PGS-LNG-006: 13 Days Uganda Rwanda Cultural Safari
This 13 days safari takes you to the cultural highlights in Uganda as well as in Rwanda
Day 1: Airport pick up!
Upon arrival, you will be met by your guide at the Entebbe International Airport; he will then transfer you to Kampala. Kampala is approximately 40 Kms from the airport, upon reaching Kampala he will drive you to check in at your preferred Hotel, dinner and overnight. There are several Hotel that can be used including Kampala Serena Hotel/ Sheraton Hotel Kampala for luxury, Hotel Africana/ Imperial Royal for Upmarket, Speak Hotel or Hotel Triangle for Middle. Tourist Hotel or Makerere University Guest House for Budget options, dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Kampala Cultural Tour
In the morning, pick you from your hotel and move around the city, the highlights include places like Nakasero and St Balikudembe market widely known as Owino market, Kabaka’s lake, Bulange Emengo, Makerere University, East Africa’s largest and oldest university, Bahai temple on Kikaya Hill, Kasubi Tombs, the Uganda Musium, Namugongo martyrs shrine, Nagalabi coronation site where the Buganda price is coroneted to kingship, will return to your hotel in Kampala for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Kampala to Fort Portal:
In the morning, after your breakfast, your guide will pick you from your hotel in Kampala and drive you to Fort portal or Kibale Forest national park will have a stopover on the way at Nakayima tree a big tree which is believed to have some spiritual powers, thus different local people go there to give sacrifices hoping for blessings and solving social problems like sickness, youth seeking jobs among others in return, after this will continue to Fort Portal. Kampala Fort portal is 300kms and takes 2-3 hours. Arrival will be in the afternoon, take your lunch from Fort portal town.
After lunch will visit go for cultural walk in e area, visit the Toro Kingdom Palace and the communities in the area, the area basically has two tribes the Batoro who are the indigenous people of the area as well as the bakigas who migrated from the South Western part of the country due to the population pressure in their former area. Thereafter you will continue driving to check in at your hotel/lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Chimpanzee Walk and Bigodi Wetland:
In the morning after breakfast, your guide will drive you to Kibale forest national park headquarters for briefing as you prepare for the nature walk in the forest, Kibale forest is a tropical rain forest and hosts different wildlife notable are the 13 primates species including chimpanzees the highest in any tropical rain forest in Africa. The forst hosts over 1450 chimps as well as the rare I’Hoest’s monkey and East Africa’s largest population of the threatened red colobus monkey. Other primates include the black and white colobus, blue monkey, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkey, olive baboon, bush baby and potto. Will track the chips in the forest, after tracking, you will walk back to your lodge for lunch.
Afternoon will be driven to Bigodi wetland the wetland is located adjustment to the park in Magombe swamp, the swamp is known for its variety of wildlife including primates, such as chimpanzee, red colobus, black and white colobus, red tailed monkey and other mammals such as sitatunga, bushbuck, otter and mongoose. The wetland is also home to 138 bird species. These can be seen during guided walks from viewing platforms and a boardwalk trail. The sanctuary is a community-run initiative aimed at conserving the unique biodiversity and environmental values of the wetland, after this, you will be driven back to your lodge/ hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Fort Portal to Semulik then to Queen Elizabeth
In the morning after breakfast will be driven to Semulik National park, the park is on the Uganda -Democratic Republic of Congo boarder, just a few kilometers from Fort portal town, will take a visit to one of the communities of local people who live adjacent to the park, the Batwa people (Pygmies) interact after visiting these interesting community of vey short people will move to the hot springs – sempaya Hot springs which are the most interesting attraction in the park, enjoy the hot springs, boil some eggs. After this will drive back to Fort Portal town thereafter continue to Queen Elizabeth national park, dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Game Drive and Launch Cruise
Early morning game drive in the park to catch up with the early risers, Queen Elizabeth national Park hosts 95 mammal species and a remarkable 612 species of birds include elephants, cape buffalo, Uganda kob, waterbuck, warthog, giant forest hog, lion, leopard and hyena, after this game drive will return to your lodge for resting.
After lunch you will go for a launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel, The 40m-long channel that connects Lake George to lake Edward provides the park’s prime wildlife spectacles. Its shoreline attracts large numbers of birds, mammals and reptiles year round. After this launch cruise you will be driven to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Kyambura then to Kabale:
In the morning after breakfast will check out of the lodge and you will be driven to Kyambura Gorge for chimp tracking, in this gorge you will also be able to see some other primates like monkeys, baboon among other after this you will be driven to Kabale town and continue to Lake Bunyonyi, heritage lodge, Bunyonyi lodge, Acadia Cottages, or at Overland Resort.
Day 10: Lake Bunyonyi
The Bilharzia free lake is about 20kms long and 7kms wide with a depth of about 900 m, making it the second deepest lake in Africa, this deep lake is surrounded by heavily terraced hillslides, the lake has over 29 islands including the Punishment, bushara, Bwama and Njuyeera (Sharp's Island), ucuranuka = Upside Down among others. As its name suggests, Lake Bunyonyi, ‘Bunyonyi” actually means small/little birds, thus being called the lake for little birds, there are several bird species that have already been identifies in the area. In the morning after breakfast will go for a boat ride around those islands, enjoying the scenic view of the terraced hills, spotting the birds.
In the afternoon may decide to Take a village walk visiting the communities around the lake, may also decide to relax at your lodge as you enjoy the scenic beauty of the area commonly referred to as the “Switzerland of Africa” or may decide to take another boat ride on the lake, dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Bunyonyi Batwa to Ruhengeri:
In the morning after your breakfast will drive from Bunyonyi to Kisoro, will have a stopover at the Batwa Community just one kilometer off on the main Kabale Kisoro highway, they used to live in forest not until they were forcefully evicted from the Government through the department of forests, Currently they live in small grass hatched houses and practice some agriculture like the growing of crops for food as well as rearing some animals like sheep as a source of money as well as for paying dowry when a son is marrying after this you will drive to Kisoro cross the border to Rwanda side and continue to Ruhengeri. You will check in at your lodge, Sabinyo Silver back Lodge or Virunga Lodge for Luxury, Mountain Gorilla View for Upmarket or at Muhabula Hotel/ Kinigi Guest House for Budget options, dinner and overnight as you prepare for the tomorrows adventure.
Day 12: Day for Gorilla tracking:
In the morning after your breakfast, your guide will pick you from your hotel/lodge in Ruhengeri and he will drive you to Kinigi the park headquarters for the park, where you will be briefed on the procedures, allocation of Gorilla Groups to track and the guides that will help you in this adventure. After this you will be off to this life time adventure to meet face to face with these great giants. Time taken while tracking gorillas ranges from a few hours to a whole day depending on the movement of these gentle giants, have awesome time with these gorillas for an hour when you meet, after you have enjoyed this time, taking photographs you will be directed and will trace back to your starting point thereafter will meet your guide who will drive you to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Before you come for Gorilla tracking prepare your jungle shoes suitable for steep muddy slopes and carry rain jackets because the forest is a tropical forest thus you cannot rule out the fact that it can shower any time in the day, thus you need this jacket to protect your equipments like cameras for example, carry sunscreen lotion and insect repellant.
Day 13: Ruhengeri back to Kigali:
In the morning after breakfast will transfer to Kigali city, do a city tour visiting the museum and the Genocide memorial sites, after this tou will be driven to Kigali International airport to catch up with your flight back home. End of safari.
