BEST OF UGANDA
16 DAYS UGANDA GRAND SAFARI
Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest National Park, Semuliki National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Lake Bunyonyi, Ssese Islands, and Jinja Tour.
Tour Code: INS012

Day One: Airport pickup
You will be met and transferred from the airport to the hotel for rest/overnight at budget-Banda Inns BB, midrange-Hotel Africana BB, upgrade-Mamba Point BB.

Day two: Transfer to Murchison falls National Park
Set off at 8.00am in the morning and head towards northwestern Uganda for about 6-7 hour drive. Through the famous Luweero Triangle stopover in Masindi town for lunch onto Murchison falls national park. You will take an optional drive to the top of the falls to view it from there. Proceed to the lodge have the evening at leisure dinner and overnight at budget-Red Chili Camp bed only, midrange-Sambiya River Lodge BB, Paraa Safari Lodge FB.

Day Three: Murchison falls National Park
Rise early in the morning after an early breakfast go for a thrilling game drive, expect to see elephants, giraffe, countless antelope, hippopotamus, hartebeest, leopard, giraffe, buffalo, crocodile, the Uganda kob, and wide range of bird species including the rare shoebill stork. Lunch at the lodge there after take an afternoon launch cruise upstream at 2.00pm. You will get to see the awe-inspiring Murchison Falls, where the River Nile hurls itself in appalling convulsions through a narrow crevice and then plunges 40 meters in one breathtaking leap. Dinner and overnight at budget-Red Chili Camp bed only, midrange-Sambiya River Lodge BB, Paraa Safari Lodge FB.

Day Four: Transfer to Fort Portal-Kibale National Park
After breakfast, with your packed lunch set of for Kibale National Park. Enjoy the view of delightful tea plantations as well as the beautiful scenery through which the route travels. On arrival at Fort portal you will have an optional visit to the Toro Kingdom palace, coronation site and burial grounds. Dinner and overnight at budget-Rwenzori View guest House BB, midrange-Mountains of the moon hotel BB, upgrade-Kibale Primate Lodge FB.

Day Five: Chimp Tracking-Kibale National Park
The early morning chimpanzee tracking in Kibale forest national park will thrill you, look out for primates like the colobus monkeys, families of chimps, a diversity of birds and an abundance of butterflies and other tropical insects. You will have a picnic lunch there, then you will take an optional visit to the Bigodi wetland sanctuary a superb ecotourism site established to protect the Magombe swamps-a haven of birds (137 species) and a number of primates. Dinner and overnight at budget-Rwenzori View guest House BB, midrange-Mountains of the moon hotel BB, upgrade-Kibale Primate Lodge FB.

Day Six:   Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth, late in the morning. Take an evening game drive, dinner and overnight at budget-Albertine Rift Safari Lodge FB, midrange-Kingfisher Kichwamba FB, upgrade-Mweya Safari Lodge FB.

Day Seven: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Rise early in the morning for the morning game drive look out for what you missed during the previous evening’s game drive. Return to the lodge for breakfast and lunch. You will go for a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel after lunch. The cruise takes you through schools of hippos that huff and spray only feet away from the boat, you will see buffaloes and elephants that linger in the shallows, a diversity of bird species including the black chested eagle, the swallow tailed bee eaters, pink backed pelicans, great and long tailed cormorants, African jacana, malachite and a great deal more kingfishers. Dinner and overnight at budget-Albertine Rift Safari Lodge FB, midrange-Kingfisher Kichwamba FB, upgrade-Mweya Safari Lodge FB.

Day Eight: Transfer to Bwindi National Park
After breakfast, with your parked lunch drive to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth, here you will find the famous tree climbing  continue to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Dinner and overnight at budget-Bwindi View bandas BB, midrange-Buhoma homesteads FB, upgrade-Gorilla Forest Camp FB.

