10 Day Private Safari Itinerary
Day 1
Your DUSL safari guide will collect you from Entebbe International Airport and drive (3-4 hrs) through Uganda’s lush cultivated land and rolling green hills to Lake Mburo National Park. (an extension of the Tanzanian plains), Lake Mburo is one of two parks that you will see herds of Zebra in Uganda and an abundance of impala, eland and other ungulates (cloven hoofed animals). Bird viewing opportunities are excellent you should be able to see the African fin foot and the papyrus bush shrike . Spend the afternoon relaxing or paddle on the lake in a dugout canoe or an afternoon game drive. Overnight at your chosen accommodation (Full Board)
Day 2
Up early for a morning guided bush walk and back for breakfast before departing for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (the highlight of your trip to see the gorillas!) you will head through the highlands from altitude of about 1800 to Rukungiri, the road then drops into valleys which offers beautiful views of streams meandering down the valley. Banana and coffee plantations as well as terrace fields, depending on the day excellent views including the triangular peaks of the Virunga volcanoes of Rwanda and the Congo. On route stop for lunch then continue on your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to the Uganda’s mountain gorillas and an abundance of other wildlife. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemic-birds including the African green broadbill, Chapin’s flycatcher Dwarf honey guide and the bar tailed trogon. Adding to incredible diversity of flora and fauna. Overnight at your chosen accommodation (Full Board)
Day 3
Today you are gorilla tracking! You will need an energising breakfast and a sturdy pair of walking boots. You will need to be fit and healthy today, to take part in tracking. Reporting to the ranger station at 07.45 for registration and briefing by one of the rangers and if you require a porter/s for the journey it can be arranged here. To help carry your bags and to push/pull you when you need a little help along the climb (they will help you and you will be supporting the local community by employing porters). The guides will lead you through the forest, parting the vegetation, creepers and thick climbers to the gorillas. This trek can take from half an hour to five hours, depending where the gorillas are. You will spend an awesome hour sitting in the forest among the gorillas observing them in their natural habitat. An adventure you will never forget. From the size of the dominant silverback to the rough and tumble play of the infant’s. It is an extraordinary feeling sitting in the dense rainforest knowing you are with a few of the last remaining mountain gorillas. There are only 650 of these beautiful endangered species left in the world! Depending on your energy levels you may wish to take an afternoon walk; Self guided camp walk (20 min's) or a choice of 2 waterfall walks: Mnyaga river roughly 3 hrs or Ivy trail roughly 5.5 hrs or During your walk you may see a variety of primates, birds, butterflies and a profusion of tree ferns and orchids or simply relax on your private veranda listening to the different sounds of the forest and observing the array of birds and colourful butterflies from your lodge. 2nd night at your chosen accommodation(Full Board).
Day 4
Today we will leave Bwindi and drive through the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park the second largest in Uganda, lying north and south of the equator, covering an area of 1978km2. It encompasses both kyambura and kigezi game reserves. Today you will see an abundance of topi, buffalo and hippo, elephants among others. First we will pass through Ishasha famed for its fig trees, with spread branches and soft bark which attracts tree climbing lions! The lions climb the trees to seek a better view for prey and to avoid the heat and flies on the ground. We will stops for a packed lunch at the hippo pool, where you can relax and observe a school of hippo’s. We will continue our game drive through the Maramagambo Forest to the northern sector of the park. The park is host to a large variety and volume of wildlife. There over 610 species of bird found here including the African skimmer, Fish Eagles and Bateleur. If there is time, you may want to go on an early evening game drive. Overnight at your chosen accommodation (Full Board)
Day 5
In the morning we will leave Mweya early for the 08.00 chimp trek in Kyambura Gorge. We will then continue to take a guided walk in the mysterious Maramagambo Forest. This feels prehistoric – strangler figs, giant screw palms, and wildlife of its own: There is a bat cave, housing thousands of Egyptian fruit bats, brightly coloured lizards and geckos and for those not too squeamish: the possibility of seeing large African rock pythons that come to feed on the bats. Return to the Lodge for lunch. After lunch you will take a boat trip along the Kazinga channel (2hrs) spotting hippos, crocodiles and an abundance of birds (malachite and pied kingfishers, great white and pink-backed pelicans and the open-billed stork…) Overnight at your chosen accommodation (Full Board)
