Uganda
To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.
Day One: Arrive in Entebbe
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you’ll transfer to your chosen lodge in Entebbe or Kampala to settle in.
Overnight in Entebbe/Kampala
Classic - Lake Heights Entebbe Hotel
Premium - Protea Entebbe Hotel
Deluxe - Sheraton Kampala Hotel
Meals included: Dinner
Day Two: First Day on Safari - Meet the Rhinos
After a briefing on the next few days with your guide, you’ll set off for the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, home to rare black and white rhinos and the only place in Uganda to see them in the wild. You’ll trek on foot through the bush to spot them, passing oribi antelope and buck as you go. Then, after lunch in the town of Masindi, you’ll drive onwards to the Murchison Falls National Park, where elephant, giraffe and hippos live in the lush surrounds of the Nile. You’re making for your lodge, where you’ll have dinner tonight.
Overnight at Murchison Falls
Classic - Murchison River Lodge
Premium - Paraa Safari Lodge
Deluxe - Baker's Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Three: Murchison Falls Game Drive
It’s straight to your own private 4X4 to look for lion, giraffe, buffalo, elephant and myriad bird species on a morning game drive. Then, after lunch, you’ll go on a very different type of safari – by boat. Cruising along the Nile towards the gasp-inducing Murchison Falls, you’ll spot hippos (there are around 4,000 of them here) and enormous crocodiles. Kingfishers and bee-eaters flit along the riverbanks, and you might even see a rare shoebill – which looks part dodo and part dinosaur. Finally, you’ll reach the base of the falls, to witness the dramatic point where the Nile forces itself through a seven metre gap in the rock to cascade 43 metres down.
Overnight at Murchison Falls
Classic - Murchison River Lodge
Premium - Paraa Safari Lodge
Deluxe - Baker's Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Four: Onwards to Kibale
It’s an early start for a drive that takes you half way down the country, through the undulating highlands of southwestern Uganda, bound for the lush region of Fort Portal. Watch the landscape change dramatically over the course of the six-hour journey: eventually, you’ll reach the hills of tea plantation country, making your way towards the vast evergreen rainforest of Kibale National Park.
Overnight at Kibale
Classic - Crater Safari Lodge
Premium - Kibale Safari Lodge
Deluxe - Kyaninga Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Five: Monkey Business
Today you'll trek through the Kibale National Park in search of chimpanzees. Their quick moves make them harder to track than gorillas, but there’s a high likelihood that you’ll meet a group as they eat and relax in a clearing. Along the way, you’ll spot up to 12 other primate species, including potto, red colobus monkeys and grey cheeked mangabey. These trips are controlled by the park authorities and take place in small groups. As you walk through the forest, your guide will point out the local plants and wildlife, and you may see bush pig, buffalo, and perhaps even elusive forest elephants. Finally, you’ll meet our nearest relatives up close, spending a memorable hour with them before driving past soaring mountains and bottle green plantations bound for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to half the world’s population of critically-endangered Mountain Gorillas.
Overnight at Bwindi
Classic - Engagi Lodge Bwindi
Premium - Buhoma Lodge
Deluxe - Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Six: Seeking out Gorillas
The trip ends on a high on its final full day, as you trek through bamboo forest in search of gorillas. These Mountain Gorillas are unable to survive in captivity and only found in three countries in the world: Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Accompanied by a guide and some trackers, you’ll embark on an arduous hike through the undergrowth in search of a family – more than worth it for the chance to stand just six metres from the animals, as you observe them (and they observe you!) over the course of an hour. Then you’ll trek back towards your waiting transport and return to your lodge. This activity is controlled by the forest authorities and takes place in small carefully managed groups of up to 8.
Overnight at Bwindi
Classic - Engagi Lodge Bwindi
Premium - Buhoma Lodge
Deluxe - Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch; dinner
Day Seven: Journey to the Equator
After an early breakfast, it’s time to return to the airport: but this is no ordinary transfer. You’ll drive past the vegetation-blanketed hills and lakes that have earned southwestern Uganda the nickname ‘little Switzerland’, and pass ankole (bizarre, extra-long-horned cattle) in Mbarara before reaching the equator line. You’ll stop here for a short break and photo opp, before continuing the journey to the airport, arriving in the early evening.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overall meals included: 6 Breakfasts; 5 lunches; 6 dinners
What's included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- All game drives, treks and park entry fees
- Mandatory taxes and service fees
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience: call 0208 432 0885 for AX specially negotiated flight rates
- Tips for guides, drivers and other staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the holiday and during border crossings during your experience
- Drinks during meals unless stated otherwise
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
If you intend to travel solo, contact us on 0208 432 0885
GETTING THERE
Typical return Economy flights from London cost around £500 per person and take approximately 12 hours depending on exact flight configurations and layover times.
Experience start point: Entebbe [EBB].
End point: Entebbe [EBB]. Leave in the evening.
Prices for departures to 30th October include a 20% Pioneers Club discount and are subject to Pioneers Club terms & conditions. Click here for more information about the Pioneers Club.
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