UGANDA AND RWANDA ADVENTURE From £2,500 per person
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrival at Entebbe
Arrival at Entebbe International Airport.
Meet and greet at the Airport by your Guide. You will be transferred to Kisubi, our camping site on the shores of Lake Victoria. Dinner and overnight at the camp are included. (D)
Time of arrival: If you have an early morning flight you might choose to have some activities outside the camp. Some day excursions or visits can be organized for you: Ngamba Island, visit Entebbe (botanical gardens, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC)), Kampala visit. Please ask us some more information.
Lake Victoria is the largest Lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater in the world. It is about 68.000 km² and is shared by 3 East-African Countries: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Lake Victoria once supported the world’s most diverse community of freshwater fishes with more than 500 species. Today, Nile perch and Tilapia introduced as food fish have already wiped out 50% of the native species.
Accommodation : Kisubi - Base Camp
Day 2 : Kisubi - Kibale NP
Early wake up in a beautiful environment. The sun rises at 7 a.m. and your breakfast will be served by our staff. Full breakfast will be ready: tea, coffee, fruits, bread, eggs, etc. You will meet the other participants and your tour leader will brief you, giving you some general guidelines for your safari.
After breakfast we drive to Fort Portal via Mubende. Departure is foreseen at 9 a.m. This is a long trip to Western Uganda with a break for a picnic after Mubende. A stop is also foreseen at Fort Portal before heading to Kibale Forest NP.
Fort Portal is a small and attractive city. The fort was built between 1891 and 1893 and named after Sir Gerald Portal, the British Consul General of Zanzibar who arrived in Uganda in 1892 to formalise the protectorate of Uganda. He died of malaria a few months after the fort was completed.
After some shopping we will drive another hour to reach Kibale Forest and we will camp at Bigodi near Kibale Forest NP. Your Tour Leader will brief you about the next day activities with some guidelines for your chimp tracking. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Bigodi Camp Site
Day 3 : Kibale NP- Mweya (Queen Elizabeth NP)
After breakfast you leave for Kibale Forest renowned for the greatest variety and the highest concentration of primates in East-Africa. The visitors’ centre of Kanyanchu is only 5 minutes away from our camp in Bigodi. At the visitors centre the rangers are ready to escort different groups of maximum 6 persons. They will brief you about your guided nature walk in the tropical forest in search of the wild chimpanzees. This is one of the great moments of your safari!
The rangers are very knowledgeable and will answer all your questions about the forest and the chimps. Jane Goodall Institute has been assisting Uganda Wildlife Authority with the training of the rangers.
While having your guided nature walk the logistic team will clear the camp. A picnic lunch is foreseen at Kanyanchu before heading to Mweya via Fort Portal, the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth. After leaving Fort Portal you will pass by the Rwenzori Mountains. It's during the wet season that you will have the best chances to have a clear view of the Rwenzori Mountains. On our way to Mweya you will pass Kasese town and stop at the equator for a traditional picture.
You will enter Queen Elizabeth NP at the Kabatoro gate and have a short game drive on our way to Mweya camp. Mweya lies on a peninsula and your tent will be ready on your arrival. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Mweya Campsite
Activities : Bird Watching, Chimpanzee Trekking, Wildlife Viewing
Parks & places : Kibale Forest National Park (KFNP), Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4 : Mweya (Queen Elizabeth NP)
The best time for game-viewing is early in the morning! You will take the channel track which runs parallel with the Kazinga Channel and we drive slowly towards the Katunguru gate. The channel track is particularly rewarding with warthog, bushbuck, waterbuck and elephants. There are some chances in the morning hours to see the spotted hyena and leopard. We will cross the Mbarara-Kassese-Fort Portal road and drive to Kasenyi an area near to Lake George which is an interesting game viewing area. The wetlands surrounding the lake are of international importance protected by the Ramsar Convention.
