Unique Uganda Family Safari Holiday
Uganda is one of Africa’s most diverse safari destinations offering an unforgettable combination of wildlife, nature and culture. From gorilla trekking tour in the lush forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to spotting the “Big Five” animals, Uganda provides a rich and exciting experience for families. A unique Uganda family safari holiday can include gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, boat cruises, game viewing among other activities. Most of the family safaris are designed for the travelers who have enough time and want to spend a holiday in Uganda to discover the various attractions Uganda has to offer.
Uganda is rich in various attractions ranging from the national parks boosting with various mammal species to the primates and several bird species as well as the natural forests, the tropical forests, wetlands, rivers and lakes and the also having the most powerful waterfalls in the world. On your family safari to Uganda, you will get a chance of visiting various national parks such as Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Forest National Park among others. These savannah parks offer great chances of spotting animal species such as antelopes, lions, leopard, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, water backs, warthogs and so many more with the highlight of the safari being an encounter with the great Apes in their natural habitat.
On arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be met by our company driver who will pick you up, depending on your arrival time, he will transfer you to hotel where you will check in for dinner and overnight stay. In case you arrive early, you may choose to explore the Entebbe town as visit some of the interesting places like the Botanical gardens, take a boat excursion to Ngamba Island or visit the Uganda wildlife Education Centre. Accommodation options in Entebbe include; Protea Hotel, Boma Guesthouse, Airport view hotel, Areba hotel, African roots Entebbe, Askay hotel suites, Great wolf hotel among others. Dinner and overnight stay at your booked hotel.
Wake up in the cool environment of the city, have morning breakfast and the driver guide will pick you up and drive you to Jinja town also known as the adventure capital of Uganda. Driving via Kampala, the journey will take you through the small towns, tea plantations, road side markets, sugar cane plantations. The drive time takes about 2-3 hours arriving in Jinja during lunch hours. After lunch, you will take boat ride to the Source of the Nile which is the second largest river in the world. In the evening relax at your booked hotel as you wait for dinner. If you still have more day(s) in Jinja, you can also opt to go for white water rafting. Accommodation options include; Source of the Nile suites, living waters Resort, Explorers River camp, Jinja Nile Resort, 2 Friends Guest House, Surjio’s Pizzeria & Guest House among others.
Next morning drive from Jinja via Kampala to Nakasongola situated north of Uganda to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary a home for the only remaining white Rhinos in Uganda. This offers you a perfect opportunity to trek White Rhinos in the wild. Rhinos became extinct in Uganda in the 1970s as a result of rampant poaching. They have currently been reintroduced in the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in the hope that when their population improves, they will be reintroduced in Uganda national parks where they first belonged. While at the Sanctuary, you will take part in Rhino to trekking these endangered species and learn more about them. You can spend your overnight at Amuka Safari Lodge.
Wake up very early and set off to Murchison Falls National Park to catch some nocturnal animals before they retire in their Hideouts. Drive to the Nile Delta where you may spot the giraffes, elephants, several species of antelopes, buffaloes, wide array of bird species and on a lucky day, you may see the pride of the lion and leopards.
After the game drive, go and check-in at your booked lodge for lunch and refreshments. After lunch, you will go for a boat cruise to the bottom of the magnificent Murchison Falls. From the jetty point, as you head towards the bottom of the Falls, you will spot several herds of buffaloes, crocodiles, hippos, different species of water birds and many other animals as they flock the banks of the river Nile to drink water. You will continue upstream to the bottom of the falls to observe how water squeezes through a narrow gorge only later to drop down with thunderous roar in what has been referred to as the strongest and most powerful falls on planet earth. Return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
The following day after morning breakfast, exit the park and drive to Kibale Forest National Park via fort portal town. You will have a brief stopover for lunch in fort portal. After lunch, continue with your journey to Kibale Forest National Park and on arrival, proceed and check in to the lodge and spend the rest of the day at leisure preparing for the next day’s activities.
After breakfast, head out to the park headquarters located in Kanyanchu where you will join other trekkers for briefing before you proceed in to the forest for chimpanzee trekking. During the activity you will be accompanied by an expert ranger guide for the start of the trek in Kibale forest. You will have an opportunity to visit one of the habituated chimpanzee families. Once you find them, you are allowed to spend an hour with these Great Apes while observing their behavior, take photos for your memories.
