18 DAYS CLASSIC UGANDA SAFARI
Round off Uganda in a single trip in 18 days! Visit some of Uganda’s popular and beautiful national parks where you will meet the gorillas, big five and swim in the deepest lake in Uganda and second deepest in Africa and certainly soak in Uganda’s rich and diverse culture!
ARRIVAL
v You will be picked up from the airport the day before the trip (or hotel)
v Accommodation before and after the tour can be arranged at an extra cost
DAY 1: TRANSFER TO JINJA
You will be picked up from the hotel/airport by one of our guides who will give you a briefing for the whole safari. You will then drive to Jinja popularly known for the source of the River Nile. This is about 3 hours from Entebbe and on arrival you will have lunch and then take a boat cruise to the source of the Nile. Drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: haven lodge jinja
DAY 2: TRANSFER TO SIPI FALLS
After breakfast in the morning, you will drive to Sipi-Kapchorwa a journey of about 3 to 4 hours. You may reach in time for lunch and then after check in at the lodge. In the afternoon, you will visit the different waterfalls and later catch a sunset moment at the view point depending on the weather. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Sipi valley lodge
DAY 3: TRANSFER TO MOROTO
You will wake up to your served breakfast at the lodge and later driver to Moroto via PianUpe wildlife reserve. Along the way you may spot some animals in PianUpe wildlife reserve. You will reach Moroto in the afternoon and check in at the lodge. Later in the evening you will have a visit to the Karimajong village for the community experience. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: kara-tunga camps
DAY 4: TRANSFER TO KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you will leave Moroto town to embark on your way to Kidepo valley national park. This journey is an adventurous drive that goes through the Karimajong villages and also along your way you will pass through Matheniko and Bokora wildlife reserves and on a lucky day you may spot some animals on your way. You will reach in the late afternoon and then check in at the lodge and relax or go to the park for an evening game drive depending on your arrival time.
Accommodation: kidepo savanna lodge
DAY 5: FULL DAY GAME DRIVES IN KIDEPO
Kidepo national is one of the most beautiful parks in Uganda and its regarded as the true African wilderness. After breakfast, you will drive to the park for a safari where you will drive through different game tracks in search of different animals where by on a lucky day you may spot lions and cheetahs. Other animals that can be spotted include buffalos, elephants, hartebeests, reedbucks, kobs, and giraffes among others you will drive back to the lodge and later drive back to the park for afternoon/evening game drive.
Accommodation: kidepo savanna lodge
DAY 6: TRANSFER TO MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK.
After breakfast in the morning, you will drive to Murchison falls national park with a stop in Gulu city. You will have different landscape views along the way before reaching the lodge to check in.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge
DAY 7: Game drive and boat cruise
After an early morning breakfast you will enjoy a half-day game drive on the northern part of the park with expectations to see many animals such as elephants, Rothschild giraffes, Jackson hartebeests, lions, oribis, waterbucks and a variety of savannah woodland birds. Return to your lodge for lunch and there after go on a Nile cruise to the bottom of the falls where you expect to see some water animals such as Nile crocodiles, hippos as well as water birds. You will also be in position to see some of the land animals such as elephants and buffalos that come to the river banks for drinking water and taking a bathe. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge
DAY 8: GAME DRIVE AND VISIT TO TOP OF THE FALLS
After breakfast in the morning, you will embark on another morning game drive in Uganda’s largest national park. This gives you a chance to explore different parts of the park giving you a chance to spot more animals. Later drive to the lodge for lunch and check in at the lodge. You will then take the evening to the top of the falls where you will have a sundowner experience depending on the weather.
