non-group tour
11 DAY ULTIMATE UGANDA SAFARI, GORILLAS, CHIMPS & CULTURAL IMMERSION
Uganda is a land of unforgettable experiences, lush & misty primordial forests & a seemingly endless sky.
This adventure is a captivating mix of wildlife, cultural immersion and adventure. Travellers are flowing in for the jaw-dropping experience of meeting our closest relatives, the mountain gorillas, in their natural habitat. The only way to get a feel for the beauty of its people and the abundance of nature is to come and see it for yourself!
TOUR STARTS
On Request
START LOCATION
Entebbe, Uganda
TOUR ENDS
On Request
END LOCATION
Entebbe, Uganda
HIGHLIGHTS
- Feel your heart melt meeting rescued chimpanzees on Ngamba Island
- See the real Uganda in a very safe and contained way
- Meet and interact with the locals in Jinga
- Safari in Mburo National Park
- Blaze your way on quad bikes into rural Uganda
- Get hands on with farm to fork meals with locals
- Dip those toes out of your comfort zone in safe hands of our professional local guide
- Option to come face to face with Mountain Gorillas. An unforgettable & euphoric experience
- Meet the orphaned children your tourist dollar is supporting & hear their stories
- Volunteer experience at Little Angels Orphanage
- Chillax on Lake Mburuo as we cruise the calm waterways
- See development projects initiatives in rural Uganda
- Immersion in a small local community
- Professional English speaking tour guide
- Supporting sustainable tourism and keeping the tourist dollar local
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Day 1 – The Pearl Of Africa Awaits
Welcome to Uganda, known as the Pearl of Africa!
You’ll be met and welcomed at Entebbe International Airport, Kampala and safely escorted you to your safari vehicle before a short drive to your accommodation where you can relax and get in your Trailblazer mindset, anticipating the fascinating adventure that lies ahead.
Accommodation: Hotel Duomo – Kampala (B & B)
Meals: As per airline.
Activities: Meet & Greet arrival service, transfer to your B & B.
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Day 2 – Lake Victoria & Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Jump in your motorised canoe or speed boat on Lake Victoria, heading to Ngamba Island for a captivating half day visit to the Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
The island is home to 49 orphaned chimpanzees rescued from across East Africa and the sanctuary is deeply committed to and involved in both field conservation and community education.
Your morning visit will give you an insight into the project, history and the chance to see the chimpanzees feeding.
Enjoy lunch before heading to Jinja town, known as the adventure capital of East Africa and located on the eastern side of the Nile River and flush with over 500 recorded species of bird.
Accommodation: Source of the Smile Guest House (B & B)
Meals: Breakfast.
Activities: Boat transfers Chimpanzee Sanctuary, entry fee to Ngamba Island, transfer to Jinja town in the afternoon.
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Day 3 – Calling All Adventure Seekers
Today is time to get your “trailblazer’ on and possibly step outside your comfort zone as we launch into a safe, fun morning exploring the secluded shores of Lake Victoria and the River Nile by boat before an action-packed afternoon of quad biking before meeting the locals and a unique dining experience tasting traditional Ugandan dishes.
Accommodation: Source of the Smile Guest House (B & B)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
Activities: Boat cruise on the River Nile, quad biking, community immersion and dinner
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Day 4 – Experience the Real Uganda
Take a journey into the local villages to experience authentic rural Uganda and immerse yourself in the daily community life.
Experience the vibrant and diverse cultural heritage of the Ugandan people with a guided tour into the lives of rural women, the custodians of traditions and indigenous knowledge. Their resilience and commitment to extended family and community have kept the African family intact through centuries of adversity.
Participate in village’s handicraft workshop, where you will observe the creation of traditional crafts by locals. Visit the local coffee plantation and try picking coffee with the local villagers. To ensure that revenue from the tourism industry stays in local hands.
Accommodation: Source of the Smile Guest House (B & B)
Meals: Breakfast
Activities: Visit Community Projects, visit local communities & participate in tea picking with local villagers. cultural show at Ndere Cultural Center in Kampala and transfer to Kampala for overnight.
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Day 5 – Environment Volunteer Service Project
After breakfast, you will be joining the local staff partners and the local villagers to work alongside the local community on some projects.
Your volunteering service will give you an opportunity to give something back while you travel and also get you to understand in depth how sustainable tourism works in a country by participating in grass-root community development projects initiatives in rural Uganda such as water, sanitation and hygiene, renewable energy, environmental conservation, women and youth empowerment projects for disadvantaged women and young people and other community development services to impoverished rural communities in Uganda.
These initiatives are incentive for local people to conserve culture and traditions, as well as wildlife and the natural environment.
Your volunteer experience serves also as a vehicle to greater cultural understanding, cross-cultural friendships and ultimately towards increased global cooperation. If you are feeling generous, donations to projects are always welcomed and appreciated. Transfer to Kampala.
Accommodations: Hotel Duomo, Kampala.
