OVERVIEW
The 15 days best of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo is a taste of Africa’s finest or popular destinations. In Uganda expect to encounter the Big 5 safari i.e. Lion, leopard, Rhinos, Buffalos and Elephant. A blend of adrenaline test activities like Rafting on the white River Nile waters is a magnificent experience. Visiting Murchison falls the world’s strongest water falls is spectacular. More in Uganda highlight is chimpanzee trekking, gorilla trekking, hot springs experience
Day 1. Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and Visit Botanical gardens in Entebbe.
Today, you will arrive at Entebbe international airport in Uganda. Here, you will be welcomed by a team of staff including our founding and managing Director along side Uganda’s best safari guides. You will be briefed shortly about your 15 days safari and thereafter you will kick start the incredible experience by visiting Entebbe Botanical gardens.
Entebbe botanical gardens are popular because of the filming of Tarzan Movie which was filmed in 1957. Today, the gardens are a habitat for monkeys like black and white colobus monkey, vervet monkeys, lots birds and the beautiful green which gives you a warm welcome to the Greenly nature of Uganda.
You will check into your hotel for overnight stay and dinner.
Day 2. Transfer to Jinja for White water rafting and tour the source of River Nile.
You will wake up and have breakfast as you launch into a great adventure of a lifetime. Rafting the white water River Nile. The journey to jinja city is about 2 hours drive from Kampala city the capital of Uganda. You will dive into Uganda the Pearl of Africa as you will see the day by day lives of Uganda as they wake early for work, the different plantations like the huge sugar and tea plantation. The drive through Mabira forest is spectacular as you will have the feeling of nature’s freshness.
You will do half day white water rafting. The half day white water has got about 6 rapids which the rafters will descend through. This is really so amazing. The experience is safe as it has trained and certified lead teams ready to pull and push you incase of any assistance. During, rafting, rescue teams travel on kayaks and rafting boats to attend to any sort of assistance. Rafting the Nile is divided into 3 groups, i.e. the Chicken rafters, 50-50 rafters and the crazy rafters. All the teams do the same rapids but the difference comes when you encounter a rapid. The crazy rafter will want to go through the middle of the rapid.
After rafting you will have lunch, and continue to Visiting the source of River Nile in Uganda. River Nile is the world’s longest river the source of Nile is where the river starts its 4000mile journey into Mediterranean sea through Sudan and Egypt.
Day 3. Transfer to Murchison Falls national Park stopping at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and a night in Masindi Town.
Murchison falls national park is Uganda’s largest national park. It covers an area of 3893 Km2. It gets its name from the world’s strongest waterfalls. It’s a home for Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, jackals, giraffes, elephants, buffalos, lots of Antelopes, birds, Crocodile, hippopotamus etc.
En-route, you will stop at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary where you will track the white Rhinos. The activity is so amazing as you will come face to face with the great endangered giants in Uganda. Also, it is a guided one where an armed ranger will lead you tracking.
The activity of rafting takes about 3 hours where you will track the 22 white Rhinos at the sanctuary. After, tracking, you will have lunch and head to your hotel for overnight stay and dinner.
Destination; Masindi Town
Accommodation: Kabalega Dinners.
Status: Full board.
Day 4. Transfer to Murchison Falls for early morning game drive, afternoon Boat cruise and evening hike to the top of Murchison falls.
Today, you will wake up early have breakfast and transfer to Murchison falls. You will be ushered in by Olive baboons and this is igniting the real taste of nature. A drive through the Southern bank of the park will give more of great views and tree canopies as you traverse through Budongo eco forest. You will see vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, antelopes etc as you head to the docking center for boat ride.
The boat will take you to the bottom of Murchison falls where huge volumes of water plunges down into the river. You will see lots hippopotamus, Nile crocodiles, water buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, Uganda, birds like fish eagle, Egyptian goose, black bellied-bustards, Secretary birds, window birds, open billed stork, Abyssinian ground hornbill etc.
You will then hike to the top of Murchison Falls where you will experience huge volumes of water passing through a very narrow gorge about 7 meters causing a thunderous roar with splashes of water and a rainbow on sunny days. This experience is so incredible.
Day 5: Transfer to Fort portal town and visit the Kings Palace.
On this day, you will travel for approximately 8 and a half hours from Murchison Falls NP to Fort Portal town. Lunch along the way
on arrival, you will visit Toro Kingdom Palace which is a home for the World’s youngest King “Oyo”. You will also learn about the history of this Kingdom, their traditional dress code, past Kings and where they were buried among many others.
You will later go to your hotel for dinner and accommodation.
