12-Day Shoebill Watching & Thrilling Safari Vacation

<p>On arrival in Uganda, you will be welcomed and picked up by our Kubwa Five Safaris<br>guide, who will be holding an A4 paper with your name printed on it at Entebbe International Airport.</p><p>You will then be transferred to your hotel where you will check in and do some relaxing for the rest of the day to wear off the jet lag.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Jet Villas Entebbe/ Cycad Entebbe Guest House/ ViaVia Uganda Entebbe<em>.</em></strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will check out and take to Mabamba Island for shoebill watching.</p><p>A marshy bay on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, Mabamba Swamp provides refuge to more than 300 bird species, most famously a rare population of the enigmatic shoebill.</p><p>The only way to explore this Ramsar wetland is on a guided boat trip offered by the well organized community project based on its edge.</p><p>After shoebill watching, you will be driven back to your hotel.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Jet Villas Entebbe/ Cycad Entebbe Guest House/ ViaVia Uganda Entebbe<em>.</em></strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel by our Kubwa Five Safaris guide and transferred to Murchison Falls National Park.</p><p>On your way to Murchison Falls National Park, you will branch off to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking; this activity is truly one of a kind in Uganda, the pearl of Africa.</p><p>After the rhino tracking, you will be driven to Murchison Falls National Park.</p><p>Your first tourist attraction in the park is the top of the falls, which are the most powerful waterfalls in the whole world . It is a breathtaking experience that brings you very close to these magnificent falls, where the Nile forces its way through a gorge in the rocks and tumbles 43m below flowing westwards into Lake Albert.&nbsp; The resulting mist from the turbulence often produces rainbows.</p><p>After seeing the top of the falls, if time allows, you will enjoy a hiking experience from the top to the bottom of the falls and thereafter en-route to your lodge, go for a short evening game drive.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Parkside Safari Lodge/</strong> <strong>Leosim Hotel/ Murchisons River Lodge.</strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will set off very early in the morning for a morning game drive. You will be able to see various animals like lions, leopards, giraffes, hippos, elephants among others.</p><p>Other activities in this game drive include bird watching and sightseeing across the open savannah, dotted woodland, and riverine vegetation along the Nile and Albert deltas.</p><p>After the morning game drive, you will go to the lodge to relax and have lunch.</p><p>After lunch, you will embark (between 2pm and 4pm) on a three-hour boat cruise on the Nile. This boat cruise offers an amazing view of the falls from the bottom. Hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, and aquatic birds can be seen along the shores of the river.</p><p>In the evening, you will head out for an evening game drive.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Parkside Safari Lodge/</strong> <strong>Leosim Hotel/ Murchisons River Lodge.</strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will be transferred to Kibale National park, driving Southwest through the Albertine Escarpment of the great Western Rift Valley. You will&nbsp; have lunch on your way.</p><p>On arrival in Kibale National Park, you will be driven to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a community walk and cultural interaction. It is a fascinating area, located in Magombe swamp.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Kibale Forest Camp (Non-self contained tents)/ Chimpanzee Capital Safari Lodge/ Kibale Eco Home.</strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will head out with your guide and a packed lunch to the park head offices for a briefing about the do’s and don’ts of chimpanzee trekking. You will start early and take about two to six hours, depending on the location of the chimps.</p><p>The opportunity to see chimpanzees in the wild is one of the most memorable of all safari activities. Getting close to these creatures that share so much of our DNA is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the excitement of walking through the forest and knowing that they are close will stay with you forever.</p><p>After chimpanzee trekking, you will head back to your lodge to freshen up and do some relaxing for the rest of the day.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Kibale Forest Camp (Non-self contained tents)/ Chimpanzee Capital Safari Lodge/ Kibale Eco Home.</strong></p>

