ITINERARY - UGANDA SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS AND RWANDA
GORILLA TRACKING TOUR
Day One: Arrival at Entebbe airport, meet and
greet and transfer to the hotel in Kampala. Briefing. Time allowing we
will visit the Kasubi (Royal) Tombs. No meals included. Overnight at
Hotel Emin Pasha (garden room) or Grand Imperial Hotel.
Day Two: Early breakfast, then we depart
to Nakitoma to the recently opened Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (170 Kms
northwest from Kampala and half way to Murchison Falls National Park).
Game drive and walk to track the white rhinos that are spending the hot
hours mostly in the swampy areas . Then we proceed to Masindi, where we
will have lunch at Court View Hotel. After lunch we continue our journey
to Murchison Falls National Park. We drive in a beautiful landscape,
land gets flat towards the north as you head to the bottom of the
Victoria Nile. As we enter the national park, we will do a game drive on
the way to our lodge. Check in and relax for the rest of the evening.
Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge or Red Chilli Camp (bandas or
fix tents).
Day Three: Morning game drive in the northern bank
of river Nile as we look out for the elephant, lion, Cape buffalo, Rhod'schild giraffe, hartebeest, Oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck,
spotted hyena and if lucky you could even spot the leopard. We will be
back in time to have lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon we take a boat
cruise upstream to the 'bottom of the falls'. The Nile here gets
calm at the base of the falls, we stop a few metres from the 'Devil's
Cauldron' . where it compresses 47 meters to squeeze
through a 6-meter canyon dropping 40 metres with a thunderous roar.
En-route, marvel at the, hippos, crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch
you may see elephants as well as a lot of bird species like Goliath
heron, pelican bee' eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the
rare shoebill stork. At this point we will get off the boat and, hike to
the 'top of the falls' to catch a close view of the beauty that
forms the Murchison Falls. This is a pleasant guided walk that takes
about one hour. Our driver will pick us from the top and then drive back
to the lodge. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge or Red Chilli
Camp (bandas or fix tents).
Day Four: This day we drive to Fort Portal via Hoima,
in a breathtaking landscape that forms the Albertine western Rift
Valley. It is a quite long drive ( 8 to 9 hours) but we will have
several stop overs to relax, and sightseeing as we pass verdant
countryside, traditional homesteads and farms. We will have our
packed/picnic lunch on the way. Check in and relax for the rest of the
evening. Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge or Rwenzori View Guest
House.
Day Five: Early transfer to Kibale Forest NP, where
all morning is dedicated to search for chimpanzees and other primate
including: I'hoestes, red colobus, blues, red tailed and gray'
cheeked mangabey . After we will stop in Fort Portal to have lunch,
before proceeding to Queen Elisabeth NP / Peninsula sector where we will
do a game drive in the crater lakes (Katwe) area, a stunning landscape
where we will look for elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and if lucky even
the leopard. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge or Kingfisher
Kichwamba Lodge.
Day Six: In the early morning we do a game drive in
the Kasenyi area, within QENP, on a look out for the lions, buffalos,
elephants, and large numbers of Uganda Kobs and other antelopes. After
lunch at our lodge we will go for a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel,
to look out for the hippos, great herds of bufallos, and lots of water
birds. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge or Kingfisher
Kichwamba Lodge.
Day Seven: In the early morning we do another game
drive in the Kasenyi area, within QENP. After we will go back to the
lodge bor breakfast, and then we drive to Ishasha, which is in the
southern sector of Queen Elisabeth National Park. We will arrive in time
for lunch at Wilderness Camp, before going for a game drive looking for
the tree climbing lions and other game. Dinner and overnight at Ishasha
Wilderness Camp
Day Eight: After early breakfast we will depart to
Volcanoes NP (Rwanda), home of the endangered mountain gorilla. We will
cross Kabale and Kisoro where we will stop for lunch at Traveller´s
Rest (where Dian Fossey used to stay, resting from the long periods
spent observing the mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes). Then we
proceed to Cyanika´s border post, and after clearing we will continue
to Ruhengeri and Kinigi, at the base of Sabinyo mountain (one of the
Virunga Volcanoes). Dinner and overnight at Gorillas Nest Hotel or
Asoferwa Kinigi Guest House.
Day Nine: After an early morning breakfast, we will
be transferred to the national park headquarters for being briefed by
the park rangers before departing for the hike in search for the Great
Mountain Gorillas. The excursion in a thick rainforest and the
interaction with the mountain ape, gives a wonderful experience in life.
We will have lunch after returning to the hotel. In the afternoon we
will depart to Kigali. Dinner at the hotel or restaurant. O vernight at
Hotel des Mille Collines (pool side room) or Hotel Chez Lando.
Day Ten: Breakfast before being transferred to the
airport for your departure flight.
Note: Time allowing, we will visit Gisozi´s Genocide Memorial, and
the crafts village.
