10 DAYS OF RWANDA AND UGANDA SAFARI
Airport pick up Kigali Airport
This tour will take you to visit the most popular cultural and heritage sites in Rwanda; you will also encounter unique authentic experiences regarding the culture, religion, historical and traditional lifestyle of the people. Rwanda is predominately occupied by 3 tribes since ancient times about 1000 years AC and these are the Batwa forest pygmies’ community who are the first inhabitants of the great Virunga corridor and later joined by other Bantu descendants among which are the Bantu and Baima communities. This tour offers to you a glimpse about what happened during the 1994 massacre on your visit to the famous genocide memorials in Kigali city, you will also experience Rwandese Traditional Construction activity, Kigali city tour where you will visit the local markets, museums, religious cathedrals, and observe and learn about their influence in shaping the political-social history of this country and last, have a community walk around Kigali for more enlightenment about the lifestyle of the people, as well this will come along with the exceptional birding experience in Rwanda’s capital. This particular tour can be customized to suit your varying needs and preferences depending on your budget, time, and the number of travelers. This cultural tour starts and ends in Kigali, and highly favor those with limited time to travel to other cultural destinations in Rwanda, however, this can be an extension to the long wildlife safari in Rwanda or Uganda. On this day Tour anticipates experiencing various activities such as a tour of the Ndaba rock and its magnificent waterfall and boat cruise on Kivu Lake and visiting various islands, observing and experiencing the colonial period history in Rwanda, besides Kigali city tour there is a chance to visit Karongi historical area.
Journey Time: 3hours
Accommodation: Five to Five
Meal Plan: Full Bond
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Day1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park after tracking
After breakfast, your guide will drive you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to a high concentration of Uganda’s mammals that include tree climbing and savanna lions, elephants, wart hogs, Uganda kob, water buck, cape buffalo, hippos, leopards, as well as more than 600 species of birds that include the African spoon bill, pied kingfishers, fish eagles, pelicans, vultures.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has game including Uganda kob, warthog and waterbuck. Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park. Be ready to see huge numbers of hippos and elephants, and keep your eyes on the lookout for a leopard lazing in the sunshine.
In the late afternoon you will relax at the lodge. You will stay in a nice lodge, overlooking the Lake George.
Journey Time: 3 ½
Accommodation: Kazinga wilderness
Meal Plan: All meals
Kazinga wilderness Lodge is in a unique location and has been designed and handcrafted using local materials, fitted by artisans from the local community. Overlooking Lake George in the Queen Elizabeth National Park it offers private luxury safari tents on raised wooden floors and canvas walls that can be rolled up to allow you to sit comfortably watching the Savannah Plains with breath taking views across the park and the Rwenzori and Virunga mountains.
Day2: Game drive and Kazinga CHIMP TRACKING
Today you wake up early. A little before sunrise coffee, tea and donuts will be served in the lounge before we head out for a long game drive in time to see the first rays of light. You will search for all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, and many Warthogs.
A well-deserved brunch will be served back at the lodge in the late morning.
In the afternoon you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel which joins Lake George and Lake Edward.
Here, you will see a lot of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour.
After the boat-safari you game drive back to the lodge.
Night Game Drive: The night at Queen Elizabeth National Park can be better than the day in different ways. No doubt, day time has a lot folded in it, like the game drives, launch at Kazinga Channel. The night activities/ game drive might not be so common, but in return it might be your best choice to see the wild cats closer and feel the thrill you can get close to the king of the African jungle.
What is a night game drive?
The night game drive is an activity done when the sun sets and the night falls in the wilderness of Queen Elizabeth national park, it involves the use of a strong spot light torch to see the animals more clearly in the dark. This activity helps you get closer to the animals since they shed off their human fear in the night; they can easily get closer to your vehicle; the lions can be terrific and the experience is thrilling.
A night game drive is, no doubt, the most exciting activity in Uganda so far as recorded by those who have tried it. It is good to know the best place where you can book your nocturnal game viewing, and Queen Elizabeth is highly recommended for this activity. Night game drives are also done in other national; parks like, Murchison Falls national park, and Lake Mburo, and these are the only places/ national parks where you can book for your night game drive in Uganda.
