10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari − DETAILED SAFARI ITINERARY

Day 1 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Drive from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park, Visit Ziwa Rhinos En Route.

After breakfast at the hotel in Kampala at around 6.00am, we will embark on a 375km or 7-8 hours’ drive northwest of Uganda to Murchison Falls National Park, driving through impressive flat stretches of Nakasongola district before branching off at Nakitooma for 7km to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to undertake a 2 hours rhino tracking encounter on foot (with an expert ranger guide). Ziwa sanctuary is home to 22 rhinos and it is the only place in Uganda where you can see these members of the Big Five in the wild.

Depending on the location of the Rhinos, you may need to drive closer to their location before you start the trek to reduce on the distance. Your expert ranger guide will share different information on Rhino behaviours and how you ought to behave while as you trek. Once you locate the Rhinos, you can stay a maximum of one hour in their presence.

You also have a chance of other animal sightings on this nature walk such as Uganda kobs, bushbucks and oribis and some of the 300 bird species that reside in the sanctuary including kingfishers, turacos, and shoebills. You retreat from the activity, settle for lunch at Kabalega dinners and continue to Murchison Falls National Park arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Highlight of the day: – The experience of seeing a wild rhino on foot a few meters away from you.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Paara Safari Lodge/ Bakers Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Murchison River Lodge/ Pakuba Safari Lodge

Budget/Basic: – Hornbill Bush Lodge/ Red Chilli Rest Camp

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 375km or 7-8 hours

 

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
• Tracking Ziwa rhinos on foot

 

Day 2 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Morning Game Drive, Afternoon Nile Boat Cruise & Hike to the Top of Murchison Falls.

We will start with a breakfast at around 6.30am after which we will undertake a morning game drive in the northern sector of Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison stretches over 3,840 square kilometres. As Uganda’s largest national park, Murchison has almost all Africa’s major mammals. It is home to 4 of the iconic Big Five gems, antelopes, primates, and Africa’s largest populations of Rothschild’s giraffes.

But it is the Nile River (the longest river on Earth) – dividing the park into northern and southern halves – that gives rise to the park’s greatest draw card-(the Murchison Falls) which is believed to be the world’s most powerful waterfall. The 3-4 hours game drive in the northern sector of the park follows well designated tracks with possibilities of seeing lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, giraffes, hippos, hartebeest, waterbucks, oribis and kobs. Retreat from the activity and return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.

In the afternoon we will enjoy a wonderful boat cruise along the legendary Nile River to the bottom of Murchison Falls. This 3-hour boat encounter will offer you good game viewing from the comfort of the boat – keeps an eye out for hippos and crocodiles – plus (thanks to a bird list of over 451) amazing bird watching. Upon arriving on the bottom of the falls, you will embark on the hike to the top of the Murchison Falls to witness the drama of these spectacular falls as the 50 meter wide Nile River forces its way through a 7-metre wide cleft in the Rift Valley Escarpment before falling 45m below to what has been termed the devil’s cauldron.

Highlight of the day: – The afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of the Murchison Falls.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Paara Safari Lodge/ Bakers Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Murchison River Lodge/ Pakuba Safari Lodge

Budget/Basic: – Hornbill Bush Lodge/ Red Chilli Rest Camp

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Game drive in the Northern sector of the park
• Boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison Falls
• Hiking to the top of the Murchison falls

Other optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Hot air balloon ride experience
• Bush Breakfast
• Sport fishing along the Nile delta
• Birding
• Cultural tour
• Night game drive

 

Day 3 of the10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Transfer from Murchison Falls Park to Hoima and Visit the Kibiro Salt Mines

After a leisurely breakfast at around 8.00am, we will leave the Murchison Falls National Park behind and embark on a very scenic drive to Hoima with an enroute stop at Kibiro Salt Gardens to encounter the heritage of this historic site. The Kibiro Salt Gardens has supported the livelihoods of the surrounding community dating far back to 900 years ago far before the coming of Europeans.

The locals extract fine salt which they then exchange with the other communities for food and other items. The work of salt extraction at this site has for long been a dominant of female. The process of extracting is rather long and technical than the ordinary but it is amazing to see how the indigenous knowledge is put into use to have a product out well made.

Accessing the site exposes you to walking on steep and challenging landscapes with narrow paths that can only be accessed by foot. Retreat from the encounter and transfer to Hoima arriving in the afternoon for relaxation, dinner and overnight

Highlight of the day: – The stunning scenic drive to the ancient Kibiro salt gardens.

Accommodation:-

Midrange: – Lake Albert Lodge/Hoima Cultural Lodge

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 120km or 4 hours

 

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Hiking to the top of Murchison Falls
• Transfer to Hoima

 

Day 4 of the10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Travel to Fort Portal. Visit the Amabere Caves And Hike to the Fort Portal Crater Field.

After having breakfast at around 7.00 am, we will embark on a 5-hours’ drive to Fort Portal Area passing through the impressive countryside landscapes of Kagadi and Kyenjojo that are dotted with lush green, rural homesteads and farmlands. Upon arriving in Fort Portal town, you settle for a special lunch in one of best restaurants in the town then travel to the Amabere Caves.

