• Day 1

  Welcome to the Pearl of Africa

  Welcome to Uganda, the ‘Pearl of Africa’. On completing immigration and collecting your luggage you will be meet by a member of staff from your guesthouse at the airport. From here they will help you with your bags and drive you the short distance across Entebbe town to your guesthouse in the leafy suburbs. Here you can relax for the evening and prepare to depart for your safari early tomorrow morning.

• Day 2

  Rhino tracking

  This morning drive north for 4 hours passing many villages and roadside markets to reach Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Here you will seek out the rhinos living in the safety of this semi wild reserve. You’ll trek over the grassland and through the African bush on foot with a ranger to visit Uganda’s most endangered creature, the Southern White Rhino.

  Your ranger is very experienced and knowledgeable about the rhinos and will be able to identify each individual and tell you about their characteristics, as well as give you more information on the effort recover Uganda’s rhino population.This afternoon drive north passing Masindi town to reach the gate into Murchison Falls NP, a 1-hour drive.

  You will then enter the park and drive through Kaniyo Pabidi rainforest and drive for 2 hours through the park to reach your riverside lodge. Here you can relax for the remainder of the day, with views over the river Nile and listen out for the sounds of hippo pods calling to each other across the water.

• Day 3

  River Nile water safari & game drive

  Explore the Buligi game tracks with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide, to give your highest chance of tracking down the savannah predators, such as the lions and if your lucky the illusive leopard! Of course you will also be able to spot the Rothschild giraffe, elephants, buffalo, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kob, warthog and waterbuck.After lunch at your riverside lodge, embark on a water safari on the river Nile to the base Murchison Falls.

  This trip offers fantastic great to spot Nile crocodiles, hippo pods and a multitude of bird species. Elephants, waterbuck, and buffalo, also come to cool off in the heat of the day. After 3 hours youll be able to view the thundering waterfall, as the river surges through a 7 metre wide gap in the rock face and falling a 43 meter drop. You will then return back downstream and drive back to your lodge, to watch the sunset across the water. Optional add-on: Hike to the top of the waterfall for fantastic views for an additional $15 per person.

• Day 4

  Murchison Falls savannah game drive

  Rise early to further explore the game circuits in the northern sector of the park. We recommend a second game drive in the park to give you the best chances to spot all the wildlife species. You can also take the opportunity to take a detour from the game tracks to visit the old Pakuba Lodge, Idi Amin’s now derelict state lodge and private residence. These ruins are set in a prime location, offering beautiful views down to the river Nile and Blue Mountains in the distance.

  The building has long been reclaimed by the wild, now being heavily overgrown by vegetation and a favourite haunt to the big cats! After your lunch back at your lodge you will leave the savannah plains of Murchison Falls NP behind you. You will drive south back through the park and pass back through Kichumbayobo park gate and drive through Masindi town. It’s then another 1 hours drive to reach Hoima town, where you will stop off for the night to spread your journey through western Uganda over two half days travel.

• Day 5

  Ndali-Kasenda crater lake walk

  Depart early from Hoima town to continue your journey through the west of Uganda. The road will wind through villages, forests and tea plantations covering rolling hills to reach Fort Portal town a 6-hour drive away. Here you’ll stop off for lunch in a shaded garden restaurant. After lunch you will then drive a short distance south to reach the Ndali-Kasenda crater lake fields.This stunning landscape of rolling hills dotted with fresh water crater lake pools.

  In the heart of the crater-lake field you will be joined by a local guide who will take you on a guided walk along the meandering paths through the crater lakes, villages and farmland. Your guide will explain to you about the traditions and customs of the local communities as you walk, giving you a real insight into the lives of the people living here. You will then drive the short distance to your lodge for the night which offers fantastic views over the expansive rainforest covering Kibale National Park below.

