14-Day Uganda Safari with Gorillas, Chimps and Big 5 Parks

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Day 01

Arrival in Entebbe and Hotel Transfer

• On your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, our guide will be waiting to welcome you to the Pearl of Africa, brief you on how your safari will be, and then transfer you to your hotel for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 02

Transfer to Murchison Falls via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

• After breakfast, you will embark on a 164.1 km journey to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where you will drive for almost 3 hours. The journey is very scenic, with clear views of local homesteads, banana plantations, and local markets, among others. You will make a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda's only home of rhinos in the wild. It is home to 32 southern white rhinos located in Nakasongola District.
• You will then go for white rhino tracking, where the guide will take you on a 7 m walk close to the rhinos. You will enjoy watching these endangered animals continuously feeding on fresh vegetation without being bothered by your presence.
• After this experience, you will have lunch en route at Kabalega's diner in Masindi Town and then embark on a 68.7 km journey to Murchison Falls National Park, reaching in the evening for check-in, relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 03

Game Drive, Nile Launch Cruise, and Top of the Falls Hike

• After breakfast, you will connect with the park ranger and embark on a 3-4-hour breathtaking morning game drive towards the park's northern section. You can see animals like buffaloes, leopards, giraffes, antelopes, and Rothschild's giraffes, among others.
• Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation as you prepare for the afternoon launch cruise. After lunch, you will gather at Paraa Jetty for a 3-hour stunning launch cruise on the world's longest river to the bottom of the falls. You will see water animals like crocodiles, hippos, elephants cooling off, and water birds.
• After the launch cruise, you will go for a hike to the top of the falls, where you will see where the Nile squeezes itself into an 8 m wide gorge, cascading 120 m with a thunderous roar into the "Devil's Cauldron," creating a trademark rainbow. You will return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 04

Transfer to Kibale National Park via Fort Portal

• After breakfast, embark on a 214 km journey to Kibale National Park with a stopover at Fort Portal, known as the tourism city of Uganda. Upon arrival, you will visit the Amabele Caves, the breast-like features believed to have belonged to NyinaMwiru, the daughter of a king of Bachwezi who denied her the chance to feed her child Ndahura to avoid the possibility of being overthrown from the throne. After the caves, you will have lunch and visit the crater lakes field, then traverse the challenging slopes of Kyengegwa Hills surrounded by a range of crater lakes offering views of the Rwenzori Mountains.
• You will then proceed with your journey to Kibale National Park, reaching in the evening for check-in, relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 05

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest

• After breakfast, you will drive to Kanyanchu Visitor's Centre and connect with the ranger for a briefing. He will then lead you into the magnificent rainforest of Kibale, home to 1,500 chimpanzees. The trekking takes from 2-5 hours. When the chimpanzees are sighted, you can spend one hour with them. Kibale National Park has half the world's population and is the best place to trek chimpanzees. It is quite an exciting and adventurous experience that one should not miss in a lifetime.
• You will return to your lodge for lunch and enjoy relaxing for the rest of the day. You will then have dinner and an overnight stay.

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Day 06

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kazinga Channel Cruise

• After breakfast, you will embark on a 59.8 km drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is considered one of Uganda's most scenic destinations; it occupies a significant level of terrain on the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley. The drama derives from the surrounding mountains that encircle the park. On reaching the park, you will check in to your lodge, have lunch, and relax.
• In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the 40 km Kazinga Channel. You will sight animals like crocodiles and African hippos - Kazinga Channel has the largest population of hippos in the world - as well as elephants cooling off. You will also sight different bird species like the grey crowned crane, hamerkop, flocks of African skimmers, gull-billed tern, among others. The park has over 600 bird species.
• After the launch cruise, you will return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

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Day 07

Kasenyi Plains Game Drive and Community Nature Walk

• After breakfast, you will go for a morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains. This is the most rewarding game drive, where you see animals when they are most active. You will see animals like leopards, African buffaloes, lions, Uganda kobs, African elephants, and different bird species. The game drive takes from 2-4 hours.
• You will return to your lodge for lunch and relax, after which you will go for a nature walk. You will visit the Bakonzo farmers, the traditional Banyaraguru hut, and agricultural villages, where you will be led by the guide who knows the best local community members, as well as Lake Katwe, where you will see people harvesting salt on the lake. You will return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 08

