Wildlife & Rafting Tour 14 days

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary; is located 23kms on Lake Victoria. It is where the orphaned, confiscated and traumatized chimpanzees have been found a home to help them recover from the entire trauma that they might have gone through. In support to this program therefore, you may choose to take an overnight experience at the Island plus take a forest walk with the chimpanzee and participate in the chimp feeding or you may just go for a day or half day trip to observe the feeding and to hear more from the care takers about the lives of these chimps.  
 
Day 2 – Kampala – Murchison Falls National Park: Kampala: Today, after breakfast, you will drive to Murchison Falls National Park, via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Tracking the rhinos will take approximately 1-2 hours and you will have the opportunity to view them at very close range. Look out for one the latest addition, baby Obama (born from a Kenyan father and an American mother)! You stop for lunch in the small town of Masindi, and then continue for a further 2½ hours before reaching Murchison Falls – Uganda’s largest national park. O/N Paraa Safari lodge/ Nile safari lodge/ Murchison River lodge BLD

NB; 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 programme, as well as work to educate communities on endangered rhinos, poaching and environmental conservation.

Day 3.Murchison Falls National Park: After an early breakfast, drive to Paraa where we take a ferry across the Nile to the Northern sector of the park for game drives. Most of the game is to be found in the area north of Victoria Nile and East of the Albert Nile and Lake Albert (where the movie “Nile Queen” was filmed). Here you will enjoy your first game drive through the park.The likely game to be encountered during our drive are Elephants, Buffalo, Rothschild giraffe, Oribi, waterbuck, hartebeest, bushbuck, leopard, lion, bush pigs, mongoose, warthog, jackal, genet, hyenas, bat eared fox and Uganda Kob. Every ones challenge on this game drive is try and spot Lion or Leopard relaxing in the sunshine. In the afternoon, you will take a relaxing boat trip along the Nile to the foot of the falls. Here, you will view schools of Hippos, a dazzling array of bird life along the banks, and of course Nile Crocodiles! Listen out for the thunderous and electrifying sound of the famous waterfall as you approach its base. You will disembark from the boat and begin your hike/uphill walk to the top of the falls (approximately 45 minutes). The spectacular sight of the world’s longest river exploding through a narrow cleft in the rock into a frothing pool 43 metres below, is not to be missed! O/N Paraa Safari Lodge ORSambiya River Lodge

Day 4. Murchison Falls National Park / Kibale Forest: After breakfast, drive to Kibale Forest area via Biso, Hoima, Kyenjojo to Fort Portal with a lunch stop over en route. The approximately 9 hour drive is incredibly scenic as it takes you along the western arm of The Great African Rift Valley passing through lush green, beautiful agricultural countryside, tropical rain forests and tea plantations. On arrival at the forest, you will enter a completely different world… some serious Ape – monkey business! Although you are here specifically to track Chimps, the forest is a home to at least 12 other primate species including: the Red Tailed Monkey, Olive Baboon, Black and White Colobus Monkey, and the Blue Monkey. The bird life in the forest is also prolific and includes the beautiful Great Blue Turaco. If you are very lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of Forest Elephant and duikers. You spend the evening relaxing at the cottage, from which there is a lovely view of the forest and its wildlife. You have to bring very powerful torches to sustain the approx. 2hrs walk. Overnight; O/N Primate Lodge (cottages); Chimpanzee Guest House;

Day 5. Kibale Forest Chimpanzee Tracking: Today, you will track Chimpanzees. Kibale Forest boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including our delightful cousins, the Chimpanzees. Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 4,950 Chimps left in the wild, which makes it a perfect place to spot them!. During the trek, your ranger will point out the other species living in the forest, including birds, flora and fauna. In the afternoon, you will check out and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is Uganda’s second largest park and is located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. You will enter with a game drive. The park has prolific game, including Uganda Kob, Warthog and Waterbuck; Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park. Be prepared for huge numbers of Hippo and Elephant, and keep your eyes peeled for a Leopard lazing in the sunshine. O/N Mweya Safari Lodge; OR Simba Safari Camp or Bush Camp –QENP;

NB; In AD 150, the Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy wrote of a snow capped mountain range, deep in the heart of Africa that, he claimed, was the source of the Nile and which he called the Mountain of the Moon.Over the centuries this curious notion of tropical snow faded into mythology and, when John Speke found the Nile’s exit from Lake Victoria, a place in fiction for the Mountains of the Moon seemed assured. But then, in 1889, Henry Stanley emerged from central Africa to announce that such a mountain did exist. He mapped it by local name of Rwenjura -or rainmaker.The Rwenzori Peaks provide a magnificent backdrop to antelope-filled plains. Queen Elizabeth National Park covers about 2,000 square kilometers and spreads along the eastern shore of Lake Edward.

