Tour Summary

This wildlife & Cultural safari starts with a tour to Kibale forest national park located in western Uganda. You get to enjoy a chimp tracking experience and birding as well. Also go for a cultural tour to the royal palace in Toro kingdom which has great architectural buildings and the ‘Amabere ga nyina mwiru’ in the caves.  The Batooro people take pride in the cultural heritage of their kingdom.

This trip also takes you to the tea plantations in Bushenyi on your way to Queen Elizabeth Park, to see how Ugandan tea is made. You will find a number of amazing attractions in Queen Elizabeth like crater lakes, forests, Kasenyi & Ishasha plains, Kazinga channel, mweya peninsula and so many others. Going down to south western Uganda, you will visit the Bwindi forest for a gorilla trekking experience. Later a cultural tour to see the Batwa community who live around the forest. The final tour will be in Kampala, Uganda’s capital to visit a number of the heritage sites and cultural centers.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Kibale Forest Chimpanzee Tracking
• Tour the royal palace, Tooro Kingdom & ‘Amabere ga nyina mwiru’
• Launch trip on Kazinga Channel & Savannah game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Gorilla Trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
• Kampala city tour

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Uganda at Entebbe airport

Welcome to Uganda! Our tourist driver/guide will be at Entebbe International Airport to pick you up from your flight. He will bring you to your hotel in Kampala.

Accommodation at Adonai Guest House (Standard), Cassia Lodge (Comfort), Serena Hotel (Luxury)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 2: Drive to Kibale forest national park

Today, you will begin your journey to Kibale Forest; stopping for lunch in the friendly tourism city of Fort Portal. The drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda. On arrival at the forest, you will enter a completely different world… some serious monkey business! Although you are here specifically to track Chimps, the forest is home to at least 12 primate species including: The Red Tailed Monkey, Olive Baboon, Black and White Colobus Monkey, and the Blue Monkey. The bird life in the forest is also prolific and includes the beautiful Great Blue Turaco and green breasted pitta. If you are very lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of a meandering herd of Forest Elephant.

Accommodation at Kibale Forest Camp(Standard), Mountains of the moon hotel (Comfort), Papaya Lake lodge (Luxury).

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3:    Kibale forest – Chimp tracking & Birding

Kibale Forest boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including our delightful cousins, the chimpanzees. Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 5,000 chimpanzees left in the wild, which makes it a perfect place to spot them! The experienced ranger takes you chimp tracking in the morning or afternoon; in the meantime, showing you the many monkey species that live in this tropical forest. A wonderful jungle trip is the result, finishing in an hour of eye to eye contact with the chimpanzees. We can however never guarantee you to see t hem, they are still wild animals! Your swamp walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities, and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you with enthusiastic waves. It is usual to spot 3 or 4 different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the Great Blue Turaco!

Accommodation at Kibale Forest Camp(Standard), Mountains of the moon hotel (Comfort), Papaya Lake lodge (Luxury).

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Tooro Kingdom Royal Palace Cultural tour

After Breakfast, embark on the tour to the Royal Palace enjoying the impressively located hill of the Kingdom overlooking the Fort Portal town in the shadows of the mountains of the moon. The Palace features a great architectural building that is worth exploring. You tour the palace; explore the royal regalia and the interpretation of the King Coronation process. You retreat from the palace tour and transfer to Karambi Royal tombs to explore the tombs of the former Kings of Tooro including the founding father of the Kingdom – King Kaboyo.  You listen to their great history and then retreat to the Fort Portal town for lunch. In the Afternoon, visit the ‘Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru‘ meaning the breasts of Nyina Mwiru – and the name in the local tradition and the Toro folklore has it that the caves acquired the name after King Bukuku of Toro chopped off the breasts of his daughter Nyina Mwiru and had them thrown inside these caves, following a prophecy that the daughter would one day get married and have a son, Ndahura, who would kill the king and take over his throne. According to local legend the prophecy came true. In reality – the scientific explanation is that the so-called breasts are in reality stalactites and are made up of calcium carbonate when blended with water drip down and form the stalactites that you will find here. The water dripping made to look milky by the calcium carbonate is called “breast milk” by the local people who live near the Amabere Caves.

