Get the most out of each day of your vacation in a place that nature has blessed with beauty during this 7-day safari in Uganda. According to Winston Churchill, the British wartime prime minister, you will have a calm stay, pleasant weather, warm people and tasty food in the “pearl of Africa.”
Go on a boat cruise and game drive in Murchison Falls National Park, chimpanzee trek in Kibale Forest National Park, a walk-through Bigodi Swamp, boat cruise and game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and a gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Additionally, there are activities like Bigodi community tours and rhino tracking at the Ziwah Rhino Sanctuary. The journey begins and ends in Uganda’s Kampala.
Detailed Trip.
Day 1: Pickup and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – night game drive.
Meet and greet our driving guide at the airport, and he or she will welcome you on the seven-day excursion. You will receive a tour briefing before setting out on the five to six-hour drive to Uganda’s largest national park, Murchison Falls National Park with a one-hour halt at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary along the way to observe endangered rhinos.
Thereafter, a drive to the park for an evening game drive in the northern sector will be scheduled. The animals will be resting after the day’s adventure, while others, including lions, leopards, and hyenas, will be out on adventures when dusk falls. Before completing the day with dinner and an overnight stay at the resort, you will cross off any who come your way.
Day 2: Morning boat cruise and transfer to Kibale forest National Park.
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge before embarking on a boat tour to the base of majestic Murchison falls, one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world. The camera, eyes and ears will have been put to use in two hours as you observe Nile crocodiles, hippos, water birds and other wildlife along the riverbanks. Don’t forget to take in the sounds of roaring waterfalls as it rushes through the tight 7-meter gorge to the Nile.
After the boat tour, then embark on a 7–8 hours’ journey to Kibale National Park through tea plantations, bustling cities and more. At dusk, after arrival, you will check into your lodge for dinner and night sleep.
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk.
You will go to the park headquarters after an early breakfast at the resort, with a packed lunch and in trekking gear, for a worthwhile pre-trek briefing by the knowledgeable ranger guides. Since chimpanzees share 98% of human DNA, they are closely related to humans. Three to four hours are needed for the trek, plus an hour for photography and seeing the apes’ distinctive habits in their natural environment.
After spending time with the chimpanzees, you will return to the forest, where there is a good possibility you may see a variety of other primate species, including red-tailed monkeys, white and black Columbus monkeys, and more.
After lunch, continue on a walk through Bigodi wetland, one of the nation’s Ramsar areas, where you’ll see lots of primates and birds. The locals will be happy to help you since returning to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay means the sun is setting.
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – boat cruise along Kazinga channel.
Breakfast is first thing in the morning, followed by a 3-hour drive with views of plantations, beautiful hills and mountain backdrops before checking out of the lodge and head to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival at the park, you will register before going to lunch.
After that, you’ll enjoy an evening boat trip around the Kazinga Channel. The experience lasts for around two hours, during which time you can take in the pleasant lake wind, view hippos and crocodiles and more. The day is done after dinner and before bed.
Day 5: Tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Your game drive will take place in Ishasha sector, home to lions that climb trees after breakfast. It’s pure chance that you’ll see lions or leopards mating. Lion tracking will take place in the Ishasha region with the aim of spotting one or more lions lounging contentedly with in the tree branches. There aren’t many of these lions on earth. Have late lunch in the same sector after which you will drive to one of the park’s sectors to check in for dinner and night stay.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking.
Wake up to a hearty breakfast at the lodge before heading to the park headquarters for briefing and registration by the ranger guides before your gorilla trek. You will be allocated to a gorilla family to track, accompanied and given detailed explanation of the trekking dos and don’ts during the thirty-minute session.
Because of steep hills, gorilla trekking can be difficult, but well worth it because you might see the gigantic silverback with his group as well as other primates, birds and plants that live in the area’s beautiful tropical jungle. Following the broken tree branches, sounds and instincts will lead you to where you will discover man’s relatives as you explore deep gorilla jungles. The first location to look out for is where the apes were last seen.
This can take anything from two to eight hours, plus an extra hour for pictures, research and observing the mothers nurse the babies. All hiking regulations must be followed because these are wild creatures, even though habituated gorillas are gregarious and accustomed to humans. After the activities are finished, you will return to the lodge for lunch, some rest, and an optional cultural performance by the Batwa pygmies. At nightfall, enjoy Lunch at the lodge, and then followed by dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Return to Kampala.
After a wonderful breakfast at the lodge, check out and be driven back to Kampala or Entebbe international airport. Stop for lunch at the equator along the way, take in the expert demonstrations, and shop for trinkets. Continue on the gorgeous drive to the prearranged drop-off location, where the trip will comfortably come to an end.