Day 6
An early start and your last chance to see chimpanzee’s before you journey to Semliki game reserve. Reporting at 8am in Kibale National Park. The walk takes you through a tropical rainforest which is home to over 13 species of primates including habituated chimpanzees, red colobus monkey, the rare l’Hoest, blue monkey, grey mangabey, Black faced vervet monkeys, baboons, galagos and bush babies after your trekking continue to Semliki Game reserve (2:15hrs). Semliki game reserve (nothing in it). originally known as the Toro game reserve was the first to be gazetted in Uganda in 1913. It was used for hunting bush meat for the kingdom. Semliki reserve is situated in the western Rift valley basin and the most diverse habitant in Africa with wonderful riparian forest gallery, rainforest, borassus palm, forest, hyperaenia grass (short), panicam maximum grass (high). The reserve holds a high chance of sighting both forest and savannah elephant and the inter-breed of both, lions, leopards rare though , kobs, buffalo , water backs, warthog……. Bird life is fantastic there are 504 recorded bishops, red-headed malimbe, red-headed weaver, western nicator, black and red-shoulder cuckoo-shrike…… Semliki is a beautiful small private tented lodge nestled on the crest of the Wasa River valley. The rooms are tented with large four poster beds, Persian carpets and en-suite bathrooms. A spot lit evening game drive will give you the chance to see fantastic nocturnal species such as , large spotted genet, African scops owl, pearl dash spotted owlet and night jars and if lucky you may spot a leopard. Overnight at Semliki Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 7
After breakfast on your balcony, climb aboard the vehicle with a packed lunch for a boat trip on Lake Albert to see the incredible and rare Shoebill, visually a cross between a dodo and a dinosaur. The lake is superb. There are sand cliffs where brightly coloured colonies of red-throated bee-eaters dart in an out of their burrows, there are waterfalls several kilometers up the lake which provide a great picnic spot, and several fishing villages along the way, virtually untouched by the ‘western world’. Then drive back to the Lodge through the borassus palm forest and the acacia savannah reveals different species of raptors and passerines. Overnight at Semliki Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 8
An early breakfast to start our 10 hour drive to Murchison Falls National Park , it stretches over 3,840km2s and is Uganda’s largest park gazetted in 1952. The park is home to many mammals and you should see Rothschild giraffe, buffalo, lion, elephant as well as several species of antelope. The vegetation has a magnificent array of borassus palm, acacia woodland, and vast savannah grassland (plains). This fall is famed for the narrow 8 meter gauge where the thunderous white waters is squeezed to a drop of 43 meters . With constant rainbow day after day. The fall was divided into two in 1962 when the Nile flooded forming the uru falls. Para safari lodge: Is situated at the northern bank of the Nile River . And is well located for game viewing within Murchison falls national park. The lodge has 54 rooms, 4 double room with king size bed and 50 rooms with twin beds. All of which have en-suite bath rooms. The swimming pool over looks the Victoria Nile with beautiful bar to relax. There is also a boutique where you can purchase local crafts, basic necessities and souvenirs. Meals are generally served as buffet We will go for an early evening walk or game drive to the Pakuba area of the park. overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 9
Morning drive to Lake Albert and the Nile delta in the lush borassus grassland. We will see Rothschild giraffe, buffalo, lion, Leopards, elephant as well as several species of antelope. Return for lunch and then a boat trip to the foot of Murchison Falls. It is a fantastic place to take a boat trip to the bottom of the fall where you see elephants and buffalo coming to the water to wallow along the Nile. A constant sighting of crocodile backs in the water and along the river banks. Sport Fishing can also be arranged. You will be able to spot an abundance of birds including; red throated be eaters, giant kingfishers, fish eagle, fish data… Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge (Full Board)
Day 10
After an early morning game drive depart the park via the top of Murchison Falls. Here you will appreciate the awesome power of the water rushing through the narrow gorge. Depart for Kampala where your guide will see you to your hotel. Overnight at your chosen accommodation (B&B) The next day, your guide will collect you from the hotel and transfer you to Entebbe International Airport for your outbound flight