Classic Uganda

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10 days Lodge Safari (Scheduled Departures – minimum 2 persons)

A comprehensive safari visiting most of Uganda’s top safari regions. This safari includes a scenic one-way flight to Bwindi with three nights there to allow the opportunity of trekking gorillas twice, or enjoying a community walk or some forest birding. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest, game viewing in QENP and bird-watching are also included, making this tour the ultimate trip through the highlights of Uganda.

DAY 1 – ENTEBBE ARRIVAL

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport you will be met and transferred to Hotel No.5, a new boutique hotel nestled in the leafy suburbs of Entebbe, ideally located 10 minutes from Entebbe International Airport. Entebbe is a small, quiet town located on the shores of Lake Victoria and is easy to explore on foot, boda bodas (local motorbike) or taxis. Soak up the local markets filled with clothes and crafts, shop for souvenirs in curio shops, or explore the Botanical Gardens on Lake Victoria.

  • Hotel No.5 or similar

DAY 2 – BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST

A morning transfer from your hotel to the domestic airport for your scheduled flight to Kihihi airstrip, located between Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. The flight takes about an hour and a half and you are met on arrival and driven to Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a scenic journey of about 90 minutes travelling through local villages and along mountain roads. Situated on the slopes of the Forests of Bwindi, Buhoma lodge offers uninterrupted views of the pristine rain forest canopy.

You will have the opportunity for two days of gorilla tracking (pre-booking essential). Other optional activities that may be enjoyed in and around the park include forest walks, visits to a local school or orphanage or Batwa pygmy village, and curio shopping.

Bwindi National Park, located in south-western Uganda on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, is considered the most diverse forest in Uganda. Home to over 120 mammals, 345 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies, and 160 species of trees, Bwindi is one of the richest ecosystems in East Africa. The park contains almost one half of the world’s population of the endangered Mountain Gorilla, making it an extremely valuable conservation site.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • BUHOMA LODGE or similar

DAY 3 – GORILLA TRACKING: BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

Coming face to face with mountain gorillas is a rare wildlife encounter. Experienced guides and trackers will accompany your party on an early morning trek into the dense rain forest on the mountain slopes. The opportunity to come within meters of these magnificent apes, sharing in their daily lives and experiencing their day-to-day activities, is an experience you won’t soon forget! Mountain gorillas are extremely rare with only an estimated 880 remaining in the wild. Gorilla tracking may be fairly strenuous with treks ranging from 30 mins up to six hours or longer, at high altitudes. Mountain gorillas are wild animals and, as such, sightings cannot be guaranteed. However viewing success rates are over 95%. Following the trek, return to your Lodge for a complimentary massage and, if time allows, take an optional guided afternoon forest or community walk.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • BUHOMA LODGE or similar

DAY 4 – BWINDI

After breakfast at the lodge, those with permits for a second gorilla tracking experience will depart. Depending upon individual itinerary schedules, guests not tracking gorillas may wish to enjoy other activities available in the area such as a forest walk, a visit to a local school/orphanage/hospital, or Batwa pygmy village, and some local curio shopping.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • BUHOMA LODGE or similar

DAY 5 – QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

In the morning depart Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and travel through the countryside for 2-3 hours to Ishasha in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. A brief stop is made en-route at the Ishasha Community Uplift project. Immerse yourself in Agartha’s ‘Taste of Uganda’ tour – an interactive experience for the inquisitive visitor who wonders how a rural Ugandan lady lives. Watch how local crops are transformed into staple food such as millet porridge and kalo bread.

Queen Elizabeth National Park spreads over 1,978 sq km in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and is home to a wide variety of wildlife including elephants, leopard, lions, hippos, buffalo, Uganda kob, baboon, and many species of birds. With both a riverine and savannah habitat, the park includes the southern Ishasha area with the massive Maramagambo, one of the largest surviving natural forests in Uganda.

Enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Ishasha area, searching for the plentiful wildlife and course the famous tree-climbing lion typically found in the area. You spend the next two nights in the exclusive 10 tented Ishasha Camp that offers the only luxury accommodation in this remote southern sector of QENP.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • ISHASHA WILDERNESS CAMP or similar

DAY 6 – QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

A relaxed day out and about enjoying game drives in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, rounding the day off with scenic bush sundowners.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • ISHASHA WILDERNESS CAMP or similar

DAY 7 – GAME DRIVES & BOAT CRUISE: MWEYA SECTOR

In the morning depart Ishasha to the ‘Mweya’ sector of the National Park to enjoy a leisurely boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. Kazinga’s shores are a haven for numerous birds, including many migratory species as they make their way south to warmer climates. The cruise also provides a spectacular view of the beautiful Mweya Peninsula and life in local fishing villages set along the banks. You overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge, situated on a peninsula overlooking the Kazinga Channel on one side and the Rwenzori Mountains on the other.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • MWEYA SAFARI LODGE or similar

DAY 8 – KIBALE FOREST

An early start for the journey to the Chamburu Gorge (Kyamaburu) where you can enjoy Chimpanzee trekking. It is a 2-3 hour drive through the countryside on good roads, with a brief photo opportunity stop as you cross the equator. As you set out to track the Chimpanzees the forest is alive with noise – chimpanzees can be quite active and may move quickly through the forest canopy… or, if you are lucky, you may find them resting or eating near the forest floors. It’s an exhilarating walk, in beautiful scenery. Sightings cannot be guaranteed even though they are habituated to humans.

Your safari then continues on to Kibale — one of Uganda’s enchanting forested parks. The park contains pristine lowland tropical rain forest, mountain forest, and mixed tropical deciduous forest. In addition to forest, you will also see areas of grassland and of swamp. The forest is rich in wildlife but is most noted for its primate population. Some of these are red-tailed monkey, diademed monkey, olive baboon, chimpanzee, black and white colobus. The birdlife in the forest and grasslands of the forest is abundant with almost 300 species that have been identified here. There are 144 species of butterfly in the park and a diverse population of moths and other insects.

Spend two nights at Primate Lodge that is set in a beautiful location, tucked deep in the forest and right next door to the starting point for Chimpanzee tracking excursion as well as the incredible Chimpanzee Habituation.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • PRIMATE LODGE or similar

DAY 9 – KIBALE FOREST: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING

If you are tracking the chimpanzees here, this activity will generally take place in the morning. You will either be driven or walk down to the Kibale Forest National Parks’ headquarters to meet your guides then set out to track these beguiling primates. In addition to chimpanzee trekking you can also do a forest walk (guided) during your stay, or simply enjoy the area and perhaps visit the Bigodi Swamps, or the nearby Vanilla Farm.

  • Included Meals: B,L,D
  • PRIMATE LODGE or similar

DAY 10 – ENTEBBE / DEPART

Depart after an early breakfast for the drive back to Entebbe, stopping for curio shopping on the roadside. Arrive back in Entebbe in the late afternoon.

  • Included Meals: B,L

Included

  • A fully guided safari
  • airport transfers to Entebbe/return
  • One way flight from Entebbe to Kihihi (currently USD 300.00 – subject to change on booking)
  • Accommodation in top quality camps and lodges
  • Meals as indicated
  • Bottled water in safari vehicle
  • 4×4 transport with English speaking local driver/guide
  • Park entry fees
  • Game drives in QENP & boat cruise on Kazinga Channel in QENP
  • Ishasha Community project

Excluded

  • All international flights and airport taxes
  • Personal expenses such as porters, drinks, tips, visas and travel insurance
  • Services/activities/meals not included above
  • Gorilla & Chimp tracking permits
  • Optional excursions