12-DAY  BIG 5,  GORILLAS & KIDEPO  ADVENTURE, THE PEARL OF AFRICA EXCURSION!

You'll depart Entebbe with a short transfer for a boat trip to Mabamba Swamp with a specialized birding guide- an introduction to Uganda’s abundant birdlife and a chance to see the legendary shoebill stork.
You'll continue to the equator for lunch, followed by a transfer to Lake Mburo National Park for a game safari into the park. Lake Mburo is one of the smallest of Uganda’s National Parks, but a real gem. You'll see impalas, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, water buffalos, elands, waterbucks, and if lucky, leopards.
Camp in style down by the lake with the hippos and a ranger. Listen to them chuckling all night but watch out for the cheeky monkeys in the morning trying to pinch your eggs!
The overland truck provides a full kitchen for dinner and drinks under the stars and around the campfire. The truck has a clean toilet block, a private hot shower, and comfortable beds in up to 2 state-of-the-art roof tents (2x2 person sharing - extra persons in ground tents with air beds).

You'll break camp with a game safari through Lake Mburo, featuring a cooked breakfast at Kazuma Lookout with spectacular views over the park.
You will depart the park heading southwest to Kabale— the "Switzerland of Africa" for a scenic lakeside drive and late lunch at Lake Bunyonyi, one of the deepest and most beautiful lakes in Africa with a rich and mystical history.
After lunch, you'll head into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on spectacular mountain trails to Buhoma.
You'll camp at Ruhondeza Lodge, Buhoma with dinner, drinks, campfire, and prep for the gorilla trek early next morning

You'll have an early transfer to Buhoma Gorilla HQ for briefing, cultural dancing, and a jungle trek to see the endangered mountain gorillas. This is an unforgettable experience to get dragged through several hedges (or gentler if you prefer) and to spend an hour with our close cousins in their natural habitat.
You'll return from the trek and continue on the forest trail for a guided game drive at Ishasha Wildlife Reserve, part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Abundant wildlife including elephants, hippos, and water buffalos, and home to unique tree-climbing lions same as any other lions, but these climb trees.
You'll transfer to the Kazinga Channel at the heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Savannah plains meet Rift Valley landscapes. You'll have a well-earned rest in a luxury banda overlooking the channel. Watch out for hippos and elephants!

You'll have an early breakfast and depart for a dawn game drive with our experienced guide in the Kasenyi Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Abundant wildlife and a good chance to see lions and possibly leopards in their native hunting grounds. Short transfer to the boat dock for a guided boat safari along the Kazinga Channel. Great way to see the wildlife, aquatic and birdlife along the banks including elephants, water buffalos, and hippos as well as kingfishers, weaver birds, and fish eagles.
You'll return to the Bush Lodge for lunch and a short siesta.
You'll head out mid-afternoon to the nearby rift escarpment and the spectacular twin crater lakes at Kyambura. Optional short walk between the lakes in beautiful scenery.
You'll return to the Bush Lodge for a second night in your luxury banda.

You'll have an early morning breakfast and a short transfer to Kyambura Gorge for a chimpanzee trek. You'll head down into the gorge with trained guides and track the chimpanzees as they play and forage for food along the river banks or in the tree canopy above.
You'll depart Queen Elizabeth heading north for lunch at Fort Portal and a lengthy transfer through tea plantations and undulating hills to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
You will camp for the night in the Ziwa campground with a campfire, dinner, and drinks. If you're lucky, the rhinos will graze around the (reinforced!) campground fence in the evening or early morning.
You'll take a birding or nature walk in the late afternoon and/or nighttime walk in the mid-evening (one included).

You'll have breakfast at the camp followed by rhino tracking with a trained guide. You'll walk with the rhinos and learn about the inspirational program to reintroduce the white rhino into the parks of Uganda.
You'll depart Ziwa and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park for a visit to the top of the falls. You'll get up close and personal with the most powerful waterfalls on earth, the River Nile forming a raging torrent as it is squeezed through a narrow 7-meter wide gap. You'll enjoy a late snack lunch overlooking the Nile rapids.
You will have a short hop from the falls to the Red Chili Restcamp. You will camp for the night with a lodge fire, dinner, and drinks either around the camp or in the banda bar and restaurant — or a bit of both as you prefer.

