Ultimate Uganda

Uganda

Gaze into the Pearl of Africa.

15 days £5,295 pp (was £5,695 pp) This is the per person group tour price, based on 2 sharing. The price is subject to change with exchange rate and flight cost fluctuations.
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Intro, Dates & Prices

Intro

With 5,000 wild chimpanzees roaming its tropical high forests, as well as the only population of mountain gorillas outside of neighbouring Congo and Rwanda, Uganda is an ethnologist and primatologist’s heaven. Moreover, it’s also a haven for adventurous travellers who have travelled, but never to anywhere quite like this. Solution: Ultimate Uganda.

Uganda’s three priceless commodities: landscape, wildlife and people, is what we’ve set out to unify on this tour. We go on a circuitous journey in search of African megafauna, some of the 1100 varieties of bird that call Uganda home, and - who could ever forget - rare primates. But who could overlook Uganda’s 9 indigenous groups and 50-odd tribes too? Ultimate Uganda aims for a synergy of both wildlife and humanity at home in its own natural habitat.

Come away with us to traverse the equator south to Lake Victoria and southwest to the sprawling parks of Queen Elizabeth, with its Ishasha tree-climbing lions, and its hippos surfacing in the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel that links Lakes Edward & George; to Kibale to track chimps; and to Bwindi to come face to face with mountain gorillas. We’ll extend northwest to the granddaddy of parks, Murchison Falls to feel the thunder of the Nile roaring through a seven metre-wide gap. Besides observing prehistoric shoebills, we'll feast our eyes on grazing herds more at home on the southern savannahs. But wherever we go with you we’ll be doing it with local community and conservation initiatives forever in mind, as in Masindi, Masaka and Lake Mburo, where small-scale farming aims to sustain rural communities.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Ziwa, the only place to see Southern White rhino in Uganda
  • The fury of Murchison's mighty waterfall
  • Prehistoric shoebills - oddest & most endearing birds ever
  • Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale NP
  • Salt panning on Katwe Lake
  • Tree-climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth NP
  • Mountain Gorilla-tracking in Bwindi
  • Walking safari in Lake Mburo NP
  • Coffee farms in Masaka

Places Visited

Entebbe - Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary - Murchison Falls National Park - Kabwoya Game Reserve - Kibale National Park - Queen Elizabeth NP - Katwe Salt Pans - Queen Elizabeth NP - Ishasha - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - Lake Mburo NP - Masaka

What's Included

Arrival & departure transfers
Private 4x4 safari Land Cruiser vehicle with an English-speaking driver guide and fuel for this itinerary
Full-board accommodation
English-speaking guides
All entrance fees to sites & parks (​1 gorilla and 1 chimp permit each)
Mineral water in transit
All government taxes

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Itinerary
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Overview Itinerary Detailed Itinerary
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Day 1 : Arrival in Entebbe

Once safely landed in Entebbe, you’ll be met by your Travel The Unknown representative, who’ll transfer you to your nearby hotel. This guide will remain with you throughout.

Depending on what time your flight gets in, if early you could take it easy for the rest of the day. See your guide about taking a wander around this underappreciated town on the shores of Lake Victoria. 

n.b. Unless you are arriving on a late evening flight from Europe, breakfast, lunch and dinner can be easily arranged on this full-board tour.

Overnight in The Boma Entebbe, Entebbe

Meal plan: n/a

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Day 2 : Entebbe - Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

After breakfast, with your guide and driver you will take the 3-4hr road trip to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. There, your guide will escort you on what should be a thrilling nature trail for the rare chance to track these critically endangered rhinos up close, as well as to spot the multi-coloured bird life along the trail.

A restful evening with dinner at the lodge.

Overnight in Amuka Lodge, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 3 : Ziwa - Masindi Mango Farm - Murchison Falls

Stopping off at Masindi mango farm 3 hours prior to Murchison Falls NP, you’ll see how this classic tropical fruit is processed into juice, and even into wine.

Arriving 3 hours later at Uganda’s grandest national park, Murchison Falls, you’ll stand at the top of the world’s most powerful waterfall for views that the great Victorian explorers, Burton & Speke, once gazed upon. And once you have finally come down from that natural high, you’ll be escorted to your park lodge.

Evening at the lodge to enjoy the African sunset, and to dine.