Chimpanzee tracking
Today you will wake up early to go to the park head offices to be briefed about your chimp tracking experience. KALINZU Forest National Park boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including the chimpanzees. Approximately 5,000 chimpanzees live in the wild in Uganda, which makes it a perfect place to see them.
An experienced ranger will take you chimp tracking chimp in the morning or afternoon; you might also see other monkey species that live here. Once you locate the chimpanzees you will have a full hour of eye-to-eye contact with them. Since they are wild animals, we can never guarantee you to see them and might have to settle with hearing their hoots and hollers.
In the afternoon after lunch, you will go for the guided swamp walk. The walk (2-3 hours) will take you through grassland, small communities and some beautiful scenery, where the locals are likely to greet you with enthusiastic waves. It is usual to spot three to four different primate species during this walk, though the highlight is catching a glimpse of the great blue turaco!
Optional: Chimpanzee habituation tracking
At an additional fee of only $70 US Dollar per person, you can do the chimpanzee habituation tracking instead of the regular chimpanzee tracking. This will take all day and you will be 100% sure to have a very close encounter with our cousins. Book this in time because only 6 persons per day are allowed to go. Your swamp walk can be postponed to the next morning before heading to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5 AND 6 WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN KAMPALA AND MUBENDE
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls and route Rhino sanctuary
Today’s journey will take you north from Kampala to Murchison falls national park. and route, you will visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will go for guided rhino tracking with an experienced ranger, which gives you a unique opportunity to view the rhinos from a close distance.
Kidepo Valley and Murchison Falls National Parks once had both black and white rhinos; however, widespread poaching during the Idi Amin era resulted in the disappearance of these majestic animals from the wild. Founded in 1998, Rhino Fund Uganda works to reintroduce black and white rhinos into Uganda and runs a breeding program.
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest conservation area in Uganda covering an area of over 3,840 km², The Park’s name derives from its famous waterfall: the mighty Murchison Falls, which are formed where the Victoria Nile powerfully forces its way through a narrow cleft before plunging 43m down with a thunderous roar.
The mighty Nile River divides the park into its north and south sections. At the spectacular Murchison Falls the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. As the river attracts large numbers of game, a boat safari up the Nile provides the perfect opportunity to see and photograph the animals. You will be watched by crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys and all the other thirsty wildlife that the Nile attracts, you go to the bottom of the Murchison Falls, which approaches you with a thunderous sound. By car or after a short hike you can reach the “Top of the falls” from where you have a perfect view of the extraordinary falls and the river snaking below.
You will be staying at a great mid-range lodge, overlooking the River Nile. Here you can relax during the rest of your day.
Journey Time: 7 Hours
Accommodation: Bamboo Village
Meal plan: All meals
Bamboo Village
A wonderful safari game lodge found in the Murchison Falls National Park; the lodge has been refurbished with a touch of class. It has 11 Guest rooms which are self-contained. It offers a warm and inviting atmosphere and it’s a home to a wonderful selection of birds, all the general plains game from Giraffe to Impala and innumerable species of reptiles and insects. The area is blessed with a temperate climate all year round. Accommodation is luxurious and all rooms have bathroom en suite and a terrace.
Meals are a combination of Ugandan and French cuisine with excellent Ugandan wines to complete the experience. Special diets are available on request.
Day 8: Morning game drive, Boat safari & Hike to the top of falls
Today you will wake up very early. In the early morning hours animals are the most active, the sun is not yet so bright and temperatures are cooler. It offers the best time to spot wild animals. After an early breakfast you will go on a game drive to explore the northern part of the park.
You will be eye-to-eye with the African animals like elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, different species of antelopes and many tropical birds may all be spotted during the game drive. So, keep your eyes open.
In the afternoon you will take a boat safari up the Nile River to Murchison Falls. You will be watched by crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys and all the other thirsty wildlife that the Nile attracts, you will reach the base of the 43-meter-high Falls which approach with a thunderous sound.
After the boat safari you will hike to the top of the falls. From here you will have a wonderful view and fantastic photo opportunities.
Accommodation: Bamboo Village
Meal plan: All meals
Day 9: Transfer to Kampala and plan for another transfer back to Kigali on the last day which will be on the day 10
End of the Safari