OVERVIEW
Executive Destinations & Experiences Limited (#EDXTravel) is a travel advisory and safari company based in Kampala, Uganda. Every day, we work, relentlessly, to become, our clients’ most most-trusted travel advisors. Our mission is to save our clients time and money, by selecting the choicest and most competitively priced destinations that create unforgettable authentic African travel experiences.
The 14 Days Around Uganda the Pearl of Africa Experience is the ultimate unforgettable experience for anyone seeking to experience the best of Uganda- the Pearl of Africa.
Uganda offers everything precious, rare and beautiful in Africa, in one destination. The best way to enjoy this unique destination is to savour it, slowly, which is why this safari is truly an adventure of a lifetime. This trip will take you to five of Uganda’s most-prized national parks and treat you to a rare experience of the “Big Five” – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalos.
Uganda, being the Primate Capital of the World, this trip has been curated to offer you an unrivalled opportunity to see chimpanzees and the rare mountain gorillas— Uganda is home to 53% of the entire world’s population of gorillas. You will also get to see several other animals, including giraffes, zebras, hippopotamus, and crocodiles, as well as several birds and butterfly species.
Visitors will get to visit the Source of the Nile, the longest river in the world as well as a raft on its world-famous rapids. This trip also offers a visit to two of East Africa’s most spectacular waterfalls—Murchison Falls and Sipi Falls as well as the one-of-a-kind Sempaya Hot springs in the Semuliki National Park.
Along the entire route, you will be astounded by the picturesque landscapes, and impenetrable natural rain forests as well as visit local communities and interact with the amazing people and cultures and indulge with our rich cuisines most of which have been culturally preserved for centuries.
This, in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa!
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- Ground transportation (4WD Vehicle)
- 13 nights’ accommodation
- Gorilla trekking permit (One per person)
- Applicable hotel tax and VAT
- Activities as stipulated in the safari program
- Services of an English-speaking EDX travel driver/guide
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner (during the stay)
- Bottled drinking water while on safari
- All park fees and permits except the optional ones
PACKAGE EXCLUDES
- Entry permit/visas for Uganda if required.
- International/domestic flight fares.
- Souvenirs and items of personal nature like telephone calls
- First and last night’s accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe (This can be arranged on request at an extra fee)
- Any personal insurance
ITINERARY
Day 1: On your Arrival, Meet and Greet an EDX travel representative at the airport. Transfer to your hotel from the airport.
Day 2: Early in the morning after breakfast, we will drive to Jinja, for several adventure activities like such as white-water rafting at Itanda Falls, and visiting the source of the Nile for a boat ride. In the evening you will rest at the hotel in Jinja for an overnight.
Day 3: After breakfast, we will proceed to Itanda falls still in Jinja and thereafter drive to Mbale District, to your Hotel for an overnight. This is a 2-3 hour drive.
Day 4: Early in the morning after breakfast, EDX travel will pick you up from your Hotel for a drive to Kapchorwa for Sipi falls experience. You will have a hike to the three magnificent falls, and then the adventurous abseiling activity. In the evening, after the local coffee tour, we will drive back to Mbale for an overnight.
Day 5: Early in the Morning after breakfast, we will drive to Murchison falls, National Park with Rhino tracking in Zziwa Rhino sanctuary.
Enroute and make a visit to Zziwa Rhino sanctuary for your first Big 5 experience where you will have an hour of rhino tracking. Another stop will be in Masindi in order to enjoy your lunch. Continue to the park and check in to your accommodation to relax for the evening
Day 6: GAME DRIVE, BOAT CRUISE & HIKE
After your delicious early morning breakfast, EDX TRAVEL will pick you up from your Hotel for a game drive in the pursuit of Lions, Giraffes, Elephants, Hyenas, Uganda Kobs, Buffaloes and waterbucks. The Hot Air Balloon safari can also be arranged on request at an extra charge of $400 per person (Optional). After a 2-4 Hours Game drive/ride in the wild, we will return to the Hotel for lunch. Then in the afternoon, you will enjoy a 2 hours thrilling boat cruise upstream to the bottom of the famous Murchison falls. This offers a closer view of East Africa’s biggest mighty waterfall on the River Nile. Expect to see beautiful birds, hippopotamus and Nile crocodiles in the water as well as elephants, warthogs, and buffaloes along the shores. The boat will drop us at the bottom of the falls where we will take our 1-hour hike to the top. While you hike, you will witness the gorgeousness of the milky thunderous Murchison falls. This God-given wonder is a gift to Mother Nature Uganda. The humble smooth mist from the falls will welcome you from the hike to the top.
