This 8 days best of western Uganda  safari takes you to the  key tourist attractions which include; gorillas and chimpanzees. It also offers you  classic game viewing activities including on foot rhino trekking, game drive safaris and boat rides. You will go on an adventure through 4 national parks which include Murchison falls, Kibale forest, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi impenetrable forest national parks.  

Game drives and boat cruises in Murchison falls national park and queen Elizabeth national park offers an opportunity to spot large mammal species. These include lion, leopard, hyena, giraffe, elephant, buffalo, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kob, waterbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, water birds. devil’s cauldron. You will visit Ziwa rhino sanctuary and track the white rhinos on foot. 

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Murchison falls national park

When you arrive at Entebbe international airport, meet and greet with Travel Time driver guide and set off 6-hour drive north west to Murchison Falls National Park. Along the way, branch off the main road inNakasongoro district to visit Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for rhino trekking on foot with a ranger. Rhinos became extinct in Uganda in the 1980s and this project is trying to bring them back to the protected area. 

From Ziwa, you will continue to the park and visit the world’s strongest waterfalls. At Murchison falls, the river squeezes through a canyon and plunges over a 40-metre cliff with a thunderous roar into the devil’s cauldron. Dinner and overnight in Murchison falls.

Day 2: Game drive and boat cruise

After a cup of tea, you will get out of the lodge early in the morning to enjoy the sunrise rise at the Nile River followed by a game drive until noontime. Murchison falls National Park attracts over 79 mammal species including the big 4: lions, leopards, elephants and buffaloes. You might encounter Nubian giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbuck, waterbucks, buffalo, warthogs, Uganda kobs, oribi and there are over 445 species of birds.

After lunch, take a relaxed boat cruise which lasts 3 hours as you sail from Paara to the bottom of the falls. Along the banks of the Nile, you might spot Nile crocodiles, hippos, monitor lizards and water birds such as African fish eagles. Elephants and buffalos may also be encountered while coming down to drink water. Enjoy funtime aboard with refreshments and a cool view of the Nile makes you feel good. The guide will pick you up when you return back to Paara for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale forest national park

In the morning after breakfast, transfer to Kibale forest national park about a 6-7 hour drive. Along the way, make a stopover for lunch in Fort Portal town (Kabalore), the home of Tooro Kingdom led by one of the youngest king Oyo. Proceed to Kibale just 1 hour drive from the town and relax at your lodge the rest of the evening.

Kibale is known as the primate capital of the world because it’s home to the highest concentration of primates with 13 species including over 1400 chimpanzees. It proves the best opportunities to see chimps in the wild while helping to conserve their habitats.

Dinner and overnight stay at Kibale Forest

Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi swamp walk

After breakfast at the lodge, you’ll head to Kanyanchu to start your chimpanzee trek, there will be a briefing on the dos and don’ts. Guides will accompany visitors into the forest so they can spend an hour up close and personal with the chimpanzees. During the walk through the forest, you might spot other primate species such as the blue monkey, the grey checked mangabay.

Return for lunch and later in the evening go enjoy a community walk in Bigodi wetland, which is home to 8 primates, 100 species of birds, sitatunga. Besides being a wildlife habitat, Bigodi is also a source of medicinal plants and weavers obtain papyrus reeds to produce baskets. 

Dinner and overnight stay at Kibale forest

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park for boat cruise

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national arriving in the afternoon for a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The freshwaters attract elephants and buffaloes as well as hippos, crocodiles and a variety of bird species. 

After the boat cruise, arrive at the lodge and check in for dinner and overnight stay. 

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest

An early morning game drive will be done in the Kasenyi game tracks in search of lions, leopards and hyenas and breakfast will be served when you return. Thereafter, transfer to Bwindi through Ishasha wilderness, where you might see tree climbing lions while enjoying breathtaking views of the rift valley and Kigezi hills. Arrive and check in your room for a good night rest ahead of gorilla trekking in the morning the following day.

Day 7: Gorilla tracking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

You will get up early for breakfast and move to the gorilla centre for a briefing. A packed lunch and drinking water is required given that you’re gonna spend 1 to 5 hours in the forest. Visitors will be led into the forest by guides and rangers in search of a habituated gorilla family. Once located, guests can spend an hour watching and photographing gorillas in their natural habitat.

When you return from the forest, you will have lunch thereafter and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda’s most beautiful lake with 19 islands and terraced rolling hills. Dinner and overnight at Lake Bunyonyi.

Day 8: Departure

After breakfast you will be transferred to the predetermined departure destination. End of 8 days best of Uganda tour.