DAY ONE

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport. Arrival transfer will be available to overnight accommodation. Settle in, freshen up and relax as The Adventure Boutique Expedition Leader introduces you to your African experience.

DAY TWO

We begin a panoramic 3-4-hour drive northwest through the famous Luwero Triangle. Along the way we will visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and the Rhino Fund Uganda. This self-sustained conservation project is the only place in Uganda where you can see rhino in the wild. After a spending some time on-foot rhino trekking, you will enjoy lunch at the sanctuary. You will then continue another 3-hour to drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Visit the powerful Murchison waterfalls. A hike downwards is possible to have good view of the waterfalls. See where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below.

A visit to Murchison Falls, Uganda’s joint oldest National Park (it was declared a National Park together with Queen Elizabeth NP in 1952 after years as a Conservation Area) is stunning purely for the waterfall alone. The mighty Nile River forces its way through a 7-metre gap in the rocks at the top of the Rift Valley before tumbling 43 metres into the gorge below. Add to this the abundance of wildlife and you have the perfect setting for your African experience.

After arriving at our lodge in the afternoon, enjoy the surroundings and view from the lodge.

DAY THREE

This morning we will undertake our first Game Drive through Murchison Falls National Park in our open topped extended vehicles. The wilderness area is inclusive of some of the greatest wildlife such as lions, hartebeest, hyena, the cape buffalo, leopards and elephants to name but a few. Each vehicle is driven by a trained tracker/guide; you will marvel in their ability to spot animals so beautifully camouflaged in the bush.

Having returned to the lodge for lunch, you will go for a 2-3-hour boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, we may marvel at the toothsome hippos, crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch you may see elephant, waterbuck and Uganda Kob crocodile.  This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. The soft evening light is the perfect opportunity to develop your photography skills.

DAY FOUR

After breakfast, you will transfer to Kibale national park – the famous primate capital of East Africa (approx. 5 hours). The scenic countryside drive takes you past roadside markets, tea plantations, forested areas, small villages, enjoying the sights and sounds of rural Uganda along the way.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll head out for a swamp walk. This is a great example of responsible tourism and conservation working hand-in-hand. A community guide will take you on nature walk around the swamp in search of primates like the Black and White Colobus monkey, Grey-cheeked Mangabey and Red-tailed monkey. Also, look out for birds like the Great Blue Turaco, Hairy-breasted Barbet and various Sunbirds. Then, its back to your lodge to enjoy a delicious dinner and perhaps a drink by the fire.

DAY FIVE

Today you have the exciting opportunity to walk through this beautiful tropical rainforest tracking a chimpanzee family. When you find them, you spend one hour with them observing their natural behaviour, in their natural habitat. Your guide will tell you all about the chimps, the other flora and fauna in the forest, how they track forest animals and about the avifauna Kibale is famous for.

This afternoon, your 2–3-hour journey provides stunning scenery as you travel through the crater lakes region, alongside the Rwenzori Mountains, and down onto the Rift Valley floor to Queen Elizabeth national park. At dusk, an armed ranger guide will accompany you for a night game drive from 7:00 – 9:00pm. This is an amazing opportunity to see night life in the wilderness and search for the nocturnal animals.

DAY SIX

Begin your day with a cup of coffee before an early morning game drive along Kasenyi and Queens Mile. Today provides another outstanding wildlife experience as you move out early to spend 2-3 hours with the lion researchers. Participate in their activities on the day which may include monitoring species, climate and habitat, learning about tracking and how tracking devices are used and learning about the animals After breakfast and lunch at the lodge, a two-hour boat trip along the famous Kazinga channel and on the waterways around Mweya. The area has a large population of hippopotamus and Nile crocodiles as well as elephants, lions, antelopes and gazelles, along with numerous reptile and bird species. Your boat will have a local guide trained to spot elusive animals at the side of the channels, who will also have in-depth knowledge of the flora and fauna that you will see.

DAY SEVEN

Today is all about getting as close as we can to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You will drive along the deep and wide dry craters that are occupied by savanna grasses and acacia. The 2-hour drive takes you through the unique western rift valley escarpment and the (southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park) Ishasha sector where you will take on yet another game drive in search of tree climbing lions before proceeding another approx. 2 hours to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

DAY EIGHT

For many, engaging with a family of mountain gorillas is the absolute pinnacle of wildlife experiences that planet Earth can offer.

You will be briefed on the correct etiquette for gorilla interaction and establish what to expect from the gorillas themselves. You will have the opportunity to get incredibly close and sometimes into contact with a gorilla, allowing a one-way interaction; they may touch you, you must not touch them. It can be difficult to put into words what it’s like seeing these gorillas up close and personal and what it feels like just to be in their presence. The few whom had fortune of seeing the wild mountain gorillas have often remarked that this is the greatest wildlife experience ever. Just to reach them you will have another adventure as you trek through the lush undergrowth of the rain forest. The greenery is pure, the air is fresh, as the rain forest is set in the high hills adding to the stunning backdrop. This trek gives even more of a sense of achievement once you glimpse these lords of nature.

After being allowed to be guests of the gorillas with their tribes and families, we trek back to our comfortable lodge to unwind and enjoy a celebration meal.

In the late afternoon hours, we’ll visit the community and take with the Batwa. These are a community of people who lived in the forest and have now been unfortunately displaced as a result of modernisation. Today, many work as tour guides to teach visitors about their disappearing way of life and old customs. They will take you on a hike as they walk you through a bit of forest, their former home, where they lived in harmony with nature. Hear their fascinating story and traditional way of life then as they demonstrate!

DAY NINE

Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park (approx. 5 hours). This area is one of the most fertile regions of Uganda and you will see green rolling hills full of matooke plantations, coffee farms and pineapple gardens. Sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of rural Uganda from the children in colourful school uniforms to men pushing bicycles of food to market and, of course, stop along the way wherever you fancy!

Lake Mburo National Park is one of the smallest in Uganda but punches well above its weight. It is the only park on your itinerary to see zebra, eland and impala and see the giraffe, that were successfully translocated here from another park – another conservation success story. Though the park has no elephants and lions, its home to buffalos, water bucks, several antelope species, leopards and hyenas.

Arrive at your lodge in time for a lovely lunch and a little downtime. In the late afternoon hours, take a game drive, explore this little park in search of its wildlife.

DAY TEN

Today, you have a full day to explore the park – one of Uganda’s smallest but most interesting parks. Although it does not have elephant and lion, it has large populations of some species not found in many other Ugandan parks such as eland, zebra and impala. Start by exploring the park on foot: getting closer to the animals, make use of hides and viewing towers and see things that would not be visible from the road such as dens, carcasses and animal tracks. Afterwards, we transfer to Entebbe (approx. 4 hours) as well as a stop at the Equator for photo moments with a foot in each hemisphere and a chance to see if water goes down a plughole in the same direction in the north and the south. There are also a number of craft shops where you can grab a souvenir. Enjoy a hot local lunch in one of the towns en route and dinner in Entebbe and depending on your international flight time, your guide will take you to the airport in time.