9 Days Uganda Tour: HOGMKQB9

Day One:

Depart after breakfast and drive northwest to Murchison Falls National Park. The drive takes you through Luweero district were inhabitants practice both commercial and subsistence farming. The route is punctuated by small trading centers and sometimes roadside markets. Have a lunch break at Masindi before proceeding to enter the park via Kichumbanyobo Gate. Arrive in time before sunset for the brilliant view at the top of Murchison Falls, you will marvel at the breathing sight of the raging Nile, longest river, in the world as it forces its way through a rocky gap barely six to seven meters wide! This is the point where the Nile explodes through a narrow gorge and cascades down to become a placid river. Arrive at Paraa to overnight at Red Chilli camp (budget), Sambiya River Lodge (mid range), or cross River Nile by ferry to the northern bank to overnight at Paraa safari lodge (up market).

Day Two:

Start the day with an early morning game drive in the Northern circuit of the park. You will be able to view animals unique to the African savannah like giraffes, antelopes, lions, elephants, and the famous Uganda Kob. Break off for lunch before going for a 3-hour boat cruise on the Nile River. The cruise upriver takes you to the bottom of the thundering falls where you will see huge crocodiles, schools of hippos, buffaloes, elephants, and a wide variety of water birds like herons, ducks, bee-eaters, cormorants, king fisherrs, skimmers fish eagle and rare shoebill! Return to your residence for dinner and overnight.

Day Three:

Check out after breakfast and start your long journey mainly a murram road to Fort portal. You will drive along the escarpment from where you will enjoy the view of the beautiful Blue Mountains of Congo across L. Albert. Drive through vast tea plantations before arriving in Fort portal. Check in the up market Ndali Lodge in the outskirts of Kibale National Park or mid range Rwenzori view Guest House or the less expensive but clean Toro Resort for dinner and overnight.

Day Four:

After early breakfast, report at Kanyanchu Tourist Centre where tourists activities begin and set out to track chimpanzees in the forests. There are more chances of viewing chimps but not a guarantee as these primates are habitants of dense and thick tropical forest. Kibale National park is one of the beautiful and stunning forests in Uganda. It is the home of our closest living relatives, the endangered chimpanzees, the threatened red colobus monkey and the rare L'hoest monkey. Statistics reveal that Kibale forest has the highest diversity and density of primates in Africa totalling 13 species including the black and white colobus, blue-tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkey and bush babies and pottos. The park is also a tourist bird paradise. After lunch, take a nature walk to the Bigodi swamp. On the walk, you will view a variety of butterflies, birds and other insects. Have a tour of the crater region around Ndali lodge. Visit the 'unique bridge' and 'top of the world'. Return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Day Five:

You will depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park after late breakfast. The drive takes only four hours and takes you along the slopes or Mt. Rwenzori via the rift valley town of Kasese where you will break for lunch at Hotel Margarita. Proceed after lunch to the Mweya peninsula, game drive on the way. Retire for dinner and overnight at the lodge or the budget (non self contained) institute Hostel.

Day Six:

Rise early and drive to Kyambura gorge for a thrilling chimpanzee Safari. The guided walk may last 3-5 hours depending on weather conditions and the movement of these chimps. In addition to seeing chimps, the walk may yield sightings of colobus, vervet, red-tailed monkeys, baboons and other primates. Return to the peninsula for lunch after which a 2-hour launch cruise on Kazinga channel will follow. The beautiful cruise will yield sighting hippos, buffaloes, watering elephants, warthogs and occasional Nile crocodiles recently introduced in this park. Watching marine birds on the banks of the channel is a very spectacular sight. Retire to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Day Seven:

Early rise for the morning game drive. Look out for early grazers and hunters. They include hippos, elephants, lions, spotted hyenas, and leopards, bush bucks, the stripped jackal and of course the several warthogs. After late breakfast, check out with parked lunch and depart for Bwindi National Park via Ishaha the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. At Ishaha, take short game drive to look for the tree-climbing lions. After lunch, proceed on to Bwindi. Arrive in the evening and check in at the up market Gorilla Forest camp or the midrange Buhoma homestead, or the basic community camp ground for dinner and overnight. The Gorilla forest camp and Homestead provide clean accommodation with cold and warm showers flushing toilets and solar power lighting.

Day Eight:

Day for Gorilla tracking. This park is home for the rare mountain gorillas. Apart from gorillas, there are a wide variety of primates to see including the blue and red tailed monkeys. This is a lush and green forest with streams running through it. After breakfast, set off early with your guides to track gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. Spend one hour in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities. You will enjoy the close view of adults feeding in less than 10 meters, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully and playful display.

Day Nine:

Depart after breakfast for the long drive to Kampala (8 hours) via the highlands of Kigezi. Enroute you will see the virungas on a clear day and will enjoy the beautiful scenery of the terraced hills of Kigezi highlands commonly referred to as the 'Switzerland of Africa'. Lunch break on the way, (Mbarara or Masaka) before proceeding to Kampala or Entebbe for your home bound flight.

End of Safari