Day-by-day itinerary

What the operator has planned, day by day, across 7 days.

1. Day 1

   Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

   Your guide collects you from the hotel after breakfast and drives to Murchison Falls National Park by way of Masindi. There is a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided walk to track the rhinos, then lunch in Masindi town. You enter the park through Kichumbanyobo gate and drive to the top of the falls, where the Nile forces its way through a small gorge and drops into the calmer river below, its banks crowded with animals and birds. Dinner and the overnight are at Red Chilli campsite, Paraa Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge or Nile Safari Camp.

2. Day 2

   Game Drive and Launch Cruise

   The morning game drive covers the northern part of the park, looking for buffaloes, lions and elephants among the big five, with leopards possible if you are lucky, alongside Rothschild's giraffes, antelopes, warthogs, waterbucks and bushbucks. You return to the lodge for lunch and set out in the afternoon on a three-hour launch cruise down the Nile. The boat runs close to the bottom of the falls, past large numbers of hippos and crocodiles and other animals drinking at the banks; the uncommon shoebill and other birds are possible along this stretch. The night is again at Red Chilli campsite, Paraa Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge or Nile Safari Camp.

3. Day 3

   Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

   After breakfast you drive south from Murchison Falls towards Kibale Forest National Park, stopping for lunch in Hoima and reaching Fort Portal town later in the afternoon. The road gives long views over the Great Rift Valley and passes traditional homesteads of the Bunyoro and Tooro kingdoms. Dinner and the overnight are at the Chimpanzee Guest House, Chimp Nest, Ndali Lodge, CVK, Kibale Forest Camp or Primates Lodge.

4. Day 4

   Chimpanzee Trek and Bigodi Swamp Walk

   Following breakfast you go to the park headquarters at Kanyanchu, where the rangers brief you on chimpanzee tracking, then set out into the forest with a ranger guide to look for the chimpanzees. Kibale Forest holds more than 12 other primate species besides them, including red-tailed monkeys, l'Hoest's monkeys, baboons, red colobus and vervet monkeys, and you watch how the chimpanzees feed and behave towards one another. You return to the lodge for lunch, then take a nature walk in Bigodi swamp, which is well known among birdwatchers for the number of species found in the wetland, with primates to look for as well. Dinner and the night are at the same choice of lodges as the previous night.

5. Day 5

   Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

   After breakfast you transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, passing through Kasese town with clear views of the Rwenzori, the Mountains of the Moon. There is game to see on the road into the park. You carry on to Mweya for a guided nature walk in Maramagambo forest to look for primates, with visits to the bat caves and the blue lake. Dinner and the overnight are at Mweya Safari Lodge, Simba Safari Camp or Ihamba Safari Lodge.

6. Day 6

   Game Drive and Launch Cruise

   The morning game drive runs in the Kasenyi area, where the list includes the elusive giant forest hog, lions, spotted hyenas, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, Uganda kob and leopard. You go back to the lodge for lunch and take an afternoon launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel, where the boat sails close to the shore and brings you within short distance of the hippos. The shoreline holds a great many birds, among them saddle-billed storks, pink-backed pelicans and malachite kingfishers. Dinner and the night are again at Mweya Safari Lodge, Simba Safari Camp or Ihamba Safari Lodge.

7. Day 7

   Chimpanzee Trek and Transfer Back to Kampala

   After breakfast you go chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge, a primate walk along steep terrain with other wildlife to watch for. Lunch is taken at the lodge, after which the drive back to Kampala begins. You are dropped at your hotel in Kampala.