The 5-day Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari allows you to experience Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest protected region in the north. Murchison Falls National Park is separated into two parts along the Nile River: the northern and southern sectors.
During your safari in the park, you will participate in exciting activities such as a game drive where you will see elephants, buffaloes, lions, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kobs, warthogs, and waterbucks, among others, as well as an amazing boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, the most powerful waterfall, and a Nile delta boat cruise. You will also experience chimp trekking in Budongo Forest, which is East Africa’s largest mahogany forest.
Highlights of the 5 days Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari.
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Murchison falls national park
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 3: Nile delta boat cruise and community tour
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest
Day 5: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary for 5 Days Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari.
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Murchison falls national park,
Upon arrival on the first day of your 5-day Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari, our driver guide will meet you up at Entebbe Airport, educate you about the safari, and then begin the journey to Murchison Falls National Park in the northwestern portion of Kampala. The journey takes around 5 to 6 hours and offers amazing views of traditional homesteads, gorgeous countryside, landscape, roadside markets, and locals, among other things. You will make a stop at the Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking. This is the only spot in Uganda where endangered white rhinos may be found in their native habitat.
Following rhino tracking, you will continue your adventure with an en-route lunch in Masindi town. After lunch, you will travel to the park and drive immediately to the top of the falls, where you will be able to see the cascade, breathtaking scenery, and many bird and animal species. From the top of the falls, you will transport to the lodge, where you will check in, have dinner, and spend the night.
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive, On the second day of your 5-day Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari, you will have an early breakfast and meet your driver guide for a morning game drive that begins as early as 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. to catch up with predators who will be returning to their hiding spots. The game drive at Murchison Falls National Park takes place along many routes, including the Buligi game track, the Victoria game track, and the Albert game track.
Throughout the game drive, look for animals such as bushbucks, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, waterbucks, Jackson’s hartebeests, oribi, warthogs, predators such as lions, leopards, and hyenas, and bird species such as marabou stork, black bellied bustard, open billed stork, black headed lapwing, Abyssinian ground hornbill, grey crowned crane, yellow billed stork, secretary bird, osprey, and others. You will also be able to see the dawn and get great photographs. After the wildlife drive, you will return to the resort for lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch, you’ll drive to the Paraa landing spot for an exhilarating boat ride to the bottom of the waterfall. The scheduled boat cruise begins around 2:00pm and lasts about 2 to 3 hours. During the ride, you will be able to see the waterfall, take beautiful photos, cruise near aquatic animals such as hippos and Nile crocodiles, as well as other animals such as elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, and antelopes drinking water along the shores, and see aquatic bird species such as grey-headed Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Herons, cormorants, long-toed plover, African darter, veracious dove, among others.
The boat will proceed to the bottom of the falls, where you may choose to walk to the top or sail back to the start point. Hiking to the top of the falls is an exciting adventure that takes around 45 minutes to complete but is demanding, so you must be physically fit. During the hike, you will be able to see gorgeous landscape, experience water splashes, and listen to the roar of the water, among other things. When you get at the top, your driver will be waiting for you, and you will be driven to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner, and lodging.
Day 3: Nile delta boat cruise and community tour
Nile delta boat cruise, On the third day of your Uganda wildlife Safari, your driving guide will pick you up after breakfast and transport you to the Paraa jetty for a Nile delta boat trip. The Nile delta boat excursion is scheduled and begins at Parra jetty and ends on the beaches of Lake Albert.
The Nile delta boat cruise takes about 4 to 5 hours and during this breathtaking activity you will have spectacular views of Murchison falls, which is the most powerful waterfall, large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, animals like Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks drinking water along the shores, bird species like the elusive shoebill stork, goliath heron, African jacana, pied and malachite kingfisher, African skimmer, papyrus gono After the Nile Delta boat excursion, you’ll meet your driving guide and return to the lodge for lunch.
Community walk, after lunch, you will continue on a community tour of the park, seeing several local villages such as Mubako and the BOOMU women’s club. During the community tour, you will learn about Bunyoro culture and interact with the locals, allowing you to learn more about their way of life and culture. You will also be able to enjoy traditional dances from Mubako dancers, visit a craft shop where they sell handmade crafts and wood sculptures, sample their local dishes, and visit farmlands. After the village visit, you will meet with your driver guide and be sent back to the resort for dinner and stay.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest
Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on the fourth day of your 5-day Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari, you will take a packed lunch and meet your driving guide to proceed to Budongo Forest for chimp trekking. Budongo woodland, located in the southern section of Murchison Falls National Park, is home to a variety of animal species, including monkeys, birds, mammals, butterflies, tree species, and moths, among others.
Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest begins with a briefing at the headquarters about the rules, regulations, and expectations of chimpanzee trekking, followed by trekking with a park guide who will share information about chimpanzees and is familiar with the forest’s various trails. Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest takes between 30 minutes and 4 hours, or even a whole day, depending on where the chimps are found because they like to go deep into the forest in search of food, especially during the dry season.
During your trip, you will see various primate species such as blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, bird species such as grey long bill, African emerald cuckoo, yellow manted weaver, slender billed greenbul, tree species, butterflies, and small animals.
Once the chimps are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, where you will be able to take photos, record videos, learn more about their habits, behaviors, and lifestyles, as well as watch them feed, breastfeed, play, rest, and hunt, among other things, providing you with once-in-a-lifetime safari experiences. After an hour with the chimps, you will return to the starting location, where you will meet your driver guide and be transferred to the lodge for an evening of leisure, dinner, and lodging.
Day 5: Departure to Kampala
On the final day of your 5-day Murchison Falls Wildlife and Chimpanzee Trek Safari, you will have a leisurely breakfast, check out of the lodge, and be picked up by your driver guide to begin your journey back to Kampala. You will eat lunch on route and arrive in Kampala early evening, where your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or at any other location of your choice.
