You will have an opportunity to travel to the most amazing, beautiful, and less visited places in Uganda. This is an “off the-beaten-track2 tour intended to give our clients memories of a lifetime, privileged access and special insight into the life of the people renown to be the friendliest on the African continent! You will have a chance of interacting with local tribes and people; get to know the culture and heritage, hear their stories, work with them, share their music and dances and enjoy a 21 day Uganda culture,wildlife and gorilla safari you will remember for the rest of your life.
Day 1 : ARRIVAL AT ENTEBBE. :
On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by Abeam Safarisi guide and transfer to your Hotel – Serena/Hotel Africa / Holiday Express for a welcome drink , dinner , overnight .
Day 02 KAMPALA – JINJA :
After breakfast at your Hotel, your Abeam Safaris Tour guide. He will take you to Jinja, passing through an evergreen countryside with natural forests, Mabira. In Jinja, you will visit the source of the River Nile, the longest river in Africa and also see the nearby Bujjagari Falls with a kilometer of raging White Water; Lunch.Other activities in Jinja include white water rafting, quad bike safari and kayaking.Return to your Hotel – Nile Resort / Sunrise Hotel, dinner and over night.
Day 03 JINJA – NYERO ROCK PAINTINGS :
After breakfast, to Kumi where you will visit Nyero Rock paintings estimated to be between 700-1000 years old and rated as one of the finest in East Africa. They consist of three painted caves close to each other. Paintings are in red and white pigmentations. The paintings are said to be the work of hunter-gatherers who lived in the region about 2000 years ago. Lunch in Mbale . Return to your Mbale Resort, dinner Overnight.
Day 04 MBALE – SIPI – MBALE :
After breakfast, you will visit Sipi Falls close to Mt.Elgon National Park, probably the most romantic water falls in Africa. You will also have an opportunity to visit local communities and see the way of life of these rural Bagisu tribesmen. Later in the day, you will return to Mbale, lunch, dinner and overnight stay Mbale Resort Hotel.
Day 05 MBALE – KAMPALA:
After breakfast, you will start the drive back to Kampala where you will visit Namugongo Martyrs shrine where the the King of Buganda Kingdom Mwanga IX ordered the killing of 22 christian converts who had denounced traditional religion. You will also visit the Uganda crafts village, Uganda museum and Nakasero market.Lunch en-route.Dinner and overnight at your Hotel- Serena Hotel / Hotel Africana.
Day 06 KAMPALA – BUGALA ISLAND :
After breakfast, you will travel by ferry to Bugala Island, one of the 84 Ssese lslands found in Africa’s largest fresh water lake, Lake Victoria, crossing the Equator line on water. The island has beautiful sand beaches; birdlife is prolific and colorful with palm trees, pineapple plantations and fishing villages. Overnight stay at Beach Hotel; full board.
Day 07 FORT SPEKE – VISIT FISHING VILLAGE :
After breakfast, you will visit Fort Speke, not a fort as such but a place where the famous European explorer John Hannington Speke camped for a few months in 1862 on his search for the source of the Nile. It is from here that he sent emissaries to the Kabaka’s court seeking permission to enter Buganda Kingdom. Later during the day, you will return to the Beach Hotel for lunch. In the afternoon, you will visit a fishing village to see how local fishermen do their trade on Africa’s largest water body. Dinner, overnight in a Beach Hotel .
Day 08 BUGGALA – MASAKA :
You will have an early breakfast and later travel to Masaka where you will visit Kitovu Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church which was the seat of the first African Catholic Bishop in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was built in 1927 and Dr.Joseph Kiwanuka served as Bishop of the Diocese from 1939-1961.The Cathedral has been renovated with funds raised from far and near, part of which was a gift from. Have a lunch break ;Masaka Fort built in the1880’s by the British Colonial Administrators on top of Masaka Hill known as BOMA (British Overseas Military Administration).There is a trench and remnant bunker, which was an observatory cave-like structure where heavy guns would be placed to fire long distances in case of war. There is also a relic of commander’s house, which was one of the first brick houses in Uganda, estimated to have been built in 1899.A small site with inscriptions FBM-MAKA (Fundamental Bench Mark Masaka) a trigonometric point, marks the flag spot for the fort. The top has a commanding view to the west and south of Masaka as far as 50km or more.
Later, you will visit the Nabajuzi wetland, a Ramser site candidate, the only place where one is almost certain of seeing rare shoebills and the elusive sitatunga antelope. Overnight stay at Hotel Zebra/ Hotel Brovad.
Day 09 MASAKA – LAKE MBURO :
After breakfast, you will travel to Lake Mburo National Park surrounded by the pastoral community grazing the “Ankole Long Horned Cattle”, a special kind of cattle endemic to this part of the world. You will enjoy a game drive in Lake Mburo National Park. Overnight stay at Rwonyo Camp or Mantana Camp.
Day 10 LAKE MBURO – LAKE BUNYONYI :
You will have breakfast then travel to Kabale where you will visit a local museum and learn about the culture and history of the people of South Western Uganda, formally known as Kigezi. Later, you will proceed to Lake Bunyonyi and have an overnight stay at Bushara Island.
Day 11 KABALE – KISORO :
After breakfast, your Msafiri Tours guide will take you to visit a local blacksmith and you will be taken through the stages of how local people fabricate local tools like spears, knives and other implements for use in daily life. Later, you will travel a short distance to Kisoro. Along the way, you will visit a pygmy community on the boarder of Echuya forest. Your journey will continue to Kisoro passing through a beautiful scenic countryside with terraced hills and breathtaking views across the valley.Overnight stay at Travellers Rest Hotel.