Watch the spectacular fights as kobs defend their territories, look for lions as well because the high concentration of kobs attracts their predators. After the game drive we also visit the fishing village and the salt works at Kasenyi village near to Lake George. Both sites are part of Queen Elizabeth NP and local communities can develop some of their activities. It will be an opportunity for your guide to explain the conservation policies and the relationship with the local communities. (Fishing is an important activity among the local residents.)
We continue our game drive and we take the Kasenyi track when returning to Mweya camp for lunch. In the afternoon you will take the launch trip on the Kazinga Channel which many consider as a highlight of the safari. The launch trip takes 2 hours.
The Kazinga Channel is a natural channel of 36 km long between Lake George and Lake Edward. The launch trip is the most popular activity at Mweya. From the safe boat you can see elephants, hippo, nile crocodile and many water birds. The water birds are plentiful along the channel: African skimmers, African fish eagles, cormorants, saddled-billed storks, pelicans, etc. The Kazinga Channel divides Queen Elizabeth in a northern (Mweya) and southern part (Maramagambo, Kyambura, Ishasha). Landscapes will be different. The northern part is a euphorbia savannah while the southern sector is a typical acacia savannah.
After the launch trip we visit Mweya Safari Lodge and enjoy the splendid views of the channel. A drink at the bar lodge is an option before we return to the camp for an African dinner with Congolese and Ugandan dishes. After diner we sit around the campfire and we identify the nature sounds coming from the channel. You can hear the hippo, hyena and sometimes lions when they visit the peninsula area. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Mweya Campsite
Activities : Bird Watching, Wildlife Viewing
Parks & places : Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5 : Mweya (Queen Elizabeth NP)
This is the second day of Queen Elizabeth northern sector exploration. After an early morning breakfast we take another track driving to the Kabatoro main gate and we take the Katwe road to visit the Uganda Kob mating ground again. In the raining season the area around Lake George is also a very rewarding area to see some birds and to have a nice view of the Rwenzoris.
After our morning game we will drive to Katunguru and cross the Kazinga Channel to visit Maramagambo Forest which lies on the southern part of Queen Elizabeth. Lunch will be served there by our staff at Nyamusingiri in the forest. After lunch, a time for a guided nature walk into the forest. A ranger will take you to the bats cave to observe the fruit bats and the rock pythons. On the way back you will pass by the Blue Lake which is the smallest lake of the area.
After the guided nature walk we drive back to the camp along the Channel track for another game drive. There are different circuits available and this is also an excellent time to try out some other tracks for game viewing. Sometimes visitors can see the Giant forest hog. Mweya offers probably the best chances of East Africa to see them because an English scientist habituated them years ago.
BBQ in the evening and briefing around the campfire for some guidelines for your second chimpanzee tracking the next morning.(B-L-D)
Accommodation : Mweya Campsite
Activities : Bird Watching, Wildlife Viewing
Parks & places : Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6 : Kyambura - Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth NP)
Early wake up because we need to drive to Kyambura WR, a one hour drive from Mweya. For the last time you will take the Channel track trying the last chance to see leopard. Kyambura lies in the southern sector of the park and we take the main road to Mbarara and cross the Kazinga Channel at Katunguru.
The Kyambura River, about 16 km long, flows into the Kazinga Channel. On arrival, the rangers will lead us and we drive to the nearest point, where they (rangers) usually know the chimpanzees are approximately located. The rangers will give you a briefing before descending into the depths of the gorge. The nature walk takes a few hours and lunch will be served at Kyambura fig tree campsite before heading to Ishasha.
While having your nature walk, the logistic team will clear the Mweya camp and drive to Ishasha. Ishasha is about 3 hours away from Kyambura and you will have a short game drive on your way to the camp.
We camp on the banks of the Ishasha river in company of the hippos! The first night at Ishasha is always the most impressive one for visitors. At night we usually have a concert of black-and-white colobus monkeys, baboons, hyena, hippos and the roaring lions! The Ishasha River supports a narrow strip of riverine gallery forest on either side plenty of rustling wildlife. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Ishasha Campsite
Activities : Bird Watching, Gorilla Trekking, Wildlife Viewing
Parks & places : Kyambura - (QENP), Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 7 : Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth NP)
You will explore Ishasha, the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth considered by some experts as one of the most alluring game viewing area of East Africa. It's an off-the-beaten-track destination that you will surely enjoy.
