UGANDA EXPLORER: Peoples and Wildlife of the Rift Valley – 12 days
Lac Mburo, Mgahinga et Bwindi Forest NP, Queen Elisabeth NP, Kibale Forest, Murchison Falls National Parks , pays Acholi & Ziwa Sanctuary
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Duration
12 Days
Tour Type
Luxury Tours
Location
Uganda
Overview
Our expedition, from the magnificent Virunga volcanoes bordering Rwanda in the far south of Uganda, to the sub-desert savannas of the north at Murchison Falls, ultimately offers an astonishing complementarity of landscapes, cultures, and ecosystems in the aptly named "Pearl of Africa"! In addition to the amazing "nature & culture" tour organized by our Twa pygmy friends, we conclude this journey with a festive banquet and dancing in a small, remote village of my friends in the Acholi country; an exclusive off-the-beaten-path experience promising unforgettable moments.
OVERVIEW
Following the Western Rift Valley, whose great lakes and mountains exceeding 5000 meters in altitude form the border with the Congo, our route offers a breathtaking diversity of ecosystems and animal species: particularly in terms of primates (mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, red colobus monkey & guereza, ascanius monkey, vervet monkey, baboon, red monkey, golden monkey, guenon monkey...) and birdlife, because Uganda benefits from the presence of East African species as well as West African species from the neighboring Virunga and Ituri forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (hence the 1,070 species recorded in this country, which is half the size of France)! The classic large fauna is well represented at Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, and Murchison Falls: elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, crocodiles, buffalo, lions, leopards, hyenas, and numerous varieties of antelope...
Our expedition, from the magnificent Virunga volcanoes bordering Rwanda in the far south of Uganda, to the sub-desert savannas of the north at Murchison Falls, ultimately offers an astonishing complementarity of landscapes, cultures, and ecosystems in the aptly named "Pearl of Africa"! In addition to the amazing "nature & culture" tour organized by our Twa pygmy friends, we conclude this journey with a festive banquet and dancing in a small, remote village of my friends in the Acholi country; an exclusive off-the-beaten-path experience promising unforgettable moments.
Itinerary
Day 1
Entebbev-vLake MBURO National Park
Day 1
Entebbev-vLake MBURO National Park
Breakfast and immediate departure by 4x4 safari vehicle for Lake Mburo National Park (250 km drive). Hills and steep valleys, papyrus marshes, and wooded areas alternate with banana and coffee plantations, and fields of sorghum and maize. After a Ugandan lunch break en route, at the equator, a mandatory stop! Check-in at the comfortable Ankore**(*) lodge-ranch overlooking the countryside; first game drive in search of leopards, hyenas, jackals, warthogs, impalas, zebras, Rothschild's giraffes, eland, harnessed bushbucks, and our first exotic birds! A "meeting" with the ranch's magnificent herd of Ankore longhorn cattle. Dinner and overnight at the ranch.
Day 2
Lake Mburo - KISORO & the Virunga volcanoes
Day 2
Lake Mburo - KISORO & the Virunga volcanoes
departure at dawn for a walking safari led by a ranger friend (1 to 2 hours on easy terrain), a unique opportunity to truly connect with nature while traversing the savanna in search of Africa's great wildlife. We move in silence, flushing out impalas, zebras, baboons, buffalo, and giraffes along the way...
At 10:30 AM, we continue to Mbarara for a buffet lunch. Afterwards, we depart for a 5-hour drive to Kisoro via Bunyankore country, home to a pastoral people renowned here for their magnificent Ankolé cattle with their enormous horns. We check into our guesthouse** at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes (altitudes 3,500 to 4,127 meters), which form the border with neighboring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Day 3
Discovery day of MGAHINGA National Park
Day 3
Discovery day of MGAHINGA National Park
Morning hike dedicated to the endemic golden monkeys.
In the afternoon, a Pygmy cultural hike, still in the heart of Mgahinga: an unusual encounter led by the Batwa Pygmy community, who originally lived by gathering and trapping in this forest (3 to 4 hours of walking, flexible). We discover their habitat, their sacred sites, how they hunted, used medicinal plants and honey, their rituals, songs, and lively dances...
Day 4
Mountain Gorilla Day in MGAHINGA or BWIND
Day 4
Mountain Gorilla Day in MGAHINGA or BWIND
after a "safety briefing" given by our rangers, we enter the dense jungle of Mgahinga (or of South Bwindi, Rushaga sector, if Mgahinga is full at the time of your booking OR if you have chosen the "gorilla habituation*" option), to meet one of the groups of mountain gorillas "acclimated to humans".
At the end of our hike, we came into contact with the gorilla group: silent observation of our vegetarian and peaceful cousins. Their family groups consist of 8 to 20 individuals with a dominant silverback male weighing up to 250 kg and standing 1.70 meters tall! Return to our lodge for a leisurely stroll along the lake or simply relax after this memorable day in close contact with our cousins.
*OPTION "Gorilla Habituation" (transfer from our lodge): 4 hours with them, limited to 4 participants
$1500 instead of $800 for 1 hour in "
Day 5
MGAHINGA National Park, ascent of the SABINYO volcano:
Day 5
MGAHINGA National Park, ascent of the SABINYO volcano:
After a 30-minute transfer, we climb through the high-altitude rainforest, soon reaching the bamboo zone, and then continue along the ridge amidst giant heather to the first summit, Sabinyo.
