The 7-Days Uganda Budget Safari Tour offers wonderful wildlife viewing in Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park coupled with magical rhino tracking in the wilderness of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
This budget safari in Uganda includes the Big Four, a Nile launch cruise where you may spot Nile crocodiles and hippos, not to mention the shoebill stork, and a visit to the Kibiro salt gardens, an ancient historical site that dates back to pre-colonial Africa.
You will further undertake the Bigodi wetland walk—the most successful eco-community tourism initiative in Uganda—the remarkable Kazinga Channel boat cruise, viewing the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, and the island-hopping experience—exploring the main islands out of the 29 that mark Lake Bunyonyi.
Day 1: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. Visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary en route
Day 2: Do game drive in the morning, afternoon Nile boat cruise, & hike to the top of the falls
Day 3: Transfer from Murchison Falls National Park to Hoima & visit Kibiro Salt Gardens en route
Day 4: Transfer from Hoima to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Do Bigodi wetland walk en route
Day 5: Do morning game drive and afternoon Kazinga Channel boat cruise
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi and do game drive in Ishasha sector in search of tree climbing lions
Day 7: Do an early morning lake tour (boat cruise and island walk) and transfer to Entebbe. You will make an en route stop at the equator for photos and Lunch at the Igongo Cultural center
Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, 311 km, about 5 hours’ drive. On your way, you will pay a visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where white rhinos are thriving in a natural environment. Branch off at Nakitooma for 7 kilometers further, reaching the headquarters for Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. You track white rhinos thriving in a natural savannah thicket marked with tall grass.
The gigantic species is among the top five land animals and would definitely make your encounter rewarding. After trekking rhinos in Ziwa, settle for lunch and then continue on the drive to Murchison Falls NP, arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation: Budget: Heritage Safari Lodge, Basic: Red Chilli Rest Camp
Connect to the park after breakfast to start the game drive at 7am in the northern section, where the animals are known to thrive with better viewing possibilities. The park has open savannah rolling combretum with patches of borassus palms supporting counts of wild game, including Rothschild giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeest, kobs, lions, leopards, and waterbucks, among others.
The range of tracks has been specially designed to allow you to explore the park in detail. Retreat from the 3-hour activity and relax at the lodge up to lunchtime, after which you gather at Paraa Jetty for a thrilling boat cruise. Congregate at Paraa jetty in the afternoon at 2pm to embark on the boat cruise to the bottom of the falls. The boat cruise lasts 3 hours and offers you the possibility of encountering Nile crocodiles and Hippos.
On the riverbanks, you can also spot birds like the highly sought-after Shoebill Stork, basking in the cool waters of the Nile River. Upon reaching the bottom of the falls, you embark on the hike to the top of the falls, following the Nile River as it squeezes itself to pass through a less than 7m gorge before falling 43m below to what has been termed the devil’s Cauldron, forming a plume of spray marked by a thunderous roar and trademark rainbow.
You meet the guide and vehicle at the falls’ top, then go to the lodge for dinner, rest, and sleep.
Accommodation: Budget: Heritage Safari Lodge, Basic: Red Chilli Rest Camp
After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Hoima. You make a stop en route to visit the Kibiro Salt Gardens, which date back to over 900 years ago, providing a livelihood for many generations of the area’s inhabitants. The community sells this salt for food and income.
Local expert women extract the salt traditionally and exclusively. The footpath connecting to the site presents a challenging hiking encounter. Retreat from the activity and embark on the transfer to Hoima; arrive in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation: Budget: Hoima Cultural Lodge, Basic: Hoima Kontiki Hotel
After an early breakfast, you embark on the transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, driving through the impressive rural landscapes of Kyenjojo and Kagadi before approaching Fort Portal town (about 5 hours) for an early lunch and then proceeding to the Bigodi wetland walk on the boundary of Kibale National Park.
The Bigodi wetland is a rich haven presenting ideal ecotourism encounters in Uganda. In fact, it is the leading successful ecotourism initiative in Uganda, and the wetland features a count of 138 species, which include the Great Blue Turaco and Gonoleks, among others.
You might also encounter the swamp-dwelling sitatunga antelope. The local community, including their art and craft center and the home of the traditional healer, presents to you a community touch while on this safari tour in Uganda. After visiting the local community, embark on a journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Rwimi road to Kasese.
Arrive at the lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages, Basic: Kazinga Channel View Resort / UWA Bandas
After breakfast, embark on the game drive encounter at 7am, stretching to the Kasenyi area where a range of wild game might be encountered including the
The other sights include those of birds such as
The view of the moist open savannah grassland is also impressive. Return from the 3–4 hour activity and connect to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, you connect to Mweya Jetty for an afternoon boat cruise commencing at 2pm. The boat encounter, often referred to as the ‘Paradise of Hippos,’ features impressive sights of hippos, Nile crocodiles, and birds such as the African skimmer, yellow-billed stork, and kingfishers.
You can encounter wild game on the channel side. Retreat from the 2-hour activity and do a game drive along the channel track as you connect back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages, Basic: Kazinga Channel View Resort / UWA Bandas
After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, 289 km, about a 7–8-hour drive. You undertake a game drive in the Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park in search of tree-climbing lions and other wild game. Only two places in the world offer the opportunity to encounter tree-climbing lions, including the Ishasha. They tend to lie in fig tree branches in the daytime. Continue on the drive, passing through the fascinating Kigezi Highlands, to arrive at Lake Bunyonyi in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Budget: Lake Bunyonyi Eco resort, Basic: Byoona Amagara Island Retreat
Embark on the morning lake tour by taking a boat cruise exploring the impressive waters of Lake Bunyonyi, noted as the second deepest in Africa. You also walk around one of the main Islands to explore the beauty of the lake of a thousand Islands in detail.
Retreat from the 2-hour activity and embark on the transfer to Kampala, 437 km, about 7 hours’ drive, driving through impressive countryside landscapes of southwestern Uganda, making a traditional lunch stop at Igongo Cultural Center for a typical African buffet and another stop at Uganda Equator crossing Kayabwe for amazing photo shoots where one leg would be in the southern hemisphere and the other in the northern hemisphere. Arrive in Kampala/Entebbe in the afternoon to mark the end of the tour.
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