6 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari

The 6 days Uganda wildlife Safari starts and ends in Kampala. It will take you through Western Uganda for scenic views, cultural tours and a thrilling wildlife experience. You will also take part in various other activities like nature walks, game drives and boat cruises in both Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. Lastly, you will get an experience of the Sanga Community Group.

SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS

•        Day 1: Travel To Semuliki National Park Via Amabeere Ga Nyina Mwiru Caves

•        Day 2: Game Drive In Semuliki National Park And Transfer To Rwenzori National Park

•        Day 3: Queen Elizabeth National Park Tree Climbing Lions And Boat Cruise

•        Day 4: Game Drive And Transfer To Lake Mburo National Park

•        Day 5: Morning Game Drive And Boat Cruise (Lake Mburo National Park)

•        Day 6: Sanga Women’s Cultural Centre And Transfer Back To Kampala

GETTING THERE

This tour starts and ends in Kampala or Entebbe

• Book your own international flights - Fly to/from Entebbe International Airport

• A transfer from and back to the airport can also be arranged

• Additional accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost.

Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru

Located at Nyakasura Falls, Amabere Caves is about 9 kilometers from the town of Fort Portal. Although called a “cave,” the natural structure is more of large breast-like structures overhung with waterfalls.

The caves are also referred to as the “Breasts of Nyina Mwiru.” Oral tradition records that a usurper king forced his daughter Nyinamwiru to have her breasts cut off so as to stave off suitors, prevent her from giving birth to a prospective heir and thus allow the usurper to hold onto the throne without being threatened by a prospective grandson clamouring for it. But it seems the allure of Nyinamwiru was so strong that Isaza, a Batembuzi king, fell in love with her and he fathered a son called Ndahura. Unable to breastfeed her son, Nyinamwiru fed him from the dripping stalactites whose calcium content supplanted his mother’s milk. Whatever the merits of this unusual baby formula, Ndahura emerged from the cave and became king and founder of one of the great empires of the Great Lakes area of East Africa.

The place is both picturesque and suitable for walking, with appropriate footwear strongly recommended for such an undertaking.

For the most comfortable and enjoyable hiking to these caves, you need comfortable shoes or rather hiking shoes, long trousers, long sleeved shirts/ T-shirts and a rain jacket.

Igongo Cultural Center 

 12 kilometers along the scenic Mbarara-Masaka highway is Igongo Cultural Centre and Country Hotel. It is an impressive recreational complex consisting of a captivating Eriijukiro (the museum of South-western Uganda), a traditional restaurant, a bar and other attractions around it. It is the ultimate Uganda destination for lovers of history, art, culture, and comfort. A staple of ultimate African luxury, Igongo merges comfort, relaxation and recreation in an environment offering a gorgeous scenery, beautiful gardens and a beautiful view of various art pieces and cultures exhibited at the entrance of the hotel's lobby and foyer. 

Apart from the breathtaking hotel, there are some exciting opportunities and attractions at Igongo, including a visit to the museum of South-western Uganda (Eriijukiro) that has a collection of art and crafts, photos, information panels, norms, customs, traditions and the history of the people of South-western Uganda and her neighboring kingdoms.

A visit to Itamiro (a cultural village) gives you an experience of cultural village housing. Here you will find the traditional huts for cattle, the Bariisa, and Crop Farmers, the Abahiingi. The village also boasts of a large amphitheater and a venue for bonfires and story-telling sprees.

Nkwanzi Craft and Bookshop is the hub of South-western Uganda’s history containing a collection of various books on culture, growth, and development. There are also various handmade arts and crafts produced by the residents and traditional costumes such as mugamba, the cultural bridal wear, bracelets, and animal skins and hides.

Other possible activities at Igongo include the Ankole farm tour, pottery activities, traditional beer brewing, hiking the eclipse hill and eclipse monument of the 1520AD, milk processing and millet processing, fishing, and canoeing, visiting Ankole's royal tombs, visiting the former Ankole king's palace, among others.

 For the ultimate cultural experience in western Uganda, Igongo Cultural Center and Hotel is the perfect place to go to with an opportunity to get memorabilia from the craft shop.  

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is located in Lyantonde along the highway en route Uganda’s national parks in Western Uganda. It is situated on the ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back to more than 500 million years ago. The park is the smallest of all savannah national parks in Uganda. It is approximately 370 square kilometers and managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

According to the Ankole people (one of the main tribes in Western Uganda), the creation and name of the lake are based on historical events. The legend has it that two brothers, who known as Kigarama and Mburo, used to live in a big valley. One day, Kigarama had a dream and advised his brother that they had to move. Mburo chose to ignore his brother, and Kigarama moved up into the hills. The valley down flooded and a lake was formed, thus drowning Mburo. Presently, the lake is said to be named after the drowned brother, and the hills overlooking the lake are called Kigarama Hills, named after his brother who survived the catastrophe.

Lake Mburo, together with the other lakes in the area, creates a chain-link to a wetland which lends a hand in providing pasture and water to the wildlife. This park happens to be the only place where you can find impalas in Uganda. The lake harbors various endangered species of fish such as the endangered cichlid fish species which have significantly reduced over time.

The park is home to about 70 mammal species and over 350 bird species. Some of the animals found in the park include zebras, crocodiles, impalas, eland, buffaloes, water buck, hippos, warthogs, jackals, leopards, reed bucks, as well as hyenas.