Meals: Breakfast.
Activities: Sustainable & social development initiatives in Bupadhengo village, planting trees and make local bee hives, workshop taught by local experts, clean up exercise of the environment to remove plastic trash, pant trees in the villages around Jinja, cultural show at Ndere Cultural Center in Kampala.
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Day 6 – Equator Crossing & Lake Mburo National Park
Today you travel south to Lake Mburo National Park with a stopover at Equator Crossing in Kayabwe.
The magical wild game viewing includes more than 68 mammal species such as buffaloes, warthogs, leopards, the topi, giraffe and impala among others as well as various bird species.
Reflect on the journey to date as you pass through stunning sceneries from the rolling hills the lush forests to the savannah grasslands, and seasonal swamps to lakes.
The safari also features a thrilling boat cruise on Lake Mburo with a possible encounter with hippos and the Nile crocodiles along with the water birds.
OPTIONAL: Later in the evening have a guided nature walk led by armed parked rangers and guides. The trail goes through the small but dense Rubanga Forest.
Accommodations: Leopard Rest Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Activities: Stopover at equator crossing in Kayabwe Trading Centre, an afternoon boat cruise on Lake Mburo and evening guided Nature Walk.
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Day 7 – It’s Safari Time
Enjoy an early morning breakfast and then get in touch with nature as you experience a game drive through the National Park giving you an amazing view of the savannah, the five lakes and all the inhabitants of this intoxicating environment.
After the game drive, head to the famous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest which lies on the edge of the Rift Valley.
Horseback riding tour in the park is the best way to sample the wildlife and varying vegetation zones. Riding a horse allows you to get off the usual game tracks into the plains and closer to the wild animals that feel more comfortable around the horse than a safari vehicle. This will give you an amazing glimpse of the Savannah and the 5 lakes. You will also see various wildlife such as buffalo, antelope, zebra, hyena, topi & hippos.
Accommodation: Leopard Rest Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Activities: Early morning Game Drive, afternoon horse ride safari
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Day 8 – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
An early morning breakfast and before we check out from Lake Mburo National Park and head to the famous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest which lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley.
This park is famous for the rare mountain gorillas and the drive to the park is incredibly scenic, passing through various local villages and the lush green countryside & hills watching as the communities go about their day.
Arrive and afternoon at rest.
Accommodations: Bakiga Lodge, Ruhija
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Activities: Transfer to Bwindi National Park, stopover at Ngongo Cultural Center for lunch in Mbarara.
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Day 9 – Let’s Go Find Ourselves A Gorilla
It’s an early start as you transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing with the Uganda Wildlife Authority guides.
An advance party of guides will have gone ahead into the forest to locate where the gorillas slept the previous night and will have begun to track their movements. These guides will communicate with your head guide via a walkie talkie and the trek into the forest will begin.
Locating the gorillas can take a few hours or the whole day depending on how far they have moved from the place they spent the previous night. For conservation purposes, once you find your family of gorillas the time allowed to view the gorillas is one hour.
There is a multitude of other animals that you might encounter including antelope and rare monkeys, not to mention the beauty of the forest itself. Once you have completed the trek you will return to the lodge for a well earned rest and time to reflect a truly magical, and possibly emotional experience.
HOT TIP: Hire a porter at the briefing headquarters. Your porter will carry your backpack and help you as you traverse the forest and is so completely worth it. You’ll be supporting a local family and this allows them to understand that the protection the gorillas is an essential cause to the community and its sustainability.
Accommodations: Bakiga Lodge, Ruhija
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Activities: Life changing mountain gorilla trek.
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Day 10 – The Ultimate Give Back
Today you have the option to do as little or much as you like in the tiny and remote village of Ruhija.
The Little Angels Orphanage School are always needing a helping hand and no skills are required to do this, simply your time and patience. Tasks may include labour for the builder or general maintenance, assisting the teachers with lessons or spending time with the children helping them with their English.
The opportunities are endless or if you prefer you can chill out at the lodge, read that novel you’ve been wanting to read, browse the village and meet the locals or book in for additional activities in the surrounding areas.
There is no pressure however and this is a perfect opportunity for freedom to do as you please, spend the time in self-reflection on what you have done and seen to date or set out on a path of discovery as personal perspective plays a major role when travelling, some finding they learn more about themselves than ever before.
NOTE: The orphanage is about 900m on a dirt road from your lodge, your guide will drop you or alternatively it is a safe and easy walk. There is no formal program for the volunteering, it will be a ‘turn up and see where you can help out’ type of affair. All meals will be served at your lodge so a return walk for lunch is expected.
Accommodations: Bakiga Lodge, Ruhija
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Activities: Volunteer at the Little Angels Orphanage.
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Day 11 – Entebbe Finale
After an early breakfast, you will be picked up from your lodge and travel to Kampala city or Entebbe for onward flights.
Meals Included: Breakfast.
Activities: Road transfer back to Kampala or Entebbe Airport
