16 days of Uganda’s Big 5 experience

Welcome to Uganda!

It is without doubt that you have chosen the best destination to travel to! Uganda is one country where there is a variety of attractions to experience without stressing over long distance travels. During your 14 days travel, a cocktail of activities like Gem safaris, Boat Cruises, Nature Walks and Hikes, cultural experiences, Rhino tracking, Birding, Horse riding and Shoebill experience will be at your exposure!

Day 1

Destination: Entebbe

Travel Duration: 20 Minutes

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, your driver guide will drive you to your accommodation and brief you on the day’s activity depending on the time of your arrival. We very well understand that after a long flight, you may need to rest. This will be your call or choose from the available activities as mentioned below.

Accommodation

Hotel No.5

Activities to choose from are as follow:

Nature walk at Entebbe Botanical Gardens. The gardens were laid out in 1898 and cover an area of 40 hectares of different vegetation zones including the tropical rain forest. A variety of bird species like eagles, Owls and vultures, among many others can be sighted. Primates like Black and white colubus monkeys, vervet and Red tailed are also habitants.

Sunset cruise.  A private evening boat cruise on Lake Victoria as the sun is setting down, bonds you with Nature as the water whispers in your ears and the sun creating beautiful orange color on the lake. All this happens as you are sipping the Nile beer to remind you that you are on the largest lake in Africa and not far away from the source of the Nile.

  

Day 2

Destination: Jinja

Travel Duration: 2 Hours

Activities: Boat cruise

The bright day begins with breakfast before departing to Jinja to view the source of the longest River in the world and as well cruise on the Nile to evidently see where the Nile begins before pouring its waters to the Mediterranean Sea. The rest of the day is to relax at the Lodge and enjoy the scenic views of the mighty River Nile.

Optional activities are, quad biking, bungee jumping and white water rafting.

Accommodation

Wild waters Lodge Lemala

Day 3

Destination: Sipi Falls

Travel duration: 3-4 hours

Activities: Horseback riding and Sundowner

As the sun rises, the anticipated beautiful day will begin with early morning breakfast before embarking on our next destination. Along the way, you’ll be introduced to the horseback riding crew that will take on the activity with you. This will be conducted along the designated circuit that goes through the community, agricultural plantations, along River Nile banks and many other exciting places. The better part of the activity is not to worry whether you know how to ride or not! The instructors are part of the crew that will train you in a few minutes before the activity! It will take an hour or so before embarking to your next destination.

On arrival at Sipi falls, relax and prepare for a community experience. It as well includes visiting the high altitude running trails that have produced world’s best marathon runners like Joshua Cheptegei, Kipsiro among others. The experience is conducted by local sight guides that take you through their culture. You will be guided through coffee and banana plantations among other farmlands in the hilly areas of sipi villages and illustrated on how each is planted and harvested until ready for consumption. Sipi falls hike is one of the highlights of the region that are inevitable to miss. The water flows from the top of the ridge to downstream where you will be observing from or decide to cool off from the running water.

 

Next will be sundowner which is definitely meant to relax your mid and connect with nature’s beauty as you enjoy sceneries of both the mountainous and the far horizon flat lands that swallow the sun to no more resurrection until the next day! At the comfort of your seat, snacks and drinks will be served as you observe different coloration of the sun as it goes down.

Accommodation: Rafiki Safari Lodge

 

Day 4

Destination: Pian Upe Game reserve

Travel duration: 2-3 Hours

Activities: Hiking and Abseiling Sipi Falls and night safari

Hiking and Abseiling

You never know how breath taking an experience is until you do it! No better way of testing your fears and the happiness that comes with it, after overcoming the adrenaline in you. In other words there’s almost nothing left for you to fear after the abseiling experience! The activity begins from the top of the falls or ridge as you are well tied on the ropes and left to slide slowly until you get to the bottom while viewing different levels of the falls, agricultural fields and the scenic landscape. At the bottom of the falls, your guide will be waiting to hike with you through coffee plantations, Banana fields and local communities.

Night Safari

Pian Upe Wildlife reserve is one of the unique protected areas that are least visited and yet have a lot to offer! It’s the second largest protected area in Uganda with unique wildlife that either is hard to see in other parks or does not exist! Animals like Cheeters, Roan antelopes, Zebras, Giraffes, Leopards, among others and birds like Ostriches inhabit in the park.

At dust, accompanied by the game ranger, the night safari will commence as you are driven in the jungle in search of nocturnal animals. Animals like hyenas, jackals, Leopards, hares, Cheeters and more are likely to be encountered. Other animals to lookout for are elands, giraffes and oribis among others.

Accommodation: Uganda Wildlife Self-contained tents

Day 5

Destination: Pian Upe

Travel duration: 4-6 hours

Activity: Morning Game drive

The early morning bird calls at Pian Upe wildlife reserve will be our wake up alarm as we prepare to go for the morning safari in search of cheeters, Leopards, ostritches, Roan antelopes, Hyenas and birds in one of the remotest wilderness ever! The beautiful sceneries as well will leave you smiling and yearning for more as we traverse the jungles in hard to reach areas in search of the an expected!

