11 Days of Uganda Primates, Big Five (wildlife), Water Safari and adventures

Day 01: Pick up from your Hotel & Transfer to Jinja.

After an early morning breakfast, your guide will pick you up from your Entebbe hotel and your journey to Eastern Uganda (Jinja) begins. En-route stop over at the Ssezibwa falls - a unique Buganda cultural site located along the Jinja-Kampala highway. After exploring the falls proceed to Jinja passing through the Mabira forest. This is Uganda’s biggest natural forest with quite a good number of bird species, primates & trees. Check in and have lunch at the lodge.

In the late afternoon, you will embark on a 2 hour horseback riding along the banks of the mighty river Nile.

The distance between Entebbe and Jinja is about 118 km taking between 2 - 3 hours depending on the traffic. Dinner and overnight at 2Friends Guest House-Jinja / standard room [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner].

Day 02: Half day white water rafting in Nalubale, Jinja & boat trip to the source of the Nile.

This morning after breakfast, your safari guide will collect you from your Jinja accommodation and take you for a half-day white water rafting on the mighty river Nile in Nalubale - Jinja. A delicious buffet lunch on a private island in the middle of the Nile will be served.

After a successful rafting, embark on a boat trip to explore the source of the Nile (world’s longest river) where John Speke in 1862 became the first explorer to discover its source. You will also get to visit the Mahtma Ghandi Monument then back to your lodge. If time permits, you will have a tour in Jinja city.

Dinner will be served at the lodge. Overnight at 2Friends Guest House-Jinja / standard room [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner].

What to bring for white water rafting:

◙ Shorts and t-shirt to wear on the water - if you sunburn easily consider long sleeves.

◙ Sun cream - you will be out in the sun for 4 - 5 hours - sunburn is our most common injury.

◙ A change of clothes including a hoody or jacket for the drive home.

◙ Any personal medication.

◙ A water bottle - we have gone plastic bottle free - you will find water available throughout the day and we have cups should you need them.

◙ Money to pay on arrival, extras such as t-shirts can also be bought from the base.

◙ A sense of humor. It helps make the day a whole load more fun!

Day 03: Rhino tracking – transfer to Murchison.

Today's journey will take you to Murchison Falls National Park. En route, you will visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola where you will go for a guided rhino tracking with an experienced ranger, which will give you a unique opportunity to view the rhinos from a close distance. On spotting them, spend an hour with them. After a successful tracking, you will have lunch then proceed to Murchison Falls National Park. Check in at the lodge and spend the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner will be served at the lodge. Overnight at Fort Murchison / En-suite room [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 04: Game drive and boat trip in Murchison Falls National Park.

Murchison Falls National Park is located in the African rift valley hosting many mammals such as the big four - the lion, the leopards, the elephants, and the buffaloes – plus other exciting species.

Today you will wake up very early. In the early morning hours, animals are the most active, the sun is not yet so bright and temperatures are cooler. It offers the best time to spot wild animals. After an early breakfast, you will go on a game drive to explore the northern part of the park. You will be eye-to-eye with the African animals.

In the afternoon, you will take a shared boat safari upstream the calm Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’. You will be watched by crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys and all the other thirsty wildlife that the Nile attracts, you will reach the base of the 43-meter high waterfall which roars, creating a beautiful rainbow. After the boat safari, you will go to the top of the falls by car from where you have a perfect view of the extraordinary falls and the river snaking below. Later, transfer back to the hotel for dinner. Dinner will be served at Fort Murchison / En-suite room [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 05: Transfer to Kibale National Park and afternoon community walk.

Today, you will begin your early morning journey to Kibale Forest. The long drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda. Kibale National Park is located in west-central Uganda just east of the Rwenzori Mountains, near the town of Fort Portal. The 795 Km² park predominantly covers evergreen rain-forest and is a home to a total of 70 mammal species, most famously 13 species of primate including the chimpanzee. It also contains over 375 species of birds including rare and endemic species. You will have lunch en route, arriving in the evening in Kibale. Journey Time: 8 hours.

In the evening, you will go for a guided Bigodi community walk. The walk will take you through the local communities, and learn about their tradition culture and norms, you will visit some of their home steads and learn their ways of life. The locals will greet you with enthusiastic waves. Overnight at Kibale Forest Camp/self-contained safari tent [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 06: Chimpanzee tracking & Bigodi swamp walk.

After an early morning breakfast, you will depart to Kanyancu, the visitor’s center and report to the ranger station at 07:45 am in Kibale National Park to track the habituated Chimpanzees. Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, visitors stand a pretty good chance of hearing and seeing our distant cousins as they are habituated. These engaging apes, our closest living relative, are great fun to watch as they play and fight in the fruiting trees. Your experienced guides will introduce you to the different members of the chimp families, as well as the birds and plant life of the forest. The trails through the forest are generally easy to navigate and you will always be accompanied by rangers. The tour lasts between one to three hours and the tracking starts at 08:00am daily. You are only allowed to spend a maximum of one hour around the chimpanzees.

In the afternoon after lunch, you will go for a guided Bigodi swamp walk. The 2 - 3 hours walk will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals will greet you with enthusiastic waves. It is usual to spot three to four different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco! Return for dinner and overnight at Kibale Forest Camp/self-contained safari tent [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 07: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Boat ride & Game drive.

