13 DAYS UGANDA CHIMPANZEE, GORILLA AND BIRDING SAFARI

OVERVIEW

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This 13 days safari will start and end in Entebbe airport taking you to the most visited tourist destination areas covering Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi impenetrable National Park,  Lake Mburo National park and birding at mabamba swamp.

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Safari highlights

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• You will be welcomed in Uganda

• Explore the mighty Murchison falls national park

• Visit chimpanzees in Kibale national park

• Birding at Bigondi wetland

• Visit Queen Elizabeth national park

• Encounter the tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector

• Trek the Gorillas in there mist at Bwindi impenetrable national park

• Birding at Lake Mburo national park

• Trek the shoe bill stock at mabamba swamp.

• Visit the source of the Nile

• Trek rhinos at ziwa sanctuary

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Tour itinerary

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Day 1: Pick up from Entebbe Airport

Upon your arrival at the airport, a guide from Rwatata Safaris will meet you and transfer you to your booked lodge in Kampala. Relax for the rest of the day as you prepare to start your safari the next day. You can opt for a short city tour depending on the time of arrival.

 

Main Destination: Kampala (City)

Accommodation: Cassia Lodge

Meal plan: All meals included

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 Day 2: Bird Watching in Mabamba Swamp

Early breakfast and transfer to Mabamba Swamp 50 kms west of Kampala. Bird watch en-route to the swamps looking out for papyrus specialties such as the Papyrus Gonolek, White winged warbler, Northern brown Throated, Weyns, Golden backed, Orange weaver to mention but a few. Move to Mabamba swamps most of the birding here is done canoeing as we look out for the rare Shoebill Stork, African Water rail, Allen’s and Purple Gallinule, Squacco, Goliath, Purple, Grey Herons, a variety of Egrets, ducks .later return back to your lodge for relation and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Cassia Lodge

Meal plan: All meals included

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Day 3: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

After breakfast, transfer to Lake Mburo National Park (3-hour drive) with a stop at the equator for photographs. Expect en-route game viewing of animals such as zebra, impala, and eland. You will also see other savannah plains species and birds like the African fin foot, papyrus, bushshrike, etc. After lunch, take an afternoon boat trip on Lake Mburo to see hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, and a variety of bird species, including the rare shoebill.

Accommodation: Rwaboko rock lodge

Meal plan: All meals included

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Day 4 transfer from Lake Mburo – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: Home to 1000+ Mountain Gorillas

Wake up early for a morning game drive to catch up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. Return to the lodge for a full breakfast and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National park with an en-route game drive. The journey takes you through beautiful views of Kigezi Hills, “the Switzerland of Africa”. Have a picnic lunch en-route and relax in the evening as we wait for dinner.

Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)

Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Camp

Meal plan: All meals included

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Day 5 Gorilla Trekking Adventure

After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters (with a packed lunch and water) for a briefing, before setting off to the forest in search of the gorillas. The time taken searching for these humble giant apes is unpredictable. However, it ranges between 2-8 hours depending on their movement. The activity goes through steep rocks, winding up and down, making it tiresome. However, the thrill of encountering these giant primates far outweighs this drawback.

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Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)

Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Camp

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

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Day 6 Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Have an early breakfast, then depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. Enjoy lots of game viewing en-route, including the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. Relax after lunch at Mweya peninsular, and later go for an evening game drive to see animals like buffalo, lion, herds of elephant, bushbuck, bush pig, warthog, Deffassa waterbuck and birds like African fish eagle, pied king fishers, hamerkop and many more.

Main Destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park

 Accommodation: The Bush Lodge

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Day 7 Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel

After a cup of tea or coffee, go on a game drive and catch up with the early risers and predators heading back to their hideouts. Return for a full breakfast at the lodge, then relax as we wait for lunch. In the afternoon, go for a launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel. It is famous for the highest concentration of hippos in Africa, alongside other animals like buffaloes, and huge crocodiles basking on the shores, as well as 611 bird species.

Main Destination: Kazinga Channel (Queen Elizabeth NP)

Accommodation: The Bush Lodge

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

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Day 8 Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Have breakfast and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park through Fort Portal, amidst the great "Mountain of the Moon" (the Rwenzori mountains), offering you beautiful sceneries. Have your lunch en-route, then proceed for bird watching around kibale national park. The park is home to 13 primate species, including mangabeys, colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, bush babies, baboons and many more.

Main Destination: Kibale National Park (Chimps)

Accommodation: Chimpanzee guest house

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

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Day 9 Chimpanzee tracking in kibale forest and bird watching in Bigondi swamp

You shall have an early breakfast at the lodge then your guide will drive you to the tourist information center for  a briefing at the starting point then start Chimp tracking which may take 2- 3 hours and you will enjoy and see the chimps playing, swinging in the tree branches and patrolling. Lunch will be organized according to the trend of the day’s activities, either picnic lunch or a hot menu lunch.

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Later in the afternoon, you will have the opportunity of a guided walk through Bigodi Swamp. You may see Red Colobus Monkey, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, Red-tailed Monkey and Galagos. The forest is also home to the Scaly Francolin, Marsh Tchagra, Black-bellied Seedcracker, Green-backed Twinspot, Bicoloured Mannikin, White-naped Pigeon, Afep Pigeon, Narina’s Trogon, Joyful Greenbul, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black Bee-eater, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Roufous Flycatcher Thrush and Black-faced Rufous Warbler.

Main Destination: Kibale National Park (Chimps)

Accommodation: Chimpanzee guest house

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

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Day 10: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

Have breakfast and then proceed to Murchison Falls National Park. You will arrive in the afternoon, in time for lunch. Drive directly to the top of the falls from where the park derives its name. Here, you will see the calm Nile forcing itself through a narrow gorge of 7 meters wide to fall a distance of about 150 ft down, producing a thunderous roar of whitewater - incredible scenery.

Main Destination: Murchison Falls National Park

Accommodation: Pakuba lodge

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

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Day 11: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Launch Cruise

Have a cup of tea or coffee, then go on a game drive before dawn to catch up with the predators and early risers. Expect to see animals such as jackals, lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, giraffes, antelopes, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and many more. You will return from the game drive for a late breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon, you will go for a boat ride on the Victoria Nile. The boat trip will take you to the bottom of the falls where you will view animals like buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and plenty of water birds like fish eagles and rare shoebills, etc.

Main Destination:

Murchison Falls National Park

Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge

All meals included

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Day 12 Transfer to Jinja

Wake up early and enjoy breakfast before proceeding to Jinja. You will have a stopover at the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary to view some of the rhinos. The Rhino Tracking experience takes from 1hour to 2hours depending on where you will find the Rhinos. You will arrive in Jinja in time for lunch and to visit the source of the Nile.

Main Destination: Jinja (Town)

Accommodation: Nile Village Hotel

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Day 13: Visit Source of Nile and Transfer to Entebbe for your flight back home

After breakfast, you will drive back to Kampala. Depending on your departure time, the guide will either drop you off at the airport for your departure flight, or at the hotel for your stay.

Main Destination: Entebbe (City)

Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

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End of tour

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This tour is Included of the following

• Park fees

• Gorilla permits

• Chimp permits

• All activities

• All accommodation

• A professional driver/guide

• All transportation

• All Taxes/VAT

• Roundtrip airport transfer

• Meals

• Drinking water

• (On all days)

 

Excluded

• International flights

• (From/to home)

• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour

• Tips

• Personal items

• (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)

• Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees