12-Day Uganda Safari with Wildlife Primates and Culture

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport [EBB], you will meet our professional guide, transfer to your hotel, and check in. You'll have breakfast, then relax in the afternoon. You'll visit Mabamba Swamp, located on the edges of the shores of Lake Victoria, for shoebill watching along with other birds around Mabamba Swamp and sunset viewing on Lake Victoria, since it offers a clear view.
You'll be back to the lodge for dinner and overnight as you prepare for the next day's adventure.

Accommodation: Papyrus Guest House or similar.

After an early morning breakfast, you'll drive through the pearl of Africa, enjoying scenic landscapes, tropical rainforests, and engagement with the local natives on the streets to the northwest of Kampala, Murchison Falls National Park via Zziwa rhino ranch.
You'll embark on the journey to track southern white rhinos and other animals reintroduced in the wild that are protected in this sanctuary. Trekking them is fun and amazing.

You will have lunch and later proceed to the park, hike to the top of Murchison Falls, and witness beauty at its full display. Then, you'll head back to your lodge, check in for dinner, relaxation, and stay overnight at Pakuba Lodge or similar as you prepare for the next day's adventure.

You'll have an early morning game drive in the savannah lands and encounter wildlife, for example, massive herds of giraffes, kobs, elephants, waterbucks, hartebeests, buffaloes, hippos, and antelopes. You will also get a chance for bird watching, like the white crested turaco in the park's woodland areas, sandal billed stock, goliath heron, and ringed-winged grey warbler in the southern sector of the park.

After this thrilling encounter, you will join the boat team for a marvelous cruise down to the falls, where you will encounter hippos and crocodiles along the riverbanks, water birds, and other wildlife looking for water along the shores of Lake Albert as the day progresses.

You'll be back to the lodge for dinner and relaxation as you prepare to immerse yourselves in the night's wild experience for another thrilling encounter because Murchison is giving at night.

After breakfast, you'll enjoy another wildlife encounter as you drive out of the park and journey to Kibale National Park for a chimpanzee trekking experience. Drive through the witnessing beautiful landscapes, outcrop rocks, farms, to tropical rainforests as you approach Kibale.

Depending on the time of arrival, you can visit the Bigodi local community and engage in local community activities, for example, learn how to make local beer, weave baskets and mats, and prepare a local dish.
Accommodation and overnight stay will be at Kibale Forest Lodge or similar.

Early morning after breakfast, you'll drive to the information center for a short briefing, and visitors will be led by the ranger guide as they venture into the jungle for chimp trekking. After meeting them, you'll spend one hour observing their grooming behaviors and playful features, which will leave you amazed. This activity is physically demanding, but porters are there to assist visitors in difficult situations.
You'll be back at the lodge for relaxation and a massage. You'll have lunch as you prepare for another adventure in Bigodi Swamp, where you might encounter black and white colobus monkeys, velvet monkeys, farm crops, and a variety of birdlife.

While on transfer to the Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will meet the equator monument at Kikorongo Equator Point in Kasese. You'll stopover for photography and an experiment of the north and southern hemispheres by the local guide to prove that you are actually on the equator line.
You'll proceed to Kyambura for check-in at Pumba safari lodge, lunch, and relaxation or similar.

In the afternoon, you'll drive to catch a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel. During the cruise, a lot of wildlife is seen, for example, elephants on the shores of the lake drinking water, hippos, and crocodiles lying on the lake shores. After this activity, if you have time, you'll drive to Kyambura twin lakes for relaxation while viewing the twin lakes and the quiet environment with beautiful scenery of the Albertine rift valley, perhaps sunset viewing.

You will have an early morning drive after breakfast; this game drive offers variety of animal species such as elephants, lions, buffalos, and antelopes in the open savannah woodland of the park, birds are also seen while on this drive not forgetting the beautiful scenery of the park and its surrounding areas including viewing the Rwenzori Mountain ranges on a clear day.

After, immerse yourself in another exciting wildlife hunt, mostly tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, where they are commonly seen lying in the fig trees, gazing at the world. You'll enjoy an evening game drive, it's a thrilling adventure watching wildlife from a different angle/sector as it gets dark, a sunset viewing is expected up close in the open savannah with wildlife.

Today morning, after breakfast, while on your way to Bwindi, you will do a game drive in Ishasha Sector to look for tree-climbing lions. These lions are seen lying in the fig trees, with topi, herds of elephants, and buffalo. Then, you'll proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You'll drive through rugged terrain, viewing the tropical rainforest, scenic beauty, and landscapes as you approach the lodge nestled in the heart of Bwindi Forest.

Check in: Ichumbi Lodge or similar.

Today, you'll wake up early morning for breakfast, have a packed lunch or snack, and your driver will drop you at the information center for a briefing and join other trekkers in a gorilla family. You will be handed walking sticks, and in case of any assistance needed, the porters are always available for hire at a small fee of $20; they help in carrying the bags and lend a hand on steep slopes.
You'll be guided by expert trackers and armed rangers. The trek could take 2-7 hours, but when you finally see those gorillas, it will be a face-to-face experience for 1 hour observing their grooming behaviors in their natural habitat.

After relaxation, led by the local guide, you will delve into the Batwa cultural community, the famous native forest people, and the original inhabitants of this rainforest. They will be your guides as you explore their ancestral home, learning secrets of the forest passed down through countless generations, singing their songs and dancing their music.

After an early breakfast at the house, you'll drive to Lake Bunyonyi through the beautiful landscapes of Kisoro and Kabale. Upon arrival, you'll enjoy ziplining or a similar adventure activity, followed by lunch as you prepare for the afternoon experience.

In the afternoon, you'll take a guided canoe ride [optional] to some of Lake Bunyonyi’s most historic islands. You'll visit Akampene (Punishment Island), where unmarried pregnant girls were once abandoned; Bwama Island, known for Dr. Leonard Sharp’s former leprosy treatment center; and Bushera Island, famous for its local brew and traditional stories. Other culturally significant islands may also be explored, depending on time and interest.

Your dinner and overnight stay will be at BirdNest Resort or similar.

You'll wake up early morning as you prepare for the next adventure. After having breakfast, you'll check out of the lodge and embark on a 3–4-hour drive. You will have a stopover for lunch in Mbarara and continue to the park for a game drive, and get ready for an evening nature walk around the park. You will meet a dazzle of zebras, giraffe Kobs, impalas, and get a closer picture with the animals. We will prepare an evening snack/wine, set a table, and have a special time in the wild as you view animals.

As you end our magical safari, immerse yourself in an early morning kraal experience; cattle milking indigenous local cows, drink fresh milk, learn how to make local butter from cow milk, and community visits to the herdsmen and farms. It’s another exciting experience that wastes your time and is a must-do while staying around Lake Mburo National Park.

After this thrilling experience, you'll head to the lodge, relax, and have breakfast in the ambiance of Mpogo Lodge with swimming and farm views. Then, you'll transfer to Entebbe International Airport or to your hotel. End.