8 Days Best of Uganda Safari is a tailor-made expereince safari that follows Uganda’s best scenic routes endowed with stunning landscapes and a plethora of attractions and experiences. On top of highlights are Uganda’s bucket-list experiences namely; a trek expereince along the Chimpanzee and the endangered Mountain Gorilla and Golden Monkeys in their rainforest homes. In between these epic attractions, is an epic wildlife experience where you come up-close to a diversity of wildlife while on game drives, walking safaris and boat cruise expereince.
Safari Overview and Highlights
The 8 Days Best of Uganda Safari explores Uganda’s epic attractions including a trek along man’s closest relative apes; the mountain gorillas and chimpanzee in their native rainforests. Led by our specialist guide, you will visit Kibale National Park also known as the primates capital for its high concentration of primates of up to 13 species including the chimpanzee. Here you will trek along the charismatic Chimpanzee troops in their native forests the rain forests, observing their high intelligence and human-like traits. You will then extend your walk in the ravine forest Bigodi for better chances to encounter smaller primates including the Red colobus, Uganda mangabey and more. In Queen Elizabeth NP, you will have a wildlife expereince as you take interpretive game drives and boat safaris to come up-close to a diversity of game including the tree-climbing lions, hippos, savanna elephants and an excellent birdlife. Coming into Mgahinga Gorilla NP set within the towering Virunga mountain ranges on Uganda’s south-west corner, you will hike within the bamboo slopes to close experience with the Mountain Gorilla and the beautiful Golden monkey.
You will wrap up this safari adventure with a guided nature walk in Uganda’s smallest savanna park of lake Mbulo, where you come up-close to Impala, Elands, Plains Zebras, Topi, Nubian Giraffe and remarkable bird species on foot.
On transfer through this part of Uganda, stop and take in the stunning diverse landscapes of volcanic lakes, plains, towering mountain ranges and enjoy Uganda’s colorful countryside dotted with roadside markets and bustling towns.
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8 Days Best of Uganda Safari Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
After an early briefing with your safari guide about the general program, we drive westwards towards Kibale National Park through the scenic central region of Uganda dotted with wide papyrus swamp valleys, green hills, open markets along the road, farmlands among others. This highly agricultural area is one of the most fertile regions thanks to high rainfalls received annually both in the wet and dry season.
We will make short stops for leg- stretching on a few colorful roadside markets to taste the local and vast tea plantations that stretch over hill sides. After our hot lunch, we will proceed to our accommodation that’s located at the edge of the Kibale forest with optional Bigodi community walk time allowing.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guest House. Meal Plan. Drive time: 6/7hrs
Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking Experience Day and Evening Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast (breakfast time will be decided the previous day) guide with the help of the lodge team) your guide will drive you to the briefing Centre where you will join other clients for your short briefing about chimpanzee tracking. After the briefing, you will be assigned to a group of 8 with armed UWA ranger guides who will lead you out into the interior of the forest to locate families of habituated chimpanzee that call this forest home.
This activity that normally stretches up to 4hours crisscrosses several structures of the forest, where numerous species of trees, butterflies, and birds occur. On locating the troops, you will spend up to an hour, observing several traits and behavior as they go about their daily business. Thereafter you will be led back to the parking area where you will meet your driver and drive to Kasese.
After lunch, we head to Queen Elizabeth national park Uganda’s medley of wonders. Here we will do an evening boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel to get close to aquatic mammals including hippos, Nile Crocodile and other herbivores that come to drink and cool in the shallow waters of this natural channel. After the cruise we will take a scenic drive through the crater field to marvel at the eruption forces that shaped the entire western rift valley.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Accommodation Plan: Bush-Lodge FB or Kasenyi Safari Camp. Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: Morning game drive at Kasenyi sector and later transfer Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth
This morning we set out early for morning game drive for chances to see predators retiring from night activity or trying to get lucky at dusk but also looking out for other resident species including herds of Elephants, Cape Buffalos, Kob, Waterbucks and other herbivores in habit. After the game drive, we will then transfer to Ishasha sector to explore the rich savanna plains popular for its Climbing Lions’ prides, massive herds of Topi, Elephants and massive birdlife that inhabit this sector. Accommodation Plan. Enjojo Lodge/Ishasha Jungle lodge. Meal Plan: FB. Drive Time: 2hours
Day 4: Morning game drive and transfer to Lake Murehe/Lake Mutanda
After an early breakfast, we will have a drive through the park again, on our way to L. Murehe lodge south of the Bwindi Forest. This very scenic drive will take us along the northern edges of the Impenetrable Forest of Bwindi NP, enjoying spectacular views of this mountainous region of Kigezi thus the nickname; the “Little Switzerland of Africa” whose fertile volcanic terraced hillsides and valleys is also the most populous regions in Uganda. We will have short photo and stretch stops on scenic views before we check in at our accommodation by the lakeside late in that afternoon. Accommodation Plan: L. Murehe Resort/Lake Mutanda Resort. Drive time: 6 hours
Day 5: Gorilla Tracking Experience Day
This morning we will transfer to the briefing point of Mgahinga NP, where Ranger guides will take us through a short briefing about the Mountain gorilla and the eco-system of this park. Mgahinga NP is Uganda’s most scenic and has One habituated Gorilla family that inhabit various ecozones such as the secondary forest, bamboo and montane zones lying on the slopes of Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabinyo mountain ranges that are part of the greater Virunga Conservation Area, protecting half population of the endemic Mountain Gorillas and other Albertine endemic species. Gorilla tracking is by far one of the most remarkable fascinating eco-tourism-based activities that offer an everlasting and life changing experience.
