Journey to Murchison Falls National Park for an Afternoon (Sunset) Game Drive

Murchison Falls National Park - Begin your scenic drive northwest through the renowned Luwero Triangle and Masindi Town, arriving at Murchison Falls NP just in time for lunch at the breathtaking site atop Murchison Falls. This park is Uganda’s largest wildlife reserve, bisected by the famous River Nile into two nearly equal parts, where it dramatically forces its way through the legendary Murchison Falls, a narrow 7-meter gap in the rock, creating a powerful surge of white water. During this 7-hour drive, enjoy the stunning views of the countryside.

Arrive at Murchison Falls NP in the afternoon, enjoy lunch, and embark on an afternoon game drive, where you can expect to see a variety of wildlife and hopefully spot lions and leopards. The game track network converges at Delta Point, where the Nile flows north from Lake Albert, a perfect spot for refreshments and viewing water birds and distant hippos.

Rhino Fund Uganda - Note: Tracking White Rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is optional, with an additional fee of $50 per person.

Morning (Sunrise) Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Safari on Victoria/Nile River, Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park - Start your day with a safari breakfast before dawn to begin your morning game drive at sunrise. This is the prime time for wildlife viewing as animals are most active during the “golden hours” when the first sunlight touches the savannah. You may encounter elephants, buffalo, and various antelope species, and with luck, a lion or leopard.

Return for lunch in the afternoon, then embark on a 3-hour boat safari upstream on the Victoria Nile to the falls, passing breathtaking scenery and numerous crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys, and other animals along the Nile. The boat will drop you near the waterfall for an optional hike (1-1.5 hours) to the top of the falls, available at an additional cost of $15 per person.

Top of the Falls Walk & Transfer to Kibale National Park for a Guided Walk in Nature at Amabere Caves or Crater Lakes Walk

Kibale National Park - Enjoy your last sunrise and breakfast in this beautiful National Park in Uganda with a walk to the top of Murchison Falls, lasting about 30 minutes to 1 hour, then transfer to Kibale National Park with several scenic stops along the way before reaching Fort Portal tourism city for lunch at Fort Portal Garden Restaurant.

Fort Portal - In the afternoon, after lunch, choose to go for a guided Crater Lakes and Plantation Walk. The landscape south of Fort Portal is dotted with picturesque crater lakes, some over 400m deep, offering breathtaking beauty and excellent hiking opportunities. The hikes lead through several crater lakes, villages, tea plantations, and waterfalls.

Amabere Caves - Opt for a guided nature walk at Amabere caves, where you can view stalagmites, crater lakes, birdwatching, and hill climbing. The Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru Caves are a historic site believed to be the birthplace of the founding King of the Bachwezi. The name “Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru” means ‘Breasts of Nyinamwiru,’ named after the stalactites in the caves that resemble a woman’s breasts, though some say they look more like a cow’s udder.

Visit to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary OR Optional Chimps Tracking & Transfer to Queen NP for Afternoon (Sunset) Game Drive

Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary - Start your day early with breakfast before venturing into the forest for a Swamp Walk in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, home to 8 primate species, over 200 bird species, butterflies, and various reptiles.

Kibale National Park - Alternatively, visit Kibale National Park for an optional Chimpanzee Tracking experience, where you can follow an experienced guide into the forest to observe these fascinating creatures up close. Watching them interact, groom, play, and forage is an incredible experience. While the chances of encountering chimpanzees are high during your tracking excursion compared to other locations in Uganda, it is never 100% guaranteed as they are wild animals with their own will. The park is also home to 10 other primates, including l’ hoestes, red colobus, blues, red-tailed, and gray-cheeked mangabey. The guide will provide detailed explanations about the primates and all the forest fauna and flora, ensuring an informative and enjoyable walk.

Queen Elizabeth National Park - In the afternoon, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for lunch, and later in the day, when the sun is high and animals head to the river for a drink, visit Kazinga Channel for an exciting boat safari. You’ll see more hippos than you can imagine, along with herds of elephants and buffaloes wandering to the shoreline to bathe in the cooling waters. It will be a wonderful experience.

Morning (Sunrise) Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Safari on Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park - Set out early in the morning for a game drive in the park. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forests, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Game drives in this park, with the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop, offer excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, giant forest hogs, Cape buffalo, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Topi, and bushbuck.

Return for lunch, and later in the day, when the sun is high and animals head to the river for a drink, visit Kazinga Channel for an exciting boat safari. You’ll see more hippos than you can imagine, along with herds of elephants and buffaloes wandering to the shoreline to bathe in the cooling waters. It will be a wonderful experience.

Chimps Tracking at Kalinzu Forest Reserve & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable or Mgahinga NP via Ishasha sector

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - After breakfast, drive to the “Switzerland of Africa” area known as the Kigezi Highlands, with its terraced hillsides and winding roads. Enjoy spectacular views of the mountainous countryside, offering incredible photography opportunities. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda on the rim of the Rift Valley. This “impenetrable forest” protects over 400 mountain gorillas, approximately half of the world’s population, including some habituated groups that visitors can track.

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Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is one of Uganda’s smallest and luckiest parks, home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas, and part of the Virunga massif, where over 480 mountain gorillas reside.

Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve - Stop for Chimps tracking at Kalinzu Forest Reserve and go for a game drive at Ishasha Sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park, if time allows. Ishasha is famous for its tree-climbing lions. Enjoy an extended game drive as you search for these unique lions.

Mountain Gorillas Tracking & Batwa Community Visit

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - After breakfast, hike to the park headquarters, just meters from the lodge, for a briefing by UWA guides before transferring to the starting point for gorilla tracking. Enjoy Mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable NP. Bwindi has the highest concentration of Gorillas, given its small size. The search for Gorillas takes you through the thick, untamed rainforest, scrambling over mossy rocks and through dense undergrowth. It is a challenging activity but well worth the effort. Observing Gorillas in their natural habitat is a lifetime experience. The experienced ranger guides will share a wealth of information about the history and lifestyle of these Gorillas. Your tracking experience will be an exciting, yet challenging, journey along forested slopes, tangled vines, thick vegetation, and bamboo forests before reaching the territory of these gentle giants.

Batwa Trail - After Mountain Gorillas tracking, visit the Batwa community to learn about their traditions, including traditional dance, beer making, and fire setting, among others.

Golden Monkeys Tracking & Canoe Ride on Lake Bunyonyi

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park - Similar to gorilla tracking, embark on Golden Monkey tracking, starting with a pre-tracking briefing at the park headquarters. Hiking through the forests to see the golden monkeys is less strenuous than gorilla trekking, as golden monkeys live in lower areas, so the trek lasts no more than 3 hours. Upon encountering the golden monkey family, you will have one hour to spend with them, taking photographs and observing their behavior. There is no minimum number of visitors for this activity, and the age limit is 12 years.

Lake Bunyonyi - In the afternoon, after lunch, enjoy a Canoe/Boat ride on the scenic Lake Bunyonyi. This lake is unique, allowing you to canoe to all 29 islands, including the floating Island and the punishment Island, where young girls who became pregnant before marriage were abandoned.

To Lake Mburo National Park for Afternoon (Sunset) Game Drive

Lake Mburo National Park - After an early breakfast, depart Lake Bunyonyi and drive to Lake Mburo National Park via Kabale Town. Be welcomed into the park by herds of zebra, buffalo, eland, and antelope grazing in the savannah grass.

Arrive in the afternoon, have lunch, and embark on an afternoon game drive, where you are sure to spot Zebras, Buffalos, Impalas, Warthogs, and Waterbucks, among others. Bird enthusiasts will enjoy sightings of malachite kingfishers, African Fish eagles, blue-headed weavers, Rufous-tailed starlings, herons, pelicans, the rare shoebill, and cormorants.

Morning (Sunrise) Walking Safari, Equator Experience & Departure

Lake Mburo National Park - Enjoy your last sunrise in this beautiful part of Uganda with a guided nature walk (walking safari with a guide), where you will spot Zebras, Giraffes, Eland, Topi, Antelope, and Cape buffaloes up close. Take the trail to the top of the hills to see Lake Mburo and beyond. From this vantage point, enjoy a great view of 9 of the twelve lakes surrounding Lake Mburo National Park.

Equator Entebbe - After your walking safari, your guide will drive you through beautiful scenery back to Kampala or Entebbe, or drop you off at Entebbe International Airport 3 hours before your departure time, with a stopover at the equator for an equator experience and photo opportunities.

Did this safari cover all the items on your travel bucket list? If not, don’t worry. Specializing in tailor-made tours, we can customize this program to create your dream trip. Get in touch to create your personalized itinerary.

Only breakfast, lunch, and drinking water are provided on this day.

• Ground Transportation by a 4×4 safari Van or Land Cruiser vehicle fully fuelled
• Game drives
• Full-time English-speaking Driver/Guide
• Lunch
• Boat safaris
• Dinner
• Breakfast
• Walking safaris
• Golden Monkeys Tracking at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
• Full Board Accommodation and en-route meals as indicated in the itinerary
• All Park entrance fees
• Chimps Tracking permits at Kalinzu Forest Reserve (USD 50 per person)
• All relevant Government Taxes
• Airport transfer & drinking water on all days
• Equator Experience & Photo moments
• Mountain Gorilla Tracking permits (USD 700 per person)
• Canoe/Boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi
• Batwa/Pygmies Community Visit

• Airfares (International Air tickets and airport taxes)
• Visa Fees
• Personal Insurance
• Expenses of personal nature such as; drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages), tips, laundry etc
• Accommodation & meals not indicated in the itinerary & optional activities
• Any other items which are not included in the above itinerary
• Accommodation on your first & last night in Uganda

This 10-day safari takes you on an expedition to the best destinations in Uganda. Head to Murchison Falls National Park and expect the Big Five sighting, a boat trip to the base of the falls plus a hike to the top of the falls. See the fascinating primates population in Kibale National Park or Kalinzu Forest Reserve, visit Queen Elizabeth & Lake Mburo National Parks with classic big games like the rare tree-climbing lions and most importantly, Bwindi Impenetrable/Mghahinga Gorilla National parks, for the ultimate Mountain Gorillas & Golden Monkeys expereince.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.