7 Days Murchison Falls Kibale and Queen Elizabeth Safari

7 Days Murchison Falls Kibale and Queen Elizabeth Safari, a 7 days tour that takes you to the Murchison Falls National Park for wildlife viewing through game drives and boat launches and to Kibale Forest National Park, the primate capital of the world, for a chimp trek and to see various species of monkeys and birds.

You will have a walk in the Bigodi swamp renowned for rare bird species and crown the safari with a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park for more wildlife viewing through game drives and boat launches.

Safari Highlights

Track Rhinos in Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
Game drives in Murchison and Queen Elizabeth
Boat cruise on Victoria Nile
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Chimp trek in Kibale National Park
Nature walks in the Bigodi swamp
Equator experience

Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda

You will be met at the airport by our safari guide who will transfer you to the hotel reserved for you in Kampala. Dinner and overnight will be at this hotel.

Day 2: Travel to Murchison Falls National Park (5-6hrs)

You will have an early breakfast and drive to Murchison Falls National Park via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will have the opportunity to trek the Rhinos. The sanctuary houses Uganda’s Rhino reintroduction project.

There are 9 white rhinos and tracking is done on foot for 1 and a half hours. You will continue to Masindi Town for lunch and later drive to Murchison Falls National Park. The entire journey takes 6-7 hours. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.

Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 3: Game drive and Boat launch on the Nile

You will wake up very early and set off at 6.30 am for a sunrise game drive in the Nyamsika plateau to see the Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob, hartebeest and waterbucks. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog and bush pig plus large carnivores including lions, leopards and spotted hyenas.

Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodiles and hippos will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee-eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork and the rare shoebill stork.

You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast and some relaxation before you set off in the afternoon for a boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. En route, you will see hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck and a wide variety of birds Like the unusual shoebill stork. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls.

Safari Accommodation

Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge
Mid-range: Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili
Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 4: Visit the top of the fall and travel to Kibale Forest National Park

You will after your breakfast visit the “top of the thunderous Murchison falls”, where you will observe the River Nile squeezing itself in a 7-meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down in a thunderous explosion and then flows down into a very peaceful river whose water banks are swarmed with a profusion of water and land animals as well as birds.

You will thereafter set off on a 9-hour journey to Kibale Forest National Park. The drive is through verdant countryside inter-passing traditional homesteads and farms and via the towns of Hoima and Fort portal which rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking

Luxury: Ndali lodge/Primate lodge/Kibale forest/Kyaninga lodge
Moderate: Mountains of the moon/Kibale forest camp
Budget: Rwenzori travellers/Kibale forest camp/Chimpanzee forest guest house
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Chimp trek and Bigodi swamp walk

After breakfast, you will go for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, where the greatest variety and highest concentration of primates in East Africa are exceptionally represented. The most famous of its 13 species is the Chimpanzee known to be a delightful ape.

It is also a home of species like the rare I’Hoest’s monkey, the black and white Colobus, Blue monkey, Grey-cheeked mangabey, Red-tailed monkey, Olive baboon among others. The walk takes 2-3 hours after which you will return to your lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will go for the Bigodi swamp walk where you will see a variety of rare bird species and other smaller mammals and return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, boat launch

After your morning breakfast, you will travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain Range. As you go through the game park you might spot some animals like the Elephant, Buffaloes, bushbucks, and Uganda Kob, Antelopes, Warthogs, among others. After lunch enjoys the unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.

It is a 42kms channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos. It offers an excellent opportunity for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colourful with well over 550 resident species. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.

Luxury Lodge: Mweya Safari Lodge: Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge
Mid-range moderate: Bush Lodge (in rooms) / Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge
Budget facility: Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents
Meal Plan: Dinner.

Day 7: Game drive and travel to Kampala

You will wake up early and go for an early morning game drive. The park’s diverse ecosystem of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters is home to an incredible abundance of wildlife. You will see buffaloes, lions, elephants and other wildlife in their natural habitat after which you will return to the lodge for a late breakfast and transfer to Kampala.

You will have a stopover at the Equator where you will have an opportunity to stand in two hemispheres at the same time and take some photos. You will also make another stopover at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers centre where you will be able to watch the ceremonial drums being crafted using traditional methods passed down through the generations.

You will arrive in Kampala in the late afternoon and either be transferred to the airport for your departure flight or to the hotel of your booking for dinner and overnight.