On our 8-day Luxury Uganda safari, discerning travelers experience a quiet natural history gem (Lake Mburo National Park) plus fantastic eye-to-eye chimp and gorilla encounters all while staying in several of Uganda’s most impressive luxury lodges. In serene Lake Mburo, travelers have some unique optional excursions available including horseback riding, mountain biking and night-game drives. We eliminate a significant amount of driving by conveniently flying back from Bwindi to Entebbe on Day 8. While this trip features luxury accommodations, mid-range travelers are encouraged to contact us for a custom quote if interested. All of our Uganda tours are private, featuring professional English-speaking naturalist guides and well-maintained Toyota Land Cruisers with removable tops for wildlife viewing.
Starting at $3395 USD per person!
ITINERARY:
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe, transfer and overnight
Day 2: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park
Day 3: Free day at Lake Mburo / Optional activities
Day 4: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 5: Chimp Habituation Trek in Kibale
Day 6: Drive to Bwindi National Park
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Day 8: Fly back to Entebbe, depart
Itinerary In Detail
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe, transfer and overnight
Welcome to Uganda! Meet and greet at the Entebbe Airport by
your guide. From here, transfer to your hotel, which is about 10 minutes
away in Entebbe, which borders Kampala.
Kampala is the capital
city of Uganda. With a population of about 2 million, Kampala city is
the largest urban settlement in Uganda. Kampala was developed around a
fort constructed by Frederick Lugard in 1890 for the British East Africa
Company. In 1962, Kampala replaced Entebbe as the national capital.
Meals included: n/a
Mid-Range Accommodations: Protea Hotel Entebbe
Day 2: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, begin the 5-hour transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, with lunch en route.We’ll make a stop at the equator line where your guide will perform a simple water experiment to demonstrate the reversal in gravitational pull and have a look at the traditional drums and crafts being made. Afterwards proceed to Lake Mburo National Park, an extension of the Tanzanian plains with impressive herds of zebra, impala, eland and other ungulates. Bird viewing opportunities are excellent – for birders, this is one of the best places to find African fin foot and papyrus bush shrike. Check in at your lodge and enjoy an afternoon game drive or simply relax amidst the fantastic views from your hilltop luxury lodge.
Mihingo Lodge is a luxurious, family owned lodge in a magical setting adjacent to Lake Mburo National Park. Perched high on a rocky kopje, whose pre-Cambrian granite boulders were formed over 500 million years ago, it has spectacular views over a vast savannah landscape. Designed to blend in with its fragile surroundings, this eco-friendly property offers comfort, relaxation and the experience of being at one with nature.
An infinity pool overlooks the valley below where buffalo, eland, impala, warthogs, bush buck and zebra can be seen at the waterhole. On the rocks you may have the rare chance of seeing the resident family of Klipspringers. We cannot guarantee that you will see a leopard, but on a night game drive you do have a good chance. As Rungwe Kingdon (the son of the well-known wildlife author, Jonathan Kingdon, and one of Mihingo’s guests) once told us “I have seen more leopards in Lake Mburo National Park than any other park in East Africa.’
As an added bonus, Mihingo is the only lodge in Uganda to offer daytime and overnight horse safaris into the national park.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Mihingo Lodge
Day 3: Free day at Lake Mburo / Optional activities
Day at leisure with optional activities:
- Mountain bike safari: great rides (with or without guide) are available in the valley or in the swamp areas with lots of zebras, topis and waterbucks. Price rom US $30 per person.
- Horseback safari: explore the surroundings on the back of a horse, a peaceful and relaxing way to get close to the wildlife. Price from US $60 per person.
- Night game drive in search of leopards, hyenas and other nocturnal animals. Price from US $30per person. Travelers have about a 60% chance of seeing leopard during the the dry season, which runs July to September and again in January-February.
- Join a staff person for a 15-minute walk and visit the waterhole wildlife hides to view hippos and more up-close.
- Cultural walk to learn more about the Bahima culture
- Sundowners “on the rocks” — watching the sun go down and listening to hyenas calling in the valley below is a lovely way to end a a relaxing day In the bush.
- Enjoying a massage: a perfect way to unwind after a safari or a long flight! Price from US $20 per person.
- Bush breakfast: start the day with a delicious, private breakfast before going on guided bush walk. Price from US $60 per person.
It’s recommendable to pre-book these optional activities to avoid disappointment. Please contact us for more details.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Mihingo Lodge
Day 4: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, embark on the 4-5 hour to Kibale Forest National Park. Kibale Forest National Park is renowned as the “Primate Paradise” with one of the largest variety and concentration of primates in Africa including our famous cousins the chimpanzees, red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, L’Hoest’s, black-and- white Colobus and the olive baboons. There is also a wide array of unique birds, forest elephants (smaller and hairier than the more familiar savannah elephant) and much more.
Check in at the lodge and later enjoy a guided nature walk through the Bigodi wetland. The Bigodi Swamp Walk is an eco-tourism initiative from the local community. The reserve is known for a rich diversity of birds and primates. The path and board walk maybe flooded and muddy after heavy rainfall and gumboots are recommended. The walk is about 4km in length taking 3-4 hours at birding pace with local community guides. All proceeds from your visit go back to into the community, a conservation project well worth supporting.
