5 Days Safari – Murchison Falls and Kibale National Park with Hike Nature Safaris
This 5 day Murchison Falls National Park Wildlife Safari & Kibale National Park Chimpanzee Tracking Tour will take you to the most interesting destination in Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park which is the only national park in northwestern Uganda and also features as the largest of all the National parks in Uganda. It is home to diverse lush savanna grassland dwellers thus memorable encounters with a variety of Wildlife Species including African bush elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, antelopes, over 451 bird species and many more.
Kibale National Park is the Primate Capital due to the presence of several primates’ species. The Park lies in the most dramatic and scenic western part of Uganda. The terrain rises above 4,000 Meters above the grassy floor of the Albertine Rift Valley to the snowy summits of the Rwenzori Mountain National Park and Pocketed by Crater Lakes and Covered with tea plantations, tropical Forests and Farm Land and features a prominent home to over 13 primate species including over 1500 chimpanzees, L’hoest’s Monkey and the Red Colobus. Birding is a rewarding Activity with a Total of 335 Species in the Park and the nearby Bigodi Wet Land Sanctuary which are home to birds and Butterflies. This 5 day Murchison Falls National Park Wildlife Safari and Kibale National Park Chimpanzee tracking.
Trip Highlights
- DAY 1: Travel from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary en route to track Rhinos.
- DAY 2: Morning Game drive, Afternoon Boat Cruise on the Nile and a Hike to the Top of the Falls
- DAY 3: Murchison Falls National Park – Kibale National Park.
- DAY 4: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park – Afternoon Swamp and Community Walk
- DAY 5: Transfer back to Kampala
DETAILED TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 1: Travel from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary en route to track Rhinos.
You will be picked up from your Hotel in Kampala by a representative from Hike Nature Safaris after your breakfast at about 6:00 am to embark on the drive to Murchison Falls National Park 311km through the Kampala Gulu highway passing by Luwero. This is a 6-hour drive through impressive flat landscapes of central Uganda including the district of Nakasongola before branching off at Nakitoma connecting to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Upon arriving at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you embark on a thrilling Rhino tracking to encounter the southern white Rhinos that comprise the adults and young ones. The trek can take anything from a few minutes to an hour depending on where the Rhinos are located within the sanctuary. You will receive a briefing from the ranger guide and start on your Rhino trek. Rhinos are part of the big five of land animals and exploring them on foot is a rewarding encounter that you can explore on this Uganda safari encounter. Continue on the drive to Murchison, arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
DAY 2: Morning Game drive, Afternoon Boat Cruise on the Nile and a Hike to the Top of the Falls
You will wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, and then go for a game drive in the Northern Bank. The Murchison Falls National Park wildlife includes giraffes, elephants, Uganda Kobs, buffaloes, waterbucks, vervet monkeys, Olive Baboons, Patas monkey, Jackson’s Hartebeest and lions. After this 3 – 4 hour game drive.
Enjoy lunch and in the afternoon you connect to embark on the afternoon Nile launch cruise departing at 2 pm. It avails a great opportunity for you to view hippos, crocodiles, plus birds at the river banks such as the bee-eater, kingfisher, the rare shoebill stork plus the cormorants. Proceed for a Hike to the top of the falls which is the greatest natural landmark to ever happen on the Nile River on its course to the Mediterranean Sea. The Murchison Falls stand as the most powerful waterfall in the world and it is impressive to encounter the Nile River squeezing itself to pass through a less than seven meters ravine before 43m below what has been termed as the Devil’s Cauldron forming a plume of Spray and trademark rainbow. You will later meet your driver guide and connect to the lodge for dinner and overnight
DAY 3: Murchison Falls National Park – Kibale National Park.
An early start after breakfast, depart by road from Murchison Fall National Park proceeding to Kibale Forest National Park. Enjoy lunch en route and on arrival proceed to your lodge for Dinner and overnight
DAY 4: Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park – Afternoon Swamp and Community Walk
After your early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the Chimpanzee tracking information office at 8 am for a briefing by the park warden and ranger guides, who will lead you into the rain forest in search of chimpanzees. The Ranger guide will make your walk informative and productive making it interesting by providing information on both flora and fauna. These primates are very mobile and viewing them is unpredictable but a forest walk is an enriching activity and takes about 4 to 6 hours. This forest is home to a large number of chimpanzees and other primates including L’hoestes, grey-cheeked mangabeys, Red-colobus, Red-tailed, birds, and butterflies. You will get back at the lodge on time for lunch and if you have energy in the afternoon, go for a Bigodi swamp and Community walk for yet more primates and bird watching with an opportunity to meet and interact with the local communities living here. Later return to the lodge for Dinner and Overnight
DAY 5: Transfer back to Kampala
After breakfast, check out of your lodge and drive back to Kampala. Enjoy the interesting Fort portal – Mubende – Kampala route which is well dotted with tea plantations and green forest canopies with a stop En-route for lunch, arrive in the afternoon and continue with the drive to Entebbe international airport to catch your flight home.
End of safari