Depending on your wish, we will carry packed lunch so as to spend most of the day in the wild and enjoy a picnic!

Accommodation: Uganda wildlife self-contained tents.

Day 6

Destination: Kidepo Valley National Park

Travel Duration: 4-5hours

Activity: Evening Safari

The drive from Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve to Kidepo Valley National Park will take you to Karamoja, the region well known for scenic landscapes, rich culture and abundant wildlife.

Welcome to kidepo valley national park! Ranked as one of the remotest Parks in Africa and among the top ten to visit, indeed one can’t get surprised as to why it stands out after witnessing the abundance of wildlife in big herds like buffalos, Lions climbing on top of rocks, Cheeters, huge tuskers of elephants, and the land scape as it is surrounded by mountains like Murongole and volcanic high lands, ridges, inselburgs and the valley where animals inhabit!

The evening game drive therefore, is meant to give you a glimpse of what is yet to come and prepare you for the best of the action packed in the wilderness yet to unfold! You’ll retire at the lodge after the sun disappearing in the mountains as the birds gather in their nests for bed time.

Accommodation: Apoka safari lodge

Day 7

Destination: Kidepo Valley National Park

Travel duration: 5 hours

Activities: Half day game drive, Night game drive and Bush Breakfast

Morning game drive

The day begins early as we go for the morning game drive in anticipation of viewing cats like lions, Leopards, and Cheeters among other animals when still active before retreating in their hideouts. Other animals to look out for are giraffes, Oribis, Zebras, Uganda Kobs, Jackals, Rock hyrax, hyenas and so many colorful birds that are endemic to the park like vultures, Eagles and francolins and Herons among others.

Later in the day, bush breakfast will be served then continuing with game viewing and retire at the lodge in time for lunch.

Night game drive

When all is silent in the early hours of the night, we will move out with the armed ranger, accompanied with the flash light, to search for nocturnal animals. What an experience it will be to view animals that are diurnal resting as the nocturnal are active and in search of prey! Animals to look out for are Hares, Leopards, Lions, Jackals, and so many others. The night will definitely not end the same!

 

Day 8

Destination: Kidepo Valley National Park

Travel duration: 3 hours

Activity: Full day IK cultural experience and Wildlife viewing

In a remote extreme northern end of Uganda bordering South Sudan, there lies a minority tribe called the Ik, living in the mountainous areas of Mount Murongole. They are one of the few indigenous people that lived in Uganda before the rest joined.  Their culture is best explained as “primitive” since much hasn’t changed even in the era of civilization. A visit to their community, introduces you to the previous lifestyle of human kind when civilization was at its lowest. With us, will be an armed ranger under his guidance to the mountains so as to experience their social life style in terms of traditional leadership, dances, cuisines, marriage norms, settlement, among others. This will as well be an invitation to hike.

Along the way, we may view wild Ostriches, water bucks, herds of buffalos among others.

The culture of the IK is so rich that it is deep rooted and may take quite a long time to cope with rest of the world!

Day 9

Destination: Ziwa Rhino sanctuary

Travel Duration: 6 hours

Activities: Rhino tracking

The Journey starts early as we head to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for Rhino tracking. This will see us go through rural areas of Karamoja region hence an opportunity of viewing different communities before getting to our final destination. The sceneries are breath taking as the era of volcanic eruption shaped the region into various landforms that made it unique from the rest of the country. A vast area of burnt rocks like inselburgs, mountains, highlands and partly driving on volcanic floors, makes the whole trip adventurous, to an extent geological. No fan of earth’s science with its land formation theories wouldn’t wish to physically witness the features and put to rest some of the unanswered questions.  On arrival at the sanctuary, tracking is next after some rest. The activity is conducted on foot as you walk with a ranger guide in the wild to search or locate the Rhinos. Other animals to encounter are Bush bucks, Oribis, vervet monkeys, warthogs and Uganda kobs among many others.

Accommodation: Amuka safari Lodge

 

DAY 10

Destination: Murchison falls national park

Travel duration: 4 hours

Murchison falls National Park is the largest in the country. It inhabits large numbers of mammals ranging from Nubian giraffes whose concentration is the highest in the world, lions, leopards, oribis, hartebeests, elephants and a variety of bird species. Murchison falls is one of the highlights of the trip and a unique selling product of the park. The falls are regarded the most powerful falls in the world. A narrow gorge of 7 meters wide and depth of 43 feet is occupied by waters of Victoria Nile that passes through, on her long journey to the Mediterranean Sea. The congestion of the water fighting for space produces a violent roar hence leaving a rainbow trademark.

On your way to the lodge, you will pass via the falls for one of your lifetime memorable experiences ever!

Accommodation: pakuba safari lodge

Day 11

Destination: Murchison falls national park

Activity duration: full day

Activity: Morning safari and Boat cruise

Morning Safari

For most of the safaris to be successful, an early wake is mandatory! By 6:30 Am, we start our game drive in search of the lions, leopards, Elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, hyenas and many others before they get into their hideouts. Half of the day will be spent in the wild and therefore with us, we will carry packed lunch.

