Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre

Your 20 days Uganda African safari adventure will begin with a driver-guide picking you from Entebbe airport. Your first encounter with Uganda’s wildlife will be at the celebrated Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), famously known as the ‘Entebbe zoo’. Only a few minutes’ drive from the airport, the zoo is the best place to begin an African safari adventure tour in Uganda. You will spend the entire afternoon exploring the zoo and its tamed wildlife residents.As the day wanes, you will drive to a comfortable lodging for dinner and overnight.

You will begin the second day of your African safari tour with a birding excursion in Mabamba bay. The wetland is situated on the edge of Lake Victoria. You will see a number of bird species. After the birding excursion, you will continue your African safari adventure with a Kampala city tour. As the evening approaches, you will drive to Jinja – a major town in the Eastern region. You will retire to your lodging for dinner and overnight in the late evening.

Jinja

One of the major highlights of an African safari tour in Uganda is visiting the source of the Nile. After having breakfast, you will head out to explore the source of the world’s longest river. Besides boat riding, there are many African safari activities to engage in while at the Nile; you can go bungee jumping, kayaking, white water rafting, horseback riding, quad biking and visiting the Itanda falls. You will later embark on a Jinja town tour in the early evening.

Sipi

After having breakfast, your African safari adventure will continue as you embark on a drive to Kapchorwa district located in the far Eastern region of the country. You will visit Kapchwora’s most outstanding tourist attraction – the Sipi falls, situated on the edge of Mount Elgon National Park near the Kenyan boarder. The Sipi falls are a series of 3 falls and are a starting point for many hikes up Mount Elgon. Later in the early evening, you will embark on a community tour. The area around Sipi is a home to the Gishu people – a tribe of indigenous coffee growers. You will tour the coffee plantations and the guides will share with you amusing facts on how coffee is grown, processed and roasted. You will also have the opportunity to interact with the locals and see how they go through the daily routine of living – they make the most out of life with the little they have.

Kidepo Valley National Park

After having breakfast, your African safari excursion will continue as you embark on a drive to Uganda’s celebrated Kidepo National Park situated in Karamoja region in the North-eastern Uganda. On your way to the park, you will make a brief stop in Kumi district to explore the famous Nyero rock paintings. Your next stop will be to Kipedo, Uganda’s most remote national park. Kidepo Valley ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses. It is a habitat to an innumerable number of mammals and wildlife species.

Kidepo Valley National Park

You will begin your day’s African safari adventure with an early breakfast before heading out for a game drive in the park’s famous Narus valley. The valley attracts a high concentration of wildlife because of its water sources. A guided game drive through this prized area is your chance to see a number of wildlife and other great mammals. You will also have a chance to sight the Kidepo and Narus rivers. After having lunch, you will embark on a cultural trail to the native Karamojong community. An African safari excursion in Kidepo is incomplete without encountering the nomadic Karamojong community. Cattle keeping and pastoralism is the life of the Karamojong people. You will be inspired by their culture and way of life. Your day’s African safari activities will end as you drive back to your lodging in the late evening.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Your day’s African safari adventure will begin with a birding excursion in one of the park’s famous bird watching spots. Birding can be done at Apoka rest camp, on the fringes of the Narus or in Namamkweny valleys. You will see a variety of bird species including; the Purple heron, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Abyssinian roller, and Clapperton’s francolin, which are endemic to Kidepo Valley. After having lunch, will embark on a nature trail to explore the park’s notable attractions. You can choose to hike up the Lomej Mountains or have a guided walk through the Narus valley, extending over a 5 km radius from Apoka Tourism Centre. You can also stroll along the banks of Kidepo river, or walk to Namamkweny valley. Later in the evening, you will visit the park’s Kanangarok hot springs located at the extreme north of the park. An African safari excursion in Kidepo offers limitless possibilities for the avid adventurer. You will retire to your lodging at the end of the day.

Murchison Falls National Park

Your day’s African safari expeditions will begin with a nice breakfast, after which you will depart from Kidepo and drive to Murchison Falls National Park – Uganda’s largest national park and the location of the prized Murchison Falls. The park is located in North-western Uganda and is a habitat to over 76 mammal species and 450 bird species. Once there, your guide will drive you to the top of falls. You can later on embark on a nature walk before retiring to your accommodation to unwind.

Murchison Falls National Park

Your day’s African safari excursions in Murchison Falls National Park will begin with a game drive at 6:30 am, You will embark on a drive in one of the park’s famous game viewing tracks; the Albert track, Buligi track and the Victoria track. Also, the area around Nyamsika gorge and its cliffs has a high concentration of game. You will see various animals including four of the big fives; lions, elephants, leopards, and the cape buffaloes. After having lunch, you will continue your African safari adventure with a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile. The sight and sound of the gushing and rushing waterfalls is soothing and breath-taking. As you sail upstream to the bottom of the falls, you will spot herds of hippos and crocodiles along the river banks. The boat cruise is also the ideal adventure for the avid birder. The area around the Nile and the Murchison falls is a habitat to a number of bird species.

Budongo

Your African safari experiences will include birding and nature walks through the Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo forests, the area around the Nile – Lake Albert delta, the Southern and Northern banks along the Nile, the various thickets and woodlands. While trailing through these areas, you will see many of primate and bird species. You will spot a variety of water birds, Savannah forest birds, and Albertine rift endemics.

