6 Days Ziwa, Murchison falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour, features a visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place to find and see the rare rhinos in the wild. A non-governmental organisation called The Rhino Fund Uganda was established in 1997 in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority with the goal of reintroducing wild rhinos to Uganda after they were eradicated under President Idi Amin’s rule in 1987. The sanctuary can be found in Nakasongola district, which is 176 kilometres (km) north of Kampala city.
The sanctuary, where there are various numbers of rhinos, is becoming more and more frequented by tourists who come for activities like bird watching, nature walks, canoe rides, and rhino trekking. On the other side, Murchison Falls is Uganda’s largest national park, home to the continent’s most potent waterfalls and the big four animals. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is situated near the Rwandan border in far southwest Uganda. The mountain gorillas can only be found in Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla national park. Given the distance, flying from Murchison Falls National Park is the most convenient route to reach Bwindi.
Highlights of the 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour.
Day 1: Transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and nature walk.
Day 2: Rhino trekking and transfer to Murchison falls national park.
Day 3: Morning game drive and boat cruise.
Day 4: Top of the falls visit and fly to Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking experience.
Day 6: Transfer back to Kampala
Detailed Itinerary.
Day 1: Pick-up and Transfer to Ziwa.
On the first day 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. Depending on where you are in Kampala, your safari guide will welcome you and pick you from Entebbe International airport or at your hotel and give you a briefing about the 6 days Ziwa, Murchison falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. Transfer to the only location in Uganda where rhinoceros can be found, the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The journey takes 3–4 hours. Connect after you reach the sanctuary to check into your reserved lodge and lunch. Enjoy being in presence of the rhinos. You will sight other animals along like the Uganda Kobs, bushbucks, Oribi, common grey duiker, warthogs, Ververt monkeys, black and white Colobus monkeys, and reedbuck, to name just a few, you will enjoy nature walk after the rhino tracking during a nature walk around the sanctuary where you are going to encounter the biodiversity in the sanctuary. Meet with your guide and return for dinner and overnight stay at lodge Amuka Safari lodge, Ziwa Guesthouse.
Day 2: Rhino trekking and transfer to Murchison falls national park.
On the second day 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. Wake up early in the morning and take a hearty breakfast. After breakfast check out, you’ll meet with your safari guide and get connected for your rhino trekking adventure starting with guidelines to follow during rhino tracking. After meeting your ranger guides and receiving a briefing, drive to the location where your rhino-spotting excursion will begin. As you get closer to the rhinos, you will be able to identify the various species. Spend some time with them while enjoying their presence. You will later meet with your safari guide and take you for lunch. After lunch, proceed to the national park of Murchison Falls. It takes two to three hours to drive from the Kichwabanyobo gate to the accommodation you’ve reserved, on your arrival in Murchison falls national park you can opt to do evening nature walks where you encounter incredible animal species and bird species and after you will check into your lodge, evening relaxation, dinner, overnight stay.
Luxury option: Paraa Safari lodge
Mid-range: Pakuba Safari lodge/Fort Murchison lodge
Budget option: Red Chilly Rest Camp/Heritage Safari lodge
Day 3: Morning game drive and Boat cruise.
On the third day 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. You will get up early in the morning and be served with a leisurely breakfast. After breakfast meet with your safari guide and go on a morning game drive in an open safari vehicle. Depending on the animals present, the activity lasts between three and four hours. This is the stunning safari moments to see the early raisers including elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, Hartebeest, Uganda Kobs, Oribis, and waterbucks.
After the game drive, you’ll head back to the lodge for lunch. Go on a launch ride up the Nile at 2 o’clock in the afternoon for an exhilarating panoramic view of the base of the impressive Murchison Falls. You will see crocodiles, hippos, and birds like kingfishers, cormorants, and bee-eaters along the river banks while you cruise. You will spend some time snapping pictures and observing the falls from the bottom before returning to meet your drive and making your way back to your accommodation for a leisurely evening. Once you’ve seen the falls’ base, sail back to meet your driver, who will take you back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 4: Top of the falls – fly to Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
On the third day 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. Wake up and be served breakfast. After breakfast, check out and meet with your safari guide and enjoy a two-hour drive to the top of the falls for a closer look at the Murchison falls before connecting to the Bugugu airfield for your one-way domestic connection aircraft to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Daily flights by Aero-link Uganda Limited between Murchison Falls and Bwindi Impenetrable national parks take two hours and land at Kihihi airfield. There, your other safari guide will be waiting to pick you up and take you to your reserved lodge, where you will have a late lunch after checking in. Rest and relax at your lodge for the remainder of the evening. You will be served dinner before going to your accommodation.
Luxury option: Mahogany springs lodge/Buhoma lodge
Mid-range option: Buhoma Haven lodge
Budget option: Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Day 5: Gorilla trekking experience.
On the third day 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. Wake up early in the morning and be served with breakfast with packed lunch, you will meet up with your safari guide and take you to the park headquarters where you will find other trekkers and receive a briefing on going on a gorilla trek. Go on your adventure into the jungle after being placed in a company of eight members. Depending on the family being visited and their movement, gorilla trekking might last anywhere between thirty minutes and six hours. There is no way to predict where these primates will be at any one time as they are allowed to freely explore the park. Once you locate them, you will have an hour to observe and take their pictures these kind of primates before returning to meet your driver/guide and taking the transport back to your lodge.
After gorilla trekking, you can take a tour of a Batwa village or community or just chill at the lodge while thinking back on your encounter with the mountain gorillas in Bwindi. Dinner and overnight stay at the same lodge.
Day 6: Transfer back to Kampala.
On the third day 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour. After checking out of the lodge and eating breakfast, you will meet your safari guide to begin the trip back to Kampala. The journey takes 8 to 9 hours, including stopover for lunch in Mbarara at Igongo cultural centre where you will be served a hearty of the organic food, and later embark on your journey and proceed with your journey until in Kayabwe where you are going to have the Equator Experience and taking the beautiful pictures for the second stopover. You will be dropped off in Kampala/Entebbe at a location you specify, or at the Entebbe airport for your subsequent travel home.
End of the 6 Day Ziwa, Murchison falls and Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Tour.