Overnight in Twiga Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 4 : Murchison Falls National Park

Start the active wildlife phase of the morning with a thrilling game drive through the park’s northern sector. This dream line-up of resident animals includes elephant, lion, hartebeest, antelope, and a plethora of spectacular birds.

In the afternoon we’ll take a cruise along the Nile to the foot of the falls, from where animals and birds can be regularly seen. Feel the earth tremble as millions of cubic litres thunder through a tight gap before cascading down a 141ft drop. One of Mother nature's most impressive acts.

Evening at rest in your lodge, dining well and enthusing about your day.

Overnight in Twiga Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

The Nile narrows into a high-pressure hose only 23ft wide. At 300 cubic meters per second or 11,000 ft³/s, the immense pressure that causes the surroundings to tremble.
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Day 5 : Murchison Falls - Lake Albert

You’ll leave Murchison Falls N.P. by fishing boat, following the Nile down to Lake Albert, past iconic shoebill storks hunting on the banks. Waiting for you at a fishing village named Wanseko, your guide will escort you on a 4x4 drive to your accommodation at Lake Albert Lodge.

This wonder-filled journey provides a dreamy backdrop of Congo’s Blue Mountains away to the west.

End an incredible day dining in the bush to the tune of an African sunset.

Overnight in Lake Albert Safari Lodge, Kabwoya Game Reserve

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 6 : Lake Albert - Kibale National Park

Before entering densely-forested Kibale, via Hoima and the old British garrison of Fort Portal, you’ll behold epic scenery and fascinating villages. In the afternoon, you’ll walk the circuit of Bigodi Swamp. This local community initiative stands up for the local population while protecting a wealth of plant, avian, and primate life.

While the even away the evening dining to the sound of the African night at your lodge.

Overnight in Turaco Treetops Lodge, Kibale National Park

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 7 : Kibale Forest & Community Interaction

Today you’ll track troops of habituated chimpanzees deep into this moist evergreen forest*. A vital habitat, Kibale plays host to the highest number of primates in all East Africa.

According to tradition, you’ll spend an hour observing their behaviour from a safe but manageable distance.

After lunch, it’s time to interact with local community members, learning their ways, even how they prepare food.

n.b. *this activity is reserved for 12 years old +.

Overnight in Turaco Treetops Lodge, Kibale National Park

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 8 : Kibale - Queen Elizabeth National Park

A journey through the Crater Lakes region down to Queen Elizabeth N.P. sees you stop at intervals to view this remarkable topography.

Once rested at your lodge, we take you out in the afternoon to observe salt panning at Katwe lake.

The day’s highlight is reserved until after dusk, when you go on a night-time game drive.

Return to your lodge to reflect on a great day.

Overnight in Turaco Treetops Lodge, Kibale National Park

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 9 : Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park

In the morning you’ll link up with a lion researcher to learn analytically about this big cat. Together, you’ll drive to remote spots in Q.E. Park to search for these felines. After lunch, a boat will be waiting to take you through the Kazinga Channel, home to large populations of hippo, Nile crocs, and Elephants.

Evening back at your lodge, sipping on G&T while hearing hyenas whooping and laughing.

Overnight in Kasenyi Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth NP - Northern Sector

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 10 : Queen Elizabeth Park, Ishasha Sector - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

On your final morning in the park, at the southern Ishasha sector, you’ll go looking for resident populations of tree-climbing lions: the world-famous lshasha lions.

In the afternoon, we exit the park, and continue south on a longish journey by road to Bwindi, home of the mountain gorilla in Uganda. Not to mention, home another 113 species of mammal and a whopping 350 species of bird.

Settle into your cloud forest lodge in readiness for an important day in your life tomorrow.

Overnight in Engagi Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 11 : Gorilla Tracking, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Start the day early with a small group briefing before heading out behind the ranger to penetrate the impenetrable. Once the family of mountain gorillas has been located, spend an hour in the company of these peaceful primates, coming face to face with eyes not unlike ours.

Upon return to your lodge, sit back and reflect on this beautiful experience. Round off a perfect day with an evening visit a local tribal community.

Overnight in Engagi Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 12 : Bwindi - Lake Mburo National Park

It’s a good 5-hour journey to Lake Mburo. Once you arrive, spend the afternoon witnessing Uganda’s sole herds of zebra, impala, and eland. Later, you meet the Bahima herders who will demonstrate the art of cattle-keeping.