• Day 6

  A Chimps day

  Rise early to meet the researcher team, for a briefing on your day with the chimpanzees. Kibale National Park is one of East Africa’s premier destinations to chimp track. Chimpanzee groups undergo a two-year habitation process before they are regularly tracked for tourism, so they become accustomed to the presence of humans. It is one of these groups that you will be seeking out in the rainforest and contribute towards this process.

  Your guides will be escorting you throughout your time in the forest, giving you more information on the 325 species of birdlife, 250 tree species and over 80 species of mammals found here. Groups of chimps live in communities containing between 10 and 100 members and once you’ve found your group, you will spend the rest of the day following them as they move through the undergrowth. You will be able to observe their natural behavior as they play, eat, socialise and display their prowess until the later afternoon, when youll return to your lodge.

• Day 7

  Water safari & bush camping

  This morning youll drive south following the Rwenzori Mountains chain for a few hours to reach Queen Elizabeth NP. You will first stop off at Queen Pavilion where you can enjoy your lunch with views over the savannah and Lake George in the distance. You will then drive through the park to reach the Mweya Peninsular in the heart of the park. Here you will embark on a water safari to explore the Kazinga Channel. As you meander along the river banks you will have the chance to spot elephants, buffalo, warthogs and waterbuck.

  The channel is also a prime location to view crocodiles, hippo pods and a plethora of bird species. You will then make your way to your bush camp, where you can relax for the evening under the stars. This is a self-catering camp, with an equipped kitchen tent for you to heat preordered meals or the option grill on the BBQ. Preordered meals cost $5 - $10 per person.

• Day 8

  Tree-climbing lions on Ishasha Plains

  This morning rise early to explore the savannah of Kasenyi Plains which are home to a number of breeding grounds for Uganda kobs. These herds keep the grass short allowing easy viewing of species such as elephants, buffalo, warthogs, bushbuck and waterbuck. You will then drive south through the park for 2 ½ hours to reach Ishasha Plains which is particularly known for its iconic tree-climbing lions.

  On entering the savannah, you will track through the African bush on a game drive with a ranger, giving you the best chance to seek out these impressive cats. You’ll be looking for them in the branches of huge fig trees, as they laze away in the shade, sheltered from the heat of the day.

  In the mid afternoon you will leave the savannah behind you and drive to Ruhija village on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable NP, about 2-hours drive away. Here you can relax at your lodge on the edge of the rainforest and prepare for your trek to meet a mountain gorilla family tomorrow.

• Day 9

  Gorilla tracking in ancient rainforest

  Experience Uganda’s greatest natural wonder, an intimate meeting with one of Bwindi Impenetrable NPÂ’s gorilla families! Bwindi Impenetrable NP is an incredibly important conservation site as it protects around 320 mountain gorillas, roughly half of the population left in the wild. This morning you will rise early, and your driver / guide will escort you to the trailhead into the rainforest.

  Here you will receive an orientation on tracking the gorillas from the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers who will then guide you through the dense forest. The trek length varies, depending on where the gorillas spent the night, ranging from thirty minutes to seven hours. Once you find these incredible creatures you will spend one hour with them.

  We think you’ll agree - to experience this unique family feed, socialise, nurse their young, patrol and display their prowess - is the most magical experience you can see in nature! You will then return to your lodge to relax for the remainder of the day.

• Day 10

  Departing from the Gorilla Highlands

  This morning you’ll be leaving the gorilla highlands to make your return journey to Kampala, which will usually takes 8 to 9 hours. So, settle back and enjoy the ride as you descend from the highlands of Uganda back to the plains and plantations by Lake Victoria. You’ll stop off along the way for your packed lunch and at roadside markets selling a variety of colorful exotic fruits, that you might like to explore.

  You will reach the hustle a bustle of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city in the late afternoon where you can be dropped off at your chosen location or taken onto Entebbe town on the shores of Lake Victoria. If you would like to avoid the day long transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable NP to Entebbe please enquire about adding a internal flight (*for an additional cost) from Kihihi airstrip, a two hour drive from your rainforest accommodation to Entebbe International Airport.

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