21 DAYS BEST OF UGANDA LONG SAFARI

Overview

Discover Uganda’s most beautiful national parks on this 21 DAYS BEST OF UGANDA LONG SAFARI long Uganda safari.

Spend 21 Days on a safari in Uganda and get an opportunity to visit all the different sites and places that make Uganda the Pearl of Africa. This long tour takes you to all the most exciting safari destinations in Uganda including Kidepo national park, Queen Elizabeth national Park, Murchison Falls national park, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, Sipi Falls, Lake Mburo national park and Ssese Islands for a memorable Uganda holiday experience.

Safari highlights:

• Day 1: Arrival at the Airport and transfer to hotel.
• Day 2: Transfer to Jinja.
• Day 3: Transfer to Sipi Falls.
• Day 4: Transfer to Moroto.
• Day 5: Drive to Kidepo valley National Park.
• Day 6: Full day Kidepo valley National Park.
• Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls national park.
• Day 8: Full day Murchison falls – Game drives and Boat trip
• Day 9: Transfer to Kibale national park – Bigodi wetland sanctuary
• Day 10: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale national park
• Day 11: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
• Day 12: Full day Queen Elizabeth – Game drives and boat cruise
• Day 13: Queen Elizabeth – Maramagambo Forest walk and tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector.
• Day 14: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
• Day 15: Gorilla trekking
• Day 16: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park
• Day 17: Full day Lake Mburo national park – Game drives
• Day 18: Hyena/nature walk and transfer to Entebbe
• Day 19: Transfer to Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria
• Day 20: Full day Ssese Islands
• Day 21: Transfer back to Entebbe and departure

21 Days best of Uganda long safari Detailed itinerary

Day One: Arrival , pick up and transfer to hotel.

Arrival at the airport, you meet and greet with our company representative together with the driver/ guide and depending on the time of arrival, we can either do a city tour of Kampala including the Uganda Museum, Kasubi Tombs and African Craft Village.

Or transfer to the hotel (in Kampala) where you will rest, have refreshment and recover from the jet lag as we prepare for our exciting long safari in the wild the following day.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day Two: Transfer to Jinja

You will enjoy an early breakfast and start on the evenful journey to Jinja-Uganda’s former industrial town during the colonial times found in Eastern Uganda. Then en route, the drive takes you across several small towns with local food vendors hoping on people in vehicles to buy from them.

Ahead we shall see huge sugarcane and tea plantations in the Lugazi area. Passing through Mabira forest, we shall proceed and reach Jinja town where we shall visit the source of the Nile.

At the source of the Nile we shall also get a chance to see the mighty River Nile (longest river in Africa) starts its journey all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. Later we have lunch and enjoy Half day white water  rafting in the afternoon. After we shall drive to the lodge (in Jinja) to check in, dinner and overnight.

Day Three: Transfer to Sipi falls 

Rise early in the morning have breakfast, check out of the hotel with a packed lunch to Sipi Falls for a nature walk, here you will undergo a nature walk to the spectacular Sipi Falls which has its origins from Mountain Elgon and you may have a chance to see the caves, plantations of coffee, matooke along the way. Later we shall check in the hotel (Mbale) where we will have dinner and overnight.

Day Four: Transfer to Moroto through Karamong wilderness area.

Rise and shine, breakfast served early before we leave the stunning views of Sipi falls and start our journey to Moroto town, off the beaten track by going through the tribes, hoping for a market day to visit the tribes; fairly bumpy roads with a scenic reserve area and a total village set up are the highlights here.

On reaching Moroto, we shall immediately check in to the hotel, have a rest and watch the sun set in the evening. Dinner and overnight

Day Five: Drive to Kidepo valley national park.

On the fifth day, we shall make our trip to Kidepo Valley National Park. Wake up to a hot cup of Coffee / Tea and embark on a 3 hours and half drive to Kidepo National Park where you will embark on a game drive in Kidepo valley in anticipation of seeing herds of buffalos, zebras, elephants, Rothschild giraffes, hyenas, and cheetahs. You will enjoy a slow drive and you can be sure to seize picture moments while on your game drive and you can have stops at any moment.
Then we shall drive to the lodge check in and spend the evening at leisure admiring the wilderness. Dinner and overnight.

