10 nights / 11 days - Tour code: LT11DJMFKFQEBW

Vehicle: Minibus / 4wd Station Wagon
Starts and ends in Entebbe

Day One:

Meet and greet at Entebbe International Airport. Transfer to Kampala and check into Le Bougainvillea (mid-market) or Tourist Hotel (budget). Dinner at your discretion.

Day Two:

Today, spend the day in Jinja. Jinja was previously the industrial capital of Uganda. It is best known for the source of the River Nile at the now submerged Rippon Falls. Owen Falls Dam located just downstream from the source of the Nile, provides power for Uganda and parts of Kenya. The Nile starts its 4000 mile journey to the Mediterranean Sea from Lake Victoria. Join us to see the source of the Nile and the surrounding environs.

After breakfast, depart from Kampala, heading east to Jinja passing coffee, tea and sugar plantations and colorful roadside fruit and vegetable markets. First stop is at Mabira Forest to see primates, birds and butterflies and on to the Owen Falls Dam and the submerged source of the Nile. Lunch at the Black Lantern or Nile River Explorers Camp for you to enjoy a variety of sumptuous dishes on offer. This is the place to be! Spend the afternoon relaxing in the Bujagali area. Return to Kampala, arriving early evening and overnight at Le Bougainvillea or Tourist Hotel. Dinner at your discretion.

Day three:

Begin the panoramic drive northwest through the famous Luwero Triangle and Masindi Town to Murchison Falls National Park arriving in time for a picnic lunch at the spectacularly situated site at the top of the Falls where you can see the Nile's beauty perfected!! Marvel at the Nile compressing from up to 1 km, squeezing through a 7 meter canyon, dropping 150 meters with a thunderous roar, and creating a beautiful rainbow, a plume of spray and the best thing that happened to the Nile,"The Murchison Falls".

Enjoy the sunset as you drive to Paraa Safari Lodge (up market), Nile Safari Camp (upmarket to mid-market), or Red Chilli Rest Camp (budget).

Day Four:

Cross the placid Victoria Nile to the northern Bank. Your guide will help you spot Elephant, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Rothschild Giraffe, Hartebeest, Water buck, Oribi, Bush buck, Bohor Reedbuck, Hyena and if you are lucky, the Leopard. After a packed picnic lunch, go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls, stopping just tens of meters from the "Devil's Cauldron". En route, marvel at the toothsome hippos, crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch you may see Elephant, Water buck and Uganda Kob. This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath Heron, Egyptian Goose, Pelican Bee-eater, Kingfisher, Hornbill, Cormorant and the rare Shoebill Stork.

Overnight at either Paraa Safari Lodge, Nile Safari Camp or Red Chilli Rest Camp.

Day Five:

Whole day drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside vegetation and past traditional homesteads and farms. Fort Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled "Mountains of the Moon".

Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge (upmarket), Primate Lodge (up market to mid range) or  Chimpanzee Forest Guest house (budget).

Day Six:

Full day in search of chimpanzees and 10 other primates including L'hoestes, Red Colobus, Blue, Red-tailed and Grey-cheeked Mangabey. The guide will provide detailed explanations, not only on primates, but also on all the forest fauna and flora and will ensure that your walk is both informative and enjoyable. This walk is excellent for viewing bird life and seeing primates at close quarters.

Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge (upmarket), Primate Lodge (up market to mid range) or  Chimpanzee Forest Guest house (budget).

Day Seven:

Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Ruwenzori Mt. range. A game drive en route to view lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, hyena and a variety of antelope species. Enjoy the unique 2 hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with well over 550 resident species.

Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge or Jacana Safari Lodge (up to mid-market) for two nights or the Mweya Hostel (budget).

Day Eight:

Two game drives today. Queen Elizabeth National Park's diverse eco-system of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. Game drives in this park, with the massive Rwenzoris as a backdrop provides excellent opportunities to see lion, leopard, giant forest hog, cape buffalo, elephants, defassa water buck, Uganda Kob, Topi and bush buck. These two game drives and the boat trip (taken prior) are a memorable method of discovering a vast array of wildlife.

Day Nine:

Early morning departure to Maramagambo Forest. Visitors can climb through tropical forest and catch a glimpse of a variety of primates, including chimpanzee. Visit the Bat Caves. Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest located in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the western rift valley covering 331 sq. km. It is one of the largest natural forests in East Africa, supporting a large number of plants and animals not found elsewhere. About half the world's population of 700 mountain gorillas reside in Bwindi.

The vegetation, as the park's name implies, is composed of tropical rainforest with dense undergrowth. This rugged terrain makes hiking in search of gorillas strenuous work. Visitors who want to trek should be prepared for up to 8 hours of hiking. Good physical condition is required.

A maximum of only 24 permits per day are available for advance booking, so confirmation 2-12 months in advance is required to avoid disappointment. Along with the gorillas, there are nine other species of primates including chimpanzee, blue monkey, red-tailed monkey, L'Hoeste's monkey, black and white colobus, potto, Demidoffs and needle-clawed galago. 347 species of birds have been recorded in Bwindi; 7 species are listed as endangered. Species of particular interest include the Kivu Ground Thrush, White-bellied Robin Chat, Red-throated Alethe, Collared Apallis, Short-tailed Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Strange Weaver and the Shelley's Crimson-wing. Over 200 species of butterflies have also been recorded here.

Check into your accommodation Gorilla Forest Camp (upmarket), Buhoma Homestead (mid-market) or Buhoma Community Bandas (budget).

Day Ten:

After an early breakfast and a briefing by a ranger guide, enter the gorilla sanctuary for your adventure. The beauty of this rain forest is spectacular. The area offers dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense, but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken and the terrain varies with the movements of these great primates. The thrill of spending time observing these gentle and endangered giants is an awesome, exciting experience to be long savored. Many find it to be a rare and moving opportunity.

Day Eleven:

Return to Kampala with great memories of moments spent with the fascinating Mountain Gorillas. You will have a stopover in Mbarara for lunch. Drop-off at your home.

Accommodation Used:

Le Bougainvillea Hotel or Tourist Hotel, Paraa Safari Lodge or Nile Safari Lodge or Red Chilli Rest Camp, Ndali Lodge or Primate Lodge or Chimpanzee Forest Guest house, Jacana Lodge or Mweya Safari Lodge or Mweya Hostel, Gorilla Forest Camp or Buhoma Homestead or Buhoma Community Rest Camp.

Price includes:

Ground transportation with driver/guide, all the activities mentioned in the itinerary, all park entrance fees, gorilla permit per person, chimpanzee permit per person, accommodation and meals.

Price excludes:

Tips, souvenirs, all beverages and items of a personal nature.

Any and all tours can be combined or modified to fit your particular needs. Please tell us your specific requirements in your inquiry or complete our  Inquiry Form

Prices are subject to change based upon accommodation availability, your tour alterations and other parameters until time of full and final confirmation.