Our 10 days magical Uganda safari adventure is known to be one of the most famous itinerary and will make you to really explore the great hidden treasure of Uganda, including a visit to Jinja which is known to be the adventure capital of East Africa and a visit to Murchison Falls NP which will give you a great chance to see all the big five mammals, and take a boat cruise to the great famous Murchison falls. The tour will also give you a chance to visit Queen Elizabeth for a guided chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura and also participate in unforgettable boat ride experience along the famous Kazinga Channel with a game safari for unique wildlife encounters and spot the tree climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth NP and finally concluding it with a visit to see the gently giant’s “Gorillas” in the mighty Bwindi Forest.
Safari highlights 10 Days Magical Uganda Gorilla
- View sunrise or sunset from above
- Panorama view of Murchison Falls National Park
- Tree top level flights
- Victoria Nile or Lake Albert view
- Watch full herds of animals.
- Watch hidden off-road animals.
- Approximately 1-hour hot air balloon ride
- Pick up from set destinations.
- Ferry Crossing
- Photos during cold inflation inside the balloon
- Ground Safari before takeoff and after landing
- Receive Participation Certificate
- Bush Breakfast in the wild
Detailed itinerary 10 Days Magical Uganda Gorilla Safari
Day 1: Drive to Jinja
Option I: Visit the mighty Source of the Nile
Depart from Kampala towards Jinja branch off to Sezibwa falls; thereafter proceed to Owen falls dam and continue for bungee jumping with adrift adventurers at the Nile with en route to the source of the Nile. A lunch break at Nile resort. Thereafter visit the source of the Nile with a boat cruise for 30 minutes. You can choose to have a longer boat ride to the Samuka Islands and later Bujagali falls. Thereafter return to Kampala in the evening. Overnight and dinner at Fareway Hotel Meal Plan L-D
Option II: Full day rafting
After early breakfast, you will be picked by driver guide from your hotel at 6:30 am and head to Jinja. From Kampala it’s about 1 ½ hours to the spectacular Bujagali Falls. After being briefed about rafting. Rafting starts for 5 – 31kms – 5/6 hours rafting, and you will have the chance to watch the local fishermen and the fantastic birdlife. Alternatively choose to go for wild or mild.
Here you choose to raft in the paddle-powered boats for one of the wildest raft rides on the planet or opt to be rowed downstream by our professional guides in the safety raft. After a buffet lunch you will hit a series of more wild rapids, thereafter an evening BBQ before return to Kampala. Overnight at Emin Pasha (Luxury lodge) or Le Petit Village (Midrange lodge) or Fareway Hotel (Economy lodge). Meal Plan L-D
Day 2: Kampala- Murchison Falls. Travel time +6 hrs
Today, you will be picked by our safari driver guide and drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle and, proceed to Masindi via Ziwa Rhino Project. A visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino trekking is a wonderful experience to encounter Rhinos on a foot safari and later head for and en route lunch. After lunch, drive to Murchison Falls “. Overnight and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge (Lodge facility) or Sambiya River lodge (Mid-range facility) or Parkside Safari Lodge (Economy facility) Meal Plan B-L-D
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park
Begin the day with a cup of African Coffee. After your cup of coffee, cross the Nile by ferry to the northern bank of the park. Your guide will help you spot Elephant, Lion, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena and if you are lucky, the leopard. Return to the hotel for breakfast and lunch. After lunch, go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos, crocodiles and over this 17km stretch you may see elephants, waterbucks, Uganda Kobs and crocodiles.
This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. There you leave the boat and start your – quite heavy – hike to the Top of the Falls (approx. 1 hour). See where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Your driver/guide will be waiting for you to bring you back to the lodge. Overnight and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury facility) or Sambiya River lodge (Mid-range facility) or Parkside Safari Lodge (Economy facility) Meal Plan B-L-D
Day 4: Murchison Falls – Kibale. Travel time + 6 hrs
All day drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside and past traditional homesteads and farms along Albertine Rift escarpments. Fort-Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon Meals and overnight at Kyaninga lodge (luxury Lodge) or Primate lodge (Mid-range lodge) or Rweteera Safari Park (Economy facility)
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Kibale Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Walk
After early breakfast, report at Kanyanchu Tourist Centre where tourist activities begin and set out to track chimpanzee in the forest. Chances of viewing the chimps are over 90% but not a guarantee. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the beautiful and stunning forests in Uganda. It is home to our closest living relatives the endangered Chimpanzee, the threatened red colobus monkey and the rare L’Hoest’s monkey. The forest also boasts of having one of the highest diversity and density of primates in Africa totaling 13 species including the Black and white colobus, blue monkey, Grey-cheeked mangabey, Red tailed monkey and Bush babies and Pottos.
