17 Days Uganda Classic Luxury Safari

Upon arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be met and warmly received by your driver guide from Abacus African Vacations who will transfer you to your hotel for an overnight stay

Luxury : Serena Lake Victoria Hotel

Following an early morning breakfast, we leave Kampala for Lake Mburo National Park. We shall have a stop at the Equator where you will perform a simple experiment to experience a tropical balance, have a look at the traditional drums and crafts being made, and thereafter proceed to Lake Mburo National Park, an extension of the Tanzanian plains with big 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, papyrus bush shrike.

Luxury : Mihingo Lodge/Mantana Tented Camp

After an early morning breakfast, explore the park with a game drive in search of animals like:  zebras, impalas, topis, buffalos, elands. Bird watching opportunities are excellent here, with about 313 bird species recorded here including the rare shoebill stork, White-winged Warbler, Crested Francolin among others. After exploring the park in a car, return to the lodge for lunch before heading out for a boat ride after lunch that gives you the chance to view water animals like; Crocodiles, Hippopotamus and water birds including; Fish Eagles, Pelicans, Black crake, Heron, Cormorant, and the rare shoebill stork. Return to your lodge for a relaxed evening, dinner and overnight.

Luxury : Mihingo Lodge/Mantana Tented Camp

After your breakfast, we can choose between having a guided nature walk in the park or game drive as we prepare to head south west to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the park famously known for its 3 distinct volcanoes that are usually hiked as well as the rare mountain gorillas. We will decide to have a picnic lunch in the rolling hills of south western Uganda before proceeding to Kisoro town and you can choose to relax for the rest of the day or better still you can explore Kisoro area by yourself, dinner and overnight.

Luxury : Mount Gahinga lodge

Following a morning breakfast, we shall head to the trail head to start our hike for the day. At Mgahinga, there are 3 challenging volcano peaks to climb. A climb up the mountain takes one up a ridge along the eastern side of the climb to the peak. If you are to continue the climb to the second peak involves walking a ridge with spectacular drops into gorges of Rwanda and Uganda, a dual experience you will achieve here. Finally, the hike up to the third peak is steep with several ladders and mush scrambling. You are guaranteed getting your hands dirty on your way up to the third peak! Once on top, you will be in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and who wouldn’t be proud of this triple experience!!! The journey takes about eight hours round trip to cover the 14km stretch depending on your physical strength and speed. You are advised to carry with you plenty of drinking waters as well as warm clothing and rain gear as it can rain any time of the day during the hike.

Luxury : Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

After your breakfast, you will be transferred to the gorilla tracking information office for a pre-gorilla tracking briefing by the park warden and rangers at 7am. After briefing, the rangers will then lead you into the forest to track these gentle giants (Mountain gorillas). The thrill of spending time observing the gorillas as they interact with each other is a pleasing and unforgettable one, you are allowed an hour witnessing the interaction of these close relatives of ours. You are advised to carry with you a packed lunch for, the time spent tracking the gorillas would not be known to you but varies from 3 to 8 hours. Time permitting; you may go for a late afternoon community walk to see the local people’s way of life and culture.

Luxury : Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge

After breakfast, you will cross through the forest from the southern sector to the area more developed for tourism purposes in the northern sector of Bwindi famously known as the buhoma sector. Bird life and primate life in this forest is quite superb, and there is an incredible variety of flora. Bwindi is the Bird watchers haven! It holds 348 species of birds and supports 24 of 26 Albertine Rift Endemics that occur in Uganda, of which you might have a chance to encounter some as well as other primate species. You will get to the lodge in time for lunch and can choose between a local community visit and relaxing at the lodge.

Luxury: Buhoma Lodge/Mahogany Springs

After your breakfast, you will be transferred to the gorilla tracking information office for a pre-gorilla tracking briefing by the park warden and rangers at 8am. After briefing, the rangers will then lead you into the forest to track these gentle giants (Mountain gorillas). The thrill of spending time observing the gorillas as they interact with each other is a pleasing and unforgettable one, you are allowed an hour witnessing the interaction of these close relatives of ours. You are advised to carry with you a packed lunch for, the time spent tracking the gorillas would not be known to you but varies from 3 to 8 hours. Time permitting; you may go for a late afternoon community walk to see the local people’s way of life and cultures.