Boat cruise

Boat cruise, will be next on the agenda for which you’ll enjoy another action packed of wildlife while on the mighty River Nile. On the shores of the Nile, there is always abundance of mammals that come to swim and drink water when it’s hot. Crocodiles, elephants, Hippos, Nile monitor lizards, Giraffes and so many bird species are most likely to be encountered.

Viewing Murchison falls from the bottom while on the cruise is one of the highlights of the trip not to miss out! Murchison falls are regarded to be the most powerful falls in the world. Imagine the roaring of the violent water from river nile forcing it’s way through a narrow gorge of 7 meters wide and plunging forty three feet beneath for which it always leaves a trade mark of a rainbow as it continues with the Journey to the Mediterranean sea!

 

Day 12

Destination: Kibale National Park

Travel duration: 6 hours

Activities: Relax

The journey to kibale national park will take you through scenic landscapes of lake Albert escarpment, Tea plantations, forests and local communities. You will stop for lunch enroute before arriving to your final destination.

Kibale National Park known by the nickname of the primate capital of the world inhabits 13 species of primates for which it includes Chimpanzees that are of the highest population in the world. It is also one of the few protected areas left in the world with both montane and lowland forests. No better place to track chimpanzees than this park!

Accommodation

Chimpanzee forest Lodge

Day 13

Destination: Kibale National Park

Activity: chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi swamp walk

Kibale forest National Park is ranked the first in the world with the highest population of Chimpanzees. This is over 1500 members. Some are wild and others habituated. In this particular case you are to track the habituated community of an average of 150 members that divide themselves in various groups for purposes of feeding.

The activity will resume in the morning at 8: AM by being briefed and assigned a group. You will be guided by an armed ranger in company of other security personnel and tourists. Tracking may take 2-3 hours depending on how far or close the chimpanzee could be sighted. In most cases, you are back by 11: AM.

Bigodi Swamp Walk

During tracking of chimpanzees, emphasis is always put on them hence leaving other attractions unattended to. The Swamp walk therefore offers an opportunity to look at other primate species like the black and white colobus monkeys, Red tailed monkeys, vervet, Red colobus, grey cheeked mangabeys, Lhost monkeys, Baboons, a variety of bird species, reptiles and the community experience. The activity is organized by the community surrounding the Park.

Accommodation

Chimpanzee forest Lodge

Day 14

Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Travel duratioin: 5 hours

The day’s journey ends in the magical forest of Bwindi impenetrable national park! Along the way, a gem safari  in the southern part of queen Elizabeth National Park Ishasha sector, will be conducted in search of tree climbing lions.

Gorillas for such a long time have been the highlight of almost every trip and I believe it’s not about to change anytime soon. These distant cousins that we share DNA of 98% are so adorable to watch that it’s hard to withhold tears of joy after encountering them up close and personal!

The tracking begins early in the morning at 8: AM after being briefed by the rangers in charge and assigned a group. Each group/family of gorillas is tracked by a total of 8 Tourists. A porter is highly recommended to hire so as to be help with your back pack during the trek. The activity may take 2-6 hours depending on how far or close the family you are tracking may be. Your guide will brief you on the eve of tracking day so as to be aware of the requirements before tracking. You may need to carry with you hiking boots, nature friendly clothing, rain gears and a hat. Long sleeved shirts/blouse and trousers is a must wear when going for the activity.

Accommodation:

Buhoma Haven Lodge

Day 15

Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Activity: Gorilla Tracking

Duration: 2-6 hours

Gorilla Tracking and Community experience

The Highlight of the trip to Uganda is definitely tracking Gorillas! Early in the morning you will meet the ranger guide that will be accompanied by other armed rangers, get briefed and head to the forest. In most cases, every group of gorillas is allocated eight tourists. Viewing Gorillas after locating them is one hour. Therefore gorilla tracking may take an hour to five depending on how long it takes to locate them.

A potter or helper is necessary while tracking so that he or she could give you a push or pull since the terrain is rough and steep. He also carries your luggage during the trucking. The cost for his job is 15 to 20 dollars. More about the dressing code and briefing throughout the trip can always be explained on a daily basis after dinner.

Community experience

Batwa and Bakyiga cultures dominate in the land of Gorillas. Spending time with them would expose you to a completely different lifestyle away from the one you are used to.

The Batwa community still hold onto their primitive lifestyle that they used to live before their eviction from the forest in 1991. Sharing their cultural experiences with the rest of the world gives them joy since it earns them a living. They showcase different herbs that cure different kinds of illnesses, hunting skills, and traditional dances, storytelling of their previous life, cuisines, local beer, juice and Banana wine making.

Accommodation

Buhoma Haven Lodge

Day 16

Destination: Entebbe International Airport

Duration: 9 hours by road or 1 hour by flight

Depending on the time of your flight back home, your guide will either drive you or take a domestic flight to the Airport.

Thank you for traveling with Bukiire Africa Wildlife Safari