 Day Nine: Gorilla tracking-Bwindi National Park
After an early tea or coffee with your packed lunch and the necessary tracking gear you will report to the park offices for a briefing that prepares you for gorilla tracking. Your guide will take you along river trails with delightful waterfalls, up steep slopes and into forest clearings (depending on which family you are tracking) in search of an enormous array of reserved, exquisite and exciting jungle creatures that live in this deep forest; your first impression of the dense jungle will be its almost audible silence. The tracking may take between 1-7 hours that pay off when you finally meet the gorillas, you will spend one hour with them then finally return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at budget-Bwindi View bandas BB, midrange-Buhoma homesteads FB, upgrade-Gorilla Forest Camp FB.
 
Day Ten: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi-Kabale
Set off in the morning after breakfast and proceed to Lake Bunyonyi the second deepest lava dammed lake in East and Central Africa. Your drive will get you to see some beautiful scenery of the Kabale highlands, on to the Lake Bunyonyi environs for a day of relaxation enjoying the beautiful scenery and serene environment. Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest lake in East and central Africa housing over 25 scenic Islands each with a different mythical tale for instance the Punishment Island that tells of the pain and tears of many Bakiga women abandoned on the Island and left for dead for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Lunch at Nature’s Prime Island on Lake Bunyonyi. You will take part in an optional activity of your choice. Dinner and overnight at Nature’s Prime Island FB.

Day Eleven: Transfer to Lake Mburo
After breakfast, drive to Lake Mburo via Mbarara, arriving in time for lunch at Mihingo lodge. You will go for an evening game drive. Dinner and over night at upgrade-Mihingo lodge, budget-Rwonyo Camp Bed only. Meal plan and accommodation full board

Day Twelve: Transfer to Ssese Island
Arise early and go for a game drive to view a series of swamp fringed lakes, enjoy the rich bird life, zebras, buffaloes, impalas and the eland. Return t camp for breakfast, after breakfast drive to Entebbe for your transfer to Ssese Islands at 2.00pm. Lunch en-route; the island will give you the Caribbean experience with their white sand beaches and sky blue waters. You will also encounter the vevet and colobus monkey, a variety of bird species and scores of butterflies. Dinner and overnight at Ssese Island beach hotel FB.

Day Thirteen: Transfer to Jinja
You will take part in an optional activity of your choice a nature, forest walk, half day fishing, an island tour, and forest walk. Dinner and overnight at Ssese Island Beach Hotel FB.

Day Fourteen: Jinja
After breakfast, transfer to Entebbe where you will be met by your Into Africa Safari guide. Drive to Kampala arriving in time for lunch. Drive to Jinja making an optional stopover at Ssezibwa falls one of the heritage sites of the Buganda Kingdom in Mukono. In Jinja you will visit the mighty Bujjagali falls. Lunch at your hotel, you will take a boat ride to the source of the Nile. Dinner and overnight at budget-Kingfisher Safari Resort BB, midrange-The Nile Porch BB, upgrade-Jinja Nile Resort BB.

Day fifteen: Transfer to Kampala
After breakfast transfer to Kampala making an optional stop at Mabira forest reserve, you will have a city tour after lunch, which will take you to the Uganda Museum, markets around town, arts and craft markets, Kasubi tombs (the burial ground for three of Buganda’s Kabakas/Kings) Dine and enjoy a quiet evening at budget-Banda Inns BB, midrange-Hotel Africana BB, upgrade-Mamba Point BB.

Day 16: Transfer to the airport
After breakfast, go shopping and visit craft centers around Kampala town. Return to the hotel for lunch afternoon at leisure in preparation for your airport transfer.

Cost of the tour

Included in the package:

• All accommodation full board and meals as stated
• Transport (4WD) and Fuel for the whole trip plus a full time safari guide
• Game drives and launch cruises as stated, activities in Jinja as stated
• Park entrance charges
• Airport transfers
• Accommodation for the first night prior to the morning of the trip and the last night after the trip
• Gorilla and chimp permits
• Water through out the trip

Excluded from the package:

• Phone calls, bar bills, laundry bills and any other personal expense not included on the itinerary.
• Tips
• Fees for extra activities not included in the itinerary as well as optional activities on Lake Bunyonyi and Ssese Island.

 Note: All Gorilla trips must be booked three months in advance and can only be confirmed depending on availability of gorilla permits

Upgrade Accommodation in respective destinations