You will then return to the Hotel for freshening up, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Exit Murchison falls NP and transfer to Kibale National Park.After breakfast embark on one last game drive through Murchison falls NP as you might see some of the animals you did not get the chance to see earlier.The drive is quite long but greatly scenic as you will pass through the lush green countryside with hills dotted with forests and plantations of different cash crops.Kibale NP is popular for its primates such as black and white colobus monkeys,and Uganda mangabey but most importantly the CHIMPANZEES.
You will reach and do little but check into your accommodation where you will have dinner and overnight rest.
Day 8: Undertake Chimp trekking early in the morning and crater lakes trekking
Have an early breakfast in preparation for serious primate business. Make your way to the briefing point to get the chimp trekking rules and regulations in order to keep you secure then head off to find our distant cousins in the forest with guidance of a guide. After they have been located, make sure you enjoy the hour with them and after make your way back to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.
After lunch, we shall extend our tour with on the crater lakes tour that are close to Kibale NP. One of the most famous crater lakes in Uganda is the Nyinambuga Crater lake whose photo is engraved on the twenty thousand Uganda shilling note.
After the great experience of the crater lakes tour, you will check into your hotel in Fort Portal. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Drive to Semuliki National Park where you will be exposed to both the Female and Male Hot springs. We will have an egg-boiling session in the hot springs. In the afternoon, we will drive back to Fort portal for lunch and in the evening Visit the Mabere ga Nyinamwiru Caves. Drive back to Hotel for an Overnight.
Day 10: After your Breakfast, we will drive to Queen Elizabeth National park, check in at your Hotel and after freshening up, you will have an Evening Game drive in the wilderness. Then back to the hotel for Dinner
Day 11: Game drive and boat cruise. You will set off early (about 6.30 am) for a morning game drive, an awesome experience to spot the animals in natural habitats. Expect to see the famous Big Five; elephants, Buffalos, Lions, Bush bucks, Kobs, Giant forest hogS, Hyenas leopards, antelopes, and Waterbucks as well as birds. You will return for breakfast and relax till lunch. In the afternoon you will take a launch cruise along the amazing Kazinga channel to see, at close range, the water animals to include Hippos, Buffalos, Crocodiles and elephants bathing on the channel banks. There is also a variety of bird species on the water banks, especially the famous Shoebill, pelican and Jacana. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 12: After breakfast, we will drive you to Bwindi impenetrable forest early in the morning.
DAY 13: Bwindi gorilla trekking; Bwindi is a magnificent green swathe of dense rainforest and is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and a recently proclaimed World Heritage Site. Begin your gorilla trek in the early morning, and set off into the tangled and mist-shrouded forests with guides and trackers who are very experienced at locating the gorillas by finding the nest the family had used the previous night. The search for these majestic animals goes through the thick untamed rainforest, where you will be scrambling over mossy rocks and through deep undergrowth and it can be arduous at times. But when you come face to face with the gorillas for the first time, the trek will be more than worth it, and watching gorillas in their natural habitat is a memory that will last a lifetime. After spending an hour with the gorillas we head back to the base camp for a late lunch and a relaxing afternoon.
Day 14: Drive back to your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe airport depending on your departure Schedule.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Confirmation will be received 48 hours from the time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- The minimum drinking age is 18 years
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at the time of booking
- A vegetarian option is available, please advise at the time of booking if required Passport name, number, expiry and country are required at the time of booking for all participants
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel You MUST confirm and obtain any visa requirements before the border crossing. All visa requirements are the sole responsibility of the traveller.
Accommodation
- JINJA -Nile Front Cottages
- MBALE – Wash &Wills / Sipi valley resort
- FORT PORTAL-Lodge Bella Vista
- QUEEN ELIZABETH NP- Enganzi Lodge /Kikorongo Safari lodge
- BWINDI- Bakiga Lodge
- KIBALE NP –CHIMPANZEE LODGE KIBALE
- MURCHISON FALLS-Ikorom safari lodge
