Waterfront Exterior view of Jacana Safaro Lodge – Uganda
10 Days Uganda Highlights Safari
A safari in Uganda will surely not disappoint. Not only do you get to see wondrous animals, you also have the chance to take in the natural scenery – the beautiful savannahs, lakes, and rivers are definitely a sight to behold.
Related Adventure Safaris
Prices are based on 2 adults sharing a room and the length of stay at hotel. Offer subject to availability at the time of booking. Price may vary depending on flight and hotel availability and changes in exchange rates. Terms and Conditions apply.
Day 1: To Murchison Falls NP
Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge
Early morning we will pick you from the hotel or guesthouse of your choice and take you to Murchison Falls. We will stop for lunch in Masindi and then drive for 90 kms through the park, aiming for Paraa. On the way we will visit the Top of the Falls, with a wonderful view over Murchison Falls and the Nile. We will reach Paraa late in the afternoon, and Luxury Tour participants will cross the Nile by ferry to reach Paraa Safari Lodge. The day will close With a cool drink and a fabulous view over the river Nile, and the evening coming with all the noise of an African night.
Day 2: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation: Paraa Safari Lodge
The day will be spent viewing game around the park and along the Nile. We will leave early in the morning and go on a game drive from 8.00am to 12.00noon, seeing several animals including lions and giraffes. In the afternoon (2.00pm to 5.00 pm) we will go on the impressive launch trip on the Nile, up to the Falls, giving you a chance to see hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants and many many different birds!
Day 3: Kibale Forest National Park
Accommodation: Ndali Lodge
Early in the morning we will leave for Kibale Forest. We will pass close to Lake Albert: on a clear day the view from the top of the Albert rift is spectacular. In the afternoon we will arrive at Kibale Forest Camp, where we will stay sleeping with the noises of the tropical rainforest. Sometimes we stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse, overlooking Nyabikere Crater Lake, where we will stay. The lake is famous for the frogs: at night they always give a beautiful concert.
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Day 4: Kibale National Park- Chimps Trekking
Accommodation: Ndali Lodge
At 8.00am we will start with the 4 hour chimp walk – during which you may also get to see 10 other primates! Kibale park is also known for all the butterflies and birds. In the afternoon we will walk through Bigodi Swamp (home to a community based project).
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation: Jacana Safari Lodge
Early morning we will leave for Queen Elizabeth NP. We will travel through Fort Portal and reach Mweya in Queen Elizabeth NP at midday, with a stunningly beautiful view over Kazinga Channel. You will check in at your accommodation and have lunch, and in the late afternoon (4.00-7.00pm) we will go on a game drive.
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation: Jacana Safari Lodge
This day is for a game drive on the plains of Queen Elizabeth NP, with thousands of Ugandan kobs, lions, elephants etc. Also on the programme is a two hours launch trip on the Kazinga channel where we will see all the animals from the waterside. In the evening we will go on a game drive to the mating grounds of the Uganda Kobs. The day ends back at Mweya peninsula, enjoying a great view of the park.
Day 7: Kisoro
Accommodation: Travellers Rest Hotel
Early in the morning we will leave for Kisoro. We will travel via Kabale and continue through a beautiful landscape also defined as the “Switzerland of Africa”: mountains, lakes, hills with cultivated terraces, tropical rainforest and bamboo forest. On the last hill the landscape unfolds beneath us, taking in the vast planes between Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, with the Virunga volcanoes dominating the view. At the bottom of the valley is Kisoro, where we will stay at the famous Travellers Rest Hotel.
In the sixties the famous American ‘gorilla-woman’ Dian Fossey visited the Travellers Rest Hotel many, many times to do paperwork, relax or meet people. Fossey said about the hotel: “It was my second home”. Travellers Rest Hotel is just outside Kisoro and offers a cozy stay for the tourists coming to see the endangered mountain gorilla. The hotel, built in a somewhat colonial style, and entirely renovated in 1999, has a comfortable ambiance.
Day 8: Mgahinga National Park
Accommodation: Travellers Rest Hotel
You will travel by car from Travellers Rest Hotel in Kisoro to Nkuringo, in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP (1hr), or to Mgahinga National Park (40min). Once there you will first receive a briefing (7.45am) and at 8.30am you will start the tracking. Once you have found the gorillas, you will be able to spend up to one hour with them! You will be expected back to the starting point by 7.00pm at the latest. Being physically fit is recommended. Clients who wish to trek in Rwanda will spend the night of Day 7 in Rwanda (Kinigi Guesthouse if on simple accommodation, Gorilla Nest Lodge for luxury tours), and after tracking on this day you will cross back to Kisoro. It is always best to hear from other visitors, and this is Stella and Trudy’s story: “At a distance of about fifteen feet a mountain gorilla with her baby appears. She comes out of the bushes, looks at me and lies down. My presence does not seem to bother her. She just wants to rest, whether I am there or not. I can almost touch her. My heart dances with joy. I am in a good position to take pictures, so I let my camera do its work. It is the thrill of a lifetime. I cannot but agree with the American zoologist George Schaller, the first to study gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes, who once said: ‘No one who looks into the eyes of a gorilla, gentle and vulnerable, can remain unchanged.”
Day 9: Kisoro
Accommodation: Travellers Rest Hotel
In Kisoro we have developed a number of very interesting activities in close collaboration with local organizations and the National Park. All the activities can be done individually or in groups. They include:
Gorilla tracking in Mgahinga (1 day). NB: the gorilla in Mgahinga move around so the Uganda Wildlife Authority doesn’t sell permits in advance – you have to take your chance once you are in Kisoro.
Gorilla tracking in Rwanda. NB: if you are going for the 2nd gorilla trek in Rwanda you will be transferring to Rwanda on day 8 after trekking in Uganda, and spend a night there. After the trekking you will cross back to Kisoro (1 day).
- Climbing Muhavura Volcano (± 8 hrs; distance 12km; height 4127m; elevation gain 1700m).
- Climbing Gahinga Volcano (± 6 hrs; distance 8km; height 3474m; elevation gain 1100m).
- Visit to Sabinyo Gorge (± 4 hrs; distance 6km, no elevation gain).
- Climbing Sabinyo Volcano (Sabinyo has three peaks, you can climb all three in the same walk, but you need to be fit!! ± 8 hrs; distance 14 km; height 3669m, elevation gain 1300 m).
- Hiking in Mgahinga to the viewpoint and Garama Cave (pygmy cave) (± 4 hrs; distance 1 and 4 km).
- Bird walk in Mgahinga (start at 10am, it can last until 4-5pm).
- Cultural village walk (with a local guide walking through the land of the Bufumbira tribe)
- Walk to Lake Mutanda. Visit Python island and go canoeing on this beautiful lake.
Day 10: Depart / Kampala
Lunch: Mbarara Town
Early in the morning after breakfast you will travel back to Kampala. On the way back to the city you will have lunch in Mbarara town, and after Masaka there will be an opportunity to a stop at the Equator for photo shoots and buying souvenirs and have tea or coffee. We will then bring you to a guesthouse, campsite or hotel of your choice in Kampala or Entebbe – or, if you continue your holiday somewhere else or back home, we will bring you directly to Entebbe airport for an onwards flight.