<p>After the breakfast, you will go to your next destination, Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is a huge park where wildlife and people co-exist in harmony.</p><p><br>Set on the Rift Valley floor in view of the snow-capped Rwenzori peaks, Queen Elizabeth National Park offers plenty of variety to safari-goers. On the Kasenyi and Ishasha Plains, large herds of Uganda kob, the national antelope, stand on constant guard for the lions that feed on them.</p><p>On arrival in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will go for a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel which connects Lake Edward and Lake George.</p><p>Some of the best wildlife viewings are done on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, passing squacco herons, pied kingfishers, large numbers of buffalo and hippo, basking crocodiles and very many different bird species and large mammals. This is one of the most memorable experiences from the park. Over 300 hippos are found in the lake.</p><p>After the boat cruise, you will go for an evening game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park aiming to catch the lions hunting in the evening. Lions usually hunt when the temperatures are cooler.&nbsp; We also expect to see the Uganda kob, elephants, buffalos, warthogs, leopards and waterbucks.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Songbird Safari Lodge/ Enshama Game Lodge &amp; Campsite/ Engiri Game Lodge</strong>.</p>

<p>After an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to Ishasha Sector for the tree-climbing lions on the Kasenyi Plains. Ishasha is located in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth.</p><p>Have a game drive in Ishasha, famous for its tree climbing lions. The Ishasha Sector is notably recognized for its resident tree-climbing lions which are an exceptional attraction.</p><p>After the game drive in Ishasha it is time to move to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home of the famous mountain gorillas. You will have lunch en route.</p><p>On arrival, you will check in at your lodge, then later in the evening,&nbsp; you will head out for a community walk where you will visit the Batwa. This is an indigenous group of people that have lived in the forest for over 500,000 years. You will enjoy traditional dances and drama from them.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort/ Gorilla Friends Resort Lodge/ Nshongi Camp.</strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will head out with your guide and a packed lunch to the park head offices for a briefing about the do’s and don’ts of gorilla trekking.</p><p>Afterwards, you will head out for gorilla trekking through the misty rain forest. Trekking lasts two to six hours, depending on the location of the gentle giants. Make sure you carry enough water, sturdy shoes, non-flash cameras, and rain jackets.</p><p>Spending time in the presence of mountain gorillas is a real privilege, so we are sure you will enjoy trekking deep into the forest to find them. This is one of the most memorable experiences you can have while on safari.</p><p>At the end of this long and exciting adventure, you will be transferred to Lake Bunyonyi, which is a twisting water body, dotted with 29 islands of various shapes and sizes scattered across the water.</p><p>On arrival at Lake Bunyonyi, you will check in at your lodge and relax for the rest of your day.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Paradise Eco Hub/ Bunyonyi Overland Resort/ Crater Bay Cottages and Camp.</strong></p>

<p>After breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Mburo National Park. You will have an evening game drive.</p><p>Part of the ancient Ankole Kingdom, Lake Mburo National Park is conveniently located halfway between Kampala and the Gorilla Highlands of southwest Uganda. Large carnivores are unlikely to be seen, but the park offers your best chance anywhere in Uganda of spotting an elusive leopard.</p><p>Lake Mburo itself is home to large numbers of hippo and aquatic birds including the localized African finfoot. Other wildlife includes buffalo, giraffe, zebra and Uganda's only population of the impala antelope (for which Kampala is named).</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Hyena Hill Lodge/ Eagle's Nest Camp/ Leopard Rest Camp.</strong></p>

<p>Have an early breakfast; head out for the morning walking safari in the park. A walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park is a magical way to experience the bush trails of the park.</p><p>You'll never get tired of going on a walking safari, where you'll leave behind the vehicle and step out into the wild. It can be a little nerve-wracking at first, but you'll be walking with an experienced guide and it's very safe.</p><p>It can be a real thrill walking in this way, and most people fall in love with the experience.<br>After the walking safari, you can take part in the optional activities, such as biking at 32 USD per person or horseback riding at 60 USD per person.</p><p>Later in the evening, you will have an evening game drive.</p><p>Meals and overnight at <strong>Hyena Hill Lodge/ Eagle's Nest Camp/ Leopard Rest Camp.</strong></p>

<p>After having a delightful breakfast, you will be driven to the Airport. Along the way, you will have a stopover at the Equator in Masaka. You will be able to see where this imaginary line divides our planet into two equal hemispheres. Lunch, snacks, souvenirs and photographs may be taken here.</p><p>You will then be transferred to Entebbe International Airport for your scheduled flight back home.</p><p>All good things must come to an end, and your time with us on safari in Uganda will now draw to a close. We're sure that you've had a wonderful time.</p>