Day 12 VISIT LOCAL PYGMY COMMUNITY :
Today’s activities are very exciting as you will visit Virunga Volcanic mountains. The mountains have special plants, birds and golden monkeys and is home to the endangered mountain gorillas. You will also visit Garama cave which is 340m long and 14m deep. This is where the (Batwa) pygmies used to live more than 100 years ago.You will also have the chance of interacting with the descendants of these fabulous people as they recount their culture and heritage.Overnight stay at Travellers Rest Hotel.
Day 13 GORILLA TRACKING :
You will go for gorilla tracking in Nkuringo. This is the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. After locating the gorillas, our group will be allowed to be with them for one hour, before returning to Kisoro for a night stay.Overnight stay at Travellers Rest Hotel.
Day 14 KISORO – QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK :
You will travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park through Kabale. Lunch will be in Mbarara town and later continues through an evergreen countryside with natural forests, tea and banana plantations. You will do a game drive before reaching Mweya Safari Lodge situated on a peninsular overlooking the Kazinga channel. Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge or Simba Safari camp for budget travellers.
Day 15 GAME DRIVE – LAUNCH TRIP ON KAZINGA CHANNEL :
Today’s activities include a game drive in the kob mating grounds and in the channel track. Later, you will take a launch trip on Kazinga channel which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. You will also visit the museum at Mweya. The museum has a collection of tools that have been used by man from about 1.5m years ago to the present day. Evening is spent relaxing at the pool to recount the day’s activities. Overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Day 16 MWEYA – KIKO TEA ESTATE :
After having breakfast, your Msafiri tours guide will take you to Fort Portal crossing the Equator line. In Fort Portal, you will visit the Royal Palace, and Fort Gerry built in the 1880s for protecting the Tooro Kingdom against attacks from Bunyoro Kingdom. You will visit a botanical garden with medicinal plants.
Day 17 VISIT TEA PLANTATION AND TEA FACTORY :
Today you will have an early start. You will havean exciting learning experience about tea growing and processing. You will learn about tea husbandry practices like plucking, tipping, pruning, weeding, green leaf selling and fertilizer application. You will be shown through the stages of tea processing from fresh greenleaf to tea itself. You will learn the technical aspects like withering, rolling, fermenting, drying and sorting tea into different grades. Take advantage to taste factory fresh tea during the quality control process. Later, you will travel to Hoima. Along the way, you will visit Katosa Martyrs shrine, a memorial to one of the victims, St.Adolf, who was among the 22 martyrs killed in Namugongo on orders of Kabaka Mwanga in 1886. In commemoration of St.Adolf, a catholic parish has been built at the site and a pilgrimage is held every 27th January of the year. Close to the church are rocks with paintings and names of indivinual martyrs that were killed by Kabaka Mwanga at Namugongo.You will arrive at Hoima town for an overnight stay at Hotel Kontik.
Day 18 HOIMA – MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK :
After breakfast, you will visit Kabalega”s tomb at Mparo. King Kabalega was 23rd omukama of Bunyoro, a powerful king and war genius whose power and wealth posed danger to the establishment of colonialism. Because of his strong will and mistrust of Europeans and their agents, Kabalega was the most hated king in the interlacustrine region by the imperialists. Inside the tomb, there is a collection of items like spears, royal drums, stools, baskets, calabashes, shields, pots, animal skins and other regalia associated with Kabalenga and his times.
There is a monument outside the tombs where King Kabalega met Emin Pasha, the only colonial agent who liked and respected him and was his friend. The inscription on a monument outside his tomb reads ‘ At this place, the Omukama Chwa 11 Kabalega received Dr Emin Pasha on 22nd September 1877’. The place is referred to as ‘ahagasani’ in Runyoro.The site at one time housed Kabalenga”s palace. Later, you will visit Katasiha Fort, established by Kabalega and later used by colonial agent Colonel Colville in 1894 after he subdued King Kabalega.This was Kabalega”s stronghold and many battles were fought around this fort before he abandoned it.
You will continue to Murchison Falls National Park through Butiaba escarpment. On a clear day, you will see stunning views of lake Albert and the blue mountains in Congo. You will have the chance of visiting the top of the falls. Here, the whole of the river Nile is forced through a 7 meters gap to a depth of about 40 metres. Overnight stay at Red Chilli Camp.
Day 19 GAME DRIVE – BOAT TRIP :
Today’s activities include a game drive to delta and a launch trip to the bottom of the falls. You will see spectacular views of the falls and along the way, you will observe Nile crocodiles, hippos and various bird species as they come to drink at the river’s edge. Overnight stay at Red Chilli Camp.
Day 20 TRAVEL TO KAMPALA:
Breakfast , travel to Kampala via Budongo forest with a lunch stop in Masindi, arriving in Kampala before dark. Dinner, overnight stay at Serena Hotel / Hotel Africanayour hotel in Kampala.
Day 21 Departure :
Transfer to the airport at the end of your Uganda culture,wildlife and gorilla safari.
Included: Uganda culture, wildlife and gorilla safari:All ground transport as indicated on the itinerary, accommodation, park fees, chimpanzee tracking fee, launch trips ferry crossing, all meals, permits for gorilla tracking and the services of a professional Safari guide.
Excluded: Whitewater rafting and quad bike safari in Jinja, tips and gratuities, international flights, airport tax and any other items not included.
