DETAILED ITINERARY
4Days/3Nights
Day 1: Kampala – Murchison National Park
Leave Kampala at 8.00am for a 300km drive north west of Kampala (6 hour drive).
We shall make a stop over at Masindi hotel for lunch. We will then continue through the park stopping at the top of the falls which is a fantastic sight. The experience of watching the Nile River, the world's longest river, winding its way through the park and plunging through a narrow gap is unforgettable. The falls are stunning, notable not so much for their size as for their immense power, caused by the 50m-wide Nile being funneled through a narrow cleft (7m-wide) in the rocks before falling into a pool 43m below. The park is vast and beautiful. Predominantly wooded savannah, the 4,000km² area is home to many of Africa's best-known plains animals including giraffe, lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hartebeests and many more. Fishing beneath the falls is quite an experience where Nile perch and tiger-fish provide an exciting challenge to anglers.
Dinner and Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge (Classic) or Budget Red Chili Camp (Budget)
Day 2:Chimpanzee Trek
After breakfast, we will go for a morning Chimpanzee tracking in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest. This is an undisturbed area of natural forest within Budongo Forest Reserve where you can walk beneath mature mahogany and iron wood trees. Chimpanzee tracking is the most famous activity. You will certainly see many forest birds, including the chocolates-backed Kingfisher, the white-thigh hornbill and puvel's illadopsis found nowhere else in East Africa.
We will drive back to the lodge for lunch before taking an afternoon boat trip to the foot of Murchison Falls. This boat trip along the Nile is often cited as being the highlight of a trip to Murchison since it allows you to get up-close and personal with the animals.
Along this stretch of the river, there are reported to be around 4,000 hippos in addition to some enormous Nile crocodiles. The bird life is stunning with brightly colored kingfishers and bee-eaters darting along the riverbanks. If lucky, you may see the rare and prehistoric looking shoebill, which is a cross between the dodo and a dinosaur. The boat takes you to the base of the falls which only adds to their impressiveness.
Dinner and Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge (Classic) or Budget Red Chili Camp (Budget)
Day 3: Murchison – Kibale National Park
After breakfast, we will depart with our packed lunch to Kibale National park. We will pass close to Lake Albert. On a clear day, the view on the top of the Albert rift is spectacular. We will arrive in Fort portal town late afternoon.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge (Classic) or Kanyankyu Ecological site (Budget)
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trek
A relatively early morning start, to report to the ranger station in Kibale National Park at 08.00am to track habituated chimps – these delightful apes, more closely related to humans than to any other living creature, are tremendous fun to watch as they squabble and play in fruiting trees. The incredibly diverse forest is home to over 13 species of primates including red Colobus monkey, the rare L’Hoest, blue monkey, grey mangabey, pottos, black faced velvet monkeys, baboons and also bush babies. A network of shady forest trails provides much to delight botanists and butterfly lovers, while birders are in for a treat with 335 species recorded including the endemic Prirogrine’s ground thrush. The elusive forest elephant, smaller and hairier that its savannah counterpart, moves seasonally into the developed part of the park, while other terrestrial mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog and a half dozen antelope species.
er terrestrial mammals include buffalo, giant forest hog and a half dozen antelope species.
After this wonderful experience, we will depart to Kampala arriving in the late evening.
