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14 NIGHTS
UGANDA
JUNE
Belonging to many ethnic groups, Ugandans speak over 30 different African languages. English and Swahili are the country’s official languages. Swahili is a useful communication link with the country’s Eastern neighbors of Kenya and Tanzania, where it's also spoken. The largest group in Uganda (around a fifth of the population) are the Baganda, who live in the Kampala region and speak Luganda. Other Bantu-speaking groups include the Ankole, Toro, Banyoro and Basoga. To the east and north are groups of Nilotic/Cushitic origin, including the Teso, Karimojong, Acholi and Lango. Ugandan society is still predominantly rural with 80% of the population living in rural areas. Religion plays an important part of daily life in Uganda. Over four-fifths of Ugandans are Christian, either Protestant or Catholic. Around 10% are Muslims, a legacy of the Arab traders who came here in the 19th century.
GROUND DETAILS International arrival. Meet and greet assistance at Entebbe International airport. Transfer to Entebbe (10mins)
Accommodation: Karibu Entebbe on Half Board Room category (Standard rooms)
Just 10 minutes from Entebbe International Airport, Karibu Entebbe is a boutique hotel set in a former presidential residence. Each of our eight en-suite rooms has the same quality amenities yet each is unique in design. Spacious and airy, we’ve included everything you need for a comfortable stay. Our “Super King” sized beds with firm, quality mattresses provide a comfortable rest. Custom-designed mosquito nets hang in a non-intrusive style around the bed area, keeping you well protected as you sleep. A desk, chair and fast WiFi connection are great for business travelers, or keeping in touch with home whilst on safari. All rooms have complimentary tea and coffee making facilities with coffee sourced organically from Uganda’s own Sipi Falls. Rooms in the main house enjoy superb sunsets over Lake Victoria, whilst the rooms in the Garden open the door to exotic plants and bird life. All rooms are connected to a high-pressure water system to give a good, strong shower.
GROUND DETAILS Transfer to Mabamba Swamp at 0700HRS (Birding activity) – 2HRS Transfer to Lake Mburo (5HRS) En-route lunch
Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock on full board Room category (Cottage) Meal plan: Full board PM Game drive | Birding (Day 2 – Time allowing)
The Mabamba Swamps west of Entebbe is one of the best and most convenient places to see the elusive Shoebill. After a few minutes in a motor boat the papyrus reeds opens up into a flat grassy wetlands where a number of Shoebill can regularly be seen. The bird is easiest seen in the morning when they stalk their main prey, the mudfish or frogs, but may be spotted all day. They may stand absolutely still for long periods awaiting the movements of their prey and then suddenly strike with a marvelous speed. It is an amazing Wetlands Sanctuary to visit for the Shoebill Storks, Sitatunga Antelopes and the tropical vegetation that you see here. Carry along a good pair of Binoculars, hat, sun protection, insect repellent, light rain jacket, a backpack and bottled water. Wearing a long sleeved T-shirts and long trousers is preferable for this tour. Mabamba Swamp is a large tract of marshlands with various channels through it and it provides the perfect habitat for countless of water-birds besides the Shoebill Stork such as Swamp Flycatcher, Winding Cisticola, Malachite Kingfisher, Black-headed Weavers, Yellow-billed Duck, Long-toed Lapwing, African Jacana and Blue-headed Coucal, Banded Martin, Grey rumped and Angola Swallows, Intermediate Egret, Swamp Flycatcher, African Purple Swamp hen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco, Rufous-bellied and Purple Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron, Black Crake, African Marsh Harrier, Hamerkop, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Common Waxbill, Yellow-billed Duck, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Intermediate Egret, Osprey, Long-toed Lapwing.
Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem, located conveniently in Kiruhura District in Western Uganda. The park is situated about 30 kilometres by road east of Mbarara, the largest city in the sub-region and approximately 240 kilometres west of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks and underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. It is a home to over 350 bird species which includes the Harrier Hawk, Green Pigeon, Narina Trogon, Grey-backed Cameroptera and Double-toothed Barbet and a variety of animals such as zebras, hippopotami, impala, warthogs, elands, buffaloes, jackals, leopards. Together with 13 other lakes in the area, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. Once covered by open savanna, Lake Mburo National Park now contains much woodland as there are no elephants to tame the vegetation. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes. Birds here include : the Great White Egret, Pied Kingfisher, and brilliantly colored Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warblers, African Finfoot, African Fish Eagle, the Night Heron and many more.