Behind us, the nearby Ugandan volcanoes Mgahinga (3,474 meters) and Muhavura (4,127 meters) come into view. A breathtaking ridge walk leads us to the third peak (3,645 meters), marking the tri-border area of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with splendid views of Rwanda and its volcanoes Karisimbi (4,507 meters) and Visoke (3,711 meters), as well as the Congolese Mikeno (4,437 meters). A truly beautiful hike through the layers of Afro-alpine vegetation... allow 7 to 8 hours for the round trip from the 2,250-meter mark to the 3,634-meter mark.
Day 6
Kisoro - Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6
Kisoro - Queen Elizabeth National Park
We leave the volcanoes and forests of Virunga and Bwindi, which we crossed this morning, to reach the Ishasha sector in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park (1,978 km², ranging from 900 to 1,350 meters in altitude). Its plains are renowned for their grassy savannah landscapes, often compared to the Serengeti, and also for their lions dozing in the acacia and fig trees! A safari and picnic lunch, enlivened by numerous hippos, awaits us on the banks of the Ishasha River, which forms the border with neighboring Congo. We continue north towards the central zone of the park; check into our lodge for two nights.
Day 7
QUEEN ELIZABETH National Park
Day 7
QUEEN ELIZABETH National Park
departure at dawn for an early morning safari in search of big cats, hyenas, elephants, Ugandan kob and other animals: indeed, 95 species of mammals are recorded here, including endemic ones (Ugandan kob: estimated population of 17,000!) and more than 600 species of birds.
After lunch, a superb private safari cruise on the Kazinga Channel awaits, where buffalo, kob, and elephants come to drink. You'll also have the opportunity to observe numerous hippos and crocodiles, Nile monitors, various herons, egrets, geese and ducks, bee-eaters, storks, storks, African grey ibis and jabiru, black-backed skimmers, jacanas, hadada ibis and sacred ibis, stilts, hamerkops, plovers, cormorants, kingfishers, pelicans, and ospreys.
Day 8
Queen Elizabeth - KIBALE FOREST National Park
Day 8
Queen Elizabeth - KIBALE FOREST National Park
after a short 20-minute transfer, we set off on foot for a morning of "tracking & meeting chimpanzees" with a ranger specializing in the group in the superb Kyambura Gorge (excursion reserved for participants over 14 years old).
We silently observe them feeding on figs, squabbling noisily, grooming each other, moving about in the trees or on the ground... Lunch en route, then we continue north along a beautiful mountain road skirting the Ruwenzori Mountains (5,109 meters altitude), where tea and banana plantations are overlooked by snow-capped peaks. We stop along the way to admire some of the lakes in the "Ndali Crater Lakes" group (25 calderas!). We settle into the lodge on the edge of the Kibale Forest. Primate and birdwatching activities take place in the lodge's park and its surroundings.
Day 9
Kibale - Murchison Falls National Park
Day 9
Kibale - Murchison Falls National Park
This morning, a "primate and bird" hike with a local naturalist friend from the Mutooro ethnic group. We are looking for red colobus monkeys and guereza monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and large birds, including the giant turaco, Ross's turaco, helmeted hornbill, and crowned crane
Day 10
MURCHISON FALLS National Park
Day 10
MURCHISON FALLS National Park
departure at dawn for a morning game-drive safari in search of elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, antelopes, crowned cranes, jabirus and other colorful birds...After lunch, embark on a private*** safari cruise on the Victoria Nile towards Murchison Falls (crocodiles, hippos, elephants, Nile monitors, numerous water birds)
Drop-off downstream from the canyon and rapids, for a 45-minute walk along a scenic viewpoint to the falls: the Nile plunges dramatically into a canyon 44 meters deep and 7 meters wide. Return to the lodge by vehicle, with a game drive en route.
Day 11
Murchison Falls - Gulu, in ACHOLI COUNTRY
Day 11
Murchison Falls - Gulu, in ACHOLI COUNTRY
final morning safari and transfer to Gulu for an immersion in the land of the Acholi, a beautiful ethnic group of Nilotic origin renowned for their large huts, their lively dances, and their formidable percussionists.
We received a warm welcome in a village of friends for a farm-style lunch and a dance and percussion session... a wonderful festive and cultural experience, off the beaten track. Overnight stay in a guesthouse near Gulu.
Day 12
Gulu - ZIWA Rhino Sanctuary - ENTEBBE
Day 12
Gulu - ZIWA Rhino Sanctuary - ENTEBBE
Drive to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a walking track and silent observation of the white rhinoceros, led by a specialist ranger. A great experience under the guidance of rangers dedicated to the conservation and reintroduction of the rhinoceros. Lunch and continue south towards Kampala and Lake Victoria. Continue to Entebbe Airport. Dinner at your leisure, usually served on the plane.
Possible options in Entebbe before your international flight if your flight is late: welcome by one of our guides who will take you to discover the superb Botanical Garden located on the shores of Lake Victoria after a fish lunch by the lake, or to Café Java if you needed WiFi before boarding in the evening... transfer to the airport (15 minutes) for your international flight.
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