Luxury: Mountains of the moon
Midrange: Fort Motel
Budget: Rwenzori View Guest House
Day 6: Visit to Semliki National Park for game drive and hot springs.
After your breakfast, you will hit the road to Semliki NP for a game drive, in this park you will see animals like: buffalos, warthogs, chimpanzees, monkeys, and many bird species. You will then visit Sempaya Hot springs which are the most attention-grabbing attractions in Semliki. These springs can boil eggs and matooke in a few minutes.
Still along the hot springs trail, you will a number of birds like blue breasted kingfisher, primates like red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabeys. Etc
You will then have a late lunch back at the hotel in Fort portal town and relaxation.
Dinner and overnight still in Fort portal town.
Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an afternoon boat cruise and evening game drive.
After your morning breakfast, you will travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain Range. As you go through the game park you might spot some animals like the Elephant, Buffaloes, bushbucks, and Uganda Kob, Antelopes, Warthogs, among others. After lunch enjoy the unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. It is a 42kms channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. It offers and excellent opportunity for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful with well over 550 resident species. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.
Accommodation: The Bush Lodge (Banda) Mid-range lodge located inside Queen Elizabeth NP
Meal Plan: All meals plus drinking water
Day 8: Exit QENP and transfer to Bwindi en-route via the Ishasha sector to view some tree climbing lions.
Have breakfast then set off for Bwindi NP through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park – famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is about 70% though sometimes they are really hard to spot (most especially when they’re down in the grassland looking for prey). Hoping you get the chance to spot them, the sight will be spectacular!
Continue to Bwindi National Park. Bwindi is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda; harboring an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants.
With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation, relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience the following day.
Accommodation: Broadbill Forest Camp
Meal Plan: All meals plus drinking water
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa people experience.
We shall have early morning breakfast and report to the park headquarters by 7:30 pm for a briefing on Gorilla tracking etiquette. After the briefing which is at the entrance of the park and starting point for Gorilla tracking you shall penetrate the Impenetrable Forest to look for these gentle giants under the guidance of a knowledgeable ranger guide.
The time taken tracking highly depends on how fast you will locate a gorilla community. It can take from a few minutes to an entire day. Gorilla trekking experience brings you close to the gentle giants at least 2 meters to the gorillas.
Upon seeing a family, you have one hour to have the memorable experience. You will then have an evening community experience with the Batwa people who will entertain you.
Return to the lodge for an overnight.
Day 10: Visit Bakiga villages and cross to Rwanda.
On this day you will have a community walk within the Bakiga villages and later cross to Rwanda where you will check in to your hotel for accommodation and dinner.
Day 11: Transfer to Gisenyi, Lake Kivu for overnight.
After breakfast, you will transfer to Gisenyi town which will be a 4-5hrs drive from Kigali-Rwanda. You will great experience at the beach at Lake Kivu, you can also decide to have a boat cruise on Lake Kivu to view a number of islands overlooking Nyiragongo volcano.
Your lunch will be at Gisenyi and dinner and overnight at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
Day 12: Nyiragongo hiking to the summit
Our driver will pick you from Lake Kivu Serena Hotel very early in the morning. He will drive you through Goma town to the Virunga National Park Headquarters for briefing and you will be given guidance on how the hiking will take place. You will then sett off at around 10:30am from Kibati starting point. This hiking takes around 5hrs to reach to the summit.
You will enjoy the spectacular views of the burning volcano and later have dinner and accommodation at the Mountain camp tents.
Day 13: Descend the Nyiragongo volcano and back to Kigali town.
On this day, you will have breakfast and after descend down from Nyiragongo volcano mountain.
You will meet the drier and return to Goma where you will visit some caves, have lunch.
You will also have another stop at Rwanda-Congo border for photo moments, here you will have some relaxation and also will be able to buy some souvenirs.
Later you will continue to Kigali town for dinner and accommodation.
Day 14: Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial and museum, transfer to Uganda.
Following breakfast, you will leave for Kigali. You have the opportunity to visit the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Museum.
The memorial is very moving – the tour takes a couple of hours – and will be of interest to anyone who has spent some time in this enchanting country. It is in memory of the multitudes murdered in Rwanda´s genocide 1994. The Memorial sites and centers are places of dignified remembrance for loved ones lost. It is also a place of reflection and learning for the wider community, both in Rwanda and internationally. Afterwards, you will cross from Kigali back to Uganda.
Day 15: Travel back to Kampala for your flight.
On this day, you will be driven to Kampala very early morning after your breakfast.
You will have a stopover at the Equator for some memory capturing and you can also buy some souvenirs.
Later, you will continue to Kampala for your flight.
