12 Days Best of Uganda Wildlife & White Water Rafting Safari Adventure

12 days Best of Uganda wildlife (Big 5) safari. This 12 days Best of Uganda Wildlife safari visits 3 top Uganda Wildlife Parks  Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. You will be able to encounter a myriad of  wildlife including the Big 5-Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes. Other amazing animals include: hippos, Giraffes, Gazelles, Zebras  and several bird species.

Besides Wildlife encounters, the 12 days best of Uganda’s Wildlife (Big 5) safari, also offers Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park,  Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest national Park, and spending time at leisure in Lake Bunyonyi

Safari Highlights:

  • Rhino tracking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
  • Game Viewing drives in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo National Parks
  • Boat trips in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks
  • Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park
  • Nature walk in Bigodi Swamp
  • Crater Lakes
  • Boat ride in Lake Mburo National Park
  • Photo session at the Equator

Day By Day Itinerary for the 12 days Best Of Uganda Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Welcome to Uganda

You will be picked up on arrival, by our expert driver guide with a 4×4 safari jeep with Pop Up roof. Thereafter, you will be transferred to your preferred accommodation in Entebbe/Kampala for an overnight rest

  • luxury – Kampala Serena
  • Mid-range – Hilton Garden Hotel

Day 2:  Rhino Tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Depart early for the 3 days wildlife & Rhino tracking safari. Starting with Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you will journey through several villages on Kampala-Gulu highway, filled with green beautiful vegetation and many fruit and vegetable markets, along the roads, to arrive in perfect time for briefing.

Thereafter, you will be led, by a professional ranger guide to look for the Rhinos. Rhino trekking takes approximately 1 to 3 hours, with an inclusive 1 hour of interacting with them up close.

Proceed for lunch after Rhino tracking, followed by the final drive to Murchison Falls National Park, to reach  in the evening for check in, dinner and overnight at the Lodge.

Drive time – 5 hours Or Scheduled Flight – 1 hour 10 minutes

Luxury-Nile Safari Lodge

Midrange-Murchison River Lodge

Budget-red chilli

Day 3: Game drive and Boat Safari on River Nile

Game viewing drives will start at 0630 hrs instantly after breakfast, which is the best opportunity to spot predators while they are from hunting. The drive through the northern bank of River Nile, where you expect giraffes, elephants, hartebeests, Buffaloes, Leopards, Lions and several bird species.

Following your delicious lunch at the hotel, you will proceed for a boat ride to spot a variety of animals and bird life. You will also have the chance to watch the falls fall from above from below.

Day 4: Journey to Kibale Forest National Park

Start your beautiful morning with a nice breakfast treat, check out and  transfer to Kibale Forest national Park with an enroute game drive, so that you can catch up with the morning risers like lions, leopards, hyenas and numerous bird species. You will reach in the evening at your reserved accommodation at Kibale forest National Park for dinner & overnight.

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking & Afternoon Bigodi Walk

On having breakfast, leave for Kanyanchu Visitor center, where you will reach before 8:00am for chimpanzee tracking regulations.  By the help of a ranger guide, You will head to the forest to look for the chimpanzees. Chimpanzee tracking takes between ½ an hour to about 6 hours. You will be allowed to spend at most 1 hour in the presence of the chimpanzees , as you watch them do their daily chores such as feeding their young ones, climbing from one tree branch to another, among others.

Return to your lodge for lunch, and later on , head to Bigodi village, for a nature walk in the swamp, where you will have great opportunities to watch many bird species like the great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, green breasted gonolek, butterflies, other primates like the black & white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys,  vervet monkeys, mammals like sitatungas, bush bucks.

You can also head for a village walk onwards to the coffee plantations, banana bear making, basket making and the traditional healer

Return for dinner and overnight rest at your lodgeluxury – Papaya Lake Lodge, Kyaninga lodge,

Mid-range – Turaco Tree tops

Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking in their natural habitat 

Chimpanzee tracking is a fulfilling adventure that takes you deep in the tropical forests with streams of water and abundant wildlife. You will start with a briefing from the ranger guide about your chimp trek. On your trek, you might have sightings of red-tailed monkeys, black-and white Columbus monkeys, butterflies, and birds calling from the canopies. With the help of your ranger guide, you will locate the chimps. Enjoy picture moments and watch them as they play, groom, and feed.

