12- Day Uganda Expedition: Experience Moments with Gorillas, Wildlife and Cultural Experiences

Upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by the company staff that will transfer you to your hotel/lodge in Entebbe town for overnight stay.

Accommodation at Airport Link Guest House

Early morning, you will be picked from the hotel and begin this memorable expedition whilst taking the Eastern route of Uganda with Kapchorwa as your destination for this day.

On arrival in Sipi, you will undertake 3 hours of hiking expedition of Three Sipi falls- an exercise that increases on your adrenaline and offers beautiful sightseeing of stunning waterfalls.

If time allows, it’s intended that in the evening you go for a community walk in the environs of Sipi falls. This area/region is inhabited by the Sebei people who are still living a true traditional African lifestyle. With the community visit, you will deeply learn much about African and Ugandan culture of the Sebei people.

Accommodation: Casa Sipi Lodge

The third day of this Safari will be spent traversing the vast plains and semi-arid savannah of North Eastern Uganda with a motive of reaching Kidepo Valley National Park. Observing that this is quite a long journey, you will reach the park in the evening and check in at your lodge. Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the wildest and most spectacular reserves in Africa with a landscape of small hills, rocky outcrops and inselbergs.

While in Kidepo you can get stunning panoramic views of the Narus River Valley and wildlife such as Elephants, herds of Buffaloes, Jackals, Jackson’s Hartebeest, and Klipspringer among others.

Accommodation at Kidepo Savannah Lodge

This day will start with a morning game drive in the Narus Valley where you will have chances of encountering animals like the Hunting dog, Bat-eared Fox, Elephants, Herds of Buffaloes, Lions Antelopes and other animals endemic to Kidepo National Park like the cheetah and the striped hyena.

In the afternoon, you will have a cultural interaction with Karamajong people by visiting a homestead. You will meet the local elders and have an opportunity to interact with them as they show you the kraals, the grinding stones and many more interesting items used by them. The Karamajong are still traditionally attached to their culture and you will find out when you observe how they selflessly love and defend their cattle, their way of dressing and the nature of their houses.

Accommodation at Kidepo Savannah Lodge

You will travel from Kidepo Valley on this day and head southwards to Murchison Falls National Park which is Uganda’s largest national park and is a home to over 400 birds’ species. The park is also endowed with several attractions including mammal species with four members of the big five, the lion, the leopards, the elephants, and the Buffaloes.

Other species include bushbucks, Uganda kob, waterbucks, warthogs, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, hyenas, hippos and crocodiles among other resident creatures. You will start the day in the morning and transfer through Gulu-Uganda’s biggest town in the North.

You will continue the drive through the flat scenic landscape with local villages while enjoying the Ugandan countryside. You will arrive at Murchison Falls National Game Park in the afternoon and check in at your lodge.

Accommodation at Fort Murchison

You begin your exploration of the park with a game drive in the northern circuit of the park. There you will encounter beautiful rolling plains. While in these plains you may view Lions, Giraffes, Hartebeest, Buffalos, and Elephants, Bushbuck, Spotted hyenas, Wild cats, leopards as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For the birders, this area supports the Secretary Bird, Black Chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles Carmine and Swallow Tailed Bee-Eaters among others.

In the afternoon, you will go for a boat trip to the bottom of Murchison Falls where you will view the Nile as it thunders through a small 7-meter gap down to the delta. This experience is breath taking and the mighty thunder of the falls should not be missed! The banks of the Nile are home to many animal and bird species. You may see huge Nile Crocodiles, Hippos and other wildlife that may come down to drink from this mighty river.

After docking at the bottom of the falls, you will hike to the top of the falls and to enjoy more spectacular views of the falls. This is quite breathe taking  and it will create a long lasting memory about your Ugandan visit.

Accommodation at Fort Murchison or Heritage Safari Lodge

On this day of the safari, you will embark on the journey in the morning to Queen Elizabeth National Park and this is a long drive which takes about 8 hours.

While on the journey, you may opt for occasional stopovers to enjoy views of beautiful sceneries like the Rift valley escarpment on Lake Albert. Also, this travel gives you an opportunity to have an insight about the typical African village setup in the far countryside and various plantations.

Accommodation at The Bush Lodge

You will start the day with a game drive which will expose you to a variety of different animal species which are habitat to this park. The Park has several spots of well-maintained game viewing tracks where there are high chances of seeing animals such as elephants, buffaloes, lions and a variety of antelopes among others.

During the game drive, you will drive across the savannah and see how it changes color with the rising sun. Elephants normally come out of silhouette, antelopes gather in staggering numbers, and huge lumbering hippos charge towards the water. You will be searching for the giants and getting up close to those that dominate the landscape.

In the afternoon, you will enjoy a boat cruise on the spectacular Kazinga Channel which connects Lake Edward to Lake George.  The boat ride along the banks will give you an opportunity to see yawning hippos in water and you will see large herds of Uganda kob drinking water with their black and white spiraled horns making it suitable for fabulous photos. You will also be in position to see Nile crocodiles sunbathe on the banks while elephants disappear beneath the water poking their trunks up like snorkels. The channel also attracts several water birds like the Pelicans and the African Fish Eagle. Taking a boat cruise will therefore avail you with a chance to get into close encounter with such animals in addition to enjoying your time.

After this fun thrilling expedition, you will relax at your lodge and have dinner before retiring to your respective rooms for overnight.

Accommodation at The Bush Lodge

After a relaxed breakfast, you will travel to Bwindi Impenetrable forest for yet another memorable highlight of this safari.

Upon arrival, you will relax at your lodge in preparation of the next day’s highlight. In the alternative, you may take an evening walk around the environs of the hotel to do bird watching or meeting with the people.

Accommodation at Ride 4 Woman

Wild animals may be found elsewhere in the world! However, Gorillas are only endemic to Uganda and some parts of Rwanda and DR Congo! Still, half of the world’s population is in Bwindi-Uganda!

Early morning, you will go gorilla trekking. This amazing activity takes you through the densely forested steep hills until you finally meet these tranquil gorillas within the green plant cover. It is such a wonderful yet memorable encounter. The canopy will envelop you completely with rare and exotic flora found on every side. This is a challenging trek since it involves hiking through steep ascents and tangled trails.

Once gorillas are identified, you will be allowed a maximum time of one hour within their vicinity and then after walk out of the dense forest. Your time with the gorillas will certainly create a long lasting memory about your visit to Uganda

Accommodation at Ride 4 Woman

We wind our expedition with a deserved relaxation at Lake Bunyonyi. Laze at the shore of the lake and watch the sun sink behind the hills of Bunyonyi and Kabale! It is a nice moment to wine and enjoy the breeze of the lake! While here, you will also enjoy canoeing and swimming. Bird life is in plenty for those who can do bird watching!

Accommodation at Bunyonyi Overland Resort

We rise early and get our sights towards Entebbe! While the mood is somewhat somber due to the fact that the safari is ending, the country side offers great eye catching scenery such as the hills, vast banana plantations and herds of the indigenous Ankole cattle to keep you entertained.

You make a brief stop at the equator crossing, take the best photo shots and engage in some of the activities and experiments that people normally engage in when they reach the equator. The experiments engaged in are not scientifically tested/proved but fun to watch. These experiments involve pouring water in the basin while observing how it swirls in opposite directions in the northern & southern hemispheres of the equator line.

While here, enter the Curio and Souvenir shops and get some mementoes to keep your memories about this awesome Africa safari.