Trip Highlight
Day 0: Arrival
Day 1: Shoebill watching then transfer to Mabira Forest (Night Walk within the lodge)
Day 2: Day & Night Herping in Mabira
Day 3: Half day herping in Mabira then transfer to Mityana
Day 4 & 5: Herping in Mityana forests
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale National Park and afternoon Bigodi swamp walk/Community experience (Night Walk around the lodge)
Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale National Park and transfer to Rwenzori Mountains (Night Walk around the lodge)
Day 8: Full day in Rwenzori Mountains
Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park (Afternoon game drive)
Day 10: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 11: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 12: Ultimate Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 13: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park (Night game drive)
Day 14: Morning Walking Safari, afternoon Boat cruise and night game drive in Mburo National Park
Day 15: Transfer to Entebbe/Airport and End of Trip
Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to Uganda, The Pearl of Africa!
On this day of your arrival, we shall our partner hotel to pick you up from the airport, meet our representative (Alphar Dadaire) later in the evening for the travel plan brief. And he will be your Safari guide/driver for the entire trip.
Day 2: Morning Shoebill watching then transfer to Mabira (Night Walk around the lodge)
Our safari guide representative will pick you up from your hotel, and have you transferred to the Swamp.
Because of the wonder of this enormous, prehistoric-looking bird, safari goers and business travelers both want to see it in Uganda. The Shoebill is a special sighting for birdwatchers and is frequently near the top of their lists of Ugandan birds to see and photograph.
The Shoebill and Mabamba wetlands are by far the best locations in Uganda to provide you the best possibilities of seeing one. Being situated on Lake Victoria’s shoreline and only an hour’s drive from either Entebbe or Kampala, it is also the most easily accessible. More than 300 bird species can be found in Mabamba, a RAMSAR wetland and Important Bird Area (IBA), including 7 of Uganda’s 12 Lake Victoria Basin restricted species.
Get transferred from Nachiwogo landing site to the swamp by the motorized boat (about 45 mins)
we will immediately hop into the motorized wooden boats or canoes and start exploring the water channels to discover the Shoebill as a top priority when we arrive, where our boat man and site guide will be waiting
Finding the Shoebill might not take an hour of searching. If they saw the Shoebill, local fishermen who venture out at dusk might be able to aid with information.
The Shoebill is most active in the early morning hours, when it is searching for lungfish, thus this is the best time to look for it. It hunts by staying stationary for extended periods of time while waiting for fish to cross, then catching it with its large, powerful beak in the style of a shoe! The Shoebill provides excellent views and displays since you may approach close to it without bothering it because it is preoccupied with catching fish.
After shoebill watching, you will be transferred to Mabira Forest. Enroute Lunch and Dinner at the lodge
Upon reaching Mabira, you will check-in to the Lodge and prepare for night forest night walk around the lodge. Do not forget about the weird sounds from the forest hyrax at night in the rain forest lodge, nature is beautiful.
Day 3 : Full Day Herping in Mabira
Tighten our shoelaces for both day and night herping in Mabira Forest. Be briefed about the nature of the forest by our professional herpetologist Alphar Dadaire, be informed about the nature of the forest, how to locate or determine the spots, the signs to use whilst in the forest. Do not get lost in the forest as you will all spread moving in the same direction, the walkie talkies should help you locate one another in the forest.
Target species:
Bitis gabonica, Bitis nasicornis, Atheris hispida, Atheris squamigera, and Jameson mambas, Forest Pangolins. We shall also encounter with some primate species like the Red-tailed monkeys, Vervet Monkeys, Uganda Mangabeys and many more.
Day 4 : Half Day Herping in Mabira then transfer to Mityana
Have morning breakfast at the lodge, get ready to check out as we hit the Mabira Forest before getting transferred to Mityana. Have lunch 0n the way.
Day 5 : Herping in Mityana Forests.
After breakfast, we shall be leaving the hotel by at least 7:00am for the forest.
Herping usually starts from 8:00am and ends depending on our targets met or not.
We do not guarantee anything when it comes to snake excursions because we do not make appointment with these wonderful creatures. The rule is to be determined, work as a team, and of course we can’t dictate nature.
However, the target species during our herpetological expeditions in Mityana are The Gaboon vipers (B.Gabonica), Rhinoceros vipers (B. Arsicornis), Jameson’s mambas (D. Jamesoni Kaimosae), Green bush vipers (A. squamigera), Rough scaled bush vipers (A. hispida), but not all guaranteed.
As a way of promoting community tourism, we do use some local guides who will be joining us to help in spotting.
Communication:
To ease communication during this activity, we do use Walkie talkies so that we all keep alert and informed. This also helps us not to get lost from the rest of the team.
