African Big Five and Isolated Peoples of North-Eastern Uganda

From your window, you can see Lake Victoria, and the small islands scattered across its clear waters where fishermen are busy at work. Landing in Entebbe, the gateway to Uganda, where your driver awaits you and escorts you to your hotel. Rest of the day is free.

Early departure for Jinja, the sources of the White Nile. We cross Kampala, the very lively capital of Ouganda with nearly 3 million inhabitants of diverse origins. This mosaic of peoples is reflected in the city's architecture, which unapologetically blends Muslim, Sikh and Christian influences. You can admire a mosque with its minaret reaching toward the sky, a Sikh temple and its ornate sculptures, a cathedral with refined style or an Anglican temple with all its Victorian rigor.

Arrival in Jinja where we discover the waterfalls located downstream of Bujagali. From there, we take a boat excursion that will take us to the source of the White Nile.

We then drive towards eastern Ouganda, to the town of Mbale, located at the foot of Mont Elgon, a stone's throw from the border with Kenya.

It's a beautiful day on an African track that awaits us today to reach the remote regions of North-Eastern Ouganda. The track will take us through a lush agricultural region dotted with many prosperous villages. The banana plantations and rice paddies will gradually give way to a vast savanna. We stop in the Pian-Upe wildlife reserve, the country's 2nd largest protected area.

We arrive in Karamojong land, a proud people with a pastoral lifestyle who have managed to preserve their age-old traditions, while remaining open to foreigners who rarely venture into this region of Ouganda. We arrive at the village of Moroto.

After passing the Bokora reserve, we arrive in a semi-arid zone scattered with acacia forests, euphorbia groves and sisal covering the slopes of extinct volcanoes. The endless plains form the habitat of a rich avian fauna. We will be able to observe kori bustards, turacos, bustards and other kingfishers.

We visit a Karamojong kraal before arriving in the small town of Kotido where we will spend the night.

It is after a final morning on the track, and resupplying in the village of Kaabong, nestled at the foot of an impressive rocky hillock, that we finally reach Kidepo Valley National Park, one of Ouganda's greatest wonders, with its wild landscapes and its rich wildlife.

Check-in at Kidepo savannah lodge for 3 nights.

Last encounter with the wildlife of Kidepo Valley National Park, before heading west to Ouganda. We cross the Nangeya Mountains and enter Acholi Land, a rural population originally from Bahr el Ghazal in Sudan who arrived in the region over 200 years ago. Acholi villages are easily recognized by their round huts with ochre-colored walls decorated with geometric patterns and topped with pointed roofs. We have lunch on the road in the village of Gulu, before arriving at Murchison Falls National Park.

In the morning, we enjoy a walking tour to discover the impressive Nile Falls in a different way before taking the road towards the Lake Albert where hippopotamuses cool off. We also meet the proud Alour herders leading their large herds across the lake shore.

We stop at Butiaba, a large fishing village beautifully situated on the shores of the lake where we will enjoy the fishing scenes.

We are now heading to Hoïma where we will turn off for the Kabwoya Reserve, located further south of the Lake.

We spend some time in the morning discovering the Kabwoya Reserve which is an interesting stop between Murchison and Kibale. The reserve is frequented by buffalo, hippopotamuses, Uganda kobs and warthogs, as well as a beautiful variety of monkeys. Amateur birdwatchers will also be delighted, even though here the beauty of the landscapes takes precedence over wildlife observation.

Then we set off without delay through Western Ouganda. The laterite track on which we drive this day crosses numerous villages and allows us to observe the daily life of the local population

Arrival at the end of the day in the Kibale National Park.

We continue our journey towards the South-West of the country. The track crosses numerous villages and we will take advantage of views of the Ruwenzori mountain range and its snow-capped peaks. After the village of Kasese, we cross the symbolic equator line and the vast plains we encounter are only a preamble to what awaits us in the Queen Elizabeth National Park and its sublime landscapes composed of extinct volcanoes, crater lakes, marshes and grassy plains. 

This enchanting place, in the middle of the great African rift, is also home to Lakes Edward and George which are connected to each other by the natural Kazinga channel.

During this first day in the park, we set out on a boat excursion on the Kazinga channel for an unforgettable moment discovering the bird life.  The latter, 36 km long, attracts a large number of migratory and resident animals and birds (more than 500 bird species are recorded)

We continue our exploration of the Queen Elizabeth National Park, but now beginning its southern discovery.

We leave our accommodation and explore in the morning the Kasenyi plains. These bare plains covered with candelabra euphorbia are the favorite playground of Lions. We also observe large herds of Uganda Kobs, topis, buffalo as well as numerous bird species.

In the afternoon we reach the Ishasha region, well known for its scenes of Lions perched in trees, and where the cacti forests will give way to a large savanna dotted with umbrella acacias.

Early morning departure for 4 hours of trekking across a hilly region that will lead us to the renowned Bwindi Forest where we await our encounter with Mountain Gorillas. Along the way, the landscape offers us an incredible palette of greens, the blue-green of eucalyptus trees that separate countless plots, the dark green of cypresses that border the trails, the tender green of rice paddies at the bottom of steep valleys.

Please Note: In Uganda, we purchase gorilla permits for a specific group. We purchase permits for 4 sectors distributed across the entire Bwindi park and not for a given gorilla group. Each of these 4 geographic entities has an office where travelers converge on the morning of trekking and where the manager assigns them the group to visit. As a result, hotels as well as travel time may change depending on the availability of gorilla permits.

Early departure towards Lake Bunyoni where we can appreciate the beauty of the terraced cultivated hillside landscapes descending steeply into the lake. It extends in sinuous curves at nearly 2000 meters altitude and encompasses 29 islands and islets.

We take a walk around the area where we will have the chance to observe some of the 200 bird species recorded in the surroundings and which gave the place its name in Rugika: "The place of many birds"

As the lake is perfectly suited for swimming, why not let yourself be tempted by a few strokes in these enchanting waters.

We get back on the road and head to the Mburo Lake National Park, renowned for its ornithological wealth which we can appreciate in the papyrus-covered marshes.

Discovery of the Park on the occasion of a safari where we can admire zebras, buffalo, impalas and other ruminants such as the famous Cape elks in their natural environment.

We take advantage of the morning for a Game drive in the park then we take the road to Lake Victoria via Masaka. We skirt a lakeside plain crossed by large herds of cattle. We make a symbolic stop on the Equator line before arriving at the edges of the Mabamba marshes where we settle into a small lodge recently built in an enchanting site.

Installation at Nikima Forest Lodge which will welcome us for the night in an enchanting site. A walk in the small forest accessible on foot from our accommodation where we can still observe birds, some Primates and a multitude of Lepidoptera.

We head back to the road to Entebbe and make the most of our last moments on Ugandan soil. We visit the Botanical Garden.

Lunch on the shores of Lake Victoria before enjoying some free time to do your last shopping. Transfer to Entebbe airport where you will board your return flight.

See you soon in Ouganda!