Spending one full hour with these great apes is thrilling and heart pounding rush hour as they go on with their normal life. The activity led by ranger guides and can take between 2 hours to 8 hours depending on the location of these apes of which after locating them, the ranger guides will inform you that they have started counting and will keep on reminding you how much time you have left with gorillas. Because of the nature of the tropical rainy forest, we recommend that you carry packed lunch and drinking water since the activity can even take the full day.
Others include, hiking boats, rain gear and waterproof bags to help keep your cameras and phones safe. After one full hour with gorillas, you descend to briefing point where you will meet your guide and transfer back to lodge for dinner and overnight. Accommodation Plan: Lake Mutanda/Lake Murehe Resort. Meal Plan: Full board.
Day 6: Endangered Golden Monkey Experience and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
This morning we will again head out to Mgahinga NP where the ranger guides will lead us in our quest to find the elusive endangered golden monkeys which in Uganda can only be found in this park and are endemic to the Virunga Mountain Ranges. Golden Monkeys are sub-species of the Blue-Monkey characterized by its golden back and black limbs, playful, socially living in troops of up to 40 individuals led by one dominant male.
This rare and less known monkey is a bamboo-specialist favoring the bamboo eco-zones which forms 70% of its diet. On locating one of the local troops, you will get to spend one full hour observing their social interactions and behavior and this activity takes up to 4-hours. In the afternoon, we will transfer to Lake Bunyonyi which another famous destination rich with culture and scenery. Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Accommodation Plan: Bunyonyi Rock Resort/Arcadia Cottages/Birdsnest Lodge. Meal Plan: Dinner and breakfast. Drive time is about 2 hours
Day 7: Boat cruise on Lake and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After an early breakfast will have a boat cruise to one of the islands to learn more about the lake and the lives of the local people (Bakiga) especially about their social cultural political lifestyle and later we drive north-wards to Lake Mburo National Park Uganda’s smallest savanna park arriving in time for a hot-lunch at our accommodation set on the edge of the park. In the evening we will take a game drive exploring this beautiful savanna woodlands for chances of seeing the newly introduced Rothschild’s Giraffe, Topi, Plain Zebra, beautiful Impala and the shy Eland among other residents.
Accommodation Plan: Eagle’s nest/Rwakobo rock Lodge. Meal Plan: Dinner and breakfast. Drive time is about 2 hours
Day 8: Walking Safari and transfer to Entebbe International Airport
We will have an early breakfast and then we will have a guided nature-walk through the savanna woodland getting close to various game like, Zebras. Giraffe, Topi and Impala. In a company of an armed ranger guide we will learn, observe and enjoy various sights and sounds of this great Wild setting. Late we will transfer to Entebbe but with several photographic stops and souvenir shopping at Equator crossing line. Day room can be pre booked on request. Accommodation Plan: None. Meals: Lunch en route. Drive time 4/5hours
8 Days Best of Uganda Safari Includes.
- A customized 4WD Safari Vehicle.
- An English-speaking Driver Guide.
- park entrance fees.
- All activities as per the itinerary.
- Accommodations and Meals as per the itinerary.
- Bottled mineral water.
- One Chimpanzee permit per person.
- One Gorilla permit per person.
- One Golden Monkey permit par person.
8 Days Best of Uganda Safari Exclusions.
- All other meals and drinks not mentioned.
- Tips to guides and porters.
- Flight tickets and travel insurance.
- Items related to personal nature.
- Transfer to the airport.