After lunch visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary from where you will take on a guided walk around the Swamp which will provide you with the opportunity to see a wide range of flora and fauna. View a variety of butterflies, birds and other insects. Return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight at Kyaninga lodge (Lodge Facility) or Primate lodge (Mid-range lodge) or Rweteera Safari Park (Economy facility) Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Have an evening tour of the crater region, visit “top of the world”, the natural bridge. On a clear day you will be able to have a view of the snow cap on the Rwenzori. Meals and overnight at Kyaninga lodge (luxury Lodge) or Primate lodge (Mid-range lodge) or Rweteera Safari Park (Economy facility)
Day 6: Kibale -Queen Elizabeth NP. Travel Time +3hrs
After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park viewing the mystical Rwenzori Mountain range for much of the journey. Check in at your accommodation facility as you wait for your lunch. After lunch, take on an afternoon safari game drive to see some of the animals such as the elephants, waterbucks, bush bucks, buffaloes and much more. Return for dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge (Lodge facility) or Parkview Safari Lodge (Midrange facility) or Simba lodge (Budget facility). Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Early morning game drives to see more animals that habit this park, that include predators’ lion. Leopard and other game. Over 500 bird species have been identified here, making it a Mecca for birdwatchers. They include the black bee-eater, 11 different species of kingfisher and several falcons, eagles and other raptors. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most outstanding treasures of Uganda and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve for Humanity under UNESCO auspices. It borders on Lake George and Lake Edward as well as Kazinga Channel in the western area of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. After lunch take a 2-hour launch cruise on the Kazinga channel. This waterway joins Lakes Edward and George, and it is filled with schools of hippos, buffaloes with elephants at the banks. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with well over 550 resident species. Mweya Safari Lodge (Lodge facility) or Parkview Safari Lodge (Midrange facility) or Simba lodge (Budget facility). Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Queen Elizabeth NP – Bwindi. Travel time +3hrs
Rise very early with your packed lunch take on a morning game drive to catch-up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. You will most likely meet grazing Hippos, Elephants, and Lions, spotted Hyenas, bush buck, waterbuck, striped jackal, comical warthogs and the elusive leopard. Proceed to Maramagambo forest. Many surprises await you here for example pythons are often observed in the crevices of the bat cave floor using the bats as a source of food. The cave is near a picturesque formerly blue lake and Hunters cave. You may also see forest birds such as bat hawks, brown eared woodpecker and other primates.
After nature walk, proceed to Ishasha. You will drive along the deep and wide dry craters that are occupied by savanna grasses and acacia. The drive takes you through the unique western rift valley escarpment and the (southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park) Ishasha sector where you will take on yet another game drive in search of tree climbing lions before proceeding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The journey takes about 4 hours but driving through interesting features. Arrive Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening. This park is home of the rare mountain gorillas. Apart from gorillas, there are a wide variety of primates to see including the blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush and green and there are streams running through it. Dinner and overnight stay at Mahogany Hot Spring lodge (Luxury facility) or Silverback Safari lodge (Mid-range facility) or Buhoma Community Banda (Budget facility) Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Bwindi Gorilla Tracking
After breakfast set off early with guides to track the gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. Bring jungle boots and rain jackets because the park is often wet. Spend time in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities. 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 youngster’s frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a magnificent green swathe of dense rainforest, so ancient that survived the last ice age. A recently proclaimed World Heritage site, it’s one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and its unique, precious flora sustains roughly half of the world population of mountain gorillas – believed to number just 720. There’s also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa in which these two apes live together.
Time permitting, spend the afternoon on a community foot safari to explore the lifestyle of the people living and surrounding the park. Return to camp exhilarated to relieve the encounter with friends over a drink. Mahogany Hot Spring lodge (Luxury facility) or Silverback Safari lodge (Mid-range facility) or Buhoma Community Banda (Budget facility) Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: Bwindi – Kampala/Entebbe. Travel time +8 hrs
Return to Kampala, then Entebbe via Mbarara to Igongo Cultural Village to explore the lifestyle and the culture of the Ankole and Bahima people. With lunch en route and stop over at Equator Uganda before being transferred back to Kampala or Entebbe your evening departure flight back home. End of 10 Days Magical Uganda Gorilla Safari services!
10 days Magical Uganda Gorilla safari package includes.
- Airport transfers – Transportation by a 4wd vehicle
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Nature walks at Bigodi and Maramagambo
- Equator visit
- 2 boat trips
- One Gorilla permit per person to be secured and paid for in advance.
- Park fees
- One Kibale Chimp Permit per person
- Community visits
- Ziwa sanctuary Rhino Tour
- Services of English-speaking Driver/guide.
- Enroute lunches
- Game drives,
- 1-liter mineral water bottle per person per day during the safari
- Bungee jumping or full day white water rafting.
However, the 10 Days Magical Uganda Gorilla Safari package excludes.
- Additional sightseeing or deviation from the itinerary
- All items of personal nature such as tobacco; laundry; phone calls, etc.
- All extra costs incurred at the hotels including drinks, telephone services.
- Tip for safari guide & waiters (Highly recommended for your safari guide)
- Medical/Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
- All International Flights
- Domestic flights
- Uganda entry visa at USD 50 per person (Need to be applied for online at least 7 days before travel date)
- Any Other Items not mentioned in the inclusions list.
Optional activities on the 10 days Magical Uganda Gorilla Safari
*Hot air balloon at $380 per person
The hot air balloon safari gives you an aerial view of Murchison Falls National Park as you spot the diversity of species wildlife. The flight is taken at a tree level so as to bring you closer so that you take a good look at the beautiful scenery of Murchison Falls National Park. The hot air balloon safari costs $380 per person inclusive of the bush breakfast.