12 Days North Western Uganda Road Trip

Road trip Overview

This 12 days North western Uganda Road trip offers you an abundance of wildlife, scenery, and cultural experiences in Uganda. Gorilla and chimpanzee tracking are the highlight of this safari, but expect to see Rhinos, lions, hippos, buffaloes, leopard, elephants, and several species of birds and an abundance of dense green forest. Enjoy top of the Falls in Murchison and the tree climbing lions  and chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This journey will bring you close to nature and culture.

Road trip expectations,

• rhinoceros trekking
• Top of the Falls
•  Game drives
•  Boat Cruise
•  Chimpanzee tracking
• Bigodi wetland visit
• Tree climbing Lions
•  Gorilla tracking

Day 1.  Rhinoceros trekking – murchinson falls

Head north, with first stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a reserve of white rhinos, where it is possible to take a walk guided by a Ranger, to photograph and contemplate these endangered animals. Lunch at the Masindi Hotel, continue to the Murchison falls National Park  before stopping at the top of the mythical Murchinson Falls, a spectacle of water and foam, one of the first waterfalls of the upper Nile. Overnight at Pakuba Safari Lodge.

Day 2. Game drive and Boat cruise

Enjoy your breakfast at your hotel, after proceed to search for the wildlife species on a game drive. You will get a chance to view many species including; the giraffes, lions, elephants, buffaloes, birds and many more. You will return to the lodge for lunch and do an afternoon boat cruise. This boat will allow you get close to the water animals which include over 4000 hippos as well as the Nile crocodiles. The Nile has got many stunning bird lives which is also enjoyed while taking your boat trip; these include the bee eaters, colored king fishers, shoebill stork, grey throated and the yellow billed birds. Overnight at Pakuba Safari Lodge, on the banks of the Nile.

Day 3. Transfer to Kibale forest national park

After breakfast you will drive to Kibale forest national park. You will be able to enjoy am impressive sight of the legendary “mountains of the moon” which you will clearly see on the road to fort portal. You will as well pass through many traditional villages as you enjoy local people carrying out agriculture.

You will as well enjoy fort portal which is in the foot hills of mountain Rwenzori filled with tea plantations filled with tea plantations, after enjoying this platform of green tea, you will continue to Kibale forest national park which is one of the great rain forests in Africa. Dinner and overnight at Isunga Lodge.

Day 4.  Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland visit

Wake up so early and head to Kanyanchu by 8:00 am to start your chimpanzee trek in Kibale forest. Chimpanzees are considered to be the closest relatives of human beings since they share 98% of their DNA with that of human beings. As you proceed with the search of these beautiful chimps, you will view many other primate and animal species including the LHoests monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkey, grey cheeked mangabeys, bush babies and many bird species including yellow spotted nictor, ramped tinker, crowed eagle, as well as the elephants which are mammals. These primates are located by listening to their pant hooting calls, and then hurry to the place where they are calling from. You get a chance to observe them as they play, feed; socialize as well as jumping around the trees.  Immediately after the long trek, you will return to the lodge for lunch as you prepare to visit Bigodi wetland sanctuary where you will view more primates like the blue monkeys, baboon, otters, bush bucks, mangoose, bush pigs and many more. This place is also known for many species like the great blue turaco and the green breasted pitta.

Accommodation options; Ndali lodge (Luxury), Kibale Forest Camp/ Kibale Guest Cottages (Moderate)

Day 5. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

After breakfast, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth national park. This national park is famous for a variety of wildlife and chimpanzee species. This famous conservation has a variety of animal species including the impalas, kobs, forest hogs, elephants, buffaloes, tree climbing lions, and the cape buffaloes. This national park is also filled with many volcanic calderas which harbor many flamingos on several seasons.

Upon arrival at queen Elizabeth, you will have lunch and then do the afternoon set out for boat cruise on Kazinga channel where you will see various of animals like crocodiles, hippos, water bucks, buffaloes as well as birds like the storks, king fishers among others. Accommodation options; Katara Lodge/Mweya safari lodge (Luxury), Kasenyi Safari Camp/Ihamba Safari Lodge (Moderate), Simba safari camp (Budget)

Day 6: Game drive- Queen Elizabeth

Arise early enough and after breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive where you will see various animals like elephants, elands, antelopes, buffaloes, lions among others. After having your lunch at the lodge, you will transfer to Ishasha to see the famous tree climbing lions which can only be sighted at Queen Elizabeth in the Ishasha sector. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options; Katara Lodge/Mweya safari lodge (Luxury), Kasenyi Safari Camp/Ihamba Safari Lodge (Moderate), Simba safari camp (Budget)

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, you will  embark on the journey to Bwindi forest national park a home to mountain gorillas covering an area of 331.sq.km. Pass through the Ishasha sector where you will take the pleasure in watching tree climbing lions, also enjoy various spectacular landscapes on your way. Arrive in the park and have a guided nature walk, have dinner and an overnight stay at any lodge of your choice. Accommodation options; Chameleon hill lodge (Luxury), Four Gorillas lodge

Day 8. Gorilla trekking

After a tasty breakfast, head for briefing and later enjoy the fullness of the mist forest as you see the gentle giants and other wild life species like buffaloes, elephants, monkeys, butterflies, and different bird species. Only one hour is permitted to you with the gorillas. Locating gorillas can take a few hours or the whole day depending on how far they moved from the place they spent the previous night. After the trek, transfer to lake Bunyonyi. Accommodation at Lake Buyonyi Eco Resort

Day 9. lake buyonyi

Lake Buyonyi offers, in addition to spectacular landscapes of lush vegetation and small islands, the possibility of exploring the area on foot. In its waters are still observed specimens of African giant otter. Accommodation at Lake Buyonyi Eco Resort, Bunyonyi oveland resort, Bird nest Eco resort.

Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park

After an early morning breakfas, you will drive to lake Mburo national park which is the among Uganda’s smallest savannah national parks. It was upgraded as a national park in 1983 and it is a home to 332 bird species, animals like buffaloes, Oribis, kobs, warthogs, zebras among others. Upon arrival at the park, you will have lunch and then you will have a preparation for an unforgettable experience of the boat cruise along the lake. Still a lot of animals will be seen like crocodiles, hippos among others and the lake is also famous for its bird life, majestic fish eagles, and colorful kingfishers. If you are lucky, you might even catch a glimpse with the rare shoebill storks. Accommodation options; Mihingo Lodge (Luxury), Rwakobo Rock (Moderate), Eagles nest/ Leopard’s rest camp (Budget

Day 11: Game drive  in Mburo.

In the morning, you will have breakfast at your lodge, thereafter set out for the game drive through the park where your eyes will be fed with amazing sights and wildlife such as impalas, kobs, antelopes, also bird species. Lake Mburo has a variety of antelopes including topi, duiker, Oribis, reedbuck and klipspringer and Rothschild giraffe have recently been reintroduced. However, the heights of the park have to be the Burch ells zebra and eland which are only found in two national parks in Uganda.

Day 12 :Departure

After break fast, you will drive to Kampala as you enjoy the beautiful views with stop over at equator for photography and souvenirs and proceed to Entebbe arriving in the evening for your flight back home, this marks the end of 20 days best of Uganda road trip.

End of tour