Settle in for dinner and evening at your wilderness lodge, soaking up your changed surrounds. With its gallery forests, rocky ridges, and swampy, flat-bottomed valleys all containing a multitude of species - some instantly recognisable and others delightfully obscure, this Simba-esque landscape could have been dreamed up by Walt Disney himself. 

Overnight in Rwakobo Rock, Lake Mburo NP

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

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Day 13 : Lake Mburo, Walking Safari

A fulsome exploration of the park, and rare too, as safaris on foot are the exception. Firstly a ranger will escort you on a 2-hr walk through the back channels of Mburo. If that’s not close enough to wildlife, later in the day enjoy a game drive, seeing the park as you’ve never seen it before.

End an uplifting day with dinner at the lodge and sunset over the west.

Overnight in Rwakobo Rock, Lake Mburo NP

Meal plan: Breakfast & lunch

Lake Mburo's savannah ungulates grazing dry pasture
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Day 14 : Lake Mburo - Masaka

In Masaka you’ll truly smell the beans on a guided excursion to a coffee plantation. Wander the orchards, pick the reddest coffee cherries, plant a tree, and even make your own cup from freshly-picked beans. A nice finale to the trip, with an ethnographic aspect of learning about village life, including the ingenious practice of making cloth from tree bark.

Continuing our circuit back to Entebbe, we’ll stop at the equator on the way for souvenir photos.

Come full circle on this grand tour, checking back in to familiar surroundings. Enjoy your final night with dinner at the hotel, and perhaps a last wander around. 

Overnight in The Boma Entebbe, Entebbe

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sustainable planting in a commonwealth of community at Masaka
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Day 15 : Entebbe - Departure

On your final morning in Uganda, slow the pace at your hotel for the morning.

Depending on what time your international flight leaves, why not take a stroll in Entebbe’s Botanical Gardens, home to an interesting array of flora and fauna. Time set aside for you to snap up choice mementos at the handicraft centre before your guide accompanies you to the airport. 

Meal plan: Breakfast

Accommodation

Accommodation

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The Boma Entebbe

Entebbe (2 nights)

The Boma Hotel is Entebbe’s original and most exclusive hotel, set in tropical gardens in a leafy suburb, a few minutes drive from Entebbe International Airport. Our rooms combine the modern comforts one expects today with the charm and character of the original 1940’s home. The Boma Hotel in Entebbe Uganda is an ideal stopover for all airline passengers, and we will arrange all your airport transfers. Our staff and management team ensure guests receive a personable service and enjoy hospitality standards which are in keeping with the tradition of this charming lakeshore town.

Visit hotel's site
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Amuka Lodge

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (1 night)

The Main Lodge, containing the restaurant, bar, walkways, and sun-deck, was almost entirely handcrafted using old, recovered mahogany beams and timber planks from a sawmill abandoned in Budongo Forest nearly 30 years ago. This gives the lodge a rustic and nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of a well-worn farmhouse.

Maximizing the fusion of timber, natural stone and canvas, Amuka Lodge was created to blend with the natural beauty of the surrounding environment.
Currently there are ten units; four family chalets with three beds – perfect for families and, six standard chalets each with one bedroom and bathroom. Each chalet is named after one of the sanctuary rhinos and was constructed from hardwood timber and stone. All chalets are complete with large, personal verandas where visitors can lounge on safari chairs and take in the serenity of the surroundings. All chalets are tucked into the woodlands which provide complete privacy.

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Twiga Safari Lodge

Murchison Falls National Park (2 nights)

Twiga Safari Lodge is a mid-range lodge with 8 exclusive cottages situated on the bank of the river Nile in Mubaako Paraa opposite the Murchison falls National Park. The lodge is located at the heart of all the activities carried out in the park as it is a 5 minute drive away from the Paraa ferry crossing. Our guests are able to therefore enjoy a boat ride and or hike to the famous Murchison falls, sport fishing, bird watching at the lake Albert delta, and game drives through the national park across the river.

