Uganda Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe, Uganda

Upon your arrival in Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by our professional local guide who will take us to our hotel in the beautiful Entebbe peninsula. This is the only international airport in Uganda and the major inlet/ outlet for travellers. Introduction and briefing will be done on this day depending on the arrival time. Overnight at Protea Hotel on the shores of Lake Victoria

Day 2: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park

After breakfast, we shall set off to Uganda’s biggest protected area- Murchison Falls National Park. This huge savanna expanse is home to a variety of mammal, bird and reptile species. The energetic falls and the scenery are unbelievable with the Borass’s palm landscape back dropped by the Victoria Nile, Delta and Albert Nile. We’ll have a lunch stopover at Kabalega, and continue through the peaceful Budongo forest. Overnight at Sambiya Safari Lodge

Day 3: Game drive and boat cruise

After an early morning breakfast, we’ll head out for the morning game drive. This is to increase our chances of rare mammal sightings and some of the possible culprits include the African Lion and Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Stripped jackal, Crested Porcupine, White-tailed Mongoose. Other interesting sightings may include the African Elephant, Nubian Giraffe, Cape buffalo, Common Warthog, Lelwel’s Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Defassa Waterbuck, Nile Bushbuck, Patas Monkey, Olive Baboon, and Oribi among others. A beautiful array of more than 400 bird species will also be seen. After lunch we drive to the jetty for the afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison falls. This will be on Victoria Nile and some of the possible sightings include the big mammals as they drink and cool off their bodies. We may also see the Nile Crocodile, Nile Monitor Lizard, African Rock Python and birds like the Goliath Heron, Egyptian Plover, African Darter, Saddle-billed Stork, Spur-winged and Egyptian Geese, Malachite, Pied and Giant Kingfishers plus the mighty Shoebill at times. The epitome of the boat ride will be the energetic falls as viewed from the bottom. Overnight Sambiya Safari Lodge

Day 4:  Queen Elizabeth National Park and cooking class

After breakfast, we transfer from Murchison Falls to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This will be quite a distance as compared to other journeys with a lunch stopover at Tinka’s Homestead for our local cooking class. This is a wonderful opportunity to interact with local women, enjoying the garden to plate concept which is typical in a Ugandan home. We will see the traditional food preparation and take part in all processes with the most craved being eating what we have cooked. Later we transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park right at the base of the Albertine Rift Valley. This park boasts the highest biodiversity rankings in the world due to the varied habitats here from the rain forest, wetlands, rift valley lakes, savanna grasslands, woodlands and bushes and thickets. Overnight at Kasenyi Safari Lodge

Day 5: Game Drive & Boat Cruise in Queen Elizabeth NP

Queen Elizabeth is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve where people and wildlife share the same habitat and the park is home to a selection of beautiful landscapes from the explosion craters, the rift valley escarpments and lakes, and the views of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains. It is also famous for the tree climbing lions of Ishasha in the southern part, home to over 90 mammals and an average of 612 bird species. After an early morning breakfast, we shall head out to Kasenyi plains in search of game and depending on nature’s will, we shall see the Savanna elephant (the biggest land mammal), herds of buffaloes, Uganda Kob, Defassa Waterbuck, Nile Bushbuck, Common Warthog, Giant Forest Hog as well as big cats like the Leopard and Lion, and laughing hyenas. We shall crown our game drive with a visit to the Salt Lake which has a community craft market for shopping. We head back to the lodge for relaxation before lunch and then go to the Kazinga channel jetty for a lifetime experience on this natural water body. The afternoon boat cruise will expose us to several other goodies like the fishing village, thousands of Hippos, crocodiles, Monitor lizard and an assorted list of water birds. Other big mammals come to the channel for drinking and bathing in the hot hours of this Equator centered park.  Overnight at Kasenyi Safari Lodge

Day 6: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

We’ll be up very early in the morning and after breakfast, we will set off for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a totally different environment from Queen Elizabeth National Park. On our way we’ll enjoy scenic views of the Kigezi highlands which will remind you of the movie Sound of Music. We arrive at the lodge in Rushaga, the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Check in at the lodge and relax as we prepare for our gorilla trek tomorrow. Overnight at Ichumbi Safari lodge