Accommodation: sambiya river lodge
DAY 9: TRANSFER TO FORTPORTAL
After an early morning breakfast, we will take on an approximately 8 hours’ drive towards Fort Portal through Hoima. On the way, you will have amazing views of Lake Albert which lies in the Albertine rift valley. Lunch en-route as you proceed to Fort Portal the lovely town that rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon (Rwenzori Mountains) and is famous for the many tea plantations and lots of green shades of trees. You will reach at the lodge later in the evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Isunga lodge
DAY 10: KIBALE NATIONAL PARK & BIGODI SWAMP
After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters with your packed lunch. Reach the park to register and for the briefing before you Jump into the open doors of the forest for a sensational chimp tracking. Kibale Forest is famous for diverse primate populations in East Africa. Enjoy a guided nature walk in the tropical rainforest in search of the wild chimpanzee and other primate species such as the red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey and many others. Return to your lodge for a tasty lunch before you head for Bigodi Swamp for another guided walk. The Bigodi Swamp Walk is an initiative of the local community and takes approximately two hours. The swamp is known for its rich diversity of birds and primates. Drive back to the lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Isunga lodge
Day 11: KIBALE – QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
The journey to Queen Elizabeth national park is a beautiful route via crater lakes and different hills dotted with the banana plantations. You will reach in time for lunch. After lunch we take on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a natural channel between Lake Edward and Lake George. The boat cruise takes approximately 2 hours and awards one with the great sightings of animals such as the elephants, buffalos and warthogs that come by the lake side to drink water as they take a bath. You will also be in position to see some of the aquatic animals such as the crocodiles and hippos. After the cruise, embark on an evening game drive before you drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: aardvark safari lodge
Day 12: Game drive and visit to the salt lake
Wake up early for breakfast and then drive to the Kasenyi plains for a morning game drive. The Kasenyi plains are home to the mating grounds of the Uganda kobs thus we search for the big cats such as lions and leopards. Other animals such as elephants, hyenas, kobs, warthogs and buffalos can be spotted. The activity takes approximately 3-4 hours before returning for lunch. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to stretch your legs as we will visit the Bunyampaka salt lake where you have a chance to go see locals mining the salt and you may also have a chance to spot the lesser flamingos which are common visitors to this lake. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: aardvark safari lodge
DAY 13: transfer to Ishasha sector
After an early morning breakfast, you will transfer to the southern part of the park (Ishasha sector) with hopes of spotting the climbing lions. Along the way is a journey through the park with different vegetation covers and you may spot animals such as elephants, kobs, baboons, leopards and different bird species. On reaching Ishasha, you will check in at the lodge and after have lunch. Later in the afternoon/evening you will embark on game drive in search of different animals some of which you will have not seen such as the topi. The main goal will be searching for the tree climbing lions however other animals can be spotted too. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Embogo lodge
DAY 14: TRANSFER TO BWINDI
After breakfast you will drive to Bwindi through the beautiful and rolling hills of kigezi. You will reach in the afternoon to check in at the lodge. Relaxation in the afternoon or take a walk around the forest near the lodge. Dinner and overnight at the lodge
Accommodation: four gorillas lodge
DAY 15: BWINDI GORILLA TRACKING.
Enjoy your served breakfast early in the morning before you drive to the park with your packed lunch from the lodge. Reach the park to register and attend the briefing by the authority. After briefing you will be assigned a ranger and a guide who will take you on the greatest adventure for the search of the mountain gorillas. It is difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike; it may take 2 to 6 hours. The trek in the forest is another breathtaking adventure to these beautiful apes. On reaching the gorilla family territory, you observe them closely while they eat, play and rest. A unique and unforgettable experience! For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. The ranger guide always briefs you on how to behave with these giant apes. After the encounter, you will the trail back to the park for your gorilla tracking graduation. Drive back to the lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: four gorillas lodge
Day 16: BWINDI – LAKE BUNYONYI
After breakfast, you will drive to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district. Through the forest you will drive in the shade of the trees as you lead your way to Bunyonyi. Reach in early to check in at the lodge and later have lunch. After lunch, you will enjoy a boat ride on the deepest lake in Uganda while you watch several bird species that led to the naming of the area. You can as well enjoy the lake adventure on a dugout canoe with a local sailor. Walk/drive to the lodge for Dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Arcadia cottages Bunyonyi
DAY 17: TRANSFER TO LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast we drive to Lake Mburo National Park which takes us about four hours’ drive through the beautiful hills of Kigezi. Through the big farms and banana plantations, you will continue to Mbarara heading to the park. As we enter the park and head towards the accommodation you may have a chance to see many herds of the Ankole long horned cattle grazing around the park. Check in at the lodge and later embark on an evening game drive where you expect to see animals such as giraffes, zebras, impalas, elands and buffalos and a leopard on a lucky day among others.
Accommodation: Rwakobo rock
Option: night game drive in search of nocturnal animals such as leopards and hyenas.
DAY 18: TRANSFER TO ENTEBBE
After breakfast in the morning, you will drive to the park for a guided nature walk where you will be abler to walk up-close to the animals like giraffes and zebras. The walk takes about 2 hours and after the activity you will drive to Entebbe for your flight back home. You will have a stop at the Ugandan equator for lunch and photo moments and then proceed to Entebbe.
End of trip
Trip includes:
o Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
o Safari 4x4 vehicle
o Drinking water
o Airport transfer on the first and last day
o Tour/driver guide
o Gas/fuel for the whole trip
o All park entrance fees
o Hand sanitizer
o Face masks
Trip excludes
o International airfares/flight fares
o Uganda visa (can be paid at the airport, on arrival)
o Tips, other drinks, laundry
o Gorilla permits
o Chimp permits