Uganda – the Pearl of Africa

After your travel group meets at the reception of the Imperial Heights Hotel at around 7:30 am, your Uganda round trip begins at around 8 am with the drive to the first National Park. On the way you visit various African markets and get to know typical African life. You make a stop at the equator. In the afternoon you reach Lake Mburo National Park, where you will camp right on the lakeshore.

You start today with a first game drive before leaving the park again and driving through a landscape of banana plantations and pastures for the herds of the famous Watussi cattle. On stony mountain roads, past remote villages often shrouded in mist, you continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The camp lies on the edge of the forest area.

Important note: the next two days are available to you for a visit to the mountain gorillas. The gorilla permit is not included in the trip price. If you would like to take part in trekking on one of the days, Elefant-Tours can arrange the gorilla permit on your behalf. You pay by credit card (you will receive a payment link for Mastercard or Visa). Elefant-Tours has no influence on the allocation of permits and merely arranges the round trip.

The last mountain gorillas on our planet live in several groups in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the neighbouring parks in Rwanda and the Congo. A visit to the gorillas is without doubt a highlight of your trip. After a short briefing at the National Park office, your gorilla trekking begins. Depending on the group you are assigned, the walk out can take between one and six hours. Gorillas are wild animals and constantly on the move. Rangers are sent out as early as the morning to locate the gorillas and pass their exact location to your guide by radio. Gorillas live in family groups of up to 20 animals and roam the National Park in constant search of food. Each family is led by a “silverback” weighing up to 200 kilograms. Once you have found the gorillas, you have one hour to study the behaviour of these impressive great apes at length. This experience impresses even seasoned Africa connoisseurs.

As the permits for gorilla trekking are strictly limited, you spend two days in this area. This ensures that all participants have the chance to see gorillas. If all permits are available on day 4, your group will visit Lake Bunyonyi on day 3. In addition, during your stay you can take a village walk or watch the dazzling birdlife.

You leave the rainforest and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is best known for its tree-climbing lions. This rather unusual behaviour can be seen in East Africa in only a few other parks. Elephants, zebras, buffalo, Uganda kob and many other animals can also be found in the park. You spend the days on extended game drives in the Ishasha area, searching for the animals that live here.

You set off early in the morning and cross Queen Elizabeth National Park. Keep looking out for animals and enjoy the wonderful landscape. Through the Maramagambo Forest and over the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward with Lake George, you head to the park exit in the north. Your journey continues via the town of Kasese to a magnificent viewpoint over the Ruwenzori Mountains, where you stop for lunch. The “Mountains of the Moon”, which rise to over 5,000 metres, are characterised by tropical mountain forests and snow-covered peaks. Today you camp among tea plantations near Fort Portal.

You leave the Ruwenzori mountain region early in the morning, with a long drive ahead of you. Past picturesque tea plantations around Fort Portal and on partly rough roads, you continue via Hoima to Masindi. Given the long drive and the poor road conditions, you spend tonight in a simple hotel in Masindi.

Driving distance: game drives

Your next destination is Murchison Falls National Park. Look forward to two full days to explore this varied National Park. You go chimpanzee trekking and track wild chimpanzees on foot together with a local guide. On extended game drives you explore the park and marvel at Murchison Falls. Here the Nile squeezes through a gorge only 7 metres wide and plunges 43 metres with a loud roar. You also take a boat trip on the Victoria Nile. Depending on the time of year, road conditions and the availability of chimpanzee permits, some flexibility is required. The southern part of the park is densely forested and an excellent habitat for chimpanzees, while the northern part is characterised by wide savannah and ideal for game drives. To reach the north, you take the ferry across the Nile – an adventure in itself. You spend two nights in tents.

You set off early in the morning and leave Murchison Falls National Park. A long journey south to Jinja lies ahead of you. The town of Jinja lies close to the source of the White Nile, where the water of Lake Victoria flows into the river. Jinja is considered the adventure capital of East Africa. Use the whole of the next day to take part in one of the many adventure activities: white-water rafting, bungee jumping, horse riding, boat trips and much more (all optional). You spend two nights at Kalagala Falls Tented Camp, north of Jinja on the banks of the White Nile.

Your Uganda round trip officially ends after breakfast. Today you head back to Entebbe, where you are taken to the Imperial Heights Hotel (starting point of the tour) or to Entebbe Airport. Individual onward journey. We recommend that all guests book an extra night in Entebbe after the tour, as the operator cannot guarantee exact arrival times at the airport!

Breakfast

Of course we can arrange a night before the tour at the Imperial Heights Hotel as well as additional transfers for you. Feel free to talk to our Uganda travel experts.

Single tents are only possible on request and in limited numbers! Solo travellers are welcome to share a tent with other travellers of the same sex at no extra charge.