Kibale National Park is also home too other 13 primate species which you will be able to spot during chimpanzee trekking in the forest. Kibale forest is another bird watcher’s paradise with a wide array of different bird species. After the trek, have your picnic lunch and get ready to return to the lodge for relaxation. In the evening if you are not all that tired, you pay a visit to Bigodi wetland swamp. This Bigodi swamp walk can take 2 to 3 hours depending on the activities done with the park thus making the trip quite memorable one. You will spot a lot of wildlife species.
Wake up on hot breakfast, check-out of the lodge and then exit Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive takes you through small towns while seeing several foothills of the magnificent Rwenzori Mountain. You will as well as cross the Equator at Kikorongo. If lucky, you will also see several small rivers that originate from the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. You may head to the lodge for lunch or drive directly to Mweya jetty for an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.
This two-hour boat cruise is one of the highlights of Queen Elizabeth National Park. It provides you with an opportunity to spot a variety of water bird species recorded here. You will also spot several animal species including; antelopes, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, hippos among others while on the boat. After the boat cruise, you can have an en-route evening game drive as you head to your lodge for dinner and sleepovers.
In the morning after having breakfast, you will drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park via the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth. Your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will take you through the rolling hills with terraced gardens. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to almost half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. On arrival, check in to the lodge and spend the day at leisure preparing for the next day’s amazing experience.
After breakfast with your packed lunch ready, you will transfer to the park headquarters to join other trekkers to attend a briefing on the rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking experience. In the briefing, you will also be allocated a gorilla family that you will trek. After the allocation, you will be led by the experts to the starting point of your allocated gorilla family to start your trek into the jungle.
This gorilla trekking safaris may take about 30 minutes to several hours depending on where the Mountain Gorillas will be found. Gorilla trekking needs someone who is physically fit and children below 15 years are not allowed to trek since they easily affected by skin disease which are so dangerous to gorillas. Once you find the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour to observe them and take photographs.
Thereafter, you will return to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate of participation in gorilla trekking as a recognition of your effort in contributing to the conservation of these endangered mountain gorillas. After having your picnic lunch, return to the lodge for relaxation.
In the evening you will take part in Batwa community visit to learn more about the local people living around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will meet and interact with the locals and also participate in some village activities like art and craft, preparing local foods as well as enjoy the traditional dances organized by the Batwa people. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
In the morning, drive from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale District for relaxation. The lake locally means a place with little birds. Therefore, the Lake got its name because of the abundance of small birds filled in this area. Lake Bunyonyi is said to be the deepest lake in Uganda and the second deepest in East Africa. The beauty of this Lake Bunyonyi will make your day/holiday amazing and memorable. It is one of the best places in Uganda to relax after your gorilla trek. You can spend your all day at relaxation. Accommodation options at Lake Bunyonyi include; Arcadia Cottages Bunyonyi, Bird Nest Resort Bunyonyi, Bunyonyi Rock Resort, Bunyonyi Eco Resort, Crater Bay Cottages among others.
After breakfast, take time to explore and admire the beauty of the lake and its surrounding hills. You can either take a canoe ride on the lake to explore the different Islands with exciting histories behind them. visit the Punishment Island where girls who were known to have conceived babies out of legitimate traditional marriage would be dumped and left to die. Lake Bunyonyi has got 29 islands you can explore and get to know all about their histories. This is a whole day activity and you will surely enjoy it. Alternatively, you can hike one of the hills around the Lake Bunyonyi. Dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge.
This day will be for a transfer to Lake Mburo National Park. After breakfast, check out and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park driving via the Great Lakes Museum or Igongo Cultural center to learn more about the cultures of the ethnic groups in western Uganda. Lunch will be served en- route. You will arrive at Lake Mburo National Park just in time for an evening game drive. Lake Mburo National Park is popular for animals such as Impalas, Giraffes, Zebras and so many animals. After the game drive, check-in at your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
On the last day of the safari depending on your flight time, you can have a morning walking safari or just embark on your journey to Entebbe International Airport and have a stopover at the Equator for photography and stretching as you cross Kayabwe. With en-route lunch arriving in Kampala in the afternoon. The driver guide will drop you off at the airport in time for your departure flight back home or to your hotel and that will mark the end of your family safari to Uganda.