You'll have an early breakfast at Red Chili followed by a memorable boat safari to the base of the powerful Murchison Falls. Spectacular wildlife on the Nile banks include elephants, hippos, water buffalos, and birdlife: kingfishers, weaver birds, and fish eagles.
You'll transfer to the famous Paraa Lodge for lunch and a relaxing midday break around the pool, overlooking the Nile.
You'll depart mid-afternoon for a game safari. You'll go to the wilderness camp in the wild at the Nile Delta with Lake Albert. Expect antelopes, elephants, giraffes, water buffalos, and an abundance of birdlife. You will collect firewood as you go and set up camp in the middle of nowhere, overlooking Lake Albert. You will then do an evening game drive with the best chance to see lions and perhaps leopards, before returning to camp for BBQ and drinks around the campfire. This is wild camping but we have a hot shower and a folding toilet seat! Welcome to Africa!

You'll break camp before dawn with a cup of tea and head into the nearby hunting grounds for the best chance to see lions and perhaps a leopard at work looking for breakfast. You'll stop by the Nile and go for a guided walking safari to find hippos or perhaps a croc or two while we prepare. You'll continue the game drive across Murchison and head out the far northeast gate through a sector renowned for elephants.
You'll depart the park and head to Gulu for lunch. You'll continue across the north of Uganda to the remote and wonderful Kidepo Valley National Park, rated by CNN as the second-best park in the whole of Africa. You'll stop en route and if time permits, at Aruu Falls. This is quite some journey, by road and then track, through remote villages and an ever-changing landscape to finally arrive for a pampering lodge night at Kidepo Savannah Lodge —a luxury safari banda overlooking the valley with a spectacular hilltop restaurant to relax and unwind.

You'll have breakfast and depart for a game safari into Kidepo Valley. Apart from the magnificent scenery and the sense of truly vast African skies, this is perhaps the richest populated wildlife park in Uganda offering abundant antelopes, zebras, giraffes, elephants, and water buffalos as well as lions and a possibility of leopards and cheetahs. Birdlife is also everywhere.
You'll arrive at Apoka, the park Head Quarters for lunch and pick up a ranger for an afternoon safari heading towards Kakine Kopje for your second wild camp with a 360 view over the savannah plains of Kidepo Valley below. You'll relax in the late afternoon, taking in the scene and preparing for a wonderful sunset. You'll have dinner and drinks around the campfire under perhaps the brightest stars on the planet. Again, all the attributes of our support vehicle are at your disposal, including 'the seat' if so desired. Take a breath, close your eyes, what's that you hear? Nothing!

You'll break camp at dawn for an early morning game drive into true Lion King territory, a final chance to see lion and perhaps leopard in their hunting grounds. You'll depart Kidepo through the remote and magical Karamojo region, Kaabong, and a short detour to Nakaperumoru to meet the people of the Jie warrior tribe. Mount Moroto and lunch at the Karatunga Foundation, a community enterprise supporting the Karamojo Region. There are vast savannah plains punctuated by volcanic plugs and seemingly ever-present villages and settlements of the Karamojong with ornate kraals and bomas appearing to date back centuries and beyond. Infeasible rock formations and vast volcanic mountain ranges rise out of the plains.
You'll continue south to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve for a late afternoon game drive and a rare opportunity to see roan antelope and ostrich. You'll head to the Kara-Tunga Eco Camp for a final night's camping with dinner, drinks, and a campfire.

You will have breakfast and depart for the final game drive. You'll enjoy a short trek to the ceremonial caves of the Upe tribe, adorned with cave paintings. You'll feel the presence of ancient tribal gatherings.
You'll depart Pian Upe heading to Mount Elgon, ascending the slopes of one of the highest volcanoes in Africa with the largest c aldera in the world.
You'll arrive at Sipi. The Sipi River descends Mount Elgon over three spectacular waterfalls. You will lunch at the beautiful Lacam Lodge overlooking the lower falls, then transfer to the upper falls for a modest trek down the mountain trail to the middle falls where you will spend your final night, a lodge night in the splendid surroundings of the Sipi Heritage Lodge at the base of the falls.

You'll depart Sipi Heritage Lodge and visit an ethnic coffee processing facility on the mountain slopes. This is a fascinating opportunity to learn the key stages of coffee production from planting to cupping; roasting and grinding your own beans; and understand the potential of this valuable product to the local economy.
You'll descend Mount Elgon and commence the return leg of the journey, stopping at Jinja for lunch at the source of the Nile. You'll depart Jinja for a return transfer to your accommodation either in Kampala around 6.00 pm or Entebbe around 7.00 pm.

Optionally, you can stay over in Jinja and spend a day whitewater rafting or on more passive pursuits on the Nile or within the famous city of Jinja.