Transfer from Kampala/Entebbe to Murchison Falls NP & Evening Game Drive through the Park
- Journey Time: 6 - 7 hours
- Accommodation: Fort Murchison (Midrange and Budget)
- Meal Plan: Lunch, Dinner
- Pick up time for the safari is set at 7 am and location is either around Kampala or Entebbe. The tour guide shall pick you up from your hotel and set off to travel to Murchison Falls. You will take the Kampala - Gulu road, a smooth tarmacked (paved) road and since the road is clear, by around mid-day you will be in Masindi town. Stopover for lunch and thereafter continue the journey, and in less than an hour to reach the southern entrance of the Murchison Falls park. Reach the lodge in time for lunch.
In the afternoon you shall go for your first game drive through the park to observe big game such as elephants, giraffes, buffalos, lions and many more. This game drive will be your first activity in case you are not visiting the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino trekking.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight in preparation for the activities of the next day.
Day 2
Game Drive
Boat Cruise
Waterfall Hike
Game Drive in the Morning, Boat Safari on River Nile to the Bottom of the Murchison Falls & Hike to the Top of the Falls
- Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge (Midrange and Budget)
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- You should be up by 6.00am, take a quick cup of coffee or tea with a snack to warm your tummy and set out for the early morning game drive. Murchison Falls National Park is divided by River Nile into the south and northern region. The northern part that is largely covered by savannah and woodland support a lot more volume and variety of animals compared to the southern region which is mainly covered by forest. Therefore, the game drives are done in the northern area of Murchison Falls. The early start offers a better chance to find elusive predators such as Lions, Hyenas, Leopard and Jackal, as they are still out actively hunting in the morning hours. Explore the game trails towards the Lake Albert delta where big game such as the Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, and many Antelopes are seen. Enjoy the beautiful savannah landscape that is immersed with plenty of life and wonderful scenery. The game drive will last for approximately 3 hours, and you have the choice of having a packed breakfast on the game drive or return to the lodge for breakfast.
Back at the lodge there is some time to relax. After lunch set out for a 3-hour Launch Cruise (boat safari) on River Nile which sets off at Paraa, going upstream to the bottom of the Murchison Falls. The boat ride offers an array of wildlife sightings - crocodile, hippos, and lizards are a common sight throughout the cruise. As you reach the falls, you notice a lot of huge crocodiles amongst the largest ever seen amassed together. The place is called “Croc Bar.” Big game such buffaloes, elephants and antelopes can also be sighted drinking and cooling off the heat by the river banks and with a little luck, you might even spot a leopard resting in a tree close by the water. It is easy to see the animals at a close and clear encounter for many animals come to drink, bathe, and as well to eat some grass. Herds of hippos can be witnessed playing in the waters, all of which offers a wonderful opportunity to take photographs of the various animals. Since the Nile is a bird magnet, it offers an opportunity for one to tune in and listen to the melodious twitters of various birds that find the river environment an haven of rest. This birdlife is vey impressive, and keeps you constantly entertained, with a profusion of colours and species. You will also be totally blown away by a spectacle of sheer power and beauty with which the water squeezes through the devil’s cauldron. Reaching the bottom of the Murchison Falls, you will leave the boat and set out for a 45-minute hike rocks adjacent the Murchison falls and thereby accessing great views of the falls at different spots along the trail. If your reserved lodge is in the northern section, you will get a ferry to cross to the southern for a hike or to go to the top of the falls. Once reached the top you will find the tour guide waiting to drive you back to the lodge for dinner and overnight. You will have the opportunity to watch the sunset over the River Nile at dusk.
Day 3
Chimp Tracking
Leisure Time
Chimpanzee Tracking at Budongo Forest & Rest of the Day at Leisure
- Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge or Budongo Eco Lodge (Budget & Midrange)
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
- Have early breakfast, meet the rangers for briefing and group and by 8 am set off for the trek into Budongo Forest to track a community of habituated Chimpanzees. This community has its territory neighboring Budongo Eco Lodge and therefore the trek is mostly short and the Chimps are easy to find. However certain times of the year food will be finished up in this area and the Chimps do move deeper into the forest to find food. This means longer trek to find them and sometimes they can be missed. The trek takes several hours after which you shall spend an hour observing the Chimps. Thereafter return to the lodge, refresh and have lunch.
Rest of the day at leisure at the Lodge.
Relaxed Breakfast at the Lodge & Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe
Optional: Rhino Tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Journey Time: 6 - 7 hours
- Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
- After breakfast, check out and leave for Kampala/Entebbe. The tour guide shall drop you off at your hotel to mark the end of this 4 day adventure at Murchison Falls National Park.
- OPTIONAL: Approximately 3 hours into the journey you will reach Nakasongola where you shall turn off the highway, drive for about five minutes and get to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Ziwa is the only place in Uganda that has wild Rhinos that are being bred to re-introduce them into Uganda's wildlife. Rhinos in Uganda were hunted to extinction during the 1970's. You shall transfer to the visitor's center, meet a ranger and set out for a 2-hour trek on the sanctuary to see the Rhinos. There are many other animals that you also spot such as Bushbuck, Oribi, and Monkeys among others.
Return from the trek and continue your journey to Kampala/Entebbe.