Overnight in the luxury cottages at Primate Lodge Kibale. Primate Lodge enjoys a wonderfully advantageous location, tucked deep in the forest and right next door to the starting point for the Chimpanzee tracking excursion as well as the incredible Chimpanzee Habituation, really, two of the most unique wildlife experiences on the planet. All of the lodge’s nine spacious and en-suite Luxury Cottages, each secluded deep in the forest for maximum privacy and a natural ‘living in nature’ feel, come complete with 2x Double size Bed or 1x King Size Bed, a sitting area with two comfortable arm chairs, a reading table and an adjoining large veranda with excellent views to the forest. Lodge amenities include a spacious dining terrace, a well-stocked bar, complimentary room service, a secluded lounge area with a small library, an evening camp fire, laundry service (at a small fee) as well as free WiFi in the public areas. Primate Lodge Kibale welcomes travelers to experience the amazing wonders of the Kibale jungle, with the greatest variety and concentration of primate species found anywhere in Africa, as well as excellent food by their chef ‘Bos’ and the warmest service and hospitality from the friendly staff – guests are assured a highly memorable lodging experience.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Primate Lodge Kibale – Luxury Cottage
Day 5: Chimp Habituation Trek in Kibale
Today enjoy a sensational chimpanzee Habituation experience.
You will walk or drive to the trailhead for the start of an unforgettable adventure – hiking in the footsteps of the habituated family of chimpanzees. En-route, your guide will entertain you with stories and facts about the forest and her other inhabitants including other species of primates and birds and more.
Once we’ve encountered the chimpanzees, spend the day observing their daily life – feeding, playing, grooming, taking care of their young, howling and screeching, in their natural habitat.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Primate Lodge Kibale – Luxury Cottage
Day 6: Drive to Bwindi National Park
After breakfast, you will depart Kibale Forest National Park and head further to Bwindi National Park, about a 5-6 hour drive away, and home of the endangered mountain Gorillas.
While driving through a fertile countryside, you’ll pass small villages and many traditional homesteads plus enjoy some wonderful panoramic views. You’ll in Bwindi by the afternoon. Enjoy a walk in the nearby community or relax on the lodge’s balcony and take in the mountain views.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home of the rare but critically endangered Mountain Gorillas, lies on the edge of the albertine Rift Valley in south-western Uganda, with a wide altitude range between 1,160 to 2,600 meters. The rainforest itself, dating back to the ice ages, is one of Uganda’s oldest and ecologically most diverse with almost 400 species of plants, 350 species of birds including 23 Albertine Rift endemics as well as 120 mammals species including lots of smaller mammals along with gorillas, baboons, chimpanzees, elephants and several species of antelopes.
Your overnights will be enjoyed at Volcanoes Lodge in Bwindi. Overlooking the lush jungle mountains in which the mountain gorillas get their well-earned name, the intimate Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge is the finest luxury lodge in Bwindi. With dramatic views of the forest canopy across a serene stream, it is one of Africa’s most unique properties. The lodge is perfectly located for a Uganda jungle gorilla tracking experience. Volcanoes Lodge features a roomy, atmospheric main lounge and dining area, that bring the feel of the forest into the stylish interiors. The main living area has a central fireplace which acts as a focal point for guests to relax and discuss their gorilla tracking experience. The outdoor terrace provides dramatic views of the impenetrable forest and is a great place to spot the monkeys and birds hidden in the foliage. The eight individual bandas, each having their own view of the forest, have warm luxurious interiors and inviting four poster beds and locally-inspired furniture.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Arise early today and prepare for an amazing adventure: an unforgettable encounter with the gentle giants of Bwindi. Following breakfast, transfer to the park offices where trekkers are divided into groups of 8 and allocated a specific gorilla family to visit as well as a tracking guide.
After a pre-trek briefing by your guide (which touches on the gorillas generally, your assigned gorilla family as well as appropriate safety precautions), you drive to the trailhead for the start of your thrilling adventure – participants should prepare to walk long distances in steep and sometimes muddy conditions with rain overhead, which can be tough and require a degree of fitness. Granted, the time taken can be variable, taking anywhere from 3 to 8-hours (or rarely, longer) however the thrill of coming face to face with a giant mountain gorilla silverback will more than compensate for the effort.
Once you’ve arrived at the gorilla family, you spend the allowed one hour with them as they go about their daily life; feeding, moving, playing, raising their young and sometimes wrestling by the juveniles – it is a totally unique and unforgettable experience!
Note: Please remember to bring your passport for registration, appropriate, waterproof hiking boots and a light rain coat. To protect from stinging nettles, we recommend long pants and long sleeved tops. A pair of old gardening gloves can help grabbing onto the vegetation while most hotels/lodges provide a walking stick that come in very handy especially when hiking downhill. A small waterproof backpack is an excellent idea to carry a light snack, bottled water as well as protection for your camera.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
Day 8: Fly back to Entebbe, depart
This morning, transfer to Kihihi Airstrip (about 1 hour from the lodge) for your departure flight out of Impenetrable forest of Bwindi and back to Entebbe. If time allows, we’ll arrange a guided visit of the Mabamba swamp (home of the massive shoebill stork) and later help you connect with your international flight back home.
Meals included: Breakfast