14 Days Uganda Safaris - Responsible tourism in Uganda: closer to the people of Uganda and the natural resources

Day 1 – Entebbe On arrival at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda you will be welcomed by our representative and transferred for overnight to the hotel, 2 Friends Beach Hotel / Boma Hotel. BB Day 2 – From Entebbe to Fort Portal After breakfast drive West in the direction of Fort Portal and Rwenzori Mountains. Arrive in time for lunch. You arrive at Kluges Farm Guest House in a nice forested environment. Dinner and overnight at Kluges Farm Guest House / Lodge Bellavista. Note: Today drive is about 6 hours, 300 km on tarmac roads. Day 3 – Fort Portal - Rwenzori After breakfast, you can choose among these activities (one is included): first, visit the coffee production and farmers in the Rwenzori region; second, have a cycling tour in the area of Fort Portal and the crater lakes, visiting panoramic points and meet people on the way; third, you can have a short walk in the Rwenzori Mountains, along the forested cover and to see the Bakonjo homesteads. Lunch, dinner and overnight at Kluges Farm Guest House / Lodge Bellavista. Day 4 – Rwenzori - Queen Elizabeth National Park Full Board. After breakfast, explore the region of the crater lakes as you proceed to Queen Elizabeth NP in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we propose the eco-tourism activity at the Kasoga Experience, where you can have a local canoe trip with local guides on Lake George or / and visiting the cultural village of the Basongora community in Hamukungu Fishing Village Dinner and overnight at Ihamba Lodge. Day 5 – Queen Elizabeth National Park Full Board. In the early morning, game drive in Queen Elizabeth NP and. Lunch from the lodge. In the afternoon, take the most exciting safari by boat from Mweya peninsula along Kazinga channel, one of the most popular sites in Uganda for its concentration of wildlife, bird’s life and opportunities for good photographs. Moreover, you will see plenty of hippos, buffaloes and elephants while drinking from the channel. In the evening proceed to Ishasha for dinner and overnight, Ishasha Jungle Lodge. Note: Today transfer is about 2 hours drive, about 100 km of murram road. Day 6 – Ishasha – Bwindi National Park / Buhoma Full Board. After breakfast, take a game drive in search for the “tree climbing lions” which are seen during the hot hours of the day, as they lie resting on top of Figs trees. You might also see herds of buffaloes, elephants, topi antelopes and more. After lunch proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Stop over for a visit at Kayonza Growers Tea Factory for an Agro-tourism trail, that includes tea agronomy, production process, demo firms, community impact, and tea support projects. Kayonza has a long and interesting story, as it is a model of successful cooperative of small scale farmers, who supported the tea project and entered into internationally recognized “fair trade” markets. Transfer to Buhoma in Bwindi, to the site of the community project Ride 4 a Woman (see the website: https://www.ride4awoman.org/). Accommodation and meals are provided at Noel’s Cottage or Mwebesa House. Note: Today drive is about 2 hours of murram road. Day 7 – Ride 4 a Woman community project Full Board. Spend the day with the organization Ride 4 a Woman. Set up in 2009 by Evelyn Habasa, the organization is supporting women from 11 villages making a living. Particularly, the community based organization provides working opportunities in pedal sewing and basket weaving; the products of the work are for sell in the community shop where you can find very attractive fabric gift. Visitors can experience and work in the workshop with the women of the community. Also, they can experience the cooking of the traditional Bakiga food and have a typical lunch. The women can also arrange the Kiga dance which is the most interesting cultural expression for the people of the area of Bwindi. Accommodation and meals are provided at the guest area of the project, at Noel’s Cottage or Mwebesa House. Day 8 – Mountain gorilla trekking or Nkuringo Walk Full Board. In the morning OPTIONAL you enter the rain tropical forest of Bwindi for the gorilla safari. The activity starts at 8am and you will follow the ranger guides in a group of maximum 8 people as you search for the habituated family of mountain gorillas, which was allocated according to the permits. You have one hour for observing the primates and their behaviors, while taking photographs. Ensure you take the packed lunch and water with you in the bag and for this you