Day Six: Full day Kidepo Valley National Park

Today, we shall do a Game Drive and a cultural walk. You will enjoy breakfast as you admire the true wilderness and an out of the world experience! When breakfast is done, you will set out for another rewarding game drive through the open savannah, rocky outcrops, forests and rings of mountains. Drive extensively up to Kanangorok Hot Springs and brace yourself for photo opportunities and chances of catching sight of more wildlife especially lions sitting on the rocks as they scan the park for possible prey. Drive back to the lodge to relax and have lunch.

In the afternoon, head out for a cultural tour to the Karamajong people for a truly unique experience. The Karamajong culture is still pure and totally unique from most other tribes in Uganda; they have rejected civilization and still live like in the ancient times. The Karamajong are predominantly pastoralists and live purposely to fight for their cattle as it is in their belief that every cattle in the world belongs to them. Being face to face with them on this 21 Days best of Uganda long safari is a magical experience.

As such, fierce cattle raids still occur in the region and at times stretch to neighboring Kenya! They are a very interesting group of people with a very unique culture visible in their way of dressing, cooking, dancing and other daily life activities. A visit to the Karamajong is a truly rewarding experience you should look forward to.
Later transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day Seven: Transfer to Murchison Falls National park.

Still on this 21 Days best of Uganda long safari, Wake up Early for breakfast then leave the park in the morning with packed lunch and transfer through Gulu Uganda’s biggest town in the North. Continue through the flat scenic landscapes with local villages and enjoy the Ugandan country side.

We arrive at the park in the afternoon where we shall check in the lodge immediately to relax and enjoy the park views. Dinner and overnight.

Day Eight: Full day Murchison falls – Game drives and Boat trip

Early breakfast and go for the morning game drive in the Northern sector of the park, on a good day, you may have a chance to see animals like buffaloes, antelopes, lions, elephants and many more. Bird species may include the Black chest snake Eagle, blue napped mouse birds, the secretary bird and many more.

After the game drive we shall drive back to the lodge and relax, then have lunch. After lunch, enjoy a boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile to the bottom of the magnificent Murchison Falls where the Nile plunges through a narrow crevice and over a 40 meter drop. En route, you may be able to see the Nile crocodile, pools of hippos, water bucks and a variety of bird species then drive back to the lodge, on our way, we shall still enjoy a game drive. Dinner and overnight.

Day Nine: Transfer to Kibale National park

Early morning after breakfast we continue driving through the undulating highlands of southwestern Uganda on our way to the greener and beautiful Fort Portal area. Travelling on both asphalt and unpaved roads, you pass through traditional Ugandan Villages where you see people at work tending their traditional crops of maize sorghum and beans. The lush rolling hills of this region provide good photo opportunities. As you approach Fort Portal in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, you enter Uganda’s famous tea plantation region. A carpet of green spreads before you, as far as the eye can see, and seems an unusual contrast to the countryside through which you have just passed.

After dinner you might be interested in the optional forest walk in the evening to see the nocturnal primates such as the bush baby which has a surprising night cry, and potto.

Day Ten: Chimpanzee Trekking

Our day starts with an early breakfast before meeting our tour guide on a briefing of chimpanzee trekking in Kibaale forest. We then head off on foot to track the chimpanzees of Kibale national park, home of an impressive 500 chimpanzees. The dense jungles are considered the best place to view chimpanzees in Africa.

The chimpanzees are commonly found feeding on fig tree fruits in the game park and have been habituated to humans since 1992. The guided walk offers a great opportunity to learn more about chimpanzees and other primates along with the various creatures of the jungle. Kibale national park covers 795km squared mostly equatorial rainforest terrain. This national park is home to numerous forest wildlife species, boasting one of the highest concentrations of primates in the world. The 13 primate species include black and white colobus monkeys, grey cheeked managbey, Uganda red colobus monkeys and bush babies.

