Day 1:

Arrive in Uganda through Entebbe International Airport

Arrive in Entebbe and transfer to Lake Victoria Serena Hotel. Styled to replicate a pastel-shaded Italian hillside village, The Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa stands out among hotels in Uganda. It is situated amid terraced rose gardens above its own boating marina—as sculpted from the sparkling waters of Lake Victoria. You will have uninterrupted time to relax before a group dinner later in the evening—where you will have a full orientation to this tour.  Meals and Overnight at Lake Victoria Serena Hotel

Days 2&3:

Fly to Murchison Falls National Park

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the nearby airstrip for a chartered flight into Murchison Falls National Park and land at Pakuba airstrip. From here, you will be transferred to Paraa Safari Lodge, an affluent hotel with panoramic views of the Nile River. You will be checked in your room. It boasts of private balcony overlooking the Nile. Have lunch and relax before taking an evening game drive.

The park is bisected by River Nile as it flows up north to Egypt and eventually Mediterranean ocean. In the heart of the Park, the river forces itself through a seven meter wide cleft and plummets over a 140 feet long valley. This generates to the world’s most powerful waterfall. The calm stretch of river below to the delta offers permanent water supply for game making it a superb wildlife viewing spot for elephants, giraffes, buffalos, hippos and Nile crocodiles. Rewarding morning and evening game drives will be supplemented with bush breakfast as you watch glorious sun pour life into this massive park. You will take a launch trip to the base of the falls and sight enormous Nile Crocodiles as they sunbathe on the shores of the river while their river-mates, the hippos bask in the calm waters.

Day 4:

Fly to Kibale Forest National Park.

After breakfast, fly to Kasese Airstrip where you will be picked by our guide who will drive you to Kibale Forest National Park that sits in the shadow of Rwenzori Mountains. You will be checked into Primate Lodge, a beautiful forest home located in the heart of Kibale rainforest National Park. It is within five minutes’ walk from the visitor information center—where the forest activities begin from.  From the comfort of your Luxury Cottage, you can unwind and listen to the chattering of the red-tailed monkeys in the dense canopy.

Day 5:

Chimpanzee Trekking

Take an early breakfast and be transferred to the nearby briefing area where you will be welcomed by the park ranger guide. He will give you a detailed brief on dos and don’ts of chimp tracking before leading you into the forest for a lively adventure. Kibale Forest National Park harbors the greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa. It has over 13 different species including the Black-and-white Colobus Monkey, Blue Monkey, Red-tailed Monkey, Grey-cheeked Mangabey and Bushbaby. The dense forest hosts a population of more than 1,000 wild chimpanzees. Your guide will draw your attention to an evocative pant-hoot call that marks your proximity to the delightful apes.  Spend a full hour watching them feed, socialize and rest before trekking back to your lodge for a hot lunch—made of fresh organic foods.

Later in the afternoon, drive to the nearby Bigodi Community for a signature nature walk in the swamp. This two hours experience is so revitalizing and has been repeatedly featured on international media as the best community conservation model. This includes BBC travel. The local guide will take you through a wetland sanctuary with more than 100 species of birds and primates including the red colobus, black-and-white colobus and other monkeys. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6:

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park that sits in the western Rift Valley. You will drive along the foothills of Rwenzori Mountains and be welcomed by the Equator Line that separates the park from the neighboring community. Views of numerous crater lakes and depressions are a manifestation of the volcanic activities that shaped the rift valley.  You will be checked into your room at the stunning Mweya Safari Lodge that hovers on a peninsula protruding into the Kazinga Channel. At night, interesting guests including hippos and warthogs are usually seen grazing by your windows.

After lunch, you will be transferred to the nearby docking area for boat cruise on Kazinga channel for great wildlife views including elephants, crocodiles, hippos, buffalos and hundreds of birds. Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner).

Day 7:

Transfer to Ishasha for tree-climbing Lions

After breakfast, checkout and drive to Kasenyi for a game drive to chance with hunting lions and elusive leopard that hang around the mating grounds of Uganda kobs. Proceed to Ishasha sector, home to the famous tree-climbing lions. This is the second known population that climb trees as part of their day-to-day behavior (the other is found in Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania). Several theories have been advanced for this behavior of lions including a speculation that these lions climb trees to protect themselves against the biting tsetse flies. Others claim that they seek shelter in the tree branches from the heat.

After the experience, proceed to the nearby Ishasha wilderness lodge, check in your room and have a hot lunch. In the evening, take another game drive or relax at your lodge.

Day 8:

Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

 Take a relaxed breakfast, checkout of your room and embark on the last game drive for the last chance with the kings of the jungle. Exit Ishasha and drive to Bwindi through the village of Kigezi. The scenery gradually changes from open savanna to mountain slopes covered in dense green rain forest. You will be checked in at Mahogany Springs, a luxury small lodge facing the dense Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the home to half the world’s endangered mountain gorillas.

Day 9:

Mountain Gorilla Tracking Experience

This is a big day; you will have a rare encounter with gentle giant mountain gorilla. This is no doubt the absolute highlight of a tour to Africa for most visitors. It is a humbling experience to stand meters from the gentle giants as they eat rest, play and bond with their young ones. After a briefing by park authorities, you will embark on a forest trek lasting between one-five hours, depending on the location of the gorillas—as they range spontaneously in the thick forest. There are 10 habituated gorilla families and you will be privileged to encounter. You will spend time with one of the families that can be visited by a group of eight people per day! You will enjoy an exciting journey along forested slopes, bushes and bamboo before you ultimately reach the gorilla family. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly awesome and emotional experience. You will return to the lodge relax and in the evening go for a short community visit to interact with the Batwa. It is a Pygmy tribe that was evicted from the forest to pave way for gorilla conservation. They will demonstrate how they used to live in the forest prior to their eviction. How they used to hunt, thatch their huts, harvest wild fruits and groove to traditional forest festivals. Get back to the hotel for dinner. Overnight at Mahogany Safari Lodge (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 10:

Fly to Entebbe and Depart

Today marks the end of your safari. After breakfast, your guide will transfer you to Kihihi airstrip that is 1.5hours away from Bwindi for a pre-arranged chartered flight to Entebbe. You will be transferred to Boma Hotel for a day room to relax and refresh as you wait for your departing flight. Have a farewell complementary meal with our director before your transfer to the airport.