Overview
Let’s take you on an unforgettable adventure to the Pearl of Africa, Uganda. The 11-Day Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari takes you to see the amazing sceneries on the beginnings of the Nile River and beyond – traversing its wonders through Murchison falls National park where you’ll catch a glimpse at Africa Big 5 game animals.
From the thundering Murchison Falls big 5 trail and taking the Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari adventure further down from MFNP, you’ll visit the amazing Chimpanzee families, our closest relatives in Kibale Forest National park, still in the western Uganda area. Primates are very common in Kibale National Forest. The forest has some of the highest abundance of species of primates in the area. There are many species of primates and these species persist in the less disturbed areas of the forest in their natural habitats. Kibale is one of the last remaining expanses to contain both lowland and montane forests. In eastern Africa, it sustains the last significant expanse of pre-montane forest.
Included / Excluded
To help you plan your trip, we have put together a list of what's included and what's not included in your tour package. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect and help you make any necessary arrangements before your journey begins.
- Transportation in a land cruiser/super custom with pop-up roof
- All fuel for the trips
- Driver/guide.
- Guide ranger fees.
- Accommodation and meals as per itinerary.
- Chimp tracking permit in Kibale (a US $200 value)
- Gorilla permit per person (a US $700 value).
- All activities are described in the itinerary.
- The Park fee is according to the program.
- Meals are according to the program.
- Boat cruise.
- Other drinks.
- Laundry.
- Tips to local guides.
- Telephone expenses.
- Porter fees while trekking Gorillas and chimpanzees.
- Personal Insurance.
- Cigarettes.
Tour Map
This comprehensive map is designed to guide you through an exciting journey filled with remarkable destinations and captivating experiences.
Itinerary
We have carefully planned out each day to give you the best possible experience. From exploring historic landmarks to tasting delicious local cuisine, each day is packed with adventure and excitement. Join us as we take you on a journey through some of the most fascinating destinations in the world.
Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by our safari guide who will transfer you to the hotel of your booking and brief you on the Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari plan.
Luxury Lodge: Serena Hotel/ Imperial Hotel
Moderate: Emin Pasha Hotel/ Speke Resort Hotel
Budget facility: Acardia Cottages/ Namirembe Guest house
Meal Plan: Half Board Basis
You will have an early breakfast and drive towards Murchison Falls National Park via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will have the opportunity to trek the Rhinos the first item on the Murchison Falls Big 5 Trail. The sanctuary houses Uganda’s Rhino reintroduction project. There are 9 white rhinos and tracking is done on foot for 1 and half hours. You will continue to Masindi Town for lunch and later drive to Murchison Falls National Park. This part of the Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari journey takes 6-7 hours. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
- Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
- Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
- Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
You will have an early start (6.30 am) and set off for a sunrise Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari game drive in the Nyamsika plateau to see the Cape buffaloes (member of the big 5 trail), Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob, hartebeest, and waterbucks. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog, and bush pig plus large carnivores including lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas.
Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodiles and hippos will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee-eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork, and the rare shoebill stork.
You will return to your booked Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari lodge for a late breakfast and some relaxation before you set off in the afternoon for a boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. En route you will see hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck, and a wide variety of birds like the unusual shoebill stork. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls.
- Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
- Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
- Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
You will after your breakfast visit the “top of the thunderous Murchison falls”, where you will observe the River Nile squeezing itself into a 7-meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down in a thunderous explosion and then flowing down into a very peaceful river whose water banks are swarmed with a profusion of water and land animals as well as birds.
You will thereafter set off on a 9-hour Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari journey to Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is through verdant countryside inter-passing traditional homesteads and farms and via the towns of Hoima and Fort Portal which rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking
- Luxury: Ndali lodge/Primate lodge/Kibale forest/Kyaninga lodge
- Moderate: Mountains of the moon/Kibale forest camp
- Budget: Rwenzori Travelers/Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpanzee Forest Guest House
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, you will report to the Kanyanchu Tourist Centre at 08.00 am for a briefing on the rules of chimpanzee tracking. Kibale Forest National Park has the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee, a very delightful ape.
The trek takes 2-3 hours and it will provide you with the opportunity to see a variety of other primates and animals as well as birds, and a variety of butterflies. You will return to the Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari reserved lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a nature walk in the Bigodi Wetland to see a variety of birds and monkey species. You will have dinner and overnight at your lodge.