Lunch: Sometimes we go with packed lunch or come back and have lunch from the hotel. Herping may stop at 1pm or 2pm depending on the weather.
Day 6 : Transfer to Kibale National Park
Relaxed Morning breakfast and transfer to Kibale National Park. Through Local Villages and past jaw Dropping scenery, make stops and Drive to the outskirts of Kibale National Park at the beautiful Turaco Overlooking the crater.
Watch the Countryside with huge chunks of tea plantations and villages unfold with the local life and great scenery. Arrive in time for Lunch.
In The Afternoon, embark on a guided community, & Swamp Walk in the Bigodi Wetland in search for more primates including the red colobus, Black and White Colobus monkeys, Red Tailed Monkeys and much more.
Afternoon Bigodi Swamp Walk
After lunch, you will relax and later go for an interesting nature walk in Bigodi swamp where you will be able to view different primate species, birds, mammals, view plant and tree species while enjoying the cool breeze.
After this experience you will take a village walk that will lead you to the Coffee experience, banana bear making, basket making and traditional healer. Do not forget to have a night walk in the lodge
Day 7 : Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale N/P and Transfer to Rwenzori Mountains (Night Walk around the lodge)
Start the day Embarking again on chimpanzee trekking experience in Kibale National Park with a ranger guide looking out for nests, chimpanzee callings till you find them and have an ultimate encounter with humans closest Relatives. Have a more interactive conversation with the ranger guide about Chimpanzees and their habitat.
Day 8 : Full Day Herping in Rwenzori mountains.
After your early morning breakfast, we shall head for a morning herping, looking for different chameleon species and of course for great lakes bush vipers, which are very easy to find in the area.
Target species include; Atheris nitschei, Trioceros johnstoni, Trioceros ellioti, and other different chameleons.
After herping you will have lunch, and then get transferred to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an afternoon game drive.
Upon reaching Queen and after checking in your lodge, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for an afternoon game drive which is commonly done in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks among others which will be grazing in the open savannah plains, view predators like lions and elephants if you are lucky, view different bird species among others. After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Early morning after breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from your lodge for an amazing game drive that may take about 4 – 5 hours. After the game drive, your driver guide will take you back to your lodge for lunch.
Afternoon boat Cruise at Kazinga Channel
After lunch, you will go for an amazing boat cruise on Kaziga channel – a water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat cruise you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view elephants, buffaloes, warthogs among others drinking water along the shores, view water birds like hornbills, cormorants, kingfishers, bee-eaters, fish eagles among others. After the boat cruise which takes about 2 to 3 hours.
After the boat cruise you will then be transferred to Ishasha for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight.
Get transferred to Rwenzori Mountains also known as Mountains of the Moon and have enroute Lunch.
Day 10: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable N/P through Ishasha Sector
On this day of the safari, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On the way you will have a game drive in Ishasha sector where you may be able to view the tree climbing lions which be lying up in acacia or fig tree branches during the game drive. After the game drive, you will have en-route lunch and then continue the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon arrival you will check in to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable N/P
After an early breakfast, you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to go for a gorilla trekking briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will be allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with the trekking trails. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are located. During trekking you will be able to view other primates species, different birds, plant and tree species among others. Once the gorillas are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, watch them carry out their daily activities, take photos and record the videos. After the one hour with the mountain gorillas, you will trek back to the starting point where you will be allocated a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide and return to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Transfer to Lake Mburo (Afternoon Game Drive)
After early morning breakfast you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to get transferred to Lake Mburo. On the way you will have en-route lunch, enjoy stunning views among others. Upon arrival, you will go for an afternoon game drive where you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species, view different bird species, among others.
After the game drive, you will head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 13: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise in Mburo
After an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive where you will be rewarded with great views of animals like waterbucks, elands, buffaloes, zebras, impalas, topi, giraffes among others which will be grazing
in open savannah plains with due. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for an interesting boat cruise where you will be able to view hippos and crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores, water birds like kingfisher, bee-eaters, fish eagles, cormorants among others. After the boat cruise you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 14: Transfer to Entebbe and End of Trip
After enjoying morning breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to get transferred to Entebbe.
On the way you will have an en-route lunch and a stopover at the Equator to take photos and buy souvenirs.
From the equator you will then proceed to Entebbe.
This will mark the end of the 14-days ultimate Herping and Wildlife
Safari
Tour includes;
- Shoebill watching.
- Park entrance fees/game drives in the two savannah parks.
- Boat cruise fees in the two savannah parks.
- Chimpanzee and Gorilla trekking permits.
- Local guides during snake expeditions.
- Services of a Professional English speaking driver guide.
- Full board accommodation.
- Pick up and drop off in Entebbe.
- Vehicle and fuel.
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets.
- Personal insurance.
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.