15 Days Nature Sighting Safari (Gorilla, Chimps and the Big Five)

Upon arrival at Entebbe
International Airport, you will be met by a Nyana tours and travel representative who will
welcome you to the Pearl of Africa. Thereafter, you will be transferred to your booked
accommodation. Incase you have had an early landing in Uganda, you may opt for a late
afternoon ride around Kampala City. Else, just relax at the accommodation and later enjoy your
dinner plus the overnight stay. Dinner and overnight stay at Cassia Lodge.

After
breakfast, embark on a journey to Murchison Falls NP. The highlights of this park include: the
roaring rapids of the Murchison, the rolling plains of Uganda‘s largest National Park where you
will have the chance of viewing lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. Then surely
you will be fascinated by the concentration of hippos and the Nile crocodiles here. For birders,
Murchison Falls boasts 450 bird species including the elusive shoebill stork, dwarf king fisher,
the white-thigh hornbill, and the Goliath heron among others. En route, make a visit to Zziwa
Rhino sanctuary for your first Big 5 experience where you will have an hour of rhino tracking.
Another stop will be in Masindi in order to enjoy your lunch. Continue to the park and check in
to your accommodation to relax for the Evening.

Have your breakfast, depart for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of
Uganda‘s largest National Park where you will have the opportunity of viewing lions, giraffes,
hartebeest, buffalo and elephants among others. For any birder, this area supports the secretary
bird and black chested snake eagle to name a few. Return to your accommodation for some rest
time and lunch. After lunch you will head out for the boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls
where you will also be able to catch sight of more animals including Hippos and Crocodiles and
several water birds. Continue with a hike (if you like) to the top of the falls. The hike may be a
strenuous one but the thrill on reaching the top is unforgettable. Miss it only if you must. Return
to your accommodation and have a relaxed evening.

After
breakfast at your accommodation, drive to the top of the falls (if you didn‘t hike) where you will
have spectacular view of the falls before departing for Kibale NP. Else, depart right away (after
breakfast) for Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is incredibly scenic, passing through
villages, lush green countryside and hills dotted with tea plantations which characterize this part
of Uganda. Kibale NP is popular for its primates like the chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, grey
cheeked mangabeys and red-tailed monkeys. On your chimpanzee trails, these are regularly seen
swinging in the forest trees and others feeding on the wild fruits. You will reach and do little but
check into your accommodation where you will have dinner and the overnight rest.

Be up early,
have your breakfast and proceed for the breathtaking ―Top of the World Hike‖. The hike is a
popular activity with visitors to nearby Kibale Forest and Fort Portal. The most rewarding time
to take this hiking trail is early in the morning when the day is still cool. There are two trails that
you can take to the top of the world viewpoint (i.e., the easy and the more challenging trail that
most take). The hike may be a strenuous one, but you will surely be amazed by the spectacular
and unforgettable view on reaching the ―Top of the World Hike‖. Return to the accommodation
for rest time and lunch. Later, you may opt to go out for a ride around Fort Portal town and visit
places like Tooro Palace, local market among others.

Have breakfast
and head to the trekking point where you will receive some briefing on the dos and don‘ts during
chimp trekking. Thereafter, you will proceed to trek the chimps in the Kibale Forest. An
experienced ranger guide will take you chimp tracking and you will be marveled by the sights of
primates here. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will have a full hour with them. Return to
your accommodation for some rest time and lunch. Later go out for the Bigodi swamp walk. The
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is a fascinating area, located in Magombe swamp. This area is
recognized for its extensive array of biodiversity among which are several primates‘ species like
the baboons, black & white colobus monkeys, vervet monkey and the L‘Hoest monkey. The
Bigodi is also a paradise for bird watchers. Among the major bird species within the sanctuary is
the grand Blue Turaco.

After breakfast you will Exit Kibale NP and continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth NP.
Queen is Uganda‘s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain
range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park‘s diverse ecosystem which includes
sprawling savannah makes it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including
chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds. You will reach Queen early enough to rest, have
lunch and later go for a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel which joins Lake George to Lake
Edward. You will surely be fascinated by the concentrations of giant hippos, elephants and
crocodiles among others. You will also see many varieties of birds at the water shores. Return to
the accommodation for dinner and later overnight rest.