The Amabere Cave is named after the live stalactite formation-Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru, literally translates as Breast of Nyinamwiru and resembles the twin breasts of a woman. The woman in question is Nyinamwiru. This legendary princess is said to have been so beautiful that no man could leave her alone. When Nyinamwiru father King Bukuku became weary of receiving marital requests from unsuitable suitors, he took the extreme measure of cutting off his daughter’s breasts in order to make her less attractive. But even this proved to be insufficient to deter Nyinamwiru many admirers, so the king hid her away in the cave now known as Amabere. Here, she was discovered by the Batembuzi King Isaza, who impregnated her with a son.

Because Nyinamwiru lacked breasts, she stayed on in the cave with her baby, feeding him on the cloudy limestone ‘milk’ that drips from its stalactites. The child nurtured by the stalactite formation grew up and became king Ndahura, founder of the Bachwezi dynasty that ruled over the Bunyoro Kitara Empire centuries ago. After exploring this legendary cave, you will embark on the hike to the Fort Portal Crater Lake field where you traverse the challenging slopes of Kyeganywa hill surrounded by a range of crater lakes and crater hollows presenting one of the beautiful scenic sites in Uganda. Retreat from the chosen activity and transfer to Kibale National Park for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Highlight of the day: A hike to the legendary Amabeere Caves in the very scenic Fortportal Area.

Accommodation:-

Luxury: – Crater Safari Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Ndali Lodge

Midrange: – Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Kibale Forest Camp/ Turaco Tree Tops

Budget: – Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Kibale Forest Camp

 

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 240km or 4-5 hours

 

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Transfer to Fort Portal Area
• Visit Amabeere Cave
• Hike to the Fort Portal Crater field

Optional activities you can choose to do on this day:-

• Cycling in Mpanga tea estate.

 

Day 5 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Morning Bigodi Swamp Walk, Transfer to Queen Elizabeth Park for Afternoon Kazinga Channel Boat Safari & Evening Game Drive.

After a hearty breakfast at around 7.30am, we transfer to the Bigodi Swamp for an exciting swamp walk. The Bigodi Swamp Walk is an initiative of the local community and it is an admirable example of conservation and tourism having a direct mutual benefit at grassroots level. The walk takes approximately 2 hours during which you will several bird species and primates.

A community walk can also be arranged on this tour which includes a visit to traditional healer and clan elders, as well as to a school, church and the local trading center. Retreat from the activity and embark on the 157km (3 hours) drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park enjoying the sights of Rwenzori Mountains en route. Upon arrival in Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda, you drive through the Mweya peninsular before gathering at Mweya jetty for an afternoon boat cruise the famous Kazinga channel.

The boat encounter departs at 2 pm to explore this 40km long channel that connect Lakes Edward and George. Thanks to the elephants, buffaloes, hundreds of hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds, this cruise will definitely be another highlight of your safari in Uganda. The boat activity lasts 2 hours and you do an evening game drive along the channel track for wild game viewing as you connect to the lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight.

Highlight of the day: A relaxing afternoon boat cruise on the hippo filled Kazinga channel

Accommodation

Luxury/Upmarket: Mweya Safari Lodge/ Katara Safari Lodge/Mazike Valley Safari Lodge

Mid-range/ Moderate: Enganzi Game Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp/ Bush Lodge

Budget/ Basic: Pumba Safari Lodge/Park View Safari Lodge

 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 

Drive distance and time: Approx.  157km or 3 hours

 

Activities & Services

• Morning Bigodi Swamp walk
• Afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
• Evening game drive

Other optional activities you can choose to do on this day include

• Night game drive
• Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu Forest/ Kyambura Gorge
• Birding
• Cultural encounters

Day 6 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Morning Game Drive in Kasenyi & Afternoon Chimpanzee Tracking in Kalinzu Forest

After having breakfast at around 7.00am, we will drive to the rolling plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park resides in a fertile, equatorial area and has beautiful scenery. It is Uganda’s most popular and accessible savannah reserve, with a total area of 1978 square kilometers. It is primarily associated with grassy savannah plains, but this impressive park also includes within its boundaries leafy rainforests, dense papyrus swamps and natural volcanic crater lakes. As a result, it has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world, including a total of 95 recorded mammal species and more than 610 species of birds.

The game drive tends to last 3 – 4 hours after which you will return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, you transfer to the outskirts of Queen Elizabeth Park where verdant Kalinzu Forest is located and engage in on-foot chimpanzee tracking activity starting at 2 pm. The chimp trek lasts 2 – 5 hours inclusive of 1 hour of actual chimp viewing exploring them as they feed and socialize. Retreat from the activity and proceed to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight

Highlight of the day: – The trek to see Chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest Reserve

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: Mweya Safari Lodge/ Katara Safari Lodge/Mazike Valley Safari Lodge

Mid-range/ Moderate: Enganzi Game Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp/ Bush Lodge

Budget/ Basic: Pumba Safari Lodge/Park View Safari Lodge

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Morning game drive
• Afternoon chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu Forest

Other optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Night game drive
• Lion tracking
• Birding
• Cultural encounters

 

Day 7 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Enjoy a Morning Game Drive in Ishasha Sector as you Transfer Lake Bunyonyi.

