18 Days Uganda Highlights
18 Days Uganda Safari tour , Highlighting major safari destinations for wildlife viewing, gorilla trekking and primates tour including habituated chimpanzees in Ngamba Island.
Day 1; Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
On your arrival, our tour representative/guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your Hotel in Kampala for dinner and overnight stay at Holiday Express Hotel/Cassia Lodge/Sheraton Hotel/Serena Hotel (BB)
Day 2; Transfer to Ngamba Islands
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the pier at Entebbe for a boat ride to Ngamba Island for a half day excursion to see the orphaned Chimpanzees as part of your 18 days Uganda safari. You will have a 30 minutes briefing from the CSWCT offices in Entebbe. The boat takes about 45 minutes across to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
The sanctuary is a home to 49 orphaned chimpanzees and on arrival you will be given a brief introduction on the sanctuary after which you will go watch the chimpanzees as they feed from the Visitors platform. After return to the pier with a boat and be transferred to your Hotel in Kampala for dinner and overnight stay at Forest cottages or Sheraton Hotel Kampala
Day 3; Depart for Murchison Falls National Park
Start your day by having a heavy breakfast at your Hotel in Kampala. The guide will then come and pick you up and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park which is Uganda’s largest park. The park is a habitat for animals like elephants, buffaloes, giraffe sand a variety of antelopes. En route, you will visit the famous Luweero triangle and also stop over for lunch in Masindi Town.
Proceed and reach the famous which was named after the magnificent Murchison falls. Upon arrival, Visit the Top of the falls where water thunders through different rapids from a 7-metre gap to fall over 40 meters Gorge below. Dinner and overnight stay at Fort Murchison Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge
Day 4; Game drive and launch cruise along the Albert Nile
After an early breakfast, you will go for a game drive on the Northern Bank of River Nile. The activity takes about 3-5 hours and Wildlife in the Park includes elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, Hartebeest, Uganda kobs, Oribis and waterbucks. After the drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a launch cruise on the Albert Nile which will give you an exciting panoramic view at the bottom of the mighty Murchison falls.
Along the cruise, you will encounter crocodiles, hippos, and birds on the river banks like kingfisher, cormorants, bee-eater and the rare shoebill stork. Dinner and overnight at as above.
Day 5; Transfer to Kibale National Park
Early morning after breakfast, you will set out for your long journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This Park is a home to almost 13 primate species. These include red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more. You will have lunch in Kagadi. Proceed with the journey to Kibale forest. Dinner and overnight stay at chimpanzee guest house, Primate Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge.
Day 6; Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
After breakfast, you will set out for chimpanzee tracking on this 6th day of your 18 days Uganda safari within the Kibale Forest. During your search, expect to see a lot of primate species like chimpanzees, monkeys and other animals like the forest elephants, buffaloes, leopards, bush pig and duiker, lions, warthogs, reptiles and amphibians as well as a colorful variety of butterflies.
Return to the Lodge for lunch. After lunch go for a nature walk in the Bigodi swamp area and look out for most of the water loving bird species. The forest /Park has almost 335 species of birds and there fore a good place for birders. Return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 7; Transfer to Semuliki National Park
You will wake up early in the morning transfer to Semuliki National Park. Reach the Park headquarters where you will register and after visit the Hot springs of Sempaya and the Pygmies at their new settlement at Ntandi. In the afternoon, drive to the wildlife reserve for a game drive and look out for animals like Leopards, Forest Elephants and so on.
Check into your Lodge at Semuliki safari Lodge for dinner. Late evening on your 18 days Uganda tour, you will go on a night game drive and search for wildlife species such as the slender mongoose, serval cats, white tailed mongoose and diminutive genet. Semuliki National Park is the only Park in Uganda where one can go on the night game drive. Return to your lodge late night for an overnight stay at Semliki safari lodge
Day 8; Chimpanzee tracking in the forest
Early in the morning after a cup of tea, you will be briefed by the Uganda wildlife Officials at the Park headquarters about chimpanzee tracking. After this, you will set out for chimpanzee tracking in the beautiful cool rain forest. Apart from the Chimpanzees, the forest also has a variety of bird species.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, you will visit the hot springs of Sempaya and the pygmies. In the evening transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge or Mweya Safari Lodge.
Day 9; Game drive and Launch cruise
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will set out for the game drive in search for early risers in the Kasenyi area. The park has diverse Eco-system of grassy plains, rivers, crater lakes, forests, swamps and lakes. These are a home to various types of wildlife and a game drive in Queen Elizabeth will reward you with views of animals such as lions, leopards, forest hogs, buffalos, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob and other types of antelopes.