Luxury: Buhoma Lodge/Mahogany Springs

This is one of the most exciting activities in this park as it involves visiting the Batwa pygmies, an indigenous people who were lived in Bwindi impenetrable forest. They were known as “The Keepers of the Forest” and survived by hunting, gathering plants and fruits in the forest. These people lived in harmony with the forest and its creatures, including the mountain gorillas. They constructed huts out of leaves and branches for shelter, and like gorillas, they moved frequently in search for fresh supplies of food. You will be taken through the lifestyle of these people as well as opportunities for storytelling.

Luxury: Buhoma Lodge/Mahogany Springs

After an early breakfast, we shall drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a park known to boast the highest bio-diversity ratings of any game park in the worlds with habitats to include; lakes, forest, savannah grassland as well as wetlands. We shall go through the Ishasha sector famed for its tree climbing lions, and exercise our game searching and if we get lucky and spot these tree climbing lions, we proceed to the northern part of the park in time for dinner and an overnight stay.

Luxury: Kyambura Gorge Lodge

After an early morning warm up tea or coffee, you will head for a game drive along Kasenyi tracks in search of animals like: lions, cape buffalos, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, spotted hyenas, mangoose, kobs and, if you are lucky, the leopard is often spotted. Over 606 bird species have been recorded in this park and most notably along the Kazinga channel. Return for a full breakfast, relax and prepare for yet another exciting activity in the afternoon. After lunch you will transfer to enjoy a unique two hours boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This launch cruise gives you a great opportunity for photography, animal and bird watching at close range.

Luxury : Kyambura Gorge Lodge

After your breakfast, you will transfer to Kibale forest national park that allows you a visit to the palace of the youngest king in the world (Tooro kingdom palace) for a cultural and historical brief, lunch shall be served in Fort portal town before proceeding to visit the crater lakes and then head to your hotel for a night before yet an exciting activity of Chimpanzee tracking.

Luxury: Primate Lodge

After an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the Chimpanzee tracking information office at 8am for a briefing by the park warden and ranger guides, and after, you will be led into the rain forest in search of chimpanzees. These primates are very mobile and viewing them is unpredictable but a forest walk is an enriching activity and takes about 4 to 6 hours. This forest is home to a large number of chimpanzees and other primates including Lhoestes, grey cheeked mangabeys, Red-colobus, Red-tailed, birds, and butterflies. You will get back at the lodge in time for lunch and if you have energy in the afternoon, go for a Bigodi swamp walk for yet more primates and bird watching with an optional opportunity to meet and interact with the local communities living here.

Luxury: Primate Lodge

After an early morning breakfast, we will head to Murchison falls national park for a full day drive via the Albertine Escarpment of the Western Rift Valley passing through verdant countryside traditional homesteads. Depending on your preferred lodge as well as the time you get into the park, may be taken to visit the top of the falls before heading to check in your lodge.

Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge

After an early morning warm up tea/coffee, you will transfer for a game drive to the northern bank in search of animals like: lions, leopards, giraffes, oribis, elephants, Jackson’s hartebeests, Uganda kobs, buffaloes among other animal and bird species. You will then return to the lodge in time for lunch and relax preparing for yet an exciting activity in the afternoon. After lunch, transfer for a three hours boat ride on the Nile River to the bottom of falls where you will have the opportunity to view animals like; crocodiles, hippos, in the water and some on the river banks, while; buffaloes, waterbucks, and elephants are often seen on the river bank grazing and drinking water. You can have an option to hike to the top of the falls. Return to your lodge for a relaxed evening, dinner and overnight.

Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge

Following a morning breakfast, you will head for a 4 to 5 hours boat trip to the Delta area famed for its high populations of game. You may view Elephants, Buffaloes, Bushbucks, Lions, and a variety of bird species. You may decide to relax at the poolside at your lodge or just rest in your room for the afternoon.

Luxury : Nile Safari Lodge

After breakfast, transfer to Airstrip to take domestic flight to Entebbe – day room use at Protea.