Twiga Safari Lodge aims at providing clients with comfortable accommodation in the serene and relaxing environment of Uganda’s wildlife. On site, guests are able see some  monkeys and various birds freely moving through the grounds of the lodge

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Lake Albert Safari Lodge

Kabwoya Game Reserve (1 night)

Lake Albert Safari Lodge is one of the infrastructural innovations established in Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve, to provide luxury accommodation at an affordable price for tourists visiting the Reserve. The lodge fully furnished, with a swimming pool and has 11 beautiful grass thatched cottages.

Construction of the lodge began in 2005 and ended in 2007. Constructed entirely out of local materials supplied by Local Community Groups, the construction of the Lodge was earmarked by Lake Albert Safaris as one of the first areas of financial benefit for the community.

Visit hotel's site
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Turaco Treetops Lodge

Kibale National Park (3 nights)

Turaco Treetops is Kibale Forest’ newest semi-luxe lodge. We believe in creating an uncomplicated, and warm-hearted atmosphere and offer our guests a unique experience in the forest with stunning views over the snowcapped Rwenzori Mountains. Turaco Treetops is the place to go on a chimpanzee trekking, share tasty meals, laugh, read a book near our fire place, learn about nature, play a game, or take dip in our refreshing pool. And not to forget: enjoy that well-deserved hot shower and comfortable beds that help you get ready for a new day of exploration in the Kibale Forest region.

Visit hotel's site
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Kasenyi Safari Camp

Queen Elizabeth NP - Northern Sector (1 night)

Kasenyi Safari Camp is strategically located on the rim of lake Bunyampaka in the Kasenyi Savannah of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The camp has an elevated dining structure that is meticulously thatched. The tents are on platforms with a thatched canopy roof.

There are four tents all with en-suite bathrooms, spacious living areas and private decks. Many animals frequent the camp during day and at night. Lion prides, hippo, leopard, buffalo, elephant, waterbuck, kob, hyena and wart hog are frequently seen. The night comes alive with sounds of hyenas howling and lions roaring.

Visit hotel's site
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Engagi Lodge

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (2 nights)

Engagi Lodge in Bwindi is a modern lodge in a breathtaking setting offering stunning views over the forest canopy. The lodge is situated in a large tract of land contiguous to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, and runs from the main road to the Park Headquarters down to the Munyaga river.
he lodge has been built using local materials and a local workforce. It is constructed from rocks found in and around the site and eucalyptus trees while the rooms are thatched from banana fibre sourced from local farmers.
The lodge consists of just 8 en-suite cottages, spaced out and hidden in the foliage. Each cottage has either double or twin beds, a bathroom with flushing toilets and hot and cold running water. All have private verandahs where guests can enjoy their morning tea or coffee as they watch out over the forest canopy.

Visit hotel's site
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Rwakobo Rock

Lake Mburo NP (2 nights)

Rwakobo Rock is a peaceful and secluded retreat where you can breathe in the essence of wild Uganda. Our comfortable and spacious cottages are dotted around the hill, all very private and offering great sunset views. The main dining area overlooks an expanse of rock that adjoins the park. Set in the pristine Ankole ranchlands surrounding Lake Mburo National Park; whether you want to sit back, sip on an ice-cold drink in a hammock or head out into Lake Mburo National Park for a day of exciting exploration, there is something for everyone here

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Extensions

Ultimate Uganda (15 days)

Gaze into the Pearl of Africa.

Eastern Uganda Explorer (13 days)

Venture into Uganda's remote wilderness

Reviews

Our trip was truly a trip of a lifetime. Filled with breathtaking wildlife and nature moments throughout; the boat rides were very special, the gorillas fantastic, and Murchison Falls was an outstanding park with our favourite game drive. Our guide was fantastic, showing us all the best spots and answering any questions we had. We would thoroughly recommend to anyone.

The Thomas's , Tailormade Uganda

Our trip through Uganda was full of truly exciting experiences. Michael guided us wonderfully throughout with deep knowledge and an enthusiasm for wildlife and insights into the history and culture of the people and the country we travelled through. Highlights of course were the chimpanzees in Kibale, gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga, and golden monkeys but we experienced so much more that exceeded our expectations from Murchison Falls, through Queen Elizabeth NP, and finally Lake Mburo, along with a constant and, on the final evening, successful search for a Shoebill.

The Martyn-Fishers , Ultimate Uganda & Tailormade Extension
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