Be up early
and have your breakfast. Proceed for a morning game drive in the park, along the Kasenyi plains
and be on the look for Lions, Elephants, Leopards (though hard to spot), Bushbucks, Cape
Buffaloes, Waterbucks, Giant Forest Hogs, Uganda kob among others. Return to your
accommodation for some rest time and lunch. In the afternoon you will go for the explosion
crater drive. The drive is basically sightseeing with very spectacular view of the breathtaking
scenery in and around Queen. There is also plenty of wildlife to see along the drive although
commonest are sights of Cape Buffaloes plus Elephants. Return to the accommodation for
relaxation, dinner and the overnight stay.

Have breakfast then set
off for a breathtaking game viewing experience in the Ishasha area of Queen Elizabeth National
Park – famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is
about 70% though sometimes they are really hard to spot (most especially when they‘re down in
the grassland looking for prey). Hoping you get the chance to spot them, the sight will be
spectacular! You will also be able to see other wildlife such as the Uganda kob, Cape buffaloes,
elephants and warthogs in addition to the tree-climbing lions. Thereafter, head to the
accommodation for relaxation, dinner and later overnight.

Be up and
have your breakfast served. Go for more tree-climbing lions‘ sighting and thereafter transfer to
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda
(harbouring an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world‘s population),
including several habituated groups, which can be tracked. With a strenuous day ahead, you will
do less on arrival but just check-in your accommodation, relax as you prepare for the Bwindi
gorilla trekking experience the following day.

After an early breakfast and a briefing by a ranger
guide, you will enter the gorilla sanctuary for your adventure. The beauty of this rain forest is
spectacular! The area offers dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense but
crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken and the terrain
vary with the movements of these great primates. Once you locate a gorilla group, you will be
allowed an hour in their presence. The thrill of spending time observing these gentle and
endangered giants is an awesome, exciting experience to be long savored. Return to your lodge
for some rest time and lunch. Thereafter, you will reach and do little but relax, enjoy your dinner
and overnight stay.

Have breakfast and proceed out for the Batwa trail experience. For generations, the
Mgahinga dense forest was home to the indigenous Batwa (hunter – gatherers and fierce
warriors) who depended on the forest for shelter, food and medicine. Now, they lead visitors
through the forest and introduce them to their old home and the techniques they used to survive
in it. The remarkable trail unveils the hidden historical secret of the Batwa people. It expresses
the true cultural background of the Batwa who the famous traditional owners of the hilly forested
areas are occupied by Mgahinga Forest in the district of Kisoro. Thereafter, you will proceed to
Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation with impeccable stunning view of the Bunyonyi little islands. Lake
Bunyonyi is framed by lush, green-terraced hills that reach a height of (2,200 – 2,478m) but it‘s
the 29 islands of various shapes and sizes scattered across the water that make it most magical —
you could admire them all day.

After breakfast, you will have the option of visiting the Orugano rain Forest which
has diverse plants and animals or spend some time interacting with the Batwa (pygmies)
community who inhabit parts of the forest and its surrounding areas. Birders will treat
themselves with well over 300 bird species recorded. Alternatively, you could opt for a canoe
trek on Lake Bunyonyi which will introduce you to the major islands and their rich history but
also there will be some great time spent in traditional dugout canoe. Return to your
accommodation for lunch and relaxation probably reflecting on your trip so far….

Have
breakfast and set off to Lake Mburo NP. Drive past the intensely terraced Kigezi hill slopes into
Mbarara town and finally Lake Mburo NP. Arrive in the park in the early afternoon and take
some rest before proceeding out for the late afternoon (evening) game viewing. On the game
drive, expect to see the gigantic eland antelopes, zebras in big numbers, topis, impalas, warthogs,
Uganda kob and Cape buffalos among others. Later, relax at the accommodation where you will
spend the night.

Enjoy your early breakfast and proceed for the Mburo morning park/nature walk in the presence
of an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger/guide. On this early morning guided walk, you
often encounter hyenas that are returning to their dens after a night of being on the prowl. Also,
you will have the opportunity to encounter (at close range): Zebras, Giraffes and Eland, Topi and
other antelopes, Cape buffaloes among others. Take the Trail to the top of the hills and see Lake
Mburo and beyond. From this vantage point, you will have a great view of 9 of the twelve lakes
surrounding Lake Mburo NP. Thereafter, return to the accommodation for checkout and then hit
the road to Entebbe airport for your flight out. We hope to see you (or any referral) when next,
you visit and thanks for choosing Afritrek Safaris Uganda.