- Luxury: Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kibale Forest/Kyaninga Lodge
- Moderate: Mountains of the moon/Kibale Forest Camp
- Budget: Rwenzori travelers/Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpanzee Forest Guest House
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After your morning breakfast, you will have an early morning Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari Game drive where you will see the lion, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephant, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, topi, and bushbuck among others. You will return to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.
It is a 42kms channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos and offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful, with well over 550 resident species. Dinner and overnight will be spent at your reserved lodge.
- Luxury Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge: Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge
- Mid-range moderate: Bush Lodge (in rooms) / Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
- Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
You will wake up early for a morning game drive in the park during which you will see Lions, Elephants, Topis, Leopards, Bush bucks, Cape Buffaloes, Defassa Waterbucks, Giant Forest Hogs, and Uganda Kobs, among others. You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast after which you will travel to Lake Bunyonyi.
The lake lies close to the border with Rwanda and is said to be one of the most beautiful places in western Uganda. It is the second deepest lake in Africa and also one of the few places in the country where it is considered safe to swim as it is bilharzia free. This part of the Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari drive journey takes 6-7 hours and you will have your lunch enroute.
Dinner and overnight will be at one of the many lodges near the lake.
- Luxury Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge: Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge
- Mid-range moderate: Bush Lodge (in rooms) / Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
- Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
This Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari morning you can choose to either have a canoe ride on the lake or a walk through the surrounding hills. The landscape around the lake is made up of steep slopes covered with lush green vegetation protruding from the water’s edge. Bunyonyi means “place of little birds” and as the name suggests, there is plenty of birdlife around the lake.
You can get to know the seven islands, visit the local families, and admire views of volcanoes. In the afternoon you will drive to Kisoro in the southwestern part of Uganda; close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You will go through a beautiful part of the country often referred to as ‘the Switzerland of Africa’.
You will see the great countryside, bamboo forests, and great views of the Virunga Mountains and if it is a Monday or Thursday you will see a large colorful market in Kisoro. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
- Luxury Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge: Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge
- Mid-range moderate: Bush Lodge (in rooms) / Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
- Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
You will have an early morning breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers in a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules at 7:45 am. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 2-8 hours.
The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access by tourists. You will have one hour to stay with the Gorillas once sited before returning to your lodge to rest. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
- Lower Budget: Buhoma community Rest camp / Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp / Travellers Rest Hotel Kisolo / Gorilla Valley Lodge
- Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi /Gorilla Safari Lodge / Silver Back Lodge / Lake Kitandara Camp / Chameleon Hill Lodge / Lake Mutanda Resort.
- Upmarket: Mahogany Springs Lodge / Buhoma Lodge / Rushanga Gorilla Satari Lodge.
- Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
You will have an early Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari breakfast and travel to Lake Mburo National Park centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes rich in bird life while its green acacia woodland harbors wildlife like the Zebra, warthog, Elands, Impala among others. You will have lunch in Mbarara town and continue the drive to the park.
In the afternoon you will go for a 2-hour boat ride on Lake Mburo and get quite close to the water animals that include crocodiles and hippos. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
- Luxury: Mihingo Lodge/ Mantana Lake Mburo Camp/ Arcadia Cottages
- Moderate: Lake Mburo Safari Lodge/ Rakobo Rock
- Budget: Eagles Nest Camp
- Meal Plan: Dinner
You will after breakfast go for a tour of the park on foot with an experienced Uganda Gorillas & Savannah Safari game ranger who will explain to you which animals have left behind footprints and droppings and how long ago. Mburo is one of the two parks in Uganda where it is permitted to go for a tour on foot. You will after the game walk return to the lodge for lunch and later set off on your return journey to Kampala.
You will have a stopover at the Equator where you will have an opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the same time and take some photos. You will have another stopover at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers center where you will be able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using traditional methods passed down through the generations. You will arrive in Kampala in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel of your booking.
Accommodation in Entebbe: Anderita Beach Hotel, Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe, Gately Inn Entebbe (mid-range)
Main plan: No meal.
Gallery
June to August and December to February (All parks)
June to September (It’s rarely crowded, but you’ll need to book your gorilla permits long in advance)
March, April, May, October, November (Some lodges and camps in high rainfall areas close down; roads and forest trails can be in poor condition)
June-July and January-February (Little rainfall)
March, April and May (Peak of wet season)