Set on a massive granite outcrop, just beside Lake Mburo National Park, Rwakobo offers private thatched cottages, with solar lighting, flush toilets and solar heated showers, which blend into the natural landscape. The cottages are dotted around the hill taking advantage of rocky ledges and secluded corners. The cottages celebrate the natural lines of the surrounding wilderness. They also provide guests with real comfort and luxury that doesn’t cost the earth. The 8 comfortable and spacious cottages are dotted around the hill, all very private and offering great sunset views. The main dining area overlooks an expanse of rock that adjoins the park. This idyllic spot is situated just over 1Km from the Nshara Gate of Lake Mburo National Park. Every night (weather permitting) the friendly Rwakobo staff stoke up a camp fire so you can watch the sunset explode into a brilliant starlit sky.
GROUND DETAILS Transfer to Bwindi with picnic lunch (5.5HRS)
Accommodation: Gorilla Safari Lodge on full board Room category (Chalet) AM Boat Ride (Day 3)
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the derived from a local kikyiga word “Omubwindi and as the world suggests, the forest is almost impassable and is regarded as one of the oldest and unspoilt tropical forest dating back as 25,000 years. According to the latest mountain gorilla census, it was established that half of the World’s endangered mountain gorillas live in Bwindi. The number of mountain gorillas has been estimated to be 820 individuals and out of this, 400 hundred are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and it remains the only one in the whole World where mountain gorillas co-exist with wild chimpanzees although there is no trekking chimps since no community has been habituated. The park has several habituated gorilla families located in different sections of the Park. Three gorilla families are in Buhoma which are Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura. Ruhija side has Oruzogo, Bitukura and Kyaguriro. Nkuringo side located in the southern part has one gorilla family Nkuringo while Rushaga in the south as well has Mishaya, Nshongi, Busingye, Bweza and Kahungye making it 11 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Over 350 bird species have been recorded here and about 25 of them are Albertine endemics. Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Banded Prinia, Black faced Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Redthroated Alethe, Yellow-eyed Black-flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Chin-spot Batis, Cassin’s Grey Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Black and-white Shrike-flycatcher, White-bellied Crested-flycatcher, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Mountain Illadopsis, African Hill-Babbler, Dusky Tit, Bluethroated Brown Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Grey-headed Sunbird, Mackinnon’s Fiscal, Sooty Boubou, Pink-footed Puffback,Doherty’s Bush shrike, White-naped Raven, Montane Oriole, African Golden Oriole, Stuhlmann’s Starling, Narrow-tailed Starling, Waller’s Starling, Strange Weaver. Bwindi is cold in the mornings and in the nights with moderate temperatures between 7⁰C and 20⁰C with coldest time being June to July, while the wet seasons starts in March to May and September to November with a total annual rainfall of 2390mm.
Accommodation: Gorilla Safari Lodge on full board Room category (Chalet) Gorilla Trekking 0730HRS (Day 4)
Gorilla Safari Lodge is a relaxed and luxurious lodge on the boundary line of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Just next to the starting point of trekking the gorillas). Gorilla Safari Lodge offers its guests luxury accommodation in eighteen spacious cottages, each providing the perfect setting to relax after an exciting day of trekking. The well-appointed cottages all have solar-powered lighting, en-suite bathroom with hot and cold water and flush toilets and individual verandahs offering excellent views of the unspoiled tropical rainforest.. There is also the spa where you can have a massage after the tiresome gorilla trekking/habituation experience. The main lodge includes a restaurant, bar, lounge and campfire area overlooking the forest.
