Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to Uganda, “Tusanyuse okukulaba” meaning we are happy to see you. Depending on your arrival time, our company representative will meet and pick you up. Transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay, if you need to check out the city in the late evening, you can let your driver know about your plan for the night.
Day 2: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park via Zziwa
Our driver/guide will pick you up from your hotel/residence very early in the morning and you embark on your journey to Uganda’s largest game park. Drive through different districts dotted with farms, banana gardens, tea, and sugarcane plantations, along the roadside you will see people selling chicken or meat on stick (muchomo), bottled drinking water, drinks, roasted cassava, roasted bananas (gonja), fruits etc. We drive through the town of Masindi and then turn off for our journey to Murchison Falls National Park.
En route, make a stopover at Zziwa Rhino sanctuary for your first Big 5 experience where you will have an hour of rhino tracking. Another stop will be in Masindi in order to enjoy your lunch. Continue to the park and check in to your accommodation to relax for the Evening.
Day 3: Full-day Murchison falls encounter.
After an early morning breakfast; tour the Northern section of Murchison with a high concentration of savannah wildlife. Enjoy game viewing and photography of elephants, buffalos, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda kobs and lions, the leopards (if you are lucky) plus a variety of bird species.
Return to your accommodation for lunch and then go for a launch cruise to the base of the falls (which is the highlight of the safari in Murchison falls as it allows you to get up close to the animal species within the water). You will have an opportunity to take thousands of pictures, so carry your camera with you.
Also, proceed for a hike to the top of the falls (optional). The hike is a strenuous one but the thrill on reaching the top is unforgettable. Miss it only if you must! Return to your accommodation, relax, enjoy your dinner and overnight.
Continue to the lodge for overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Hoima
After breakfast, cross with the ferry to the southern section and drive to the top of the falls to explore the famous Murchison Falls. You encounter the world’s longest Nile River as it squeezes itself to pass through an 8m ravine forming a plume of spray marked by a thunderous roar and a trade mark rainbow as it falls 43m below to the Devils Cauldron. The site is impressive for photography. Retreat from the activity and embark on the transfer to Hoima after breakfast. You make a stop en route at Kibiro Salt Gardens to encounter the heritage of this historic site. The Kibiro Salt Gardens has supported the livelihoods of the surrounding community dating far back to 900 years ago far before the coming of Europeans. The locals extract fine salt which they then exchange with the other communities for food and other items. Retreat from the encounter and transfer to Hoima arriving in the afternoon for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Drive to Kibale National park
Transfer to Fort Portal Area after breakfast following five (5) hour’sdrive passing through the impressive countryside landscapes of Kagadi and Kyenjojo that are dotted with lush green, rural homesteads and farmlands. Upon arriving in Fort Portal Area, you settle for lunch in one of best restaurants in Fort Portal town after which you embark on the cycling in the Mpanga tea estates. On your cycling, you encounter the estate staff plucking tea and you are free to participate in the exercise to gain the exact touch.
Alternatively, you can opt to visit the Amabere g’ Nyinamwiru Caves and hike the Fort Portal Crater Lake field. Retreat from this encounter and embark on a transfer to Kibale National Park for relaxation, dinner and overnight
Day 6: Chimp trekking experience
Gather for a Chimpanzee tracking briefing at Kanyanchu Tourism Center in Kibale National Park to catch up with Chimpanzee trekking which begins at 8am. After this, you head to the forest in search of the man’s closest relative. Be reminded that apart from 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. Retreat from the activity which tend to last 2 – 5 hours and get back to the starting point where you will rejoin your company safari guide, settle for your packed lunch after which you transfer to Bigodi wetland Sanctuary for fascinating possibilities of sightseeing about 138 bird species. Retreat from the activity and drive back to Queen ELizabeth National park, arriving in late afternoon for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Morning Game drive & Boat cruise
Wake up very early and prepare for a morning game drive in the Park. Expect to see the 4 of the famous Big Five animals, look out for elephants, Buffalos, Lions, Kobs, Warthogs, Hyenas, and different savanna and or forest bird species.
Head back to your lodge, have your breakfast, relax, or take a stroll around as you take some photos. In the afternoon you will go for the launch cruise on the amazing Kazinga channel, expect to see herds of buffaloes, hippos, elephants, crocodiles and a variety of bird species, especially the kingfishers, cormorants, egrets and others.
You will return to your accommodation facility for dinner and a quiet evening in the midst of the African Savannah.
Day 8: Transfer back to Kampala.
Wake up to yet another beautiful day in the wild to the sounds of the birds patched to a tree near you or flying high up in the sky. Depending on your departure time, you may opt to visit the Katwe salt lake or go for explosion crater drive before exiting Queen. And later drive back to Kampala arriving early evening or transfer to the airport depending on your departure time.
Thank you for choosing Friendly Gorillas Safaris!
End of safari!