After breakfast, your driver guide will transfer you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, check-in at your lodge, and then have lunch.

At 2:00pm, you will enjoy the slow 2 hour shared boat cruise in the Kazinga Channel, a natural canal that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This will allow you to experience wildlife up close where hippos huff and spray mere feet away, buffalo linger in the shallows. Large herds of elephants, buffaloes and other animals come to the shores to quench their thirst. Also, you will see a wide array of colorful birds soaring near to the water surface. Amongst those you will see are the malachite and pied kingfishers, great white and pink-backed pelicans and the open-billed stork.

After the boat trip, enjoy your evening game drive around the northern sector of the park called Kasenyi, or better known as the “Kobs Mating Ground”. You will be able to find hundreds of Uganda kobs, a hungry ‘king of the African jungle’ - lion, big herds of buffaloes, giant forest hog, warthogs, monitor lizards and sometimes a lonely elephant or hyena can be seen during a game drive in Kasenyi as well. Return for dinner & overnight at Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge/Banda [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 08: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

After breakfast, we will depart to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with an “en route game drive” passing through Ishasha, the remote, southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park famous for its residents-the tree climbing lions. Journey time from Ishasha; 2 hours, 68 km. Check-in at your lodge, then have lunch. Afternoon at leisure in your accommodation in preparation to the next day’s activities. Dinner and overnight at Haven Lodge Buhoma [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 09: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Today, you will wake up relatively very early for a hearty breakfast to give you the energy needed for your day’s gorilla trekking activity. With your packed lunch & plenty of clean drinking water from the lodge, report to the ranger station at 07:45am for registration and then a briefing by one of the rangers. At 08:00am, gorilla trekking commences. The guides will then take you through the bush pushing your way through the undergrowth, parting thick creepers, to track the gorillas. The trek can take from 30 minutes to 7 hours. So, a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as a sturdy pair of walking shoes.

After your one hour with the gorillas, you will then start your descent back to the briefing point and later your lodge. The experience in this jungle and meeting these enormous creatures will stay with you for life even as you take in the beautiful scenery in this area

In the afternoon depending on your trek, if you come back early and you have the energy you may go for an evening community walk. Return for dinner & overnight at Haven Lodge Buhoma [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner].

Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National park.

After an early morning breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park. En-route, have lunch. Its distance from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 310 km which makes it a perfect stop-over between Bwindi and Kampala. The drive will take about 6 hours & you will arrive at the lodge in the afternoon.

In the late afternoon, you will have a game drive around the park. Zebras, impala, Uganda kobs, buffalos, giraffes and many others are some of the wildlife that will be seen during this game drive. Return to the lodge in time for dinner. Overnight at Rwakobo Rock/Thatched cottage [Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner]

Day 11: Depart Lake Mburo National Park for Entebbe.

After breakfast, you will head out for a morning nature walk and then you will drive back to Entebbe with an en-route brief stopover at the Uganda equator crossing sign at Kayabwe and then later drop off at Entebbe International Airport to connect with your outbound international flight.

Please note that check-in for international flights should be done 2 hours prior to departure of the flight. In the departure hall (after check-in), you will find a small restaurant, a sitting area and several duty-free shops for your convenience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of safari ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Price includes:

• A 4x4 safari land cruiser vehicle and fuel,

• An English-speaking tourist driver guide

• 1 Gorilla trekking permit at $700 per person

• 1 Chimp trekking permit at $200 per person

• 1 Rhino trekking permit at $50 per person

• Bigodi community and nature walk,

• Lunch at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and others mentioned in the itinerary,

• All entry fees to the National Parks’ activities.

• Accommodations and meals as mentioned in the itinerary (Bed & Breakfast (B&B), Half Board (HB) or Full Board (FB).

• Drinking water in the vehicle,

• Shared boat trips (Bottom of the falls-Murchison & Kazinga Channel in Queen),

• Nature walk in Lake Mburo National Park,

• Boat trip to the source of the Nile,

• Half day white water rafting on River Nile in Nalubale, Jinja

• Horseback riding

• Ssezibwa falls visit,

• Government taxes.

Package Price Excludes:

• International flights

• Uganda entry visa fees

• Drinks / alcoholic drinks

• Additional meals

• Tips/gratuities

• Activities not part of the described programme.

• International travel insurance.

• PCR covid-19 test fees.

Please observe our additional checklist for Gorilla & Chimpanzee trekking.

• Long sleeved shirts and trousers. (Old clothes are recommended as they can get very dirty and torn from the thorns and jungle foliage)

• Insect repellent and sunscreen

• Hat and sunglasses (although once in the jungle you are in the shade)

• Gardening gloves to protect your hands from the thorns and vines

• Good, comfortable, sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support

• Long socks to truck your trousers into

• Rain jacket

• Camera with choice of lenses

• Waterproof rucksack (or plastic bags inside your rucksack)

• Plenty of water (your lodge will provide a packed lunch and lots of water)

• For evenings at the camp, it is worth taking a warm fleece as evenings can be chilly. For the daytime, light, casual clothes generally suffice.