Best of Both Worlds: Part 1

Uganda is a country gifted by nature. Ecologically, this verdant nation is where the East African savannah meets the West African jungle. Unlike other recognized African safari destinations, Uganda has a high portion of easily accessible closed canopy forest teeming with a wide variety of species absent elsewhere in east and southern Africa, with primates being exceptionally well represented.

These include diurnal species like the critically endangered mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, L’Hoest monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey, blue monkey, grey mangabey etc, and the nocturnal primates like the wide-eyed bushbaby and potto. The savannah reserves lying at the foot of the great Rift Valley protect portion of untamed African wildlife including the much sought after “big 5” animals, like lions, elephants, hippos, buffaloes and leopards and much more. With this package, you get to explore and compare both of these enchanting worlds, giving you the chance to take pleasure in the varied trees, flowers, mammals, reptiles, butterflies and birds found in the two unique and totally opposite habitants. You can truly discover and realize the natural beauty that nature has bestowed on Uganda. This package takes you to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the savanna and the montane rich rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

ITINERARY
Day 1
Upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, you will be met by one of our staff who will transfer you to your hotel in Kampala. Spend the rest of the day at leisure as you recuperate and prepare for the journey to the national park.
Dinner and overnight at Hotel Africana

Day 2
Depart Kampala for Queen Elizabeth National park. You will have an enroute stop at the equator for a photo session and at Mbarara for lunch before proceeding to the park. From open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward, it is little wonder that Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. Almost 130 mammal species and a remarkable 606 bird species makes this superb safari territory, with elephant, a profusion of hippos, the elusive giant forest hog and handsome Uganda kob all regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula - which also boasts a marvelous waterfront setting in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains. The melting glacier waters of the mountains create a vast wetlands system comprising of two main lakes, George and Edward, as well as the connecting Kazinga channel. Thousands of hippos populate the lake shores. Open savannah dotted with acacia and Euphorbia trees provide habitant primates. Spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying the sights and sounds of the Mweya peninsular.
Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge

Day 3
After lunch you will have a launch cruise to the mouth of the Kazinga Channel. A boat trip along the hippo crowded banks of Kazinga channel gives a unique unequalled wildlife experience. Eye to eye with yawning hippos surrounded by vast numbers of migrant and resident water birds, the boat puts one right in the heart of nature. Elephant, buffalo, waterbuck, Uganda kob, and large hippo schools can be seen on a daily basis drinking and spraying jets of water to cool themselves along the channel banks. The giant forest hog, leopard and lion can be seen from time to time. Monitor lizards and crocodiles are also viewed here as they bask in the hot savannah sunshine. Water birds are plentiful, including the water thickknee, yellow-billed stork, various plovers, pink-backed pelicans, black-headed gonolek and white bellied cormorants can be viewed. Return back to Mweya Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4
After breakfast you explore more of the national park and its diverse flora and fauna on a game drive. The Kasenyi plains support the largest concentration of game in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive will take you through an extensive area of short-grass savannah interspersed with solitary euphorbia trees and small clumps of thicket. This plain is one of the most important breeding grounds for the Uganda Kob-thousands congregate here at times- and it is also frequented by numerous buffalo and bushbuck. The two or three well-fed lion prides resident in this area are generally quite easy to find, at least for the first 1 or 2 hours after sunrise, after which they tend to retreat into the shade of thicker bush.

The plains also support an interesting selection of grassland birds, including grey-crowned crane, red-throated spurfowl and yellow-throated longclaw, while abandoned lion kills often attract flocks of squabbling vultures and more occasionally spotted hyenas. Return back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you will visit the saline Lake Katwe which has been one of the most important and lucrative sources for crude salt for centuries. In colonial times, salt was considered to be as precious as any metal and the ancient kingdoms fought to control it. Today, although not as profitable as the early days, the local people still mine the salt in the traditional ways used by their ancestors. You’ll have an informative talk about the trial and tribulations that they face. You will then have an evening game drive through the scenic crater lakes and calderas as you drive back to the lodge. The rest of the day will be spent at leisure. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge

Day 5
After a leisurely breakfast, depart the Mweya peninsula for the Ishasha plains. Ishasha is a true pearl in the southern part of the park. The Ishasha plains rank with the most appealing game-viewing areas in the country, as much for its unspoilt mood as its varied wildlife. Ishasha is famous for its lions, one of the few populations in Africa that customarily climb trees and to see a pride of up to 14 lions up a tree, all fast asleep with huge distended bellies will leave you with fond memories of Africa.
The fringing riverine forest harbors bushbuck, hippos, elephants, kobs, black-and-white colobus monkey and an interesting variety of birds including the black bee-eater, broad billed roller, pairs of fish eagles and the localized Cassin’s grey fly among others. Watch the animals up close as they come to the watering hole at the Ishasha River. The area has a luxurious tented camp where you will have your lunch amidst tranquil ambiance. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Dinner and overnight at Ishasha Wilderness camp

Day 6
In the morning you will go for a game drive through the Ishasha plains to discover more of the area. Large herds of elephants, buffalo, and topi can be seen in this area. The circuit passes through the Uganda kobs breeding area. Huge numbers of the antelopes congregate here, the males marking their territories, and trying hard to attract the females with their big antlers. This is also the best place to find lions, as they stick close to the kobs, their favorite prey. The birdlife in Ishasha is prolific including birds like the black coucal, compact weaver, fan-tailed widow bird, African Mourning dove , Grey Headed Kingfisher, Grey-capped warbler , the beautiful black headed Gonolek , red-chested sunbird, Slender-billed , Yellow –backed and lesser masked weavers ,pin-tailed Whydah and Brimstone canary. Return to the camp for lunch.

After lunch depart for Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park. The drive will take you through one of the most fertile and scenic region of Uganda, with expansive blue lakes, steep terraced hill slopes tumbling southwest towards the rainforest-swathed mountains. The forest is regarded to be one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa, largely due to its antiquity (it dates to before the Pleistocene Ice Age, making it 25,000 years old) and an altitude range of between 1,160m and 2,607m above sea level. Bwindi is a true rainforest, spread over a series of steep ridges and valleys that form the western edge of the Albertine Rift Valley. In addition to mountain gorillas, there are estimated to be 120 species of mammals (more than any other national park in Uganda except Queen Elizabeth National Park). Other primates found in the forest include Chimpanzees, L’Hoest, red-tailed and blue monkey, as well as black-and-white colobus and olive baboon. There are an estimated 346 species of birds, including 23 localized species found only along the Albertine Rift Valley. There are also more than 200 butterfly species and about 324 tree species, 10 of which occur nowhere else in Uganda.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Homestead

Day 7
Early in the morning (7:30am) begin the trek for the mountain gorillas. Tracking these fascinating creatures through the misty Ugandan forests requires patience and stamina, not to mention the long but hopeful hours spent walking in the mud and the wet rainforest floor. But the payoff is indescribable: there is no way to describe the thrill of coming upon a family of gorillas going about their daily activities in the undergrowth. The opportunity to trek within metres of one of the world’s last few hundred mountain gorillas is arguably the most exciting wildlife encounter in Africa.
The gorillas live in groups of 8 to 25 members and we share 97% of the same genes with them. A family scene is captivating: mothers with babies hanging on their chests, youngsters playing more than foraging; several in trees, throwing down an occasional berry or fruit; one picking at the head of another; many merely resting under a bush or alongside a fallen tree.
Return to the lodge for lunch then spend the rest of the day at leisure as you unwind from the tiresome trek. In the evening you will be entertained with cultural performances and dances by a local women’s and orphan’s group. Learn more about the local people found in the area and their way of life. Proceeds from these go directly to improve the welfare of the families around the park.
Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Homestead

Day 8
After a leisurely breakfast, you’ll take a village walk, to see the customs and practices of the hunter-gatherer Batwa pygmy people-Uganda’s most ancient inhabitants and the Bakiga people. The walk introduces you to a number of interesting sites such as a typical rural homestead, a visit to a local healer, a banana brewing demonstration and farms of the local people. There are also beautiful arts and crafts made by the women who use the income to support their families. It is also an opportunity to enjoy the prolific birdlife. Look out for species like Black necked, Baglafecht and brown capped weavers, bronze, green throated, green headed, collared and northern double collard sunbirds, Bocage’s and Luhder’s bush shrikes, dusky blue and white-tailed blue flycatcher, African pied wagtail and lots more.
Return to the Buhoma homestead for dinner and overnight.

Day 9
Depart Bwindi national park for Kampala after a leisurely breakfast. You will have a stop in Masaka for lunch before proceeding to the city.
Dinner and overnight at hotel Africana

Day 10
Day of departure. You will be transferred to Entebbe airport for your departure flight.


Best of Both Worlds: Part 2