Uganda Special Grand Tour
Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park & Lake Bunyonyi
Overview
Our 10 days special grand tour covers Uganda’s best places. Visit Kibale forest for chimpanzees and a guided nature walk in Bigodi wetland in search of the rare shoe bills besides primates and birds.
Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park in search of the tree climbing lions before proceeding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for Gorilla trekking. Wind down with Lake Bunyonyi popularly known by tourists as the ‘Switzerland of Africa and locally as the home of little birds as the name “bunyonyi” implies.
This tour also offers you the chance to meet the Batwa pygmies.
Highlights
- Day 1: Entebbe – Kampala
- Day 2: Kampala – Kibale
- Day 3: Kibale Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi walk
- Day 4: Kibale – Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Ishasha – Bwindi
- Day 7: Bwindi Gorilla tracking
- Day 8: Bwindi – Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 9: Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 10: Lake Bunyonyi – Entebbe
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Entebbe – Kampala
Arrive Entebbe International Airport to receive a warm meet and greet by our representative. Transfer to your hotel in Kampala to refresh and relax and thereafter go have a look around Kampala city and acquire some local currency Return to have dinner and overnight at: Serena Hotel ( high end hotel) Cassia Lodge (moderate facility) or Hotel Eliana (budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 2: Kampala – Kibale (about 7 hours)
Depart Kampala at about 7:30 heading to Kibale with a stop to have lunch and stretch along the way Arrive to enjoy an evening nature walk to the top of the world before heading to the lodge/hotel guest house to refresh and have a sumptuous dinner at Kyaninga Lode ( high end lodge) or Primate Lodge Kibale (Moderate facility) or Chimpanzee Guest House (Budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Kibale Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi walk
After breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a brief about the rules that govern the forest and it habitats the chimpanzees and other primates. Thereafter We head into the tropical rain forest to search for the chimpanzees and other primates like the black and white Colubus, velvet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey and many more lasting between 2-4hours.
Return to the lodge to rest and relax before lunch, thereafter go to Bigodi wetland to search for the rare shoe bills, sitatungas and many more primates.
Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga Safari Lodge (High end lodge) or Primate Lodge Kibale (Moderate facility) or Chimpanzee Guest House (Budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 4: Kibale – Queen Elizabeth NP
After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park while sightseeing and game viewing along the way to have lunch in the park. The afternoon is dedicated to a guided nature walk in Maramagambo Forest that brings us to see the Bat Cave” viewing it from an elevated platform and a Blue Lake tucked beneath the shady canopy of this amazing forest.
Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge (High lodge) or Enganzi (Moderate facility) or Simba Safari Camp (Budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park
An early morning game drive along Kasenyi and Queens Mile brings visitors to look out for elephants, buffalo, water bucks, warthogs, lions, Uganda Kobs, lakes and a variety of birds. The game drive lasts up to 4 hours before returning to the lodge for refreshments and breakfast.
After lunch, a two hour boat ride along the famous Kazinga channel is an opportunity to encounter hippopotamus, buffalo, Uganda Kobs, elephants, warthogs and many more.
This trip also gives visitors a chance to see a variety of countless bird species.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (High lodge) or Enganzi (Moderate facility) or Simba Safari Camp (Budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park-Ishasha – Bwindi
Today we start off with an early breakfast before leaving for Bwindi through the Ishasha Sector accompanied by an armed ranger via the unique western rift valley escarpment. Take on a game drive in Ishasha sector – in search of tree climbing lions before proceeding to Bwindi forest National Park.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mahogany Springs Lodge (High end lodge) or Gorilla Mist Camp (Moderate facility) or Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 7: Bwindi Gorilla tracking
After breakfast set off early for briefing at the park headquarters on how to behave around the gorillas and the general acceptable conduct while in the forest. Gorilla tracking starts right after the briefing led by the ranger guides.
The trek lasts between 2-8 hours and the thrilling experience of finally meeting the gorillas erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. To enhance your experience please bring jungle boots, and rain jackets because the park is often wet. Spend an hour which is the maximum allowed time to watch and be around the the gorillas as they go about their daily activities in the forest.
Each gorilla safari encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters jump around and swing in the tree branches in a delightfully playful display.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a magnificent green swathe of dense rain forest, so ancient that it survives from the last ice age. its was recently proclaimed a World Heritage site with one of the most bio diverse areas on earth.
Its unique, precious flora sustains roughly half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas – believed to number just about 720 individuals. Bwindi forest also hosts a substantial chimpanzee population, and research shows that its the only forest in Africa where these two apes live together.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 8: Bwindi – Lake Bunyonyi
Wake up to a relaxed breakfast and thereafter drive to Lake Bunyonyi via Kabale a region popularly known by many tourists as the ‘Switzerland of Africa’. Rest and enjoy the afternoon in Bunyonyi.
Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Bunyonyi Safari Resort (High end) or Lake Bunyonyi Bird Nest (Moderate facility) or Crater bay cottages Bunyonyi (Budget facility)
Day 9: Lake Bunyonyi
Today have an early breakfast and head out to visit to the Batwa Pygmies community to explore their life style and birding along Lake Bunyonyi. Afternoon boat trip to the islands for a guided nature walk and sightseeing. End the day by driving out to a strategic location in the evening to watch a beautiful sun-downer a preserved enjoyment for sunny days.
Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Bunyonyi Safari Resort (High end) or Lake Bunyonyi Bird Nest (Moderate facility) or Crater bay cottages Bunyonyi (Budget facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 10: Lake Bunyonyi – Entebbe
Early breakfast and you will be taken by the scenery of winding road, hills and valleys, terraced landscape and friendly big people along the village paths walking by. Drive back to Entebbe with lunch en-route. Stop at the equator for photography and shop curious to take home as unforgettable souvenirs from Uganda the pearl of Africa.
Dinner and overnight in Entebbe at 2Friends Beach Hotel – deluxe rooms (high-end) or 2Friends Beach Hotel – standard rooms – modereate facilities or Airport Guest( budget facility) to be dropped of at the airport next day.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch
End of Service
This Safari Package Includes
- Transportation by 4 WD safari vehicle
- Fuel expenses
- Accommodation for 8 nights
- Meals as indicated in the safari program
- The services of an English speaking driver/guide
- Drinking water 1 liter daily
- Park entrance fees
- Boat ride along the Kazinga
- One gorilla permit per person
- One Chimpanzee permit per person
- Bigodi guided nature walk
- Batwa pygmies visit in Lake Bunyonyi
- Guided walk to the Crater Lakes
- Visit to Bat Cave
- Village visit in Bwindi
- Game ranger fees
The Safari Exclusions
The expenses of personal nature like: Air fare, Visa, soda/alcoholic drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, and porter fee while trekking, personal insurance, personal shopping bills.