9 Days Murchison Falls, Big 5, Chimps & Gorillas Trekking

On your arrival at Entebbe international airport (EBB), you will be met by our safari staff that will brief you and transfers you to your hotel for relaxation. In the evening you will be transferred to Ndere cultural center In Kampala central (subject to availability), which is a home of performing arts and a representation of Ugandan cultures through music, dance, and drama. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.

You will arrive at the airport and embark on a journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The highlights of this park include: the roaring rapids of the Murchison, the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park where you will have the chance of viewing lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. Then surely you will be fascinated by the concentration of hippos and the Nile crocodiles here. For birders, Murchison Falls boasts 450 bird species including the elusive shoebill stork, dwarf kingfisher, the whitethigh hornbill, and the Goliath heron among others. You will have a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for for Rhino tracking before continuing to the park, we shall have another stopover at Kabalega Dinners Restaurant near Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for our late Lunch before we continue to Murchison falls national park. On arrival to the park we shall first go to the top of the falls to experience the strongest falls in the whole world before heading to our Lodge.

Eat breakfast in the morning before going on a game drive in the park’s northern area in search of some of the ‘big five’ (buffaloes, lions, elephants and possibly leopards). Other animals you might see include Rothschild giraffes, bushbucks, warthogs, waterbuck and a variety of antelope. Return to your accommodation for lunch and a brief repose. After lunch, you will embark on a 3-hour boat trip to the base of the fall. This trip is said to be the highlight of the safari in Murchison Falls since it allows you to get up close to the animal species within the water. Cruise past huge hippo pods, crocodiles and numerous aquatic birds adorning the north bank on the way to the mighty waterfalls. You will have an opportunity to take thousands of pictures, so carry your camera with you if you like.

Today, before you transfer to Kibale you will Visit the Delta. The Nile Delta is the area where the Victoria Nile flows into Lake Albert. The banks of the delta are home to hundreds of bird species including the rare and prehistoric-looking shoe bill stork and papyrus endemic species. A boat safari through the delta is a “must do” for every birdwatcher. During this (approximately) 5-hour boat tour you enjoy a breakfast while enjoy the peaceful scenery and while approaching Lake Albert you may see more fishermen in canoes catches of tilapia fish and local people fetching water from the Nile and if lucky wild game along the banks. You may also see many hippo, crocodile and if lucky you can witness elephant bathing in the river. Also keep an eye on the treetops as you can often spot monkeys such as eastern fringed monkeys and baboons. The boat trip starts early in the morning during the soft light, golden hours for photographers.

Today you will track the most famous inhabitants of the Kibale National Park, the chimpanzees. Chimpanzees share 98% of the human genes making them our closest living relatives. They are found in 21 countries throughout Africa, but most easily sighted in Uganda due to their dense populations. Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 5,000 chimpanzees left in the wild. The chimpanzee Trekking experience here is done on several well maintained walking trails. There is also a wonderfully diverse concentration of other primates, more than any other forest in East Africa, in fact, besides our colorful cousins, the chimpanzees, you can find red colobus, red-tailed guenon, white-nosed monkey, graychecked mangabey, blue monkey, L’Hoest’s monkey, and the black and white colobus monkey. In addition, you may see olive baboons, bush babies and nocturnal pottos. After tracking, you have the opportunity for a guided walk through the swamps of Bigodi swamps. This activity will take you to the Bigodi wetlands sanctuary which features 8 primate species,over 200 birds species and many reptiles. Which takes 2 to 3 hours, you have a chance to many animals but the highlight is catching a glimpse of a famous bird; The Great Blue Turaco.

On this morning, you will drive to the famous Queen Elizabeth National Park reaching in the afternoon and embark on your Evening game drive. It is time to explore Queen Elizabeth National Park with her 200 kilometers of well-maintained game viewing tracks. With an astonishing 5000 hippos, 2500 elephants and over 10,000 buffalo thriving in its grasslands and shorelines, this park guarantees sightings of some of Africa’s most iconic species such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, different species of antelope, predators such as lions, leopard, civet, genal and serval cats, black-and-white colobus monkeys are easily spotted in the trees, and of course the boldest species; baboons etc.

On this morning, you start your Journey to Bwindi National park en-route to the Ishasha Sector. You will drive to the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park (Ishasha sector). This part is famous for its’ tree-climbing lions. While lion cubs around the world frequently climb trees for fun, adults rarely do. However, these lionesses enjoy spending their time snoozing in fig trees to get away from the tsetse flies and to enjoy a cool breeze. This is the most memorable sight in the park as you have never seen such photogenic lions posing for your camera before. Meanwhile don’t miss the stunning scenery and superb bird life in this southern remote section of the park either.

Encountering the rare and endangered Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an experience of a lifetime. Half of the world’s population of gorillas live under the mist-covered canopies of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforest. In the company of an experienced park ranger you will be tracking the whereabouts of one of the nine habituated family groups who live in the park. Depending on the location of the gorillas on any given day the walk can take anything from 2 to 7 hours. Once the family of gorillas has been located, settle in to your surroundings and enjoy the hour you have to quietly observe these fascinating primates whose habits and mannerisms remind us so much of our own. After Gorilla Trekking you will transfer directly to Lake Mburo National Park for our night game drive.

Have a relaxed breakfast at the accommodation and embark on a two hours horse ride before departing to Entebbe. Expect en route stopovers at the Uganda Equator line mark in Kayabwe for some memorable photos and maybe buying some art pieces of interest. Proceed with the journey arriving late afternoon/evening for drop-off at the airport to catch your journey back home. It’s time to say goodbye to your fellow travelers and the guide as the tour ends today. Hoping that you have captured the best moments on camera and packed in a host of travel memories to carry back home with you. We do recommend a late afternoon/evening outbound return journey.