Return to your Lodge for lunch and after, go for a 3 hours launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers good platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. Dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 10; Chimpanzee tracking and forest walk
Breakfast will be your first meal today, after set out for Chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura gorge. This gorge gives great opportunities to tourists to view the chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s, red colobus, black and white colobus and many more. Return to the lodge for lunch and after go for the evening nature/forest walk. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge
Day 11; Game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park
This morning, you will set out for the game drive in Ishasha area on your 18 days Uganda safari and expect to see the rare tree climbing lions. The lions can be seen up on the fig trees. However it’s not a guarantee that the lions will be seen. Some times it depends on the luck and time of reaching the area.
You will have lunch in the Ishasha sector and after proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park in preparation for your next day Gorilla trek. Dinner and overnight stay at Gorilla Friends Resort, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Jungle View Lodge or Buhoma Haven Lodge.
Day 12; Gorilla trek in Bwindi forest Park
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from the UWA officials, set off for the gorilla tracking. This is a once lifetime experience and unforgettable adventure of your 18 days Uganda safari. The ranger guides will lead you into the thick forest and start your search for the endangered Mountain Gorillas. You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about1hour. The activity can take 6-7 hours since the gorillas move up and down.
This is an awesome and exciting moment. Enroute there are a lot of chimpanzees and other types of the primates such as the monkeys, birds and so more. Return for dinner and over night stay at Buhoma Homestead /Gorilla Resort camp/ Gorilla Forest Camp for Luxury or Lake Kitandara Luxury tented camp/Mantana Engangi Bwindi Lodge for mid range or Buhoma community Bandas/Bwindi View for budget
Day 13; Full in Bwindi
This day you will have breakfast after which, you will spend the whole day in Buhoma Village where you will go and pay a visit to the Batwa Pygmies. Participate in the evening cultural performances and so on. Return for dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 14; Transfer to Kisoro/Mgahinga National Park
After breakfast, you will transfer to Mgahinga National Park in Kisoro on the border of Uganda and Congo. You will have lunch in Kisoro town after which you will go for cave exploration walk with in the Park. Return for dinner and overnight at 3 way Gorilla resort/Kisoro Tourist Hotel/Travellers rest Hotel
Day 15; Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, you will depart for Lake Bunyonyi which is one of the deepest lakes is Africa. The Lake has almost 32 Islands. The Lake is a good stop over for relaxation for people from trekking Mountain Gorillas. Upon arrival, you will go on a boat ride on your 18 days Uganda holiday.
This will enable you visit most of the islands on the Lake. Each Island is named according to the bird species found on the Island and some were named because of their purposes for example the Punishment Island which is the smallest and was used by the Bakiga people to drop their girls who got pregnant before marriage. After the Boat ride, return back to the Lodge for relaxation while you watch the beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Overland Resort or Birdnest Lodge.
Day 16; Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
You will start this day of your 18 days Uganda holiday with early morning breakfast and after you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park.
You will reach Mbarara town in time for lunch after which you will enter the Park with a game drive enroute which will give you clear views of animals such as Zebras, Buffaloes and elands. Upon reaching the park headquarters, Register and later go for the evening nature walk along the Kigambara loop. This loop offers interesting guided walks along side the Lake. Dinner and overnight stay at Rwonyo campsite for Budget.
Day 17; Game drive and Boat ride on Lake Mburo
Early morning, you will go for game drive and search for early risers and all other animals that you missed out in the previous game drive. Return to the Lodge for refreshments, Lunch and in the after noon go for a boat ride on Lake Mburo which will get you quite close to Crocodiles and Hippos. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Eagle’s Nest Lodge, Rwakobo Rock or Mihingo Lodge.
Day 18; Hyena walk and transfer to Kampala
Early morning, you will have breakfast and after go for the hyena walk with in the Park. This is a guided walk and you will be escorted by an official from the Uganda wildlife Authority for security purposes and to provide you with more information about the Park and the trail.
Later start on your journey to Kampala with Lunch en-route. You will also make a stopover at Equator at Kayabwe for water experiments and photographs, Royal drum Village at Mpambire for souvenirs. Proceed to Entebbe or Kampala for dinner and overnight stay at your lodge in Kampala or transfer to Entebbe airport for your onward flight marking the end of your 18 days Uganda safari.
