15 DAYS EXPLORE UGANDA: (PJT 063)

After landing at the Entebbe International Airport, we will be met and transferred to Karibu Guesthouse for one night. The guesthouse is quite charming and conveniently located just 10 minutes from the airport. The city of Entebbe, with a population of 70,000, sits on the Northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.Relax at the lodge before gathering for your welcome dinner.

This morning after breakfast, we’ll head off in a 4x4 vehicle north of Kampala to the Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch. We take a rhino tracking expedition guided by trained rangers to see the only wild rhinos in Uganda. Lunch is followed by a transfer to Gulu, where we will spend one night at Bomah Hotel. Bomah Hotel in Gulu is on 3.5 acres of landscaped grounds and beautiful gardens. B/L/D

We leave this morning and head to Murchison Falls National Park, stopping for lunch in Gulu. We’ll arrive at Fort Murchison Lodge by mid-afternoon in the former Aswa Lolim Game Reserve, just outside the northern park boundaries of Murchison Falls National Park. There will be a short game drive in the National Park before dinner at the lodge. B/L/D

After an early breakfast, we will set out on a morning game drive on the northern bank of the Nile, with a fair chance of seeing elephants, giraffes, lions, hippos, hartebeests and a great variety of birds. Midmorning we will embark on a Nile River cruise for game viewing at close quarters. After our boat cruise, we will have a picnic lunch with a view of the Murchison Falls. We will have an afternoon game drive and return as the sun sets. B/L/D

After breakfast, we will depart from Fort Murchison and enjoy another morning game drive on the northern bank of the Nile, with lunch at the Paraa Safari Lodge (approx 145 kms, 3-4 hrs drive). After lunch, we will proceed to the town of Hoima to spend one night at the Hoima Cultural Lodge. The Hoima Cultural Lodge is situated in the Hoima district, offering a break in the journey from Murchison Falls and Kibale. B/L/D

Today we’ll head towards Kibale Forest through Uganda’s rural areas and will be rewarded with stunning views as we pass small villages and local markets (approx 250 kms, 5-6 hrs drive). We’ll arrive at the Kibale Forest Camp by mid to late afternoon to spend two nights. Kibale Forest Camp is a small safari-style tented camp in the lush surroundings of Kibale Forest, with its southern edge joining Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda's most beautiful tropical forests. Kibale National Park helps make up a 180 km long corridor for Africa's wildlife and is home to some wonderful creatures, including an astonishing 13 species of primates. Seated on your private veranda, the red, black and white colobus monkey and other primates can often be observed in the dense camp surroundings. You will also be treated to sightings of many bird species and colourful butterflies. B/L/D

Today, the forest opens its doors for a chimptracking experience. After a pre-tracking briefing at walking distance from your accommodation, we will start our hike adventure into the forest. Follow the footsteps of a large habituated family of chimpanzees, with over 120 individuals that have made Kibale one of the best locations in Africa for chimp viewing. En route, your guide will explain more about the forest and its inhabitants, including other primates and birds. Upon sighting the chimpanzees, you will stay with them for an hour as they continue their daily routine – growling, grooming, feeding, and caring for the young ones. After our forest walk, return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, we will transfer to Bigodi Village for a community walk that will bring us closer to the local tribe in this area—accompanied by a local guide who can teach us about traditional customs and lifestyles. We will follow the village path, visit a primary school and traditional homesteads, and learn more about the crops in the fields. Overnight again at the Kibale Forest Camp. B/L/D

After breakfast, we head via the crater lakes area via Kasese to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we will spend two nights at QE Bush Lodge (approx 155 km, 3 hrs drive). We will cross the Equator as the road passes through the Queen Elizabeth National Park. This afternoon, we will enjoy a game drive in the National Park. Located in the heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the bush lodge is built along ecological principles, and the unique setting has animals roaming in and around the camp. The rooms are made from a combination of canvas and local materials and built to ensure the best views of the seasonal Kamera River, teeming with wildlife. Each comfortable self-contained cabin has an eco-toilet and an outside shower. B/L/D

