Day-by-day itinerary

What the operator has planned, day by day, across 15 days.

1. Day 1

   Entebbe or Kampala to Jinja

   A Tranquil Safaris guide collects travellers, runs through the plan for the trip and drives about two and a half hours east to Jinja. The white water rafting on the River Nile starts the same day and asks for no previous rafting skill, only a willingness to get wet. Anyone with time to spare can add bungee jumping, quad biking, tubing on the Nile, horse riding or cycling. Lunch and dinner are in Jinja, where the group spends the night.

2. Day 2

   Sipi Falls Hike

   After an early breakfast the drive continues to Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa District, on the slopes of Mount Elgon. A briefing at the Sipi head office comes first, then the hike sets off with a local guide. The falls are three separate drops of 100m, 75m and 85m, formed by the Sipi River as it comes down off the mountain, and the guide explains how they came about. Abseiling is available for anyone who wants it. Lunch, dinner and the night are all at Sipi.

3. Day 3

   Transfer to Moroto for the Karamojong Cultural Visit

   Breakfast is followed by the drive north to Moroto. The stop exists because the run from Sipi to Kidepo is too long to do in one go, so it is broken with a cultural visit instead of a full day in the vehicle. Lunch is in Moroto and the Karamojong visit takes up the afternoon. Dinner and the overnight stay are in Moroto.

4. Day 4

   Transfer to Kidepo Valley and an Evening Game Drive

   An early breakfast, then the drive from Moroto to Kidepo across open savannah lowlands. The group reaches the lodge in time for lunch. The evening is given to a game drive through the park, catching the animals as they graze and settle across the plains.

5. Day 5

   Game Drive and Community Tour in Kidepo

   Kidepo is among the best of Uganda's parks for a true wilderness feel, and the day opens with a game drive after breakfast. Buffalo and elephant are common, along with large numbers of antelope, giraffe, oribi, waterbuck, hartebeest, striped hyena and lion, and cheetah are sometimes seen. Lunch is followed by an afternoon visit to one of the Karamojong communities inside the park, with dancing and music, and crafts for sale that support the makers directly. The group returns to the lodge for dinner and the night.

6. Day 6

   To Murchison Falls

   This is a long driving day, so the start is early and breakfast is taken before setting off. Lunch is on the road. The group arrives at Murchison Falls in the evening, checks in at the lodge and has the rest of the evening to rest.

7. Day 7

   Game Drive and Boat Cruise at Murchison Falls

   An early start after breakfast for game viewing in Uganda's largest national park, working the northern side while the predators are still out. Large herds of buffalo and elephant are usual, along with lion, hartebeest, giraffe and warthog. After lunch the group takes the three-hour boat cruise up the Nile towards the falls, passing crocodile, hippo, buffalo and a range of birds along the banks. The cruise ends at the point where the river is forced through a narrow gap, which is the best view of the falls from the water. The group then returns to the lodge.

8. Day 8

   Above the Falls, Then West to Kibale Forest

   Before leaving Murchison the guide takes the group to the top of the falls, which is the closest view of the drop. The drive to Kibale Forest then takes around seven hours, through villages and farming country with hills and valleys on either side. Kibale holds 13 primate species, and chimpanzee tracking and birding are what most people come for. Lunch is on the road and the group arrives in the late afternoon for dinner at the lodge.

9. Day 9

   Chimpanzee Tracking and the Bigodi Wetland Tour

   An early breakfast, then the driver takes the group to the park headquarters for the tracking briefing. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale runs between two and four hours, with one hour permitted once the chimpanzees are found. The forest on the way through is full of trees, plants, birds and butterflies, and red-tailed monkey and black-and-white colobus are regularly seen. Lunch comes after tracking, and the afternoon is spent on the Bigodi wetland tour, a community project whose proceeds go towards local schools and other community work. Dinner and the night are at the lodge.

10. Day 10

    To Queen Elizabeth National Park

    After breakfast the group drives to Queen Elizabeth National Park, stopping at the crater lakes on the way for the views. The route continues to Kasese, where the park lies. On arrival travellers can either rest at the lodge or take an evening game drive. Dinner and the overnight stay are at the lodge.

11. Day 11

    Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

    Breakfast, then an early game drive along the Kasenyi track looking for buffalo, lion, antelope, waterbuck and elephant, with a chance of leopard for anyone lucky, as they are both scarce and shy. The group returns to the lodge for lunch. The afternoon boat cruise starts from the Mweya Peninsula and runs along the Kazinga Channel past hippo, crocodile, antelope and a good range of birds. The evening is spent at the lodge over dinner.

12. Day 12

    Through the Ishasha Sector on the Way to Bwindi

    After breakfast the group drives south through the park to the Ishasha sector, looking for the tree-climbing lions that the area is known for, along with buffalo, antelope and elephant. The route then carries on to Bwindi. The group checks in at the lodge and has the evening to rest before the trek.

13. Day 13

    Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi

    This is an early morning: breakfast at the lodge, then the guide takes the group to the park headquarters for the tracking briefing. The trek into the forest runs between two and six hours depending on where the gorillas are, and once they are found only one hour is allowed with them. Silverbacks, blackbacks, juveniles and young are all likely to be in view. A certificate is issued after the trek, and lunch follows; anyone who finishes early can rest at the lodge and then take the Batwa cultural visit in the afternoon. The group returns to the lodge for dinner.

14. Day 14

    To Lake Bunyonyi

    After breakfast the group leaves Bwindi for Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale District, which is ringed by terraced hills and holds 29 islands and a large bird population. A boat ride on arrival takes in the islands, with the guide telling the stories attached to them. Lunch follows, and the afternoon is free to rest at the lodge, walk the hills for birdwatching or swim in the deepest lake in Uganda. Dinner is at the lodge.

15. Day 15

    Transfer to Entebbe or Kigali

    The last day is a departure day and it can go two ways. The driver can take travellers back to Entebbe for the flight home, with a stop at the Equator for photographs and souvenirs. Or he can drive to Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, which is closer to Kabale District than Entebbe is.