Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda (Airport pickup and transfer to hotel)

Your driver/guide will pick you up from Entebbe airport and transfer you to ViaVia Guest house, only a 10-minute drive from the airport. This is where your Mahanda Safaris driver/ guide will find you tomorrow morning for the start of your tour after a good breakfast.

Depending on the time of your arrival, you might have time to explore Entebbe town. There are many options in Entebbe and a tour can easily be organized through the reception of ViaVia Guesthouse. For example, you could visit the Botanical gardens or the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC). Please note that all activities and transportation for today are at your own cost.

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Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

Today you will embark your journey to the Murchison Falls National Park. On this six and half hour road trip, you will experience Uganda’s beautiful countryside and varied landscapes before arriving at your accommodation for the night, the beautiful Parkside Safari Lodge.

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Day 3: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise

After an early morning breakfast, you will start your morning game drive just as the sun comes up. Sunrise is the best time for wildlife spotting as animals tend to be the most active during the “golden hours” when the first rays of sunshine come to rest on the savannah. Elephants, buffalo, and several species of antelope are some of the characters you may come across today, & with some luck, you may even spot a lion or leopard on the drive.

After lunch, you can look forward to a 3-hour boat safari upstream along the Victoria Nile to the Murchison falls. The scenery is breathtaking as are the many crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys & other animals that come down to the Nile to drink and bathe in the fresh waters of the river Nile. After your boat safari, you will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

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Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park

After an early morning breakfast, we journey Fort Portal town, the home of the Kibale National Park. Fort Portal is a beautiful town nestled in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountain aka “Mountains of the Moon.” Enjoy a short respite in this charming town as well as a visit to the idyllic crater lake formations in the area. From Fort Portal, we set course for the thriving forests of Kibale National Park, where we turn in for the night at the Rweteera safari lodge.

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Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp

Today you get to meet one of Uganda’s most iconic primates, the Chimpanzee. After an early morning breakfast and a briefing from your guide, you will set off on your chimpanzee trek. The evergreen Kibale Forest holds the widest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. On this guided nature walk, you will encounter wild chimpanzee, red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys and more. The trek usually takes 2 to 3 hours to complete.

Afterward, you will return to your lodge for lunch and some rest, and later set out to the Bigodi Swamp. This 3-hour (4.5km) walk will take you through this awe-inspiring wildlife corridor of Kibale Forest. This sanctuary shelters over two hundred species of birds including Hornbills, Turacos, Parrots, Cranes, Kingfishers and many more swamp endemics. Furthermore, the sanctuary is the home of eight species of primates, including the Black and White Colobus, Red Colobus, Red Tailed Monkey, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Olive Baboon, L’hoest Monkey, Vervet Monkey, and the Blue Monkey.

After a satisfying day of exploration, you return to your lodge in time for dinner and a relaxing evening.

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Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Today we head for the iconic Queen Elizabeth National Park breakfast. But first, we will take a brief tour at Lake Nkuruba, where we will see magnificent views of the vibrant crater lakes, cradled in vegetation and gentle hills. After this, we head toward the popular Queen Elizabeth National Park just in time for an evening game drive. You can look forward to sighting some warthogs, buffalo, waterbucks, and elephants before checking in for a well-deserved evening rest and dinner in the comfort of Park View Safari Lodge.

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Day 7: Morning Game drive and afternoon Boat cruise

Today, you will set out early in the morning for a game drive in the Northern part of the park on the Kasenyi Track. On the trail, you will look out for lions, elephants, buffaloes, and other wildlife. You have an excellent chance to view just about every animal here at close range.

After your lunch, you can look forward to a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. Hippo’s huff and spray a mere foot away from the boat while buffalo linger in the shallows. And of course, the Nile crocodiles are never far away. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle billed stork and many others.

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Day 8: Transfer through Ishasha and into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After an early morning breakfast, you will head off for a game drive on the Ishasha part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive there goes along an adventurous teeming with wildlife like baboons and elephants, buffaloes etc.

If you are lucky, you will be able to spot the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha which are famous for their tree climbing skills and their knack for resting in the tree branches. After your game-drive, your guide will drive you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where you will reside at the Gorilla Mist Camp for the evening.

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Day 9: Gorilla trekking

Today will be the highlight of your safari, the gorilla trekking. After an early breakfast, your guide will take you to the starting point of the gorilla trekking. After a briefing, your trek through the jungle will begin and lead you all the way up to the point where the gorillas are found. The trek can last from 2 to 6 hours. Once you find your gorilla family, you will get to spend one hour with these amazing creatures of the jungle. Upon return from the deep forest, you will receive your gorilla tracking certificate and have a community walk with the guide.

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Day 10: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe

After and early breakfast your guide /driver take you back to Kampala/Entebbe. On your way you get to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and scenery of Uganda’s countryside. Your will have a stopover for lunch. You have now reached the end of your safari experience.

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