Accommodation: Gorilla Safari Lodge on full board Room category (Chalet) AM Birding Bwindi National Park (Day 5)
The Lodge is located on a peninsula within the heart of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and surrounded by the magical Rwenzori Mountains – the ‘Mountains of the Moon’. Accommodation is configured into 32 standard rooms, 12 deluxe rooms with air-conditioning and 2 suites with Fold- up sofa bed, mini-bar. Each room has a breathtaking view of the Kazinga channel and features electronic Safes, telephone, balcony, fans and en-suite bathroom. Guests may choose to dine indoors in the lodge’s elegant, formal dining room, or outside on the veranda, where the setting is enhanced by spectacular panoramic views across the Kazinga Channel. The lodge serves local and international specialties produced by its experienced chefs. Enjoy the shimmering sunset over the Lake Edward, whilst drinking a wonderful sundowner at Tembo bar. The lodge also has a Swimming pool, business centre, conference facilities health club and spa.
GROUND DETAILS Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park with picnic lunch (6HRS)
Accommodation: Mweya Safari lodge on full board Room category (Deluxe rooms) AM and PM birding and game drives PM scheduled Kazinga boat cruise on (Day 7)
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular game reserve and certainly one most scenic. Located in western Uganda, shared by districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Bushenyi, The Park is 1978km2 in size. It includes parts of Lakes Edward and George which are linked by Kazinga channel and other attractions. Accessing the park from Kampala is either on tarmac through Mbarara (420 kms) or Fort Portal via Kasese (410kms) and the Park can also be reached via Ishasha sector, which is south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Park stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of the Rwenzori range in the north, along the shores of Lake Edward to the remote Ishasha River in the south, incorporating a wide variety of habitats that range from savanna and wetlands to gallery and lowland forest.
The park has a variety of Flora and Fauna and it’s acknowledged to be a habitat for over 95 mammal species with about 612 species of birds. These include : Harlequin Quail, Blue Quail, Small (Common) Buttonquail, African Crake, White winged Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Papyrus Gonolek, Amur Falcon, Ovampo Sparrowhawk, Lowland Akalat, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Shoebill, Black Bee-eater, Caruthers’s Cisticola, Terek Sandpiper, Secretary Bird, and Temminck’s Courser. The grasslands of the park settles wildlife such as Cape buffalo, Uganda kob, waterbuck, warthlog, lion, leopard, hyena, giant forest hog as well as elephants. Topis can only be discovered in Ishasha and forest primate found in Kyambura gorge in addition to Maramagambo forest.
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
AM and PM game drives | full day game drive with picnic lunch.
Overnight at Mweya Safari lodge on full board (Deluxe room).
( Day 8 )
GROUND DETAILS Transfer to Kibale (3HRS)
Accommodation: Crater Safari Lodge on full board. Room Category (Garden Chalet)
Just a few minutes away from the lush green tropical rainforest of Kibale Forest National Park, Crater Safari Lodge offers incomparable luxury, breath-taking scenery and outstanding opportunities to observe the unique wildlife. On the banks of the Nyinabulitwa Crater Lake, Crater Safari Lodge blends perfectly with its surrounding landscape. Crater Safari Lodge is an Award winning lodge-Best Eco Lodge/Resort and featured in many international news as one of Uganda’s Luxury and Beautiful lodge. The lodge comprises of seven ultra-luxurious double/twin cottages and two larger cottages each with two rooms to sleep up to four. These family cottages are ideal for larger groups or families. All the cottages have en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water as well as solar lighting, internet access, individually designed furniture and stunning scenery around Lake Nyinabulitwa. Amenities at the lodge include a restaurant, bar, lounge, crafts shop, mobile spa facility, swimming pool and campfire area overlooking the Crater Lake.
( Day 9 )
Early breakfast at the Lodge.
Transfer to National Park gate at 0600HRS |20mins. Chimp Trekking briefing and allocation of Chimp family. Maximum 8 people per Chimp family.
Trekking duration 2 – 4hrs.
A maximum of 1HR is allocated with the Chimps. Transfer to the lodge.
Afternoon at leisure.
Overnight at Crater safari lodge on full board.
Transfer to Murchison falls at 0700HRS with picnic lunch | 6.5HRS.
PM game drive.
Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge on full board (Standard room)
(Day 11)
Murchison Falls National Park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. First gazetted as a game reserve in 1926, it is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area. The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. Murchison Falls Conservation Area is one of the oldest, and is the largest, protected area in Uganda. It is comprised of Murchison Falls National Park, Bugungu Wildlife Refuge, Karuma Wildlife Refuge and Budongo Forest Reserve which makes a total of 5,663 sq.km of space that is under some level of protection through controlled use. The park houses a combination of grasslands, wooded savannah, tropical forests, wetlands, and open water covering approximately 39,000ha at an altitude of more than 600m. The park houses 109 species of mammals, 145 tree species and over 476 bird species.
