experience allows you to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Be briefed about the dos and don’ts of the trek from the park headquarters including the history of the park. Walk into the forest with ranger guides in search of the chimpanzees and upon finding them, you are entitled to one hour to go about chimpanzee lives in the forest. Watch them play, communicate, swing and couple. This is also an opportunity to view other primate species at no extra cost including Red-tailed monkey, Mantled guerez, Olive baboon, L’Hoest’s monkey, Blue monkey, Uganda mangabey, vervet monkey, Ugandan red colobus, Grey-cheeked mangabey, white and black colobus monkey among other animals. When you return from the forest, pick you’re tracking certificate upon a successful completion of the chimpanzee trek. The afternoon will be spent at leisure and relaxation.

Overnight at Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury) or Chimpundu Lodge (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park.It is the second largest national park in Uganda. 95 species of mammal and 547 species of bird has been recorded here. Altitude is low running between 900 to 1,000m, so it is warmer than other areas.  The evening will be spent on the Kazinga Channel boat cruise. The Channel leads the water flow from Lake George to Lake Edward. It’s a habitat for Hippos, Crocodiles, and many water birds like Pelicans, Storks, Herons, and Kingfishers among other birds.

Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (Luxury) or Buffalo Safari Lodge (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Game Drive and Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Leave your accommodation in the morning. Drive through the vast savannah, and look for your favorite animals, with a help of experienced park ranger. Enjoy observing the animals live in vast savannah at the foot of Rwenzori Mountains and expect to meet animals like Elephants, buffalo, Ugandan kobs, hippos, waterbucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs,  leopards, spotted hyenas, lions, side-striped jackals, bush bucks, defassa’s waterbucks, warthogs, sitatunga, oribis, and Ugandan kobs. Later in the afternoon drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It is known for its endangered animal species called “the Mountain Gorilla” and it is UNESCO site because of its international ecological importance.

Overnight at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxury) or Mahogany springs (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Mountain Gorilla Tracking

A while after your breakfast at the lodge, you will proceed to the park offices for a briefing from the rangers on the rules and regulations of the trek. Enjoy the cultural performance few minutes after or before the briefing then you will be grouped into a group of 8 people entitled to track each gorilla family. This experience takes between 2 -6 hours depending on the location of the Gorillas on the day of tracking and throughout the trek, you will be escorted by knowledgeable guides and trackers who will offer relevant information about the endangered mountain gorillas. Once you have found the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour observing them from a distance. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. Each encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngster’s frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display. After tracking, you will be rewarded with a certificate for your successful Gorilla tracking. Drive back to your lodge and the evening will be spent at leisure and relaxation or on an optional foot safari within the Batwa communities to experience their local lifestyle.

Overnight at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxury) or Mahogany springs (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park (4 hours drive)

Have breakfast at the lodge, drive to Lake Mburo National Park which is a continuation of the Tanzanian plains yet a smallest national park in Uganda found near the high way which connects Kampala to western region of the country. The park is rich in biodiversity, scenic beauty, and western cultural history which makes it a must visit on a Uganda Safari. Upon arrival in the afternoon proceed to a boat cruise on Lake Mburo providing the opportunity to view various Hippos and crocodiles which dominate the lakeshores including the water birds, Buffaloes, zebras among other animals which make use of this mighty lake.

Overnight at Kigarama Wilderness Lodge (Luxury) or Mihingo Lodge (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Lake Mburo NP – Kampala (5 hours’ drive)

After breakfast, head out for a 2-hour horse riding activity which is an awesome way to see the wildlife around the park. Without the noise of an engine, you can hear so much more and you really feel part of nature. Horse riding gives you a chance to see the more timid animals including eland, buffalo, warthog, topi, impala, duiker, bushbuck, waterbuck, and zebra as the animals graze. Watching animals from a horse is a peaceful and totally different experience from being on a game drive. Zebras come towards you to check out the strange relative without stripes. Even the eland that are usually very shy look curiously at the horses without running away, although they keep their distance. After lunch, you will visit the Igongo Cultural Centre to explore the cultures of the Ankole tribes where the future meets the past. Afterward, you will proceed to Kampala with a photo stop at Equator in Kayabwe.

Overnight at Kampala Serena Hotel(Luxury) or Latitude 0 Degree Hotel (High end)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 11: Shopping and Transfer to Entebbe Airport

After breakfast, go shopping in the Kampala craft village then later you will be transferred to Entebbe International airport for your flight to the next destination.

Meal Plan: Breakfast.

• Transportation by a 4wd safari vehicle.
• Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary.
• Gorilla permit to be paid and secured in advance ($800 per person is included).
• Chimpanzee tracking
• Visiting top of the falls
• Ziwa Rhino trekking
• Game drives
• Boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison falls
• Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel and Lake mburo
• Horse riding in Lake Mburo
• Park entrance fees.
• Meet and greet service
• Batwa community visits

However, the Safari excludes:

Airfares, Visas or Insurance, Tips to local guides, Porterage or Laundry, Soft or alcoholic, drinks or mineral water (excl. water in the vehicles), Items of a personal nature, any meals not indicated above, any tours not mentioned from the itinerary above.