14-Day Uganda Safari with Gorilla Trekking and National Parks

1

Day 01

Arrival at Entebbe and Transfer to Kampala

• Your driver-guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Kampala for an overnight stay.

2

Day 02

Journey to Murchison Falls National Park

• After breakfast, your driver-guide will pick you up from the hotel and begin your journey to Murchison Falls National Park, with a lunch stop in Masindi en route.
• With over 76 mammal species and 450 bird species, Murchison Falls National Park covers an area of 3,840 sq km.
• Arrive in the park and drive to the Top of the Falls for a breathtaking sight of the raging Nile as it forces its way through a rocky gap barely six meters wide.
• Accommodation options: Murchison River Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

3

Day 03

Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise

• After breakfast, start the day with an early morning game drive in search of animals unique to the African savannah, such as giraffes, antelopes, lions, elephants, and Uganda kobs.
• The birdlife is also impressive, with the eagle and the rare shoebill among the prized sightings. During your game drive, you may request your guide to show you the Congo Blue Mountains on a clear morning. After lunch, you will go for a launch cruise on the Nile River.
• The cruise takes you to the bottom of the thundering falls, where you will see huge crocodiles, schools of hippos, buffaloes, elephants, and various water birds.

4

Day 04

Drive to Fort Portal in the Shadow of the Mountains of the Moon

• After an early breakfast, drive southwest from Murchison Falls National Park via the Albertine Escarpment of the western Rift Valley.
• You will pass through Hoima, the town of the Bunyoro Kingdom, and continue through verdant countryside, tea plantations, and traditional homesteads.
• You will arrive in Fort Portal, the capital of the Toro Kingdom, in the shadow of the fabled Rwenzori, the Mountains of the Moon.
• Accommodation options: Primate Lodge or Ndali Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

5

Day 05

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest and Bigodi Village Visit

• After breakfast, you will go to Kibale Forest for an early morning chimpanzee trek. Enjoy a traditional meal prepared by one of the families in the local community.
• In the afternoon, continue through Bigodi village, visiting local homesteads and getting to know their way of life.
• Accommodation options: Primate Lodge or Ndali Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

6

Day 06

Sempaya Hot Springs and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

• This park has fantastic scenery, hot springs, forest walks, amazing birdlife, primate viewing, and the meanders of the Semliki River.
• At Mungu Ni Mukubwa in the mountains, the road offers impressive scenic views of the meandering river, fuming hot springs, and tropical rainforest.
• You will also visit the Bambuti (pygmy) community. Lunch will be served at Sempaya Hot Springs, and then you will drive off to Queen Elizabeth National Park, following the magical Rwenzori Mountain range for much of the journey.
• Accommodation options: Pumba Safari Lodge, Enshama Game Lodge, King Fisher Lodge, Baboon Safari Lodge, Song Bird Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, or Ihamba Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

7

Day 07

Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee Trek and Kazinga Channel Cruise

• Rise before the sun and, after breakfast, drive to Kyambura Gorge for chimpanzee trekking. Your guided walk may last 3-5 hours, and in addition to seeing chimpanzees, the trip may yield sightings of colobus monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, and other primates.
• It is important to note that the chimpanzee safari is subject to the availability of permits and good weather, because occasional flooding can make the trails impassable.
• Return to the lodge for lunch and take an afternoon launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which joins Lakes Edward and George.
• The cruise is a beautiful way to see hippos, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, the occasional Nile crocodile, and spectacular birdlife along the riverbank. Many who experience the launch cruise consider it the highlight of their African safari.
• Accommodation options: Pumba Safari Lodge, Enshama Game Lodge, King Fisher Lodge, Baboon Safari Lodge, Song Bird Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, or Ihamba Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

8

Day 08

Game Drives in the Ishasha Sector

• Have a very early breakfast and then go for a morning game drive to catch up with the early risers and predators returning to their nests.
• You will most likely encounter grazing hippos, elephants, lions, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, waterbucks, striped jackals, comical warthogs, and the elusive leopard.
• Drive further along the deep and wide dry craters occupied by savannah grass and acacia trees. The drive takes you through the unique western Rift Valley escarpment and into the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Later, you will have a lunch break and then take another game drive.
• Accommodation options: Pumba Safari Lodge, Enshama Game Lodge, King Fisher Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Ntungwe River Lodge, Baboon Safari Lodge, Song Bird Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, or Ihamba Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

9

Day 09

Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

• After an early breakfast, you will take another game drive in search of tree-climbing lions, then proceed to Bwindi, where you will arrive in time for a late lunch.
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to rare mountain gorillas. Apart from gorillas, there is a wide variety of primates, including blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest is lush and green, and streams run through it.
• Accommodation options include Pumba Safari Cottages, Mweya Safari Lodge, Park View Safari Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, and Mutanda Lake Resort, among others, for dinner and an overnight stay.

10

Day 10

Mountain Gorilla Encounter in Bwindi Forest

• After breakfast, set off early with guides to track the gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek.
• Carry jungle boots and rain jackets because the park is often wet. Spend time in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities.
• Each encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy close views of adults feeding, grooming, and resting, while the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
• A recently proclaimed World Heritage Site, Bwindi Forest is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. Its unique and precious flora sustains roughly half of the world's population of mountain gorillas, believed to number just 600.
• There is also a substantial chimpanzee population, and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa where these two apes live together.
• Return for dinner and an overnight stay at Silverback Lodge or Nkuringo Safari Lodge.

11

Day 11

Lake Bunyonyi Boat Ride

• After an early breakfast, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale. Break for lunch, then take an afternoon boat ride to some of the islands on the lake.
• Dinner and overnight stay at Ha Buharo Resort.

12

Day 12

Journey to Nshenyi Village

• Leave for Nshenyi village via Ntungamo. A fascinating route takes you through the hidden beauty of the Ankole Kingdom. Lunch en route. Experience a peaceful traditional way of living in the countryside.
• Overnight and dinner at Nshenyi Village.

13

Day 13

Village Life and Cultural Experiences in Nshenyi

• In the early morning, go to the field and participate in milking the adorable long-horned Ankole cattle. Return for breakfast, then take a walk to Bahima village.
• You will have a chance to explore the local villages, learn the skill of setting out cows to graze (Okusetura), or climb the surrounding hills.
• In the evening, enjoy traditional dancing, bask under the moonlight, and let the African rhythms refresh your mind. A natural gift of melody and dance, together with the sweet sounds of the guitar, will soothe you to sleep.
• Dinner and overnight at Nshenyi Village.

14

Day 14

Return to Kampala and Departure

• After breakfast, return to Kampala, and the evening is reserved for your departure depending on your flight schedule. Hopefully, you will have experienced the best of Uganda's attractions and gained excellent knowledge of the people's cultures.