Uganda – 7 Days in Murchison Falls

Very early in the morning after breakfast, you will be driven to Murchison Falls through Masindi.

Murchison falls National park is Uganda’s largest national park  and shelters a chunk of feral African savannah bisected by the mighty river Nile. It was named after the theatrical Murchison Falls, where the world’s longest river detonates aggressively through a narrow fissure in the Rift Valley escarpment to thrust into a fizzing pool about 46m below. Wildlife populations have largely recovered from the poaching of the 1980s; in the lush savannah grassland to the north of the Nile, elephant, buffalo, giraffe and a variety of antelope are frequently  seen on game drives, while lions are seen with increasing frequency. In the southeast, Budongo Forest is home to chimps and other rainforest creatures. The Nile itself hosts one of Africa’s densest hippo and crocodile populations, and a dazzling variety of waterbirds including the world’s most accessible wild population of the rare shoebill stork.

On arrival, you will visit the top of the falls and then after dinner and over night

Go for an early morning game drive on at the Northern Bank of the Murchison falls National Park.  You are able to view those animals that are unique to the African Savannah like giraffe, elephant, antelope, lion, and the Uganda Kob. Return to the lodge for mid morning breakfast, as you relax to wait for Lunch.

After lunch, you will go for a launch cruise   along the Nile River to the bottom of the falls where you will see huge crocodiles, schools of hippos, buffaloes, elephants and a variety of water birds like herons, ducks, cormorants, bee-eaters, skimmers, kingfishers, fish eagle and if you are lucky the rare shoebill. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast you will be taken to Fort Portal town, through the villages and beautiful scenery. Have lunch en route In the evening you will have local guides for walks around the 1000 acre farm, to the Mahoma Water fall, and the Walks will take you around crater rims, plots of cassava, through banana plantations, past alcohol brewing in oil drums, coffee terraces, groundnuts, sorghum and millet. Dinner and over night at lodge of your choice.

Take breakfast and then you will be transferred to Kibale National park’s Kanyankyu tourist centre for an morning Chimpanzee trek at Kibale Forest. Kibale National Park is a habitat for more than 10 primate species, which include, black & white colobus monkeys, red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and many others. At the Eastern edge of Kibale National Park, there is Bigodi wetland sanctuary, which is managed by the local community. The sanctuary is situated in Magombe swamp and it is known for a wide range of biodiversity including species of primates such as red colobus monkey, black and white colobus monkey, grey – checked mangabey, red tailed monkey, I’hoest monkey, vervet monkey, blue monkey and ba boon. Mammals like sitatunga, bush pigs, bush bucks, otters, magoose and chimpanzees, also visit the swamp from Kibale National Park. 138  species have so far been identified.
The main bird species found in the sanctuary is the great blue turacco. What is happening at Bigodi Wetland sanctuary is a good example of a community based approach to natural resources management that can be of economic benefit to the local residents of the area as well as the tourism industry.

Have lunch and then go for a swamp walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary a community owned swamp under  Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental organization formed in 1992 with the aim of achieving social and economic development for local communities.  Your guide will provide detailed information as the walk goes on. This area harbors over 137 bird species including the Snowy Headed Robin Cat, Emerald Cuckoo, Black and White Casqued Hornbill and a variety of Weavers, Warblers, Greenbuls and Sunbirds. You will also see plenty of butterflies and the unique flora such as wild palms, polita figs and the dominant papyrus. Return to the lodge for dinner and over night.

After an early breakfast, you’ll leave Kibale National park and head to  Queen Elizabeth National Park. Rather modestly, this fertile equatorial area is especially scenic, with two lakes linked by a channel beneath a high peninsula. You will also find volcanic craters, grassy plains and tropical forest. As a result, Queen Elizabeth national park has one of the highest biodiversity ratings in the world. Poaching exhibits such as stuffed lions, leopard skins, deer heads and elephant’s tusks may still be found embellishing some hotels and lodges, but the prominence is positively more on shooting with a camera these days. Much of Uganda’s wildlife was poached out in the past, especially elephants, but now the area is protected and elephants numbers are boosted by those entering the park from the Congo, where poaching is still a problem. When looking at some maps of Uganda, you may be forgiven for being a little confused. Several National Parks and lakes have changed their names more than once since independence in 1962, and not all maps have kept up with the changes. For example the Queen Elizabeth National Park was called the Ruwenzori National Park for many years until it returned to its royal colonial name. Meanwhile the Ruwenzori Mountains to the north of Queen Elizabeth N.P. were formed into the new Ruwenzori National Park in 1991. Confused? You will be though the park remains with its topography ranging from open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. It is little surprising that QENP hosts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. Almost 100 mammal species and a renown 606 bird species makes it a superb birders’ paradise! 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 , it also  boasts a marvelous waterfront setting in the shadow of the fabled Rwenzori Mountains. Elsewhere, the remote Ishasha Sector is famed for its tree-climbing lions, the Kyambura Gorge harbours habituated chimps, the Maramagambo Forest is home to an alluring selection of forest monkeys and birds, and flocks of flamingo are resident on the crater lakes.

You will be taken for Dinner and over night at the lodge of your choice.

Having taken a cup of coffee, get on an early morning game drive along Kasenyi track and Queens mile in the park in search for Lions, Elephants, cape buffalo, Warthogs, leopard, mangoose, waterbucks, hyena, Uganda kobs, Topi and lots many small animals and birds. After lunch, relax in a 2-hours boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of Hippos and many animals may be seen drinking at the water’s edge. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with well over 550 resident species.

Transfer to Kampala. You will first take a game drive to search for tree climbing lions and then after You will be transferred to Kampala. Augmented with an encounter of a lifetime and remarkable memories you will say goodbye to the Pearl of Africa.