might need the support of available porters. The mountain gorilla trekking is an activity directly benefiting the conservation of the endangered gorillas and also benefiting the local communities around Bwindi National Park, as they receive a percentage of the payment through community projects. From the gorilla population census of 2012, Bwindi is reported to have a population of about 400 gorillas. In alternative, OPTIONAL this day you can do the Nkuringo Walk in the forest between Buhoma and Nkuringo and in this option we change today accommodation to Lake Mutanda Resort.. Dinner and overnight, at Noel’s Cottage or Mwebesa House. Day 9 – The Batwa walk - Kitanga Full Board. Today’s activity is the Batwa Trail, a walk into a forested site near Bwindi forest. The objective is to know about the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the Batwa Pigmies, the people who inhabited the forest. This project generates incomes to the Batwa community, who become very poor and marginalized after been displaced from the protected areas, helping the education of children and the health of the people. During the walk, you will learn about medicinal plants, visit the traditional hut, experience how they collect honey and also see the traditional dances. Packed lunch. In the afternoon proceed to Kitanga Mission, located between Bwindi and Kabale, a beautiful rural areas surrounded by green hills. Dinner and overnight in Kitanga Guest House. Day 10 - Kitanga Mission Full Board. Kitanga Mission is a good example of how much can be done to improve on the livelihood of rural people when the efforts are well channeled and well managed. You have a chance to talk to the people of the mission. In Kitanga you have the opportunity to spend time with the local rural community and learn more about crop cultivation, rearing of animals and the traditional life of the Bakiga people. You can also visit the Primary School, the Hospital and the Industrial park. Dinner and overnight in Kitanga Guest House. Day 11 – Entebbe Half Board. After breakfast, drive back to Entebbe. Lunch en route. Reserved for departure from Entebbe International Airport. Note: Today drive is about 7 hours, 390 km on tarmac roads.

Day 1 – Entebbe On arrival at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda you will be welcomed by our representative and transferred for overnight to the hotel, 2 Friends Beach Hotel / Boma Hotel. BB Day 2 – Kampala - Ssezibwa Falls – Mabira Forest Full Board. After breakfast, drive along the road to Jinja. Stop over can be made at Ssezibwa Falls, where the legend narrates of the presence of the spirits of the traditional religion, including spirit of water (Mukasa), of hunting (Ddungu), of the rainbow (Musoke) and fertility. Here you will do a guided walk along and around the falls. In the afternoon proceed to Mabira Forest, the symbol of the civil battle for the protection of forests in Uganda. Afternoon nature walk in the forest to know more about its huge biodiversity, in terms of trees species, birds, mammals like monkeys. Dinner and overnight at Rain Forest Lodge. Note: Today drive is about 2 hours, 80 km. Day 3 – Source of the Nile / Sipi Falls Full Board. After breakfast, short transfer to Jinja, the capital town of the Basoga, town on the shores of Lake Victoria where you will visit the source of the Nile by canoe. Also you can visit Busoga Kingdom palace in Bugembe and other historical sites. Lunch. In the evening transfer to Mbale and Mount Elgon, the most important region in Uganda for the coffee production, where is cultivated the Bugisu Arabic AA quality, at an altitude of about 2000 meters. Mbale is the capital town of the Bagisu people. Here in even years there are the ritual ceremonies of the circumcisions of the young males in the period between August and December. Dinner and overnight at Mount Elgon Hotel. Note: Today drive is about 2 hours and half, 130 km. Day 4 – Sipi Falls / Bugisu Coffee of Mount Elgon Full Board. In the morning visit the panoramic points to see the Sipi Falls of Mount Elgon (Optional: walk to see the Sipi Falls). You will visit the coffee plantations and you experience how the coffee is cultivated, harvested and processed. You work close to the farmers and learn how to pick the coffee. Particularly, we will organize these activities with the support of the Kyagalani Coffee Cooperative of Budadiri, which also owns a coffee factory (if not available, another option will be given). Dinner and overnight at Mount Elgon Hotel. Day 5 – Mbale – Gulu Full Board. In the morning your journey proceeds North in the direction of Murchison