On top of the fantastic game drives (both daylight and nocturnal) and boat rides, the park can also be explored using mountain bikes, on foot and on horseback, allowing you to see a variety of wildlife. Seasoned rangers are readily available to accompany visitors on the hiking expeditions. Bird watching would round up a perfect tour with the various viewing spots available. These include Warukiri, the roadsides between Rwonyo camp, the swampy valleys of Miriti, the Salt lake, and the Rubanga forest.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is arguably Uganda’s most popular and frequently visited wildlife conservation area. The park lies in the western part of Uganda in the districts of Kamwenge, Rukungiri, Rubirizi, and Kasese. Queen Elizabeth National Park has green scenery for most of the year with sprawling savannah, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, making it the ideal habitat for wildlife. Named after Queen Elizabeth II, this park was previously named Kazinga National Park.

This gazetted park ensures the conservation of its ecosystems, which in turn benefits the surrounding communities. The park is home to over 95 mammal species including the classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 bird species. Some of the activities to carry out in this popular national park include wildlife/game viewing and local community visits. Other exciting sought-after activities include game viewing, chimpanzee tracking, hot air ballooning, birding, hiking and nature walks, bird watching, launch cruises on the Kazinga Channel, lion tracking, a visit to the explosion crater and a visit to the Katwe Salt Works.

Tourists mainly come to Queen Elizabeth National Park for lion tracking because of the famous cactus tree climbing lions. It also gives them a chance to get an up-close session with the lions and get to study their behaviours. There are only two populations of these mysterious tree climbing lions in the whole world; Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Manyara National Park in the southern part of Tanzania, making these big cats a major attraction for the tourists that visit East Africa.

The park is set against the back of the great Rwenzori Mountains with beautiful views that are made up of various crater lakes. These lakes are carved dramatically into the green rolling hills. The Kazinga Channel's shores are also a spectacle and are packed with hippos, elephants and buffaloes. You will also see the savannah plains of Ishasha, whose fig trees cover the majestic tree-climbing lions.

Some of the exciting scenery locations in the park include the Kazinga Channel that harbors a couple of wildlife including the Nile crocodiles. It is a major attraction as tourists take a boat cruise across its shores to view the magnificent wildlife scenery. The Mweya peninsular into Lake Edward covered by candlestick thorns with the outlying impressive savannah also make it an excellent area for game viewing. Lake Katwe salt works and the explosion craters, Kyambura Gorge, the magnificent valley of apes, Maragambo forest (known for its bat caves and resident African rock pythons) are all worth visiting. The endless views of savannahs with roaming antelopes and the Uganda kob in Kasenyi plains are all found here. It also harbors numerous lions, leopards plus many other cats and the extraordinary views of wildlife, primates and butterflies at Kyambura Wildlife Reserve.

Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history on top of its outstanding wildlife attractions. There are also opportunities to visit the local communities and enjoy sessions of music, dance, drama and storytelling. 

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

The Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the “Mountains of the Moon,” are found in Western Uganda along the Uganda-Congo border. Famous for being one of the few snow-capped mountains in tropical Africa, the equatorial snow peaks include the third highest point in Africa, Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley, standing at 5,109 meters above sea level. This magnificent mountain range is well-known for lakes, waterfalls, glaciers and beautiful plant life including some of the world’s rarest vegetation – all of which can be examined up close in one of the numerous walking tracks set in the Rwenzori National Park which is about 120 kilometres long and 65 kilometres wide. The mountain range is rich in magnificent flora and fauna, including rare and endangered mammals, with some two dozen rodent species among them, as well as large mammals such as elephants, leopards, chimpanzees and over 200 species of birds.  Hiking ranges from the relatively easy day trips to the strenuous trekking excursions for fit and experienced climbers, including the possibility of 9-12 day trips to Margherita Peak.

For those also seeking cultural experiences, the Ruboni community of Bakonzo village offers homestead visits, accommodation, including home-cooked local cuisine and cultural performances. The mountains are also home to the Bakonzo people who occupy the lower slopes on all sides of the mountain, traversing the mountain to trade and exchange with other villages, thus creating well-used footpaths across the mountain ridges of the northern spur, thereby connecting Kabarole and Bundibugyo districts.

Semuliki (Semliki) National Park

Semuliki National Park is located in the Semliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Rwenzori mountain ranges, the site of Uganda’s oldest wildlife reserve formerly known as the Toro Game reserve. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests.

The Semuliki Valley contains numerous features associated with Central rather than Eastern Africa. The thatched huts here are shaded by West African oil palms. The Semuliki river, which is a miniature version of the Congo river, hosts Central African wildlife species and the local population includes a Batwa pygmy community that originated from the Ituri. 

Wildlife in Semuliki include mammals like the Uganda kob, forest elephants, chimpanzees, buffaloes, leopards and various monkeys and antelopes, though leopards may only be spotted during a night drive within the park. Lions are rare as they almost became extinct in the region and reintroduction into the wild is still ongoing. The park has a tremendous variety of birds, with as many as 400 species, many of which may not be spotted in other East African national parks. The park is also famed for its flora, especially its rare trees, including the elusive leaf-love tree. The park is also home to two hot spring lakes, Bitende (referred to as the male spring) and Nyasimbi (the female), each about 12 meters wide and gushing boiling hot water to heights of 2-3 meters.

Tourist activities here include game drives, guided forest walks, boat trips, chimpanzee tracking and bird watching, in addition to visits to the hot springs.

ONLINE BOOKING

Please complete the following form so we can send you a personalized price!

SAFARI INCLUSIONS

Safari includes:

Service of an English-speaking tour driver/guide

All activities mentioned the itinerary

Transportation by 4WD safari van/ Land Cruiser, fuel expenses

Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) while on safari,

Park admissions

Accommodation on full board

Entrance fees to all destinations as per the program.

Transfers to and from Entebbe Airport/Kampala

Safari excludes:

All activities not mentioned in the program

Phone call bills

Tips

International Transfers

Visas to Uganda

Gratitude to tour-guides

Personal insurance

Visas to Uganda

Personal effects of any nature

Hotel fees before and after the safari