IBS UG 03 – QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Day 1:
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and at 7:00am and drive you southwards through rolling country side. You will encounter the famous royal drum makers of Buganda and see a variety of all sizes and receive a talk. We will continue to the Equator and stop over at both hemispheres, directly under the sun. Have opportunity to look at the gift shops for possible collections. Additionally, we shall see the fantastic long horned Ankole cattle, Banana plantations and Tea Estates on the rim of the Albertine rift valley. Queen Elizabeth National Park has an area of 1978 km squared and is placed within the western rift valley.
A stop over at the Kyambura Escarpment provides a spectacular view of the park. Lakes George and Edward clearly connected by the Kazinga channel, as the snow capped Rwenzori mountains stands at an elevation of 5111m above sea level on the rift valley floor. You will have colourfull sight of the Maramagambo forest, the lakes and wetlands the open parkland grasslands, Acacia woodlands and thickets. With multiplicity of habitats, the park boats of over hundreds of Species such as the Cape Buffalos, hippos, leopards, spotted Hyena, Warthogs and the elusive Giants forest hog, the primates include the Red tiled Monkeys, Red Colobus Monkey, Black and White Columbus Monkey, Blue Monkeys , Olive Baboons. We check in and have a chance to relax before taking an evening game drive to the impressive volcanic explosion, craters, where you see craters filled with water, grasslands and forest. Its home to an array of mammals such as Elephants, Buffaloes, Water bucks and the Kobs. After this scenic drive, a slow drive back to the lodge. Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge / Jacana forest Cottages/ Institute of Ecology – full board.
Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Launch trip on Kazinga Channel. After a hearty coffee enjoy the sun rise enroute and take off for game drive along the Kasenyi track, queen while in search of the cats: the lions, Leopard with Hyenas. Your experience will be enriched with spectacular view of the Uganda Kob at the mating ground. Return to the lodge for breakfast and lunch. In the afternoon, we go for a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel for an amazing birdlife and a variety of wild animals. This gives you opportunity to view wildlife up close. Hippo’s huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, buffalos linger in the shallows, wallowing on the river banks. The channel offers perfect habitat for an array of birds including pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle billed stock, cormorants, gulls, crecks, Egyptian geese and many others. You will see the beautiful “conference of parties of bird life” at the end of the channel close to Lake Edward. After this memorable trip, make a slow drive back to the lodge. Overnight at Luxurious Mweya Safari Lodge / Budget Institute of ecology / Mid range Jacana lodge.
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge
After coffee, we drive to the Kyambura Gorge for forest walk. This forest is in a gorge, drained by the Kyambura River and densely covered by low land tropical forest. You will see various primates most especially the chimpanzees, the blue monkeys, the black and white colobus monkeys enjoying the fig. Enroute, you may also see in the untamed savannah, Kobs, water bucks, Elephants, Lions, Hyenas and several other Antelopes. The gorge forest is 16km long and 100m deeper home to several birdlife species. After, drive back to Kampala arriving in the late afternoon.
The Safari Package includes:-
But excludes:-