Be ready for the most memorable wildlife safari in Uganda on this 12 days Murchison Falls, Uganda & Rwanda Safari. This combines the most spectacular sections of both Uganda and Rwanda.
In Uganda, you will visit the most beautiful wildlife safari park – Murchison Falls National Park, for the best wildlife safari tours; a game safari and a boat safari downstream the River Nile. Visit Kibale National Park for the famous chimpanzee tracking safari in Uganda, and enjoy the Bigodi Wetland nature walk.
You will then visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most popular savannah park, for a game drive in search of the tree-climbing lions. Don’t miss another amazing boat cruise along the famous Kazinga Channel before crossing to Bwindi Impenetrable forest for an experiential gorilla trekking safari in Uganda. You will then slope down to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, for another amazing gorilla tour in Rwanda. While here, you won’t miss a golden monkey trekking tour and Kigali city tour which includes the genocide memorial visit.
12 Days Murchison Falls Safari Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe International Airport (Travel Time 1hr)
You’ll be personally met by our company representative upon arrival at Entebbe airport, and then be transferred to Serena Kampala Hotel (high-end), Cassia Lodge (mid-range) or Forest Cottages Kampala (budget-end), for an overnight stay and dinner. Meal plan: dinner.
Day 2: Kampala – Murchison Falls (Travel Time 5hrs)
Begin the panoramic drive from Kampala heading north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle, traveling to Masindi via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary project. A visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino trekking is a must. After lunch, you will drive to Murchison Falls.
Overnight stay and dinner at Parra Safari Lodge (luxury facility) or Murchison River Lodge (mid-range facility) or Red Chili Campsite (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 3: Murchison Falls
After your early morning cup of coffee, you will cross the Nile by ferry to the northern bank of the Park. Your guide will help you spot giant African elephants, lions, Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, hartebeests, waterbucks, oribi, Bushbucks, Bohor reedbuck, hyena and if you are lucky, the elusive leopard. You will then return to the lodge for your breakfast and lunch.
After lunch, go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of Murchison Falls, stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, you will marvel at the toothsome hippos, and crocodiles, and over this 17 km stretch you may see also elephants, waterbucks, and Uganda kobs.
This is also a zone for many bird species such as the Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorants, and the rare shoebill stork.
While there you will leave the boat and start your – quite heavy – hike to the top of the falls (approx. 1 hour). You will see where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool at 43m below. Your driver/guide will be waiting for you to bring you back to the lodge.
Overnight stay and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge (luxury facility) or Murchison River Lodge (mid-range facility) or Red Chili Campsite (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 4: Murchison Falls – Kibale – Part of 12 Days Murchison Falls Safari (Travel Time 8hrs)
Get on a full day drive southwards via Hoima to Fort Portal, through verdant countryside, traditional homesteads, and farms along the Albertine Rift escarpments. Fort Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled “Mountains of the Moon” – the Rwenzori mountains.
Meals and overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge (luxury facility), Primate Lodge/Forest Cottages (mid-range lodge) or Chimpanzee Guest House (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 5: Kibale Chimpanzee, Monkey Trekking & Bigodi Walk
After early breakfast, you will report to Kanyanchu Tourist Centre where tourist activities begin, and set out to chimpanzee tracking tour in the Kibale forest. The chances of viewing the chimps are over 90%.
Kibale National Park has one of the most beautiful and stunning forests in Uganda. It is home to our closest living relatives – the endangered chimpanzees, the threatened Red colobus monkeys, and the rare L’Hoest’s monkeys.
The forest also boasts of having one of the highest diversity and density of primates in Africa totaling to up to13 species. These include the black and white colobus, blue, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, bush babies, and Pottos among others.
After lunch, you will visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a guided nature walk around the swamp. This will provide you with an opportunity to see a wide range of flora and fauna. You will also view a variety of butterflies, birds, and other insects. Then get a tour of the crater region around Ndali Lodge.
You may also have a stopover at any surrounding tea plantations along the road if you wish, and then get on an evening tour of the crater region. You will visit the ‘top of the world’, the natural bridge, and on a clear day, you will be able to view of the snow capped Rwenzori mountains, clearly.
Meals and overnight stay at Kyaninga Lodge (luxury facility), Primate Lodge/Forest Cottages (mid-range lodge) or Chimpanzee Guest House (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 6: Kibale – Queen Elizabeth NP (Travel Time +2hrs)
After breakfast, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park while viewing the mystical Rwenzori mountain ranges on much of your journey. Check-in at your accommodation facility as you wait for your lunch.
After lunch, you will take on an afternoon Launch cruise along Kazinga Channel – one that joins Lakes Edward and George. The cruise is a wonderful way to see hippos, buffaloes, kobs, the occasional Nile crocodile, and a spectacular bird watching experience on the water banks. Many of visitors who experience this launch cruise consider it the ‘highlight of their entire African safari’.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury facility) or Enganzi Lodge (mid-range lodge) or Ihamba Safari Lodge Bandas (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth game drive – Part of 12 Days Murchison Falls Safari
Rise very early with your packed lunch and take on a morning game drive to catch up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. You will most likely meet grazing hippos, elephants, and lions, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, waterbucks, stripped jackals, comical warthogs, and the elusive leopard.