Stretching from the crater-dotted foothills of the Rwenzori ranges in the North, along the shores of Lake Edward to the remote Ishasha River in the South, Queen Elizabeth National Park incorporates a wide of variety of habitats that range from savanna and wetlands to lowland forest. Besides fantastic wildlife sightings, the park is famous for its volcanic features, including volcanic cones and deep craters. Combined with Kibale National Park in the north and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the south, this is one of Africa's most remarkable safari regions. The morning will be spent on game drives in this prime game viewing area, with elephants, Uganda Kobs, baboons and buffalo in the grassland thickets of North Kazinga and savannah lands of the Kasenyi Plain. After lunch, we will head out to spend the afternoon on the Kazinga Channel boat cruise, where we will view the large concentration of hippos and various animals, including crocodiles, warthogs, and birds. This is a truly amazing experience that rivals other great African wildlife adventures. Return to the lodge for dinner. B/L/D

After breakfast, we will depart to the southwestern part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive in the Ishasha Plains, well known for the tree-climbing lion population. (Approx 160 kms, 5-6 hrs drive). We will then head on a scenic road to Buhoma on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the way to Bwindi, you will visit the Ishasha Community Upliftment Group. The community group has been set up as an organisation committed to conserving the area's biodiversity by reducing ecosystem threats. Communities fight a continual battle between growing their crops and the game incursions that raid them as an easy food source. We’ll also visit a local school before arriving late in the afternoon at the village of Buhoma to spend three nights at the Engagi Lodge. B/L/D

Another highlight awaits us today: a meeting with the gentle giants of Bwindi! Less than a thousand individual mountain gorillas exist in the wild in this region. Roughly half can be found in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. After a very early breakfast, we’ll be transferred to the nearby National Park offices, to be allocated a gorilla family and an expert tracker. After a briefing by our guide and appropriate safety precautions, we will drive to the head of the trail to start a thrilling adventure. Porters are on hand to be hired to assist you up and down the steep slopes. Be prepared to walk some considerable distance in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, to encounter the gorillas. It becomes completely worthwhile as for one hour we can delight in being in such close proximity to these magnificent and rare creatures while they eat, play and rest. After a long day in the forest, we will be driven back to the lodge for a hot shower, dinner and to compare our photographs. B/L/D

Two options today. First, you may choose to undertake another gorilla trek (subject to permit availability) or second, to undertake a 2-3 hours scenic walk on the Waterfall trail that follows the Munyanga River through one of Uganda’s most pristine tracts of rainforest – passing beneath tree ferns and orchids and with chances of seeing monkeys – and ending at a 33 metres high waterfall, before retracing your steps to the lodge. The walk is mainly flat, but there are some steeper sections overall; you’ll walk around 10 km. If you prefer you can stay and relax at the lodge and/or visit the local village with its craft shops and cafes. B/L/D

After breakfast, we will be met by our professional walking guide and proceed to the National Parks headquarters in Buhoma to meet our National Parks ranger-guide escort on your walk to Nkuringo. Two routes can be followed, although both routes meet in the forest to become one. The two walking trails are the Ivy River (4 to 5 hours) and Kashasha River (6 to 7 hours) routes. The latter trail is the most direct walk, and Nkuringo is 13 km through the forest on this trail. As there is no road through Bwindi between Nkuringo and Buhoma, vehicles driving between the two locations have an incredible 170 km bone-jarring journey taking 6 to 8 hours. We will spend one night at Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. The Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge overlooks a beautiful swathe of the forest. The camp has panoramic views of the majestic volcanoes of the Virunga chain and across the escarpment into the Albertine Rift Valley and is a prime access point for a trek to see the Nkuringo group of mountain gorillas. This walk is only for the fit. The last 2kms is uphill and rated difficult. As an option, you can accompany the 4WD and driver. The scenery is stunning. B/L/D

Today we will be transferred to the Lake Mutanda Resort for 1 night at Mutanda Lake Resort. The resort is on a 3.5-acre private peninsula stretching into Lake Mutanda. The main building where the restaurant is located resembles a Swiss chalet with an African touch- the perfect place to enjoy a sundowner on the veranda watching otters visiting the shore or cosy up next to the fireplace. After lunch at the resort, we will have the opportunity to undertake a 3-4 hour canoe/ walking excursion starting off with canoeing to Kyangushu Island and then anchoring near the picturesque village of Mukozi. You will be warmly welcomed by the nursery school children, pay a visit to a craft maker and a traditional healer and finally stop for a sip of something outrageous in the local bar. Return to the resort by late afternoon. B/L/D

We will be transferred to the Kisoro Airstrip for your light aircraft flight back to Entebbe. Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met and transferred to the Boma Guesthouse Entebbe for lunch (own expense). After lunch, you will be transferred to the Entebbe International Airport for your onward flight on your travel schedule.