These include : Saddle-billed Stork, Sacred Ibis, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Senegal Thick-knee, Water Thick-knee, Black headed Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, Little Bittern, Osprey, Red-necked Falcon, Blue breasted Bee-eater, Vinaceous Dove and Grosbeak Weaver. Other specialties include; Buff bellied Warbler, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Bar breasted Firefinch, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Spotted Morning-Thrush, Marabou Stork, Red throated Bee-eater, Silver bird, Beautiful Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Golden-backed Weaver, White-rumped Seedeater, Pels Fishing Owl, White Crested Turaco, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Chestnutcrowned, Sparrow Weaver, Carmine Bee-eater, Night jars(Pennant-winged &Standard-winged), White rumped Canary.
AM game drive .
PM scheduled Boat Cruise and Hike to the top of the falls. En-route game drive back to the lodge.
Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge on full board (Standard rooms)
The world-famous Murchison Falls can be viewed from above and below. The power of the water is mesmerizing as the Nile forces its way through a 7 meter gap in the rocks before tumbling 40 m down over the falls with a deafening roar. And although you can walk to the bottom the best way to see it from that angle is from a boat.
GROUND DETAILS Private Boat Cruise Albert Delta at 0700HRS inclusive of Breakfast (Day 13). This activity is 4 – 5HRS
Established in 1954, Paraa Safari Lodge is in Murchison Falls National Park. The lodge is located in the north west of Uganda overlooking one of nature’s best kept secrets, the River Nile. Every Connor of the lodge boasts a sweeping view of the River Nile. The lodge offers a unique blend of comfort, relaxation and adventure. Each of the rooms is a haven of style and serenity, complete with balcony and private bathroom. The choice of accommodation at the lodge varies – a cottage, suites, double, twin and single. The Captain’s Table restaurant is located on the upper floor. This restaurant serves local and international specialties. Guests at Paraa can choose to eat inside or outside on the balcony. Special barbecues and traditional dancers make a Saturday evening at Paraa Safari Lodge an occasion to remember. The lodge’s bar is located on the upper floor of the lodge, next to the restaurant, and have inviting sofa’s, cool. Other facilities include the swimming pool, business centre, conference facilities and gift shop.
GROUND DETAILS Transfer to Entebbe at 0800HRS (7-8HRS)
Accommodation: Karibu Entebbe on Half board Category (Standard rooms)
GROUND DETAILS Transfer to Entebbe International Airport International reporting time 2.5HRS prior to departure
Entebbe”, in the local Luganda language, means a “seat” and was probably named that because it was the place where a Baganda chief sat to adjudicate legal cases in the early 1900s when the country was a British protectorate, and is now the location of the official office and residence of the President of Uganda. Entebbe sits on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. The town is situated in Wakiso District, approximately 37 kilometers southwest of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. The city experiences tropical rainforest climate as the city has no real dry season throughout the year. The driest season is January with precipitation total 65 millimeters, while the wettest season is April with precipitation total 256 millimeters). The temperature is moderated by the altitude. The hottest month is February while the coolest month is July. The municipality is located on a peninsula into Lake Victoria, covering a total area of 56.2 square kilometers, out of which 20 km2 is water. It first became a British colonial administrative and commercial center in 1893 when Sir Gerald Portal, a colonial Commissioner, used it as a base. Port Bell went on to become Kampala’s harbor. Although no ships dock there now, there is still a jetty, which was used by Lake Victoria ferries.
Entebbe is perhaps best known to Europeans as the home of Entebbe International Airport, the main international airport of Uganda, which was first opened in 1929. Entebbe airport was the scene of a hostage situation and a rescue operation in 4 July 1976, when soldiers from an elite unit of the Israeli army freed over 100 hostages following a hijacking by a group of Palestinian and German militia. Entebbe is also home to the historical site in Kigungu where the first catholic missionaries Brother Amans and Father Mon Maple Lourdel landed to establish the catholic faith in Uganda.
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