After lunch visit Bigodi swamp – a community project known for its rich diversity of birds and primates depending on the availability of time. This community project is involved in providing employment for youth through tour guiding, some of the proceeds go into establishment of schools and teachers pay.

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Be up for breakfast early in the morning, then hop into the 4×4 safari jeep for a drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Enroute, you pass through the mystical Rwenzori Mountains, arriving early for lunch, then after proceed for a boat safari on Kazinga channel. The boat safari is a perfect way to enjoy water, animals, birds and photography.

Accommodation

  • luxury– Mweya Safari Lodge, elephant plains lodge
  • Mid-range – Twin Lakes Safari Lodge

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Leave Queen Elizabeth National Park very early in the morning for Lake Bunyonyi- Africa’s 2nd deepest Lake.  You will enjoy the breathtaking scenery – Dramatic hills, terraced by the locals as they practice farming named the “Switzerland of Africa” by Churchill, the great British diplomat.
Accommodation

  • Midrange – BirdsNest@Bunyonyi

Day 8: Lake Bunyonyi Islands

Rise up early morning, to enjoy the colorful orange rays from the sun, as it falls  on the tranquil Lake Bunyonyi. Have breakfast, then  take a canoe ride  to visit 29 islands  that highlights the culture and history of the area. Most interesting is the story of the ‘punishment island’ that the guide will further exhaust the story while on your boat ride.

After lunch, head for a dip into the lake, otherwise you can opt for bird watching, or climb up a steep hill for to capture beautiful views of the lake and its islands. However, you can sit by the lake shores and enjoy reading a book.

Day 9: travel Lake Mburo national park

Lake Mburo National Park is small Uganda National Park in South Western Uganda. Enroute you will pass through magnificent landscapes, banana & coffee plantations, and farms, not forgetting lunch at Igongo cultural Museum- enjoying the life of the native people of the area. You will arrive in the afternoon, after which you will take a boat trip to Lake Mburo.

Accommodation

  • luxury – Mihingo Lodge
  • Mid-range – Rwakobo Rock

Day 10: Transfer to Kampala via Equator Monument

After breakfast early in the morning, take a game drive and proceed through the park as you look for giraffes Zebras, Eland, water bucks, bush bucks, warthogs, impalas, Klipspringer, as well as the night creatures and predators like hyenas, leopards and jackals.

Therafter you will proceed to Kampala, with a stopover at the famous Equator line. Have lunch in the city or Equator depending on arrival time and proceed to Jinja.

Journey time – 4 hours
Accommodation

  • luxury – Wild waters Lodge
  • Mid-range – Haven Lodge

Day 11: Discover River Nile – White water Rafting

Have your breakfast in the morning, set off with the driver, for water rafting along the river Nile. The river Nile in Jinja provides some of the best spots for water rafting in Uganda. Following your rafting schedule, one can go for a full day or half day white water rafting, yet the morning session starts at 9am.

You will join your fellow rafters for registration and briefing. After then, you will be given the rafting gear with life jackets, helmets and other rafting gear. The activity will continue for about 4 hours after which you will stop for lunch. Half day rafters can stop here and proceed for horse riding, quad biking, or bungee jumping. Each activity takes one hour.

 

While the full day rafters will complete up to 5:00pm, with a barbeque wrap up surprise party. After completing the activity.

The driver will then journey back to Kampala reaching late in the hotel.

Optional activities

Quad bike safari, bungee jumping, horseback safari, kayaking

Day 12: End of the Classic African Safari

We hope you had a fantastic time in the Pearl of Africa both in the wild and with the people of Uganda. Buy souvenirs and transfer to the airport.

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