You will then proceed to Maramagambo forest, where many surprises await for you. Carefully encounter pythons – which are often observed in the crevices of the bat cave floor using the bats as a source of food. The cave is near a picturesque former Blue lake and Hunters’ cave.
You will also see forest birds such as bat hawks, brown eared woodpeckers, and other primates.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury facility) or Enganzi Lodge (mid-range lodge) or Ihamba Safari Lodge Bandas (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 8: Queen Elizabeth NP – Ishasha (Travel Time 2hrs)
With the previous day’s memories, you will proceed to the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will drive along the deep and wide dry craters that are occupied by savannah grasses and acacia. This drive takes you through the unique western rift valley escarpment and the Ishasha sector where you will take on yet another short game drive in search of tree-climbing lions, in the afternoon or evening.
Overnight stay and dinner at Ishasha Wildness Camp (high-end) or Ishasha Jungle Lodge (mid-range) or @The River Ishasha (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Optional activity: Hot air balloon safari at US$ 380.00 per person.
Day 9: Ishasha – Bwindi (Travel Time 1hrs)
Get on an early morning guided bush walk for a closer interaction with nature. The mid-morning will be spent on a game drive in search of the tree-climbing lions, and thereafter proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The journey takes about 2 hours but drives through interesting features, before arriving at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening. This Park is home to the rare mountain gorillas.
Apart from mountain gorillas, there are a wide variety of primates to see, including the blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush and green and there are streams running through it.
Dinner and overnight stay at either Buhoma Lodge/Mahogany Springs/Gorilla Safari Lodge (high-end lodge) or Sliverback Lodge/Chameleon Hill Lodge (mid-range) or Buhoma Community Bandas/Wagtail Eco Camp (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 10: Bwindi Gorilla tracking – Part of 12 Days Murchison Falls Safari
After breakfast set off early with guides for gorilla tracking. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. Bring your jungle boots and rain jackets because the Park is often wet.
You will spend time in awe watching the gorillas go about their daily activities. Each gorilla safari encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming, and resting as the youngster’s frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a magnificent green swathe of dense rainforest, so ancient that survived the last ice age. It is a recently proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage site, because of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and its unique, precious flora that sustains roughly half of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas.
There’s also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa in which these two apes live together.
With time permitting, you will spend the afternoon on a community foot safari to explore the lifestyle of the people living and surrounding the Park. You will then return to the lodge exhilarated to relieve the encounter with friends over a drink.
Dinner and overnight stay at either Buhoma Lodge/Mahogany Springs/Gorilla Safari Lodge (high-end lodge) or Sliverback Lodge/Chameleon Hill Lodge (mid-range) or Buhoma Community Bandas/Wagtail Eco Camp (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 11: Bwindi – Rwanda (Travel Time 5hrs)
After breakfast, you will drive to Rwanda as you enjoy the rolling hills for which Rwanda is well known. You will head to Ruhengere via Musanze, with a community or village walk. Thereafter, drive by the lakes (Ruhondo and Burela) before arriving at Volcanoes National Park (Parc Nationale des Volcano) in the afternoon. The evening is spent on a sightseeing and relaxing moment around the hotel.
Overnight stay and dinner at One&Only Gorilla’s Nest (high-end facility), Five Volcanoes (mid-range facility), or Davinci Lodge (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 12: Rwanda Gorilla trekking – Part of 12 Days Murchison Falls Safari
After a briefing from your guide you will set off for gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Spend an hour in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities. You are likely to enjoy close views of adults feeding, grooming, and resting as youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Overnight and dinner at One&Only Gorilla’s Nest (high-end facility), Five Volcanoes (mid-range facility), or Davinci Lodge (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 13: Rwanda Golden Monkey Trek
Go for golden monkey tracking and in the afternoon simply enjoy a relaxation moment at your lodge.
Overnight stay and dinner at One&Only Gorilla’s Nest (high-end facility), Five Volcanoes (mid-range facility), or Davinci Lodge (budget facility). Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 14: Parc Volcano – Kigali Out (Travel Time 2.5hrs)
After breakfast, drive to Kigali city for an opportunity to have a city tour. This includes a visit to a genocide memorial. Traditional crafts can be bought, before being transferred to the airport for your flight back home. Meal plan breakfast and lunch.
12 Days Murchison Falls Safari Inclusions:-
- Airport Transfers
- 2 Gorilla Permits 1 in Uganda and 1 in Rwanda
- All Meals and accommodation as per the itinerary
- All ground transportation in a comfortable 4×4 Safari Minivan
- Park entrance fees
- Services of a full-time English-speaking driver/guide.
- Water, coffee, or Tea while on safari.
- All boat trips.
- All game drives.
- All activities at stipulated in the itinerary.
- Chimpanzee trekking Kibale
- All government taxes/levies.
- Community walk Bwindi
- Hike to the top of the falls
- Ferry crossing fees
- Crater walk
- Enroute Lunches
- Bushwalk Ishasha
- Bigodi walk
- Border Crossing fees
- Kigali City Tour
Excludes:
- expenses of personal nature like visa to Uganda and Rwanda, drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, porter fee while trekking, personal insurance, tobacco, and any other program not mentioned herein in the safari program