6 Days/5 Nights
Day 1: Kampala-Queen Elizabeth
After breakfast, we will set off on the southern bound road, have a stop over to look at the Royal Drum makers, stand on the Equator and be in both hemispheres at once and thereafter proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park. We will continue through savannah grasslands seeing banana plantations and herds of Ankole cattle with their incredible long curving horns. Queen Elizabeth is host to a large variety and volume of wildlife. It boasts one of the highest bio diversity ratings of any game park in the world, from the open Savannah to Rain forest, dense swamps and beautiful crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. Almost 100 species that include Hippos, Lions, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena and the elusive giant forest hog. The primates include Chimps, Black and white Colobus Monkeys, Blue, Black Faced Red Colobus, and Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons.
After checking in and having some time to relax, we will go for an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel that connects two lakes-Edward and George.
game drive to Kasenyi Area of the Park. Here you will be able to see numerous elephants as well as water hogs, lions, hyenas, Uganda kobs, waterbuck and bushbuck as well as the salt lakes.
Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge (Classic) or Mweya Hostel (Budget)
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trek
This morning we will leave for the 08.00am chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge. Expect to see various primates most especially Chimpanzee of different species, Black and white Colobus monkeys and other animals like antelopes, hyenas, Lion and many others in the middle of savanna grassland. This gorge is a home of very many bird species.
We will return to the lodge for lunch and a chance to relax by the side of the swimming pool before taking an afternoon boat trip on Kazinga channel. This will give you the opportunity to view wildlife up close: hippo’s huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, buffalo linger in the shallows. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle billed stork and many others. After this wonderful afternoon, a slow drive back to the lodge.
Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge (Classic) or Mweya Hostel (Budget)
Day 3: Queen Elizabeth - Bwindi
This morning, we will go for an early morning game drive, return for breakfast and then set off for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. We will drive through the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth called Ishasha. Here we will take lunch by the Ishasha River and try to find the famed Ishasha tree-climbing lions before continuing on to Bwindi, home to the few remaining mountain gorillas. Bird life and primate life in Bwindi is quite superb, and there is an incredible variety of flora. Bwindi is the Bird watchers haven! It holds 348 species of birds and supports 24 of 26 Albertine Rift Endemics that occur in Uganda; and seven red data book species. Once continuous with the forests of the Virunga Volcanoes (Dian Fossey’s stomping ground), Bwindi is now an ecological island, surrounded by cultivation on the rich volcanic soils.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort (Classic) or Buhoma Community Bandas (Budget)
Day 4: Gorilla Trek
Up relatively early for a hearty breakfast to give you the energy needed for gorilla tracking. Before 8:00 am report to the ranger station for registration and a talk by one of the rangers; the guides will then take you through the bush pushing your way through the undergrowth, parting thick creepers, to track the gorillas. (This trek can take from half an hour to 5 hours – a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as a sturdy pair of walking/trainer shoes) Sit in the forest among the gorillas, listening to them grumble to each other, and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant male; the silverback. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rainforest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. It’s amazing to think there are only about 650 of these beautiful creatures left!
If you have the energy this afternoon, take a guided walk on the Munyaga River trail, which is an ideal short walk. This trail leads to three delightful crystal clear waterfalls, and there is a profusion of tree ferns, epithytic ferns, orchids and Bwindi’s colorful array of butterflies. Here you may also see birds and primates from the forest edge.
OR If you have the afternoon free, how about a guided village walk – see how the Ugandans live.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort (Classic) or Buhoma Community Bandas (Budget)
Day 5: Bwindi – L. Mburo
After breakfast we will depart for Lake Mburo National Park. This scenic drive will take us to Mbarara town where we will stop for lunch before making our final descent to Lake Mburo National Park. This Park is an extension of the Tanzanian plains with big herds of zebra, impala, eland and other ungulates. Bird viewing opportunities are excellent - for birders, this is one of the best places to find African fin foot, papyrus bush shrike. After checking in, we will go for a game drive in the rolling hills and open grasslands. The lovely landscape is a home to Impala, Waterbuck, Eland, Zebra, Buffalo, Klipspringers, Crested Crane, and the elusive Shoebill Stork.
Overnight at Luxury Mantana Tented camp (Classic) or Rwonyo Rest Camp (Budget)
Day 6: Nature Walk and Leave for Kampala
After an early morning breakfast you will have a guided nature walk. A ranger guide takes you on foot to the bush. Lake Mburo is the only place in this part of Uganda where you can see zebra and Impala and it’s also the best place to see the African Eland, Africa’s largest antelope! Thereafter, we will leave for Kampala arriving in the early evening.
