Top 7 days Murchison falls wildlife safari, river Nile & Africa's big 5
Top Murchison falls wildlife safari overview
A week long top chimpanzee tracking experience, shoebill watching, Murchison falls wildlife safari game drives & breathtaking source of the River Nile rapids, falls and sports on a Uganda safari in Africa is another perfect way to spend a family or work holiday/ vacation. Assured sightings of Africa’s big 5 game- lions, leopards, elephant herds, buffalo herds and rhinos along with Rothchild’s giraffes, antelopes, waterbucks, hyenas, nile crocodiles, shoebills, pelicans, kingfishers, eagles and 450+ recorded bird species.
Arrival & departure: Entebbe
- Day 1- arrival, rest, & botanical tour
- Day 2- Mabamba shoebills swamp and city tour, night life
- Day 3- source of the River Nile in Uganda
- Day 4- Southern white rhino tracking at Ziwa rhino sanctuary & conservancy
- Day 5- chimpanzee tracking & top of the Murchison water falls
- Day 6- game drives & boat cruise on the river Nile
- Day 7- return to Kampala and departure
Detailed Top Murchison falls wildlife safari itinerary
Day 1 Botanical gardens
On arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be welcomed and picked by our guide that you will see holding a pluck card having your name to your booked accommodation along the shores of Lake Victoria. Later in the afternoon or after a brief rest, you will head to the botanical gardens still along the shores of the lake. Botanical gardens are also common for biking/ cycling safari, monkey feeding, birding safari and 500 plant species including both foreign and indigenous. These plants are categorized into indigenous and non-native fruits, medicinal, beverage, spices, ornamentals, timber, oils and important crop wild relatives, several of these threatened in the wild and agro-ecosystems.
Accommodation: Imperial Resort hotel (or similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 2 Mabamba swamps & Kampala
Kampala city tour is carried out on boats that move from the Lake Victoria shoes into the narrow water stretches of the swamp; a tour lasting for 3 hours. Mabamba swamp will come with an opportunity to watch many other swamp endemics and water birds. On the Kampala city tour, you will get to various historical administrative, economic and cultural sites in the city that have affected the development of Uganda such as Kasubi tombs, Rubaga cathedral, Namirembe cathedral, Gaddafi mosque, Baha’i temple etc. Food and commodity markets around Kampala are so interesting and have a great reflection of how the county’s population survives; these will get you have some taste on fresh fruits, vegetables grown in the country and street food delicacies. Later on in the evening, you will have a nightlife experience in the bars and lounges of Kampala city.
Accommodation: Imperial royale hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This section of the river Nile has numerous water falls that have become common water sport points to tourists and adventurers from all corners of the world. Some of the falls include Owen falls, Bujagali falls, Ripon falls, Itanda falls & Busowoko falls with clean white waters that are the most entertaining on the river course throughout Africa offering the best bungee jumping point, water rafting, horse riding at the river banks, water surfing, swimming, canoeing, river boarding, quad biking around the river banks etc. Nile river banks also host numerous bird species that can be experienced on nature walks thus being some of the best birders’ destinations in the region. You will also take a boat to reach the source of the Nile river where 30% of the water emanates from underground streams and 70% from lake Victoria.
Accommodation: Nile safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day early in the morning, you will start off with a walking safaris watching out for rhinos and towards the swamp areas. Ziwa rhino sanctuary has more than 40 white southern rhinos, rothschild’s giraffes, kobs, leopards, swamps with papyrus endemics like the shoebill, African wild cats, warthogs, reptiles among other species. Ziwa rhino sanctuary not having big cats and predators, allows you to easily make nature walks to come to nearby engagement with the park’s wild game.
Accommodation: Sambiya river lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day will find you at Murchison falls and early in the morning, you will head out on a walking tour through the Kaniyo Pabidi forest tracking chimpanzees. Chimpanzee tracking will bring along to you, olive baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, patas monkey, vervet monkey, forest endemics that are part of the 370 recorded bird species of the Murchison falls national park, reptiles among others. Later on you have a game drive while heading to the Murchison falls that will grant you a vast view of the park and its numerous species starting from Africa’s big 5; lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, warthogs, water bucks, kobs, antelopes among others.
Accommodation: Sambiya river lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day, you will wake up very early in the morning and drive to Murchison falls national where you will set off with a game drive till afternoon when you reach your booked lodge for lunch break. Murchison game park has the strongest water falls in the world and the highest number of rothschild’s giraffes in the world, more than three- quarter of the total world population and numerous elephant and lion families, waterbucks, impalas, kobs, warthogs, hippos, buffaloes, crocodiles, leopards, hyenas, jackals among other mammals and more than 450 bird species recorded in the park.
Nile river boat cruises
After lunch you will then head to the banks of the river Nile for a boat cruise towards the face of the Murchison falls. While on the boat cruise, you will have scene of various water birds like the shoebills, raptors, geese among others, hippos and a great number of huge nile crocodiles and many more mammals that approach the river banks to quench their thirst like buffaloes, elephants and the scenes are endless.
Accommodation: Paraa safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 7 Entebbe Airport for Departure
On the last day of your Murchison falls wildlife safari, you will embark on a 6-7-hour journey back to the shores of Lake Victoria to relax and prepare for your departure flight.
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Inclusions
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- Park entrance fees
- All activities on the itinerary
- Transport 4×4 safari landcruiser
- Airport transfers
- Driver & guide
- Bottled drinking water
- Government taxes
Exclusions
- Travel insurance
- Visa fees & processing
- International flights
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol/ liquor
- Tipping & gratitude
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Accommodation after the end of the trip
- Souvenirs & snacks
- Anything not mentioned
Your safari route map
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