9 Days Uganda Safari

9 Days Uganda Safari

9 days Uganda safari, the 9 days Uganda safari is an extra ordinary safari where you will get an opportunity to explore the most visited national parks in Uganda including Murchison falls national park which is the largest national park in Uganda that offers wildlife viewing and boat cruise rides on River Nile, Kibale national park which is also known as the primate capital due to the fact that it harbors the highest number of chimpanzees in Uganda, queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest national park that is famously known for the tree climbing lions and other wildlife species and Bwindi impenetrable national park which harbors the endangered mountain gorillas.

 

Highlights of the 9 Days Uganda Safari

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kampala

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park

Day 3: Game drive and boat cruise

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale national park

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 6: Game drive/ lion tracking and boat cruise

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 8: Gorilla trekking

Day 9: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 of the 9 days Uganda safari

On the first day of your 9 days Uganda safari, our driver guide will welcome you after your arrival at Entebbe international airport and then transfer to Kampala where you will check in at the lodge, have dinner and overnight

Accommodation, Sheraton hotel

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park

On day 2 of your 9 days Uganda safari you will wake up, have an early breakfast and your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge and then start your journey to Murchison falls national park. Murchison falls national park is located in the northern part of Kampala and it’s the largest and most visited national park in Uganda. It takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive passing via Luwero and then to Masindi where you will have en-route lunch. After lunch you will continue the journey to the park and upon arrival, you will drive directly to the top of the falls where you will have great views of River Nile, some animal and bird species. After the top of the falls drive, you will drive to the lodge check in, have dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options: Paraa safari lodge luxury, Pakuba safari lodge mid-range or Red chilli rest camp budget.

Day 3: Game drive and Boat cruise

On the third day of your 9 days Uganda safari you will wake up, have an early breakfast and your driver guide will pick you up and transfer for the morning game drive which will start at around 7:00am. Murchison falls national park is blessed with variety of vegetation types, bird species and animal species therefore during the game drive which is commonly done in Buligi game track, you will get an opportunity of viewing most of the animals in the park such as elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, waterbucks, warthogs, antelopes among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge to have lunch and re-freshen up.

After lunch, you will go for an afternoon boat cruise on River Nile. The boat cruise ride which takes about 2 hours is an exciting activity and during the boat ride you will be able to view various animals such as the elephants, buffaloes, antelopes on the shores of the water, hippos and crocodiles in water and some water birds. The boat continues to the bottom of the falls where you will have beautiful views of the waterfall and while at the bottom of the falls, you can opt for hiking on top of the falls where you will meet your driver guide on top after hiking. Hiking to the top of the falls is an interesting and adventurous activity that takes about 45 minutes but needs someone to be physically fit. When you reach the top of the falls you will meet up with your driver guide and then drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight at the lodge that was used the previous day.

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale national park

You will wake up and have breakfast on the fourth day of your 9 days Uganda safari, meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kibale national park. Kibale is situated in southwestern Uganda and is known as the primate capital due to the fact that it harbors the highest number of chimpanzees. It’s a long journey from Murchison falls national park to Kibale national park in that it takes about 8 to 9 hours’ drive but rewarding with spectacular views of the Rwenzori mountains, Lake Albert, Lake Edward and Lake George, rift valley among others. You will have en-route lunch and stop overs to stretch your legs, take photos and then continue to the lodge where you will check in, have dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options: Primates lodge luxury, Chimpanzee guest house midrange

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park

On the fifth day of your 9 days Uganda safari you will wake up early have breakfast and then meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a briefing about the expectations during trekking and the rules and regulations. After the briefing you will be grouped into 6 people, allocated a chimpanzee group to trek and then start trekking in the jungle with a park guide who will be sharing information about the chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on their location and once the chimpanzees have been located, you will spend one hour in their presence learning more about their life style, behaviors, watching them feed, playing up in the trees as you record videos and take plenty of pictures with a flash less camera. After the one hour with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to Kanyachu Visitors Centre meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will check out of the lodge, meet up with your driver and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda situated in southwestern region.it takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive to reach Queen Elizabeth national park and upon arrival you will go for an evening game drive where you will be able to view various animal species such as the elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, bushbucks among others. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge check in, have dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options include Mweya Safari Lodge (luxury), Park View Safari Lodge (midrange) or Pumba Safari Lodge (budget).

