18 days (The best of Uganda and Tanzania with "Gorillas, Chimpanzees, scenery and culture) Tour code: CH0013
Day One : Arrival - Mburo.
Arrive at Entebbe Airport where your guide from Churchill will warmly
greet you and transfer you to the office for a briefing from the Company
representative and there after set off on the southbound road, have
a stop over to look at the Royal Drum makers, stand on the Equator
and be in both hemispheres at once and thereafter proceed to Lake
Mburo National Park, having a game drive as you enter the Park arriving
at Mantana Tented Camp in the evening.
Lake Mburo is an extension of the Tanzanian Plains with
big herds of Zebra, Impala, Eland and other savannah
species. For birders, this is one of the best place
to find African Finfoot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike, etc.
Go for an evening game drive and over night at Mantana
Tented Camp or the park Bandas. F/B.
Day Two : Mburo - Bwindi
After breakfast, proceed to Bwindi passing through the Switzerland
of Uganda (Kabale) with beautiful scenery and terraced farming arriving
in the afternoon.
Best known for its Mountain Gorillas, the Montane Forest
also attracts spectacular birds. There are 23 of the
24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African Green
Broadbill, Bar Tailed Trogon and other beautiful forest
species. You may decide to relax in the afternoon or
take a nature walk which will lead you to the Munyaga
Waterfall and a chance to see primates such as the Grey
Cheeked Mangabey Blue Monkeys and others species. Spend
the night at either the Luxurious Gorilla Forest Camp
or the Uganda Wildlife Authority Park Bandas. You will
need to have a good night's rest to get ready for the
following day's gorilla tracking. (F/B).
Day Three : Bwindi - Tracking.
This morning you will have to wake up very early to get ready for
Gorilla tracking. Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the
necessary gear to track the rare Mountain Gorilla, perhaps one of
the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only
650 left in the world! The tracking may take between 2 and 6 hours
but its well worth the effort. There are always park guides with you
who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas.
In the afternoon relax at the camp or take a forest walk.
Over night at Gorilla Forest Camp or the Uganda Wildlife
Authority Park Bandas. F/B.
Day Four : Bwindi - Queen Elizabeth.
After breakfast, you will depart the Impenetrable Forest for Queen
Elizabeth National Park arriving in the afternoon. Relax around the
pool after lunch and later go for an early evening game drive.
Its little wonder that Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest bio
diversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world, - from
the open Savannah to Rain Forest, dense Papyrus Swamps and brooding
Crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward.
Almost 100 mammal species that include Lions, Hippos, Buffaloes, Leopard,
Spotted Hyena, Elephants and the elusive Giant Forest Hog plus remarkable
606 bird species that include the Black Chested Eagle, the Swallow
Tailed Bee Eaters, to mention but a few.
The Primates include Chimps, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Blue,
Black Faced Red Colobus, and Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons.
Reptiles are the amazing huge Rock-Python, Puffadders,
Spitting Cobras, Gabon Rippers, Green Mambas, Turtles
etc. All these are regularly sighted around the tourist
village on the Mweya Peninsula and all this makes a
superb safari territory.
Birding is also wonderful. Queen Elizabeth Park has the highest recorded number of over 600 species of birds including the Shoebill Stork, Black Bee-Eater, Chappirs Fly Catcher, Bustards, craters full of Lesser Flamingos etc. Over night at Mweya Safari Lodge or the Institute of Ecology. F/B.
Day Five : Queen Elizabeth.
Early morning drive to the crater lakes in Kyambura
Game Reserve to see thousands of colourful Lesser Flamingoes,
as they feed in these soda lakes if they are in season.
Then go for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga
Channel. Hippos huff and spray mere feet away from the
boat, Buffalo linger in the shallows, a tremendous variety
of birds grace the grasses on the shores. Great White
and Pink-Backed Pelicans, Great and Long-Tailed Cormorants,
Open-Billed Stork, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied
Kingfishers are commonly seen. February and March offer
spectacular sightings of some of the bird migrants.
Spend the night at Mweya Lodge or the Institute of Ecology.
(F/B).
Day Six : Queen Elizabeth - Kibale
This morning, we will have a game drive to the Kisenyi
area to look for Lion prides and other wildlife like
the Uganda Kob that mate around this area then head
for Kibale National Park. Kibale Forest is a large protected
block of rainforest, which has the highest number of
primates in Africa such as Chimpanzees, Grey Cheeked
Mangabey, Red Tailed monkey and Red Colobus. You will
go for a guided walk to the Magombe Swamp at Bigodi
to look for the Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue Throated
Roller and other rare species and also find the fruiting
trees, which attract Narina Trogon, Pied Hornbill, Yellow
Spotted, Hairy Breasted and Yellow-Billed Barbets. Spend
the night at Rwenzori View Guesthouse or Tooro Resort
or Ndali Lodge, a stunning location overlooking a dramatic
Crater Lake and the fabled "Mountains of the Moon".
