14 Days Uganda and Zanzibar Safari
Safari Overview
This 14 Days Uganda and Zanzibar Safari takes you to uncover and experience the greatest safari moments in East Africa. This combines the rarest wildlife encounters in East Africa enabling you to explore the greatest Murchison Falls, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino trekking, Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Gorilla trekking in Uganda. You will then visit Zanzibar in Tanzania to complete your relaxation holiday. Fly to Zanzibar for a complete beach relaxation, sun bathing, dolphin tour, spice tour, and sunset dhow cruise.
Safari Highlights
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Top of the falls visit
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest national park – Bigodi swamp nature walk
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking – transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 6: Morning game drive/Lion tracking – boat cruise and evening game drive
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 9: Batwa community tour Explore Lake Bunyonyi
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe
Day 11: Fly to Zanzibar
Day 12: Zanzibar city tour – Prison Island and spice tour and Stone town
Day 13: Safari Blue Experience and Zanzibar beach experience
Day 14: Departure
Details itinerary
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel
Upon arrival at Entebbe international airport, meet your driver who will drive you to your reserved hotel. Early check-in at 4 am. Spend your day resting at the hotel. All meals and overnight stay at Papyrus Guesthouse for budget/Best Western Garden Hotel for mid-range/ Protea Hotel for luxury
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Top of the falls visit
Depending on your location in Kampala/Entebbe, you will be picked up as early as 7 am by your safari driver to start your safari. Transfer to Ziwa rhino sanctuary, which is about 3 hours’ drive in Entebbe/Kampala. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, you will connect for a briefing about the rhinos in Uganda, rhino tracking takes about 2-3 hours and after meeting and spending time with the rhinos, have en-route lunch and proceed on a 4 hours’ drive to Murchison falls national park.
Connect to the top of the Murchison falls, before you connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Parkside Safari Lodge for budget option/Pakuba Safari Lodge for mid-range/Nile Safari Lodge for mid-luxury option
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Early morning breakfast and then go for a game drive where you will spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, lions, Uganda kobs among others. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the park’s main tourist attraction the unique Murchison Falls as well as the River Nile with its streaming hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight as above
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest national park – Bigodi swamp nature walk
You will have breakfast and then transfer to Kibale national park, which is about 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route lunch in Fort portal town. Proceed to the park and visit the Bigodi wetland for a birds and primates. Proceed to check-in at your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge for mid-range/Isunga lodge for budget/Primates Lodge for luxury
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking – transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Have early morning breakfast, go for briefing and start Chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Kibale’s 795km2 National Park contains one of the most beautiful and with the most varying tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda. This is the place to a number of forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primate coupled with chimpanzees.
After trekking, transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park, which is about 3 hours’ drive. Upon arrival, explore the crater lakes before you drive to your booked lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight stay at Bush Lodge for budget/Elephant Hub Lodge – Mid-range option/Elephant Plains Lodge for luxury
Day 6: Morning game drive/Lion tracking – boat cruise and evening game drive
You will have breakfast, connect for a morning game drive and the lion tracking experience where you are guaranteed to view the lions, enjoy en-route game drive at Kisenyi area where you will spot a good number of wildlife including Elephants, Buffaloes and all species of antelopes.
Later afternoon, go for a launch cruise where you will spot various water animals like Hippos and crocodiles, the cruise will enrich you with various water birds. Connect for an evening game drive in the Kasenyi area for animals like the elephants, buffaloes and on a lucky day, you may encounter the lions and leopards. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
In the morning after breakfast, Thereafter, with en-route lunch, embark on your journey to Bwindi national park. It’s 5-7 hours depending on your trekking sector. You will have lunch en-route, arriving in Bwindi in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget/Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range/Mahogany Springs Lodge for luxury option
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for a briefing by the ranger guides before entering the forest in your trekking gears including trekking sticks, good hiking shoes and stocking for tacking-in, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and a raincoat or jacket to mention but a few. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is no different from other trekking parks that is trekking takes 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas as they roam the park freely and there is no way of telling where they will be for a particular day however the rangers will be able to find them as they tracked daily. On finding them, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour as you view and take photos of these gentle primates before you descend back. After trekking, meet your safari guide and return to the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 9: Batwa community tour Explore Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge, go for a Batwa community tour, these are the indigenous people of Bwindi who lived in the park before it was gazetted as a national park, you will learn a lot about the Batwa people and their culture and also be entertained by these lovely people.
Thereafter, drive to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi means “place of little birds” and the lake is made of steep hills covered with lush green vegetation showing from the water edges. It is a 2-3 hours’ drive from Bwindi national park. Lake Bunyonyi is the best place a relaxation after gorilla trekking. Connect to your lodge with views of the rolling hills for lunch.
Later afternoon, connect for a canoe ride to visit some of the islands on the lake and sight different bird species. You will also enjoy doing other excursions of your choice. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Eco-lodge for budget option/Bunyonyi BirdNest Lodge for mid-range/Bunyonyi Arcadia Cottages for mid-luxury
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge, embarking on a journey back to Kampala/Entebbe. It’s about 4-5 hours’ drive with en-route lunch and stop at the Equator for water experiments and photographs, Royal drum Village at Mpambire for souvenirs. Proceed to Entebbe. Dinner and overnight stay at Best Western Garden Hotel for mid-range/Horizon Hotel for budget
Day 11: Fly to Zanzibar
Enjoy breakfast, connect to Entebbe airport for your onward flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by your hotel driver/safari driver who will take you to the hotel for check-in, dinner and overnight stay at Golden Tulip Zanzibar Resort
Day 12: Zanzibar city tour – Prison Island and spice tour and Stone town
You will have breakfast at your hotel and after this, you will start your day’s activities. You will take a private boat from Stone town to Changuu Island or Prison Island where you will enjoy seeing the Giant tortoises and during your tour of the island you will also enjoy snorkeling. You will take a boat back from Changuu Island back to Stone town. On this day you will also engage in a spice tour as you explore the plantations where you will see different exotic spices and also get to know the uses of the spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg among others. After the spice tour, you will return to your hotel, relax and spend the night. Accommodation: Golden Tulip Zanzibar Resort
Day 13: Safari Blue Experience and Zanzibar beach experience
You will enjoy the best boat tour on the island is which is a truly amazing experience sailing in the beautiful traditional Dhows. You will enjoy a boat ride, enjoy delicious buffet and drinks, fresh tropical fruits and snacks. You will have a day to relax at the white sand beaches of Zanzibar Island and enjoy views of the Indian Ocean. Dinner and overnight stay as above
Day 14: Departure
You will have breakfast at your hotel as you prepare for your transfer to the airport, which will bring you to the end of the 14 Days Uganda and Zanzibar Safari y to an end.
End of 14 Days Uganda and Zanzibar Safari