Falls National Park. Lunch at the restaurant. The road goes through Kumi, Soroti and Lira. In the afternoon / evening you arrive in Gulu, the capital town of the Acholi people. Dinner and overnight at the Comboni Good Samaritans of Gulu. Note: Today drive is about 7 hours, 350 km and there is tarmac road. Day 6 – Gulu Acholiland Full Board. In the morning after breakfast, visit the Comboni projects, like the local cooperative of disabled women who work on tailoring and handicraft. We can work together with them and learn about the abilities. Note: today is also possible to organize a special lunch prepared together with the women of the Comboni community in Kirombe as you learn how to cook the typical African food. Gulu is the capital town of the Acholi people. Visit also the historical site of Samuel Baker’s Fort at Patiko, founded in 1872 by Samuel Baker. Visit Saint Mary Lacor Hospital, one of the most important hospitals in Uganda, which was open by Comboni missionaries and later on supported thanks to the Corti Foundation from Italy. Dinner and overnight at the Comboni Good Samaritans of Gulu. Day 7 – Murchison Falls National Park Full Board. After breakfast, proceed to Murchison Falls National Park, arrive in time for lunch. In the afternoon game drive to Murchison Falls, the biggest national park in Uganda and according to many the most rewarding for photographic safari. In the geology, it is found where river Nile meets the depression of the Albertine Rift Valley by creating a canyon in the rock, the so called Murchison Falls. Dinner and overnight at Pakuba Lodge / Bwana Tembo Safari Lodge. Note: Today drive is about 3 hours, 190 km. Day 8 – Murchison Falls National Park Full Board. After breakfast you will embark on an early morning game drive, explore the savannah in the delta of the Nile on Lake Albert, northern bank. As you view and take memorable photographs of the animals in the wild, you might find elephants, lions, buffalos, giraffes, waterbucks, bushbucks, spotted hyenas and, very rarely, the leopards. Lunch. In the afternoon, you take the boat safari along the river Nile to the base of the magnificent Murchison Falls. It is amazing the concentration of wildlife in the bank of the river Nile, including hippos, crocodiles, and a variety of bird’s species, like African eagles, pelicans, kingfisher, Egyptian geese and much more. Walk to Top of the Murchison Falls. Dinner and overnight at Pakuba Lodge / Bwana Tembo Safari Lodge. Day 9 – Budongo Forest Chimpanzee trekking – Bugoma Forest Full Board. After breakfast we organize the chimpanzee trekking in the Budongo forest, the largest remaining tropical forest in Uganda with 790 sq km in size and home to a population of endangered chimpanzees. This is a species of Great Apes who is still endemic of the tropical forest habitat along the Albertine Rift Valley. The trekking is an eco-tourist activity which is possible thank to the conservation work done in the past by the Jane Goodall Institute with the National Forestry Authority to protect the forest and the primates. The guide will explain the history of chimpanzee conservation in Uganda and in Budongo. After lunch, proceed to Bugoma Forest. Dinner and overnight in Hoima at Bugoma Jungle Lodge. Note: Today drive is about 3 hour, about 180km. Day 10 – Bugoma Forest Full Board. After breakfast, nature walk in Bugoma Forest. With its size of 410 sq km is the habitat of the endangered chimpanzees and Ugandan mangabeys. It is also the site for a conservation effort by the Association for the Conservation of Bugoma Forest, which works on the nursery project for indigenous tropical tree species and regeneration of degraded areas; the protection of the forest though the private patrol “Chimp T-rap project” started in 2017; the environmental education in the public schools; the local eco-tourism. In 2016 and in 2019 the Association took a step against the attempt by local institution to turn Bugoma Forest into a sugar cane plantation. Eco-tourism activities in Bugoma directly contribute to the protection of this habitat. Therefore, today we organize a nature walk; the possibility to plant a tree contributing to a better future for this ecosystem; we also organize a village walk in the area to get closer to the people; visit the Kisaru Tea estate, one of the typical products of the area. Dinner and overnight in Hoima at Bugoma Jungle Lodge Day 11 – Entebbe Half Board. After breakfast, drive back to Entebbe. Lunch en route. Reserved for departure from Entebbe International Airport for evening flight. Note: Today drive is about 5 hours, 250 km on tarmac roads.