Accommodation at Kibale Forest Camp(Standard), Mountains of the moon hotel (Comfort), Papaya Lake Lodge (Luxury).

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5:    Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

In the morning, you visit a nearby tea plantation (open: Monday-Saturday), where you will be able to assist the tea pickers, learn about how leaves are selected for the highest quality and perhaps even enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Ugandan tea. You then continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lunch will be in Fort Portal or in a restaurant on the road. Queen Elizabeth N.P. is Uganda’s second largest park and located base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has prolific game, including Gazelle, Uganda Kob, Warthog and Waterbuck; Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park. Be prepared for huge numbers of Hippo and Elephant, and keep your eyes peeled for a Leopard lazing in the sunshine.

Accommodation at Kasenyi Safari Camp (Standard), Mweya Safari lodge(Luxury).

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Wildlife experience in Queen Elizabeth national park

After an early breakfast, your guide will take you for an early morning long game drive at 6.30 a.m. in time to see the sun rise. Search for all the wildlife in the park including; Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, Warthog, etc. In the Afternoon, you will take a boat trip along the 40 km Kazinga Channel, one of Queen’s famous attractions. Here, you will see a huge concentration of hippos, as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see: Buffalo, Crocodile, bathing Elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour. After the boat-safari you transfer back to the lodge.

Accommodation at Kasenyi Safari Camp (Standard), Mweya Safari lodge(Luxury).

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Today you transfer to Bwindi in the south-western part of Uganda; close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You will cross a beautiful part of the country with terraced hillsides, farms and households. You will see a great country-side, bamboo forest and have great views over the Virunga Mountains.

Accommodation at Bunyonyi Overland resort (Standard), Rushaga Gorilla Camp (Comfort), Silverback lodge(Luxury)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8:    Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Gorilla Tracking

Early morning, prepare for an amazing gorilla trekking experience in the Jungles of Bwindi. The trek starts at 8:00 am and your guide will lead you into the thick forests in search of these gorillas. It can take around 2 to 7 hours until you finally get to them. These gentle giants live in groups/families and Bwindi forest has about about 9 of them in different areas of Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija & Buhoma. The forest is also recognized as UNESCO world heritage site and has over 350 bird species, 10 primate species, & a tremendous biodiversity. In the Afternoon embark on the Batwa community visit where you meet with the local people and learn about their culture, history and visit their community centers/ libraries. Meet some of the elders and enjoy traditional music and dance from the teenagers in the evening as you relax at your accommodation.

Accommodation at Bunyonyi Overland resort (Standard), Rushaga Gorilla Camp (Comfort), Silverback lodge(Luxury)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9:    Visit to the Equator – Return to Kampala or Entebbe

After breakfast you continue your drive back to Kampala. You will have a stop at the equator, the best place for your souvenir shopping and the Royal drum makers at Mpabire before reaching Kampala. Your driver/guide will bring you to your accommodation in Kampala.

Accommodation at Adonai Guest House (Standard), Cassia Lodge (Comfort), Serena Hotel (Luxury)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Kampala City tour

After Breakfast, proceed for a city tour of Kampala. You will visit sites like the Uganda Museum, National Theatre and craft center, The Kabaka’s Lake, Gadaffi Mosque for the over view of Kampala, the Buganda Kingdom Palace and parliament and the Namirembe Cathedral. Lunch will be planned accordingly with your guide. Transfer to Entebbe Airport according to your flight schedule. This marks the end of your Holiday in Uganda.

Meal plan: Breakfast & Lunch.

Tour Inclusions

• Transport in a 4WD vehicle with pop-up roof.
• All fuel for the tour
• English speaking Ugandan driver/guide.
• Accommodation and Meals on Full Board (Breakfast Lunch and Dinner)
• Park-entrance fees for all National parks
• All activities described in the itinerary
• 1 Gorilla permit per person.
• 1 chimp permit per person.
• Drinking water throughout the safari.

Tour Exclusions

• International air fares
• Entry visa Uganda
• Meals that are not part of your accommodation.
• A porter during the gorilla trekking (someone who carries your daypack).
• Personal (medical/travel) insurance
• Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver/guide, porter, hotel staff, etc.
• All expenses of personal nature (e.g. drinks, laundry, optional activities, souvenirs etc.)