(F/B)
Day Seven : Kibale - Murchison
This morning, we will go for the morning Chimp tracking in Kibale
Forest then proceed to Murchison Falls National Park having lunch
at Masindi Hotel arriving at Paraa Safari Lodge in the evening. This
is a long drive as we travel north through the evergreen tea estates.
Once we reach the Nile in the heart of the Park we will cross on the
ferry to Paraa Safari Lodge. The drive from the ferry crossing might
reveal Blue Napped Mouse birds, Silver bird, and Red Headed Agama.
Overnight at either Paraa Safari Lodge or Paraa Rest
Camp. Paraa Lodge over looks the mighty Nile where Hippos
wallow in the water. The lodge is located on the North
bank, which is the closest location to the wildlife
in the Park. (F/B)
Day Eight : Murchison
After breakfast, you will go for an early evening drive on to the
rolling plains where you can view Lions, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Buffalo
and Elephant as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For
the birders amongst you these areas support the Secretary Bird, Black
Chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Marshal Eagles Carmine and Swallow
Tailed Bee-Eaters, to pick just a few. This is a beautiful drive across
Borassus Palm Forest and grassland savanna down to Lake Albert where
the Albert Nile heads north to the Sudan.
In the afternoon, go for a boat trip to the foot of
Murchison Falls where the Nile thunders through a small
7-meter gap, or down river to the delta where the Nile
empties into Lake Albert. This is an experience not
to be missed! The banks of the Nile are home to many
species. You may see huge Nile Crocodiles, big Pods
of Hippos and other wildlife that may come down to drink
from the river. Overnight at either Paraa Safari Lodge
or Paraa Rest Camp. F/B.
Day Nine : Murchison - Kampala.
Early game drive to the top of Murchison Falls where
you can have a close look in to the gorge where the
Nile squeezes in to a 7 meter gorge dropping 40 meters.
The falls are spectacular and thunderous with a beautiful
rainbow displayed on sunny days. Later proceed towards
Kampala having lunch enroute arriving at Hotel Africana
or Hotel International in the evening. B/B
Day Ten : Kampala- Entebbe - Arusha
This morning you will go for a city tour and then later
transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Tanzania.
Over night in Impala Hotel. H/B.
Day Eleven : Arusha
Arrive at Arusha where your guide will meet you and
drive to Arusha National Park with picnic lunch, the
park is famous for its birdlife, we will have a game
drive, and hiking in the park enabling us to get used
to Tanzania climate and over night at a Camp site or
Impala Hotel. F/B
Day Twelve : Ngorongoro Crater :
Today after breakfast we drive to the crater, the crater
boasts the highest concentration of wildlife in the
world. We spend the next day for a full day game drive
in the crater and over night at the Camp site or Ngorongoro
Serena Lodge. F/B.
Day Thirteen : Ngorongoro :
Spend the whole day in Ngorongoro crate on game drives
and over night at the Camp site or Ngorongoro Serena
lodge. F/B.
Day Fourteen : Serengeti :
Today we leave the crater for Serengeti, stopping en
route at Olduvai Gorge for a private guided visit of
this history-changing archaeological site made famous
by the Leakey family. We spend another two full days
in Serengeti for game drives, walking safari and visiting
Grumeti River, which has one of the highest concentrations
of crocodile. Over night at the Camp site or Serengeti
Serena lodge. F/B.
Day Fifteen : Serengeti :
Have a morning game drive returning in time for lunch
and later an afternoon/evening game drive and over night
at the camp site or Serengeti Serena lodge. F/B.
Day Sixteen : Tarangire National Park
:
This morning, we drive to Tarangire National Park with
a picnic lunch, game viewing en route, and afternoon
game drive in Tarangire and over night at the Camp site
or Tarangire tented Camp. F/B.
Day Seventeen : Tarangire N.P
After breakfast, you will go for another game drive
in Tarangire returning in time for lunch. Relax in the
afternoon and later have an evening game drive. Over
night at the Camp site or Tarangire tented Camp. F/B.
Day Eighteen : Tarangire - Out
After breakfast and a game drive, drive to Arusha and
later catch your flight back home.
Transportation :
Please note that clients will be traveling in 4wheel drive vehicles,
with enough legroom, with well-experienced guides who can handle all
the requirements of the discerning traveler.