We wake up early, of course, since this is the best time for observing nature. You start from the southern circuit in search of the elephants and we will drive over the plains of Ishasha in the open savannah. The southern circuit has usually large herds of buffalo, Uganda kob and topi. Near to the swamps of the southern circuit you might see even leopard. We continue and drive to the northern circuit which is the area near the main road known for its tree climbing lions. We look particularly at the many fig trees where lions like to stay. But we also visit the Uganda kob mating ground which is their preferred hunting area.
After an initial scouting expedition, we return to the camp for a lunch, we relax, observe the hippos and we take time for a shower or siesta in the shadow of the woods.
In the afternoon you will have another game drive and during the dry season we will drive you to the Edward's flats to see elephants, large herds of buffalo and different waterbirds. Occasionally we might find in this area the shoebill stork and by surprise some hunting lions.
We return late in the afternoon to enjoy the last moments of the day on the Ishasha river. After diner we sit around the campfire and enjoy the nature sounds of the woods. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Ishasha Campsite
Activities : Bird Watching, Wildlife Viewing
Parks & places : Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 8 : Ishasha - Bwindi Impenetrable NP
This is your last game drive in Queen Elizabeth. If you have missed the lions the previous days it will be the last opportunity to try again. You will start again with the northern circuit and finish your game drive with the southern part.
When returning from the morning game drive the camp will already be cleared and a picnic is served at the camp before we drive to Bwindi a journey that can take a max. of 2 hours. We shall have a stop over at Kihihi for refuelling and some shopping at the local stores. The Muzungu (the white visitors) are an attraction for the children of the village!
Bwindi is not far away and you will arrive at Buhoma in the afternoon. Time to have a cool drink, you are guests of the local community! We support the local community at Bwindi by using their services and camp site. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Buhoma Community Camp
Activities : Bird Watching, Wildlife Viewing
Parks & places : Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 9 : Gorilla trekking - Bwindi Impenetrable NP
Bwindi Impenetrable NP is a natural world heritage site. Hikers will love it, with the gorilla excursion as a high point of your safari!
Gorilla trekking is unpredictable. It's difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. The gorilla excursion can take from 2 up to 8 hours. Expect to walk along distance in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. A good physical condition is recommended. For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. A ranger will brief you on how to behave with the gorillas.
Once you are back from trekking before 5 pm, you can be entertained by orphans of the Buhoma village, with their traditional Bakiga dances. For participants who want to contribute to the orphans, we advise them to bring some used clothes or school pencils/pens. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Buhoma Community Camp
Activities : Gorilla Trekking
Parks & places : Gorilla Parks of Uganda (Bwindi & Mgahinga)
Day 10 : Bwindi - Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, while our logistic staff are clearing the camp, you can take a village walk and have a look at handcraft & blacksmith nearby. Thereafter, we depart for Lake Bunyonyi, meandering driving along the Kigezi mountains. Kigezi mountains provides more unique scenery for you to view during your trip. On the way you will have a picnic at an altitude above 2200m in the mountain tops. Arrival is foreseen in the afternoon. A relaxing moment on the shores of this wonderful lake will be welcome for most participants. Lake Bunyonyi is bilharzia free hence an ideal water for swimming and water sports. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Lake Bunyonyi Resort (*)
Activities : Bird Watching
Day 11 : Lake Bunyonyi - Kigali - Kinigi (Rwanda)
Lake Bunyonyi means place of little birds, it is a very idyllic spot that you will likely regret to leave. We drive to Kabale and join the highway to Kigali. The border is only 25 minutes way. After the border formalities we continue to Kigali and will be there for lunch.