Ishasha Game Drive and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

• After breakfast, you will check out from your lodge and embark on a game drive while exiting the park. This game drive is always conducted in the Ishasha Plains, the far southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will see the tree-climbing lions, topi, buffalo, and elephants.
• After the game drive, you will exit the park heading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a 175.2 km drive taking about 5 hours and 43 minutes.
• You will have lunch en route, reaching the park in the evening for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to half the world's remaining gorillas. It is on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley, the western branch of the East African Rift. The park is known for its exceptional biodiversity of mountain gorillas and 120 mammals, including several primate species, with more than 160 tree species, over 100 fern species, 220 butterfly species, and over 347 bird species.

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Day 09

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi

• After breakfast, you will have your lunch packed and then drive to the park headquarters for a briefing from the ranger, who will guide and lead you through the activity. It takes from 2-8 hours. The trekking requires hiking through the thick, triffid-like tangles of vegetation, muddy hills, and craggy valleys. Once the gorillas are sighted, you have one hour to spend with them, seeing them in their natural habitat as they wander and play. The calls, whistles, and whoops of thousands of animal species from miles around provide the perfect soundtrack, with the verdant forest providing the perfect backdrop. It is truly a breathtaking experience. You will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 10

Transfer to Mgahinga National Park and Batwa Trail

• After breakfast, you will embark on a 49.3 km journey to Mgahinga National Park, taking about 2 hours and 23 minutes. Upon arrival, you will check in to your lodge, relax, and have lunch.
• After lunch, you will go for the Batwa Trail, allowing you to explore more about the Batwa pygmy culture and traditions. The Batwa are famous forest dwellers who lived in the jungles for more than 500,000 years while hunting and gathering, but left without any negative impact. They were evicted from the forest and have now been marginalized around the park areas. You will enjoy their traditional music, dance, and drama. You will then return for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 11

Golden Monkey Tracking and Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

• After breakfast, you will go to the park headquarters for a briefing from the park ranger, who will then lead you into the tracking. The golden monkeys in Mgahinga are found on Mount Gahinga and Mount Muhavura; these two volcanoes have the highest concentration of golden monkeys worldwide. After this experience, you will return to your lodge for lunch and check out.
• You will embark on a 294.6 km drive to Lake Mburo National Park; it will take about 5 hours and 55 minutes. You will have clear views of local homesteads, local markets, banana plantations, rolling hills, and much more. You will arrive at Lake Mburo in the late evening, check in to your lodge, relax, have dinner, and stay overnight.

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Day 12

Walking Game Safari and Lake Mburo Boat Cruise

• After breakfast, you will go for a walking game safari in the park. Lake Mburo National Park is the only park where one can see animals on foot since the park does not have elephants and lions. On this walking safari, you will see animals like zebras, impalas, and Uganda kobs. You will then return for relaxation and dinner.
• In the afternoon, you will go for a boat ride on the lake. You can sight animals like crocodiles, buffaloes, and different bird species. Lake Mburo forms part of a 50 km long wetland system linked by a swamp together with 13 other lakes in the area, 5 of these lakes lying within the park's borders. It is the best place to see acacia-associated birds like black-bellied bustards, bare-faced go-away birds, mosque swallow, Ruppell's starling, and many more.

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Day 13

Transfer to Kampala with an Equator Stopover

• After breakfast, you will embark on a 253 km journey to Kampala, taking about 2-3 hours.
• You will stop at the Equator on Kayabwe Masaka Road for the water experience and snapshots at the line separating the world into two hemispheres, the Southern and Northern Hemispheres.
• You will have lunch en route, arriving in Kampala in the late afternoon, then transfer to your hotel for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

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Day 14

Departure from Entebbe

• After breakfast, you will check out from your hotel and be transferred to Entebbe International Airport for your flight. With all the memories and experiences derived from the safari, you will say goodbye to the Pearl of Africa.