7 Days Uganda Premium Wildlife Safari

Highlights

• Arrival at the Airport
• White rhino tracking
• Visit to the top of the Falls
• Lauch cruise to the bottom of the Fall
• Magical game drives
• Chimpanzee tracking
• The serene beauty of Queen Elizabeth
• Transfer back to Kampala

Trip summary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Murchison Falls NP

Welcome to Uganda, “Tusanyuse okukulaba” meaning we are happy to see you. Meet and greet our guide who will give you a short brief about your safari. Transfer by road +/-7hrs to North-west through famous Luwero Triangle and Masindi Town.

En-route visit to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for a guided Rhino walk and picnic lunch. Proceed to Murchison falls National Park. Check-in into your hotel and later go for an evening game drive.

PS: This tour can be upgraded to transfer by air.

Day 2: Full-day Murchison exploration.

Morning game drive. Murchison falls is home to various animal species and you will most probably be able to sight Elephants, Lions, Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena, and if you are lucky you might be able to see the leopard. Return to the hotel for breakfast and lunch.

Savannah Buffalo. Big 5 Safari

Afternoon boat cruise upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the bottom of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos, and crocodiles and over this 17km stretch you may see elephants, waterbucks, Uganda Kobs and crocodiles.

This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. There you leave the boat and start your – quite heavy – hike to the Top of the Falls (approx. 1 hour).

See where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below.

Continue to the lodge for an overnight.

Accommodation
Hornbill Safari Lodge or Heritage Safari Lodge or similar (Budget)
Fort Murchison Safari Lodge or Pakuba Safari Lodge (mid-range)
Paraa Safari Lodge or Nile Safari Lodge (luxury)

Day 3: Transfer to Fort Portal Crater Lake hike and Amabere g’ Nyinamwiru caves

After breakfast at your hotel in Kampala / Entebbe, you embark on the drive to Fort Portal Area 300km about a 5 – 6 hours’ drive.

You will drive through impressive scenic landscapes on smooth tarmac viewing the unique geographical features including the Mubende Inselbergs not forgetting the small towns en route including Mpigi, Mityana, Mubende and Kyenjojo.

You arrive at Mpanga tea estates in the mid-morning and then embark on a cycling experience. Retreat from the adventure and continue to Fort Portal town where you will settle for lunch after which you will connect to Fort Portal Crater Lake Area.

Upon arrival, you are welcomed by the local inhabitants of the place with deep understanding and history of the place.

Withdrawal from this encounter and embark on the hike to the Fort Portal Crater Lake field where you traverse the challenging slopes of Kyeganywa hill surrounded by a range of crater lakes and crater hollows presenting one of the most beautiful scenic sites in Uganda.

The top of Kyeganywa hill offers the views of Rwenzori Mountains on a clear day. Retreat from the activity and transfer to Kibale National Park 26km from Fort Portal town for relaxation, dinner, and overnight

Accommodation
Budget: Kibale Forest Camp / Rubalika safari lodge
Mid-range: Primate Safari Lodge / Isunga lodge
Up market: Crater Safari lodge / Kyaninga lodge

Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Gather at Kanyanchu Tourism Center in Kibale National Park to catch up with Chimpanzee trekking which begins at 8am.

The encounter commences with a briefing from the respective park rangers who will be your guides through the activity detailing the conduct of the exercise. After this, you head to the forest in search of the man’s closest relative.

Note that other than chimps, Kibale also supports other 12 Primate Species including the threatened red colobus with the highest population thriving in Kibale, the rare I’Hoest’s monkey, black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed and blue monkeys, bush baby, olive baboon and potto which may be viewed during the trek.

After the encounter filled with unforgettable excitement where you are free to take as many photos as you can, retreat from the activity which tends to last 2 – 5 hours and get back to the starting point where you will rejoin your Friendly Gorilla safari guide, settle for your packed lunch after which you transfer to Bigodi Wetland for an afternoon eco-walk to experience some of the 138 species of birds including the famous Great Blue Turaco and a range of hornbills.

Retreat from the activity and transfer to Kasese arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Continue to the lodge for overnight.

Accommodation
Budget: Pumba safari Lodge/Forest hog safari lodge
Mid-range: Ihamba safari Lodge/ Buffalo safari lodge
Luxury: Ishasha wilderness lodge/ Kyambura gorge

Day 5: Morning Game drive & Boat cruise

Early morning game drive along Kasenyi and Queens Mile. You will encounter elephants, buffalo, water bucks, warthogs, lions, Uganda Kobs lakes, and a variety of birds.

Return to the lodge for breakfast and lunch. Afternoon, boat trip along the famous Kazinga channel. This is a worthwhile opportunity to see Hippos, Buffaloes, Kobs, Elephants, warthogs etc.

This trip also enables visitors chance to see spectacular birds. This trip allows you to observe the biggest concentration of water-submerged Hippos up close, as well as over 60 species of migrating and resident birds, as well as crocodiles drinking and resting at the water’s edge.

You retreat from the boat cruise and do an evening game drive along the Channel track to explore more wild game in their evening moments.

Accommodation

Budget: Pumba safari Lodge/Forest hog safari lodge
Mid-range: Ihamba safari Lodge/ Buffalo safari lodge
Luxury: Ishasha wilderness lodge/ Kyambura gorge

Day 6: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After a luxurious breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Mburo, the smallest National Park in Uganda. This is an easy to explore park, yet it has a lot of fascinating features you do not want to miss during your Uganda safari.

On arrival in the park, continue for lunch at any hotel or lodge of your choice as you proceed along the park trails you will spot various animals such as the elands, warthogs, buffaloes, zebras, and waterbucks.

In the evening you will have a boat ride along the lake where you will have a great time having a chance to see different animals like the crocodiles, hippos, topis and birds like the fish eagles.

Later return to the lodge for diner and an overnight.

Accommodation
Budget: Rwonyo rest camp or similar
Mid-range: Rwakobo safari lodge/Mpogo safari lodge
Luxury: Mihingo lodge/Kigambira safari lodge

Day 7: Transfer back to Kampala.

Wake up 6 am, have your awesome breakfast and embark on a swift transfer back to Kampala in the morning 240km about 6-7 hours’ drive making a stop at Uganda Equator crossing Kayabwe for amazing photo shoots where you have opportunity to taking photos with one leg in the northern hemisphere and another one in the southern hemisphere.

Continue to arrive in Entebbe in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

End of safari! Thanks for choosing Friendly Gorillas Safaris.

Included in this safari:

• 4 WD Vehicle – with a pop–up roof
• A professional Driver guide.
• Park entrance fees
• All ground transportation and fuel
• Accommodation and Meals
• All activities/services as per itinerary
• Drinking water in the vehicle

Exclusions of the safari:

• Visas
• International airfares
• Activities/services not included in the itinerary.
• Alcoholic drinks/wines, Laundry, and any other service of a personal nature
• Travel insurance and other activities