Kibale National Park

After having breakfast you will report to Kaniyo – Pabidi, have a briefing about chimpanzee tracking etiquette and then hit one of the trails to begin your quest for a habituated chimp family. Chimpanzees live in communities of about 100 individuals each and tracking them can take between 2 – 6 hours. After the excursion, you will report back to your lodging, have lunch and then embark on a drive to Kibale National Park – the ideal African safari getaway for the primate lover.

Kibale National Park

Your day’s African safari excursions in Kibale will begin will begin with the park’s major highlight – chimpanzee trekking. After having breakfast, you will head out to Kanyanchu Visitor Center for a briefing from the park authorities after which you will be allocated a chimp community to track. Chimpanzees live in large communities of about 100 individuals, and a typical tracking experience lasts between 2 – 6 hours. Kibale National Park has the highest concentration of chimp population in Uganda. After your chimpanzee tracking experience, you will go for a guided nature walk in Bigodi wetland sanctuary in the late afternoon. The swamp is a habitat to over 200 bird species, and a variety of primate and mammal species including; the various kinds of monkeys, otters, bush pigs, bush bucks, sitatungas, and mongooses. The park has everything in place to guarantee an unforgettable African safari experience.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

You will depart from Kibale and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park to encounter another series of awaiting African safari adventures. On your way, you will make a brief stop in the crater lakes region to specifically explore the famous Katwe crater lake – Uganda’s largest salt mine. After exploring the lake, you will proceed to Queen Elizabeth and arrive their in the early evening, just in time for a game drive.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Your day’s African safari excursion will begin with a game drive at 6:30 am after an early breakfast. You will head out to the renowned Kasenyi plains with an experienced game ranger. The plains are a mass of African Savannah known for harboring the largest concentration of game as compared to any other section in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Besides being a habitat to big game and predators, the plains harbor various species of wetland birds. You will head back to your lodge in the early afternoon to have lunch and a brief rest before going for a boat cruise on Kazinga channel. The launch cruise along the channel is one of the most popular African safari activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You get to sit back and enjoy the sight of elephants, buffalo, bush bucks, kobs and large herds of hippos on the riverbanks and other wild animals. Besides the various mammals, the channel is a habitat for various species of water birds.

Kyambura Game Reserve (Kyambura Gorge)

Your day safari adventure will include chimpanzee trekking Kyambura gorge. After having breakfast you will have a briefing and begin your quest for an encounter with a chimp community. Besides see in the chimpanzees, the gorge is a habitat to many other primate species and an inexhaustible number of bird life. After the experience in Kyambura gorge, you will head out to the park’s famous Ishasha region for another African safari tour excursion. Ishasha is situated in the Southern part of the park and is most known for its resident tree-climbing lions. You will spot them languidly stretched out in the tree branches. The region is dominated by acacia woodlands, scrub land and riparian forest at the banks of the meandering Ishasha river.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After having breakfast, you will depart from Queen Elizabeth, embarking on a drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to continue with your African safari expedition in Uganda. When you reach Bwindi, you will embark on a Batwa trail experience. This includes visiting the community where the Batwa – native forest dwellers live. You will observe and get a chance to engage in their daily routine. After the Batwa community visit, you can go for a guided nature walk in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you will encounter a variety of wildlife and bird species.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

An African safari trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is incomplete without a gorilla trekking excursion. After having breakfast, you will report at the park headquarters at around 7:30 am. You will be briefed about the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ while on a gorilla trekking excursion. A typical gorilla trekking excursion lasts between 2 – 8 hours. Hiking through the beaten trails in search of the potent giants is exerting but greatly rewarding. The hours you spent searching through the vast forest are not boring; you get to encounter a variety of mammal, primate and bird species as well as noteworthy floral and plant life.

After having breakfast, you will embark on a transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for another gratifying African safari excursion. Once you reach the Lake, you will embark on a boat cruise to tour the islands that are spread across the lake. You will be amazed by the beauty of Lake Bunyonyi and its features. For the avid birder, a boat cruise on Lake is a time to spot a variety of bird species including those that are endemic to the region. In the late afternoon, you will embark on a community tour to encounter the pygmy Batwa and the Abaheesi – a black smith community that have inhabited the area for many years. You will learn about their way of life and enjoy a series of performances from them. As the day wanes you can choose to go fishing, canoeing or cycling. Lake Bunyonyi is the ideal African safari destination for the nature lover and avid birder.

Lake Mburo National Park

After having breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park to continue with your African safari excursion. Upon reaching the park, you will embark on a game viewing drive. With the guide of a park ranger, you will drive through the demarcated trails spotting various game along the way. An African safari game drive in Lake Mburo is incomplete without seeing the; impalas, burchell’s zebras, elands, bushbucks, warthogs, reedbucks and topis. It is also very likely that you will see the elusive leopards, hyenas and jackals.

Kampala

You will have a very early breakfast and then embark on an African safari boat cruise on Lake Mburo. As you sail on the lake, you will spot; herds of hippos, buffaloes, and crocodiles at the banks. The area around the lake is also a habitat to many bird species including the rare shoebill stork. After the boat cruise, you will go for a guided nature walk through the salt lick area where you will find various wildlife licking the salty soil found there. After the nature walk, you will return to your lodging, pack your bags and then embark on a drive back to Kampala – Uganda’s capital. This will mark the end of your 20 days Uganda African Safari adventure.