8 Days Uganda Safari

Overview:

This 8 day Uganda Adventure Safari starts and ends in Entebbe International Airport. Meet eye to eye with the amazing gorillas and chimpanzees of Uganda in their natural habitat, one of Africa’s major highlights. This close encounter with these amazing apes is simply breathtaking. Also get a close encounter with other diverse African wildlife, beautiful landscapes, and amazing culture and if you are a keen Birder, this is the place to be. Experience the wonder of the World’s re known Murchison Falls as it squeezes through the narrow gorge.

Trip highlights:

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Day 2: Transfer to Kibale National Park with a Lunch stop on the way
Day 3: Morning Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi swamp walk in the afternoon
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National NP Boat Cruise
Day 5: Game drive to Ishasha and Transfer to Bwindi
Day 6: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Forest.
Day 7: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Lake Mburo National Park
Day 8: Depart for Entebbe.

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1: Entebbe – Kampala

Meet and greet at Entebbe International Airport. our representatives from ecoplace tours will warmly welcome you and facilitate seamless arrival formalities. Transfer to your hotel where you will be briefed about your adventure safari.

Day 2: Kampala – Kibale Forest National Park

After your morning breakfast, begin your journey to Kibale Forest National Park. Drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside passing through traditional homesteads, farms and Tea Estates. You will have a stopover for lunch en-route. You will arrive at you lodge in the late afternoon. Check in at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 3: Chimp Trek Kibale Forest National Park.

After breakfast at your lodge, transfer to the starting point of your Chimpanzee tracking experience in Kibale Forest National Park which is reputed to have the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, man’s closest relative. Kibale’s 1450 Chimpanzee represent Uganda’s largest population of this endangered primate. Kibale is also a home to the rare I’Hoest’s monkey. Other primates include the black and white Colobus, Blue monkey, Grey cheeked mangabey, Red tailed monkey, Olive baboon to mention but a few. So you will enjoy a guided nature walk in the tropical rainforest in search of the wild chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and many others. Although chimp sightings are not guaranteed, visitors stand a good chance of hearing and seeing our distant cousins as they gloom and bond with one another.
After lunch, head to Bigodi for an afternoon swamp walk. Bigodi was established by a local development organization to protect the 4sq-km Magombe Swamp that’s home to around 200 species of birds (highlights include papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler and great blue turaco). The highlight of this tour is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco. The swamp is also good for spotting butterflies and primates, with 8 different species here, including grey-cheeked mangabey. The 2-3 hour guided walk is led by experienced local guides who interact with the guests and make the trip both enjoyable and exciting.

Day 4: Kibale Forest National Park – Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast at your lodge before you proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain Range. Your expert driver guide will take you through the game park where you might spot some animals. Upon arriving at your lodge, you will enjoy a hot lunch and later in the afternoon take a unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and this launch/cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous, with well over 550 resident species.

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After your breakfast, pack-up your bags and take a morning game drive through the Ishasha plains for your final visit with the lions and other wildlife before heading out of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Bwindi. The drive takes you through the Switzerland of Africa area known as the Kigezi Highlands with its terraced hillside and winding roads to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, arriving in the evening. Check into the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

DAY 6: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Forest

After an early breakfast depart to the starting point for briefing about your gorilla trekking adventure after which you will be led by experienced gorilla trackers on the slopes of the volcanoes. You will start from the site where the gorillas were encountered the day before and from here the gorilla tracking begins. Although the hike can be physically demanding, the anticipation of the exciting experience ahead is amazing, and the beauty of the gorilla forest and its inhabitants are fascinating. One of Africa’s major highlights is when you encounter these gentle apes. It is a humbling experience to stand just meters from man’s distant cousins as they eat rest, play and bond with their young ones. Follow the mountain gorillas as they range freely in the impenetrable forest, and discover their gorgeous natural habitual and the many species they share it with. You are allowed an hour with the gorillas before finally sloping down back to your lodge. If your trek was relatively short, you may have a guided nature walk around the lodge and the surrounding communities in the evening. Return to the lodge where you will enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers before getting a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s safari adventure. Don’t forget to carry your rain gear, packed lunch, plenty of water, gloves, hat, and water proof bag for protection of your camera in case of rain

Day 7: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Lake Mburo National Park

After breakfast drive to Lake Mburo National Park while viewing the breathtaking sceneries of the Kigezi highlands. Lake Mburo National Park, the smallest National Park of Uganda. Though being small, it has a lot offer!! Centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes its bird life is very rich. The green acacia woodland harbors wildlife like Zebra, warthog, Eland, Impala, not to mention the lake itself, which is home to schools of hippos and crocodiles! Furthermore, Uganda Wildlife Authority recently trans-located 15 giraffes from Murchison falls National Park to Lake Mburo National Park. You will arrive at the lodge in time for lunch. Later in the afternoon at 16:00 enjoy the boat ride on Lake Mburo and get quite close to the croc and hippos. As you return to your Lodge, you may have an evening game drive as you return to your lodge.

Day 8: Lake Mburo National Park – Kampala (Departure)

After breakfast have a safari walk with the help of an armed ranger. The Kopjes are particularly interesting with the camouflage kilspringers and topis. Due to cattle herding in the area it is amusing to see zebra grazing alongside the long horned Ankole cattle peaceably. It is exciting to approach wildlife at such close range. Later Leisurely drive back to Kampala with a stopover at the Equator where you will have an opportunity to stand in 2 hemispheres at the same time. Take some photos, then another stop over at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers where you will be able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using methods passed down through the generations arriving in the afternoon. Depending on the departure time, go for a city tour and visit the craft markets before transferring to airport to catch your flight back home.

End of Safari