Day 7: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

This is a true bucket list, once in a lifetime experience.  We check into the park offices for gorilla tracking registration, briefing, and entertainment. We shall trek the impenetrable forest on this journey that can take a few hours to a full day experience depending on what nature decides. We will take packed lunch boxes. Once we have a sighting, we meet the gentle giants. Looking in their eyes of the adult female gorillas makes one awestruck at our similarities. We spend about an hour with the gorillas as they go through their daily activities, and then head back at the lodge to enjoy our photos as we meditate about our experience. Bwindi is home to more than 20 Albertine rift endemics and this is also a birder’s paradise day. We may see the likes of the Handsome Francolin, Regal Sunbird, Bar-tailed Trogon, Strange Weaver, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis and Turaco, among many others. Other mammals include the African Elephant, Rwenzori Duiker, L’hoest, Blue, Vervet and Red-tailed Monkeys, Olive Baboon, Mantled Guereza Colobus Monkey, as well as the beautiful Rwenzori Three-horned Chameleon. Overnight at Ichumbi Safari lodge

Day 8: Chill day with local immersion

Wake up to a leisurely breakfast and then have our memorable gomesi wear class. This activity will have a lot of funny photo poses and video making while you are wearing your gomesi, the traditional garment of Ugandan women. We learn the history and lifestyle of the gomesi for women in Uganda. And, you get to keep your gomesi as a gift  to take home with you. After our gomesi photo shoot, prepare for yet another adventure around the park as we visit the indigenous peoples – the Batwa. They have lived their entire lives to current generations by hunting and gathering in the forest. The visit to the Batwa invariably involves songs and a dance demonstration, and once the music begins you see a genuine pride, perhaps you join in. We return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. Overnight at Ichumbi Safari lodge

Day 9: Lake Mburo National Park and game drive

After breakfast, we drive through Kigezi highlands to the interlocking hills full of banana plantations and cattle farms in Ankore. We later check in at our lodge in Lake Mburo National Park and have lunch and relax a bit as we await our evening game drive. This is Uganda’s smallest savanna park with a habitat exactly like that of northern Tanzania. It is dominated by Savanna woodlands and gets the name from one of the many lakes here called Mburo, which has interesting cultural stories on how it was created. Some of the possible sightings include the Hippo, Nubian giraffe, Cape buffalo, leopard, plain zebra and impala, among others. Overnight at Rwakobo Rock lodge

Day 10: Lake Mburo National Park and back to Entebbe

After an early morning cup of coffee, we drive out to the scenic park in search of game and other natural beauty. Some of the mammals expected include the Impala, Common eland, Topi, Warthog, Plain Zebra, Nubian Giraffe, Nile Bushbuck, Defassa Waterbuck, Cape Buffalo, Dwarf Mongoose, Leopard, Spotted Hyena and one male Lion among others. The bird species include the Lilac-breasted roller, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Brubru, Black-collared and Crested Barbets, Trilling Cisticola, Tropical Boubou, Grey-headed and Stripped Kingfishers, Black, African and Red-chested Cuckoos, Palm-nut and White-backed Vultures among many others. There are also regular sightings of the Central African Rock Python. We check out and the rest of the day will be a drive to the Entebbe Airport depending on flight times home; or choose to extend on your own.

• Fully guided tour with an English speaking local guide (and a Canyon Calling Trip Leader if there are more than 6 guests.)
• Land transportation via 4X4 WD Land Cruiser
• Luxury accommodations in double occupancy (limited single supplement at $969 for your own room 9 nights)
• Activities as mentioned in the itinerary
• All guide gratuities and hotel, restaurant, and driver gratuities
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on Day 9
• One gorilla permit and 1 chimpanzee permit
• All National Parks entrance fees and permits
• Water throughout the trip

• Transportation to/from Entebbe International Airport (code EBB)
• Visa application fee of $50 USD, and personal travel insurance
• Routine vaccines as required; check with your doctor
• Items of a personal nature such as snacks, alcohol, etc.
• Optional gratuity to your local guide and/or Trip Leader

Notes for this specific trip that are outside our standard payment and cancellation policies. Accommodations have limited capacity and therefore it is essential to make and pay for reservations well in advance.

• Deposit is $2000 per person
• Second payment of $2000 is due six months prior to travel (April 23, 2023)
• Final payment of $2495 is due two months prior to travel (August 23, 2023)
• Cancellations:  91 days or more prior to arrival 25% charge
  90 – 61 days  prior to arrival 50% charge
  60  days prior to arrival 100% nonrftundable
• Gorilla permits and Chimpanzee permits are 100% non-refundable.