After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Lake Bunyonyi Uganda 289km about 7- 8 hours’ drive. You undertake a game drive in Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park in search of tree climbing lions and other wild game.

The Ishasha is one of the few places in the world where tree climbing lions can be encountered. They tend to lie in fig tree branches in the day time. Continue on the drive passing through the fascinating Kigezi Highlands to arrive at Lake Bunyonyi in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Highlight of the day: Encountering the Tree climbing lions of Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Accommodation:-

• Luxury/ Up market:- Birdnest @Bunyonyi Resort
• Mid-range/ Moderate:- Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort/Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort
• Budget/ Basic:- Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort

 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 289km or 7- 8 hours’

Activities & Services

• Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
• Ishasha game drive
• Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi

 

Day 8 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Engage in Island Hopping and Canoe Ride on Lake Bunyonyi.

This day is dedicated to relaxation on picture-perfect Lake Bunyonyi as you undertake a canoe paddle visiting the main Islands of this scenic lake such as: – Bucuranuka (Upside down) Island which is believed to have buried a group of male revellers who refused to share their abundant stock of beer with an old lady who had embarked on a canoe to join them. Unfortunately for the drinking party, the woman was a sorceress. She returned to her canoe, paddled a safe distance away, and then used her magical powers to overturn the island-drowning everybody in the party-and then flip it back the right way up as if nothing had happened.

You also visit the Akampane (Punishment) Island when unmarried girls who became pregnant would be exiled, where they faced one of two possible fates. Any man who did not own sufficient cows to pay for an untainted bride was permitted to fetch the disgraced girl from the island and make her his wife. Failing that, the girl would usually starve to death. Retire from the activity return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Highlight of the day: – Enjoy the quietness of the water while paddling a dugout canoe on the second deepest lake in Africa.

Accommodation:-

• Luxury/ Up market:- Birdnest @Bunyonyi Resort
• Mid-range/ Moderate:- Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort/Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort
• Budget/ Basic:- Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
• Ishasha game drive
• Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi

 

Day 9 of the10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, & Do an Evening Game Drive upon Arrival.

After a relaxed breakfast, embark on the transfer to Lake Mburo Park 199km about 4 hours’ drive. A lunch stop will be made at Igongo Cultural Centre before proceeding to enter the park through Sanga Gate. Enjoy an Evening game drive in search of amazing mammals such as Burchell’s Zebras, Impalas, Topis, Elands, Rothschild’s Giraffes, and Defassa waterbucks plus much more as you head to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Highlight of the day:- The Afternoon game drive in Lake Mburo National Park

Accommodation:-

Luxury/ Upmarket: – Mihingo Lodge

Mid-range/ Moderate: – Rwakobo Rock/Arcadia Cottages Mburo/ Mpogo Safari Lodge

Budget/ Basic: – Eagles Nest Mburo

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 240km or 4-5 hours

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Transfer to Lake Mburo
• Evening game drive in Mburo Park

Optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Game walk safari
• Evening boat cruise
• Biking safari experience
• Birding

 

Day 10 of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari: Do Morning Game Walk in the Savannah Stretches of Mburo & Transfer to Kampala.

Lake Mburo National Park Uganda with an extensive savannah environment can be better explored on foot. The game walking safari at the sunrise allows you to explore the moist savannah dotted with magical acacia Species supporting a range of wildlife and birds.

During the walk, you have possibilities of exploring the range of game including Impala, Rothschild giraffes, Burchell’s Zebra, Topis, waterbucks, Warthogs, bushbucks, Klipspringer, Cape Buffaloes, elands not forgetting acacia associated birds including the endemic Red-faced Barbet.

The hike to the Kazuma Hill allows you to gain beautiful views of the area and the myriad of lakes below including Lake Mburo and Lake Kacheera the only permanent water sources in the area. You retreat from the 3 – 4-hour encounter and embark on the transfer back to Kampala 240km about 30 – 4 hours’ drive. A stop will be made at the Uganda Equator crossing Kayabwe for amazing photo shoots and water experiments that justify the geographical divide between the northern and southern hemispheres. Proceed on the drive to Kampala to mark the end of the 10 days Uganda wildlife safari in Uganda.

Highlight of the day: – Morning game walk and the equator experience

 

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 240km or 3-4 hours

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Game walk in Lake Mburo National Park
• Transfer to Kampala

End of the 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari

10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari −INCLUSIONS

  Full time English professional safari driver guide

  4×4 safari van/ 4×4 Safari land cruiser with poop up roof for game viewing with functional A/C

  Full board accommodation

  Chimpanzee trekking permit fee

  Boat cruise fees

  Wi-Fi Internet on board the safari vehicle

  Bottled water

10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari −EXCLUSIONS

  International &domestic flight fees

  Visa fees

  Laundry services

  Items of personal nature

  Gratuities and tips

  Other beverages/ drinks

  Other extras not mentioned in the itinerary above

Getting There

Transport Means to Your Safari Destinations

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