Day 6: Morning game drive (lion tracking) and afternoon Boat cruise

On the sixth day of your 9 days Uganda safari you will wake up early have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kasenyi plains for the morning game drive or lion tracking experience. During the game drive you will see animal species such as the leopards, lions, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, buffaloes, bushbucks, warthogs, hyenas, bush pigs, and various bird species such as the papyrus gonolek, white backed night heron, yellow throated cuckoo, red chested sunbird, white winged warbler among others. After the game drive which takes about 4 to 5 hours, you will drive to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer for the afternoon boat cruise. The boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park is done on Kazinga channel, a water body that joins Lake George and Lake Edward. The boat ride starts at 2:00pm at a landing site near the luxury lodge Mweya safari lodge and takes about 2 hours. Boat cruise is an exciting and thrilling activity in that you will be able to ride close to the animals such as elephants, buffaloes, hippos, Nile crocodiles, waterbucks which will be viewed along the water banks and various water birds such as martial eagle, papyrus gonolek, pelicans, African skimmers, cormorants, African spoonbills, fish eagles, king fisher’s among others. After the boat cruise you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

You will wake up have an early breakfast on the seventh day of your 9  days Uganda safari, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park which takes about 4 hours’ drive. On your way you will pass via Ishasha sector which is found in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park and this sector is famously known for the tree climbing lions which will be viewed lazily lying up in the acacia, fig trees looking down on the antelopes grazing in the savannah plains during the game drive. It’s believed that the tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector climb trees due to heat from the ground during afternoon hours and to also run away from the tsetse flies. During the game drive in Ishasha sector you will also view other animals such as the buffaloes, elephants, antelopes and some bird species.

After the game drive in Ishasha you will have en-route lunch at Savannah Resort Hotel in Kihihi and then proceed with the journey to Buhoma sector in the northern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park, check into the lodge, relax as you prepare for an optional evening community tour. During the community tour you will visit the Batwa community who used to live in the forest many years ago before it was gazetted as a national park. You will interact with the Batwa/ pygmies as they share their lifestyle, narrating stories of how they lived in the forest, show you plants which acted as medicine to treat different illnesses among others. After the cultural tour you will transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

You will wake up and have an early breakfast on the eighth day of your 9 days Uganda safari, carry your packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the expectations, rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people to trek each habituated gorilla family and grouping of individuals  is done according to personal interests, age and physical fitness so that visitors who are not physically fit are allocated a gorilla family that is near to trek.

Each group of 8 people will be allocated a park guide and at around 8:00am, you will start trekking in the jungle where you will have views of the plants, tree species, bird species, primates like the monkeys among others. Gorilla trekking takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorilla family is located and once the gorillas are found, you will spend one hour with them in their natural habit learning more about their lifestyle, behaviors, taking photos with flash less camera, recording videos among other.

After having an encounter with the gorillas, you will trek back to the starting point where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park and then meet up with your guide and transfer back to your lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Departure to Kampala                                                             

On the last day of your 9 days Uganda safari you will wake up, have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On your way you will have a stopover at Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara district for lunch. The cultural Centre has a mini museum with displays of different cultural practices of different tribes in Uganda therefore you will be able to learn about tribes in Uganda.

After lunch you will continue the journey to the equator for photos where you will view many craft shops which sell hand made products, Art pieces and souvenirs. From the equator you will proceed to Kampala and the driver guide will drop you off at any place of convenience or drop you off at Entebbe airport for your next flight.

 End of 9 days Uganda safari

Tour includes                    

• Gorilla trekking permit
• Chimpanzee trekking permit
• Park entrance fees
• Boat cruise fees
• Lion tracking fees
• An English speaking driver guide
• Full board accommodation
• Pick up and drop off
• Vehicle and fuel
• Bottled water

Tour excludes

• Air flight tickets
• Visas
• Optional activities not included on the itinerary
• Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.

 Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking tips

Due to unpredictable weather conditions you are advised to pack or carry various essential items for your Uganda safari including

• Hiking shoes
• Garden gloves
• Long sleeved shirt and trouser
• Insect repellent
• Water proof rain jacket
• Warm sweaters
• Cotton stockings
• Water proof back pack to carry your equipment’s
• camera
• Drinking water and packed lunch from the lodge
• Porter who will carry your backpack and also give you a pull and push in steep and slippery areas.