Day 6. Queen Elizabeth National Park: This morning we will enjoy a game drive in the park. This may include a drive to the magnificent plains of Kasenyi, crater lakes valleys, and the channel drive. Here we may spot early risers as they return to their dens from morning hunt such as lion, leopard. Herds of Uganda kob, bushbuck, waterbuck, reedbuck, African elephants and buffalos are more of the likely game. The afternoon activities will include the exciting launch/boat cruise trip of about 2 hours on Kazinga Channel, which is a home to countless hippos, as well as baboons and abundant bird life. The launch boat offers a good bird viewing spot. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best birding parks in Africa with “560” + recorded bird species and recorded “296” bird species seen in a 24 hour period. You may also watch game including the hippopotamus, Elephants, etc. The Channel is believed to have the largest concentration of world’s hippopotamus. O/N Mweya Safari Lodge; OR Simba Safari Lodge or Bush Camp -QENP

Day 7: Morning Chimpanzee tracking in Kayambura gorge: 
After an early tea/coffee, drive to Kyambura gorge with packed breakfast. We enter the Kyambura gorge for another yet different experience with the primates. Kyambura Gorge is a natural home for habituated chimpanzees; this area also supports mammals similar to those in the bush area of the park and three saline crater lakes, which attract large numbers of Flamingos. We return to our lodge and relax the rest of the evening. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari lodge/Jacana Safari Lodge

Day 8. Queen Elizabeth National Park – Ishasha Sector: This day you check out and drive to Ishasha section of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will enter with a game drive in search of tree climbing lions. The section is well known for tree climbing lions, and also has Topis’ which are not found in the other sections of this park. The Albert flats offer a nice view and the area is known for thousands of elephants too. After Lunch you will proceed to Buhoma section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. dinner and O/N Mahoganyi Springs / Buhoma Camp/ Buhoma CRC

Day 9. Bwindi National Park; Gorilla Trekking day: After an early breakfast and with our packed lunch boxes, we take a short drive or walk to the park offices for briefing about our days activities. Here you will join a group of other tourists to receive a briefing on thedos and don’t during gorilla trekking from the local head ranger guide before you begin your adventure. Each gorilla family is visited by a maximum of 8 tourists a day so you may be joined by other people on the trek. After a briefing from the park’s guides, we set out on our long anticipated adventure. The trail through the tropical rainforest is both challenging and exciting, as we walk deep into this dense jungle, alluded to by early explorers as “The Impenetrable Forest”.Your driver guide will help arrange for porters services; at least one porter per person is recommended to help with your packed lunches, cameras, water etc. You will then begin your adventure into the gorilla sanctuary. The time taken and the terrain vary (1- 8 hours) according to the movement of these gentle giants.  Gorilla trekking takes between less than an hour to 8 hours before encounter depending on the terrain.You are then allowed one hour with the gorillas before trekking back to your accommodation. O/N Mahoganyi Springs / Buhoma Camp/ Buhoma CRC

Day 10.Travel to Lake Bunyonyi 
After breakfast, we drive through the scenic Little Switzerland of Uganda with a lunch stop over at White Horse Inn Kabale. Later transfer to the edge of Lake Bunyonyi one of the Crater Lakes in this part of Uganda and belied to be the deepest in East Africa great lake region. Dinner and Overnight at Bird nest / Arcadia Cottages/ Habuharo Camp/Bushara Island Camp/Lake Bunyonyi Farout Camp/Bunyonyi Overland Camp.

Day 11:Lake Bunyonyi – Lake Mburo National Park 
Morning breakfast then take a canoe ride on this beautiful Lake to visit the Island that acted as a Leper asylum in the 1950′s.After lunch we travel to Lake Mburo National Park.You will have a chance of walking in the park which hosts, Impala, Zebra, Topi, Buffalo, Crocodile, Hippo and a variety of bird and plant life. Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge/Mantana Luxury Tented Camp/Rwonyo Rest Camp.

NBGame in this park include among others, Eland, Burchell’s  Zebra and Impala which are not found in any of our earlier visited National parks. This park is also regarded as one of the best birding sites with around 315 bird species recorded. Other sports done in this park are Horseback riding

Day 12. Lake Mburo National Park – Jinja: This morning, you will go for a game drive. You will then check out and drive to Jinja having lunch en-route.  Expected time of arrival is late afternoon hours. Dinner and O/N Haven River Lodge / Wildwtaers lodge

Day 13. Rafting: Day 13: White Water Rafting 
After breakfast, drive to Bujagali Falls where White Water Rafters enjoy rides through the Big Grade 5 white water rapids , then head for our starting point for the rafting craze! Spend the entire day rafting with lunch on the river Island. This evening, transfer to Entebbe. Dinner and overnight at The Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel.

Day 14: Departure day 
Transfer to Entebbe International Airport for Flight connections.
Option; time allowing Visit the Uganda Wildlife Education center, take a boat cruise to Ngamba chimp island..

End of Safari