Day Eleven: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park.

Today, you will wake up to ready breakfast and check out of your lodge. You will then embark on a journey to Queen Elizabeth national park. You will arrive ready for lunch and later on the evening, pay a visit to the salt lakes of Katwe and also tour the local community. You will head to the lodge, have dinner and overnight.

 Day Twelve:  Full day Queen Elizabeth national park– Game drives and boat cruise

After coffee we set off on an early morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth Park exploring the area along Kasenyi and Queens’s Mile.

Wildlife sightings include elephants, lions, buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, warthogs and various bird species.

In the evening we embark on a two hour boat trip on Kazinga channel, getting up close to hippos, buffalos and other wildlife. The boat trip offers excellent bird watching opportunities as well as the chance to see elephants, warthogs and kobs. The banks of the channel are home to a rich variety of wildlife. This ride will leave you with an amazing experience on water. When back on the shores, you will ride back to the lodge for dinner and night.

Day Thirteen: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park.

This morning, you will depart the lodge with all your belongings and set out for a game drive in the Ishasha area bracing yourself for a chance to see the rare tree climbing lions. The climbing lions can be seen lounging in the fig trees during mid morning as they rest from the previous night’s strenuous hunt!

However it’s not a guarantee that the lions will be seen. Sometimes it depends on the luck and time of reaching the area. You will have lunch in the Ishasha sector and after proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park in preparation for your next day Gorilla trek.

Day Fourteen: Gorilla trekking Experience.

After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for briefing with your packed lunch and later go for gorilla trekking, this could take 4-8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. After trekking, meet your driver and transfer back to the hotel where you will unwind as you reflect on the memorable gorilla trek.

Day Fifteen: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After breakfast, you will start on a journey of about 4-5 hours to Lake Mburo national park. As we drive straight to our resting and chilling zone, we shall have a game drive through the park having a chance to see a number of zebras since Lake Mburo is the home for zebras.

On reaching the lodge, we shall have lunch then check in at your lodge, we can have the whole afternoon for resting, swimming , personal interests as  well as enjoying the scenic views of lake Mburo national park.

Day Sixteen: Full day Lake Mburo national park – Game drives – night game drives

On this day, you will wake up to ready breakfast at your lodge and get ready for a game drive in Lake Mburo national park were you might see some of these various mammals like buffaloes, topi, impala, zebra, jackals, leopard, warthog, bushbucks among others plus primates like the vervet monkeys, olive baboons with numerous bird species like the black billed barbet, white winged warblers and crested francolins. After this game drive, you will have lunch and then a boat cruise on Lake Mburo  were you will see water animals like the hippos, reptiles like the crocodiles, and birds like the shoebill. When this heartwarming cruise is done, you will head back to the lodge for dinner and also spend the night.

Day Eighteen: Hyena/nature walk and transfer to Entebbe

Wake up early enough and go for the morning nature walk in the park. We expect to see hyenas and other wildlife animals. Have a lunch enroute and drive to Entebbe for your next adventure.

Day Nineteen: Transfer to Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria

On this  21 Days best of Uganda long safari, you will visit Ssese islands for yet another holiday after the wilderness. Reach in the evening and relax  around the pool area of the hotel. Retire for dinner and overnight stay.

Day Twenty : Full day Ssese Islands

Day Twenty one: Transfer back to Entebbe and departure

End of your 21 Days best of Uganda long safari

Package for 21 day best of Uganda long safari includes:

• Airport transfers
• All Park entrance fees
• Game drives
• Accommodation (As stipulated in the itinerary)
• Car hire customized safari vehicle
• Service of game rangers
• Refreshments while on safari e.g. mineral water
• Services of English speaking driver guide
• All government taxes
• Meals as stipulated in the itinerary
• Other activities as stipulated in the itinerary
• Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking permits

Package 21 day best of Uganda long safari excludes:

• Tips and gratuities to hotel, camp staff
• Alcoholic drinks
• Laundry services
• All items of personal nature e.g. telephone calls
• Optional activities
• Insurance
• Visas
• Accommodation on the last day