After lunch you visit the Genocide Memorial at Gisozi and continue to Kinigi at the foothills of the Volcanoes. Overnight in Kinigi Guest House (B-L-D)
Genocide Memorials: In Rwanda you will find all over the country Memorials to remember the genocide of 1994. The most important Genocide Memorials are those of Kigali (Gisozi) where the history of the genocide is explained. A visit to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event.
Accommodation : Kinigi Guest House (*)
Activities : Cultural Activities
Parks & places : Genocide Memorial Centre - Gisozi & others
Day 12 : Gorilla Trekking - Kigali (Rwanda)
After breakfast, you will depart for the headquarters of the Park where your driver-guide will accomplish the necessary formalities for you. You will meet your ranger guide(s) for a briefing about the greatest animal experience ever!
After assigning your gorilla group we will drive you to the slopes of one of The Virunga volcanoes for your gorilla trekking. Your driver-guide will wait for you.
After the gorilla trekking, lunch at Ruhengeri and transfer to Kigali. On your way to Kigali, several stops will be made to admire the scenery. Rwanda is the country of the thousand hills! Overnight at your hotel
Accommodation : Hotel Chez Lando (**)
Activities : Gorilla Trekking
Parks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 13 : Kigali - Kabale - Mbarara - Masaka - Kisubi
After an early breakfast you will depart for Kisubi (Entebbe). You will first travel to the border (Gatuna) and join the highway to Kampala via Kabale,Mbarara and Masaka. The journey to Kisubi shall take about 10 hours. We shall have a stop on the way at Mbarara for lunch! Your tent will be ready by the time you reach the campsite!
Accommodation : Kisubi - Base Camp
Day 14 : Day Excursion (Optional on payment of supplement)
- Mabamba Wetlands (IBA): There is a fascinating and accessible wetland in Mpigi District on the shores of Lake Victoria, only 45 km from Kampala. Our guide will make a canoe trip (Canadian type) with you through the natural channels and lagoons of the immense papyrus swamps. Mabamba offers the best opportunity around Kampala to see the shoebill stork in its natural environment. We have a success rate of more than 80% . A must for every bird watcher! Lunch at Kisubi and in the afternoon a visit at the Wildlife Education Center or The Botanical Gardens at Entebbe. Relaxing on the shores of Lake Victoria at Kisubi is another option.
- Ngamba Island – Chimp Sanctuary – Jane Goodall Institute: Ngamba Island is located in Lake Victoria, 23 kms South-East of Entebbe. The island provides an ideal environment (97 acres - 45 ha) for the chimps confiscated by authorities from poachers and animal dealers. There are more than 35 orphans. They are fed four times a day and this is a spectacular moment for visitors. Good photo opportunities! Boat excursion organized with an other operator. Before taking the boat to Ngamba a visit at the Wildlife Education Center is possible.
- Visit Mabira and Jinja: On our way to Jinja we visit Mabira Forest (birds). In Jinja we take a look at the source of the Nile and we visit the spectacular rapids at Bujagali. We come back in the afternoon. Lunch in Jinja at the Nile Resort.
- Rafting the Nile: If you are up for a day full of adrenaline, then don’t miss rafting the Nile. The rafting trip starts at Jinja near the source of the Nile and will take you 25 km downstream, a trip which includes grade V rapids. The rafting conditions are considered as one of the best in the world comparable to the Colorado River (USA). This activity is offered in co-operation with specialized operator
Accommodation : Kisubi - Base Camp
Activities : Bird Watching, Rafting The Nile
Day 15 : Departure
A calm day with a flexible programme. A guided trip of Kampala city through the Owino market, Kasubi tombs, Uganda Museum and doing some shopping as wel. After lunch you will return to Kisubi. In the afternoon you can visit the Wildlife Education Centre (option) or have some relaxing moments on the shores of Lake Victoria. (B-L-D)
Another day excursion can be booked (option): Mabamba Wetlands, Ngamba Island, visit of Jinja (source and rapids of the Nile).
