6 days Kidepo Wildlife Safari

This is an off the beaten track safari to Northern and North eastern Uganda. The Kidepo Wildlife Safari is a perfectly crafted 5 nights/6 days safari in Uganda that incorporates wildlife viewing in Kidepo Valley National Park and Murchison Falls National Park, Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo Forest, and a community cultural tour in Kidepo Valley National Park. It will take you to Gulu town located in Northern Uganda to break the long journey to Kidepo.

We will then drive back to Kampala with an enroute visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Here you get the opportunity to track wild white rhinos on foot and you’ll get to appreciate what a 2-ton animal really looks like.

Kidepo Wildlife Safari – Summary

Day 01: Drive to Gulu town in Northern Uganda

Day 02: Drive to Kidepo Valley National Park for an evening game drive

Day 03: Game drives in Narus Valley

Day 04: Transfer to Murchison Falls NP

Day 05: morning game drive, afternoon Nile launch cruise and hike to the top of the falls.

Day 06: Rhino tracking and transfer to Entebbe International Airport

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: TRANSFER TO GULU

After breakfast, you will drive to Gulu town in Northern Uganda. We will drive through the flat terrain of central Uganda with beautiful scenery and towns where you will see people going on with their daily life. You will also have an opportunity to cross River Nile and of course Karuma falls before proceeding to Gulu town for overnight.

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

DAY 2: TRANSFER TO KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast preferably very early in the morning, drive to Kidepo Valley National Park. On your way, you will enjoy some scenic views of the few hills that separate Acholi Land and Karamoja, you will not miss the great manyattas on the way. A manyatta is a village made up of several huts, which in turn are surrounded by a fence made of branches and thorns. These are put up to keep the cattle in and to protect them from thieving rival tribes and wild animals.

The alluring scenery of uniquely formed valleys, the untampered wilderness and freely roaming animals is the sight that will welcome you to 1,442km² Kidepo National Park. With the sweeping plains of Kidepo and Narus Valleys overshadowed by the brooding mountainscape of Mount Morungole (the sacred peak of the Ik people,) this park has huge appeal just for the scenery alone.

You will cross some few seasonal rivers and arrive Kidepo Valley National Park in time for Lunch, relaxation and an evening game drive in Narus Valley.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

DAY 3: GAME DRIVES IN NARUS VALLEY

After your beak fast, drive to Narus Valley for your morning game drive. Narus Valley is popular for mammals such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes antelopes, zebras and birds. Being the only permanent water point, many animals come to Narus valley to drink water and feed. This is where you will find one of the largest buffalo herds than you can find anywhere on the planet too. Chances of spotting big cats hunting are very high as well. If lucky, you may spot the rare cheeters too. The park has observation points with binoculars and it will be your pleasure to use one of them. The vast open savannah plains of this park also make it easy to spot animals. Animals you can expect to see include Buffalos, Elephants, Lions, many Zebras, Giraffes, Hartebeest, and Reedbucks. There are also Cheetahs, Leopards, Aardwolves, Bat-eared foxes, and caracals.

A variety of water birds can also be seen in Narus including African Jacana, yellow-billed stork, white-faced whistling duck and various herons and egrets plus other Kidepo specials such as Clapperton’s francolin, rose-ringed parakeet, Abyssinian ground hornbills, bateleur, Meyer’s parrot, and superb starling.

Return to the lodge for lunch, short relaxation and then drive to Kidepo Valley to visit the hot springs on the Uganda-Sudan boarder and if lucky spot the giant Ostriches which are found in this place but have been seriously poached by Sudanese. There are seasonal rivers on this side so if it is a rainy season, get ready to be interrupted for few hours. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 4: TRANSFER TO MURCHISON

We will start the day with an early breakfast and then embark on a 347km (7-8 hours) drive to Murchison Falls National Park enjoying the views of the rural landscapes of northern Uganda including the remains of the infamous Kony war. We will arrive in the park in the evening and depending on the lodge location, an evening game drive can be made en route to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 5: MORNING GAME DRIVE, AFTERNOON NILE LAUNCH CRUISE AND HIKE TO THE TOP OF THE FALLS.

After breakfast, you will go for your morning game drive that will provide you an opportunity of spotting wild game that may include many of the park’s 76 species of mammals including Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos, Rothschild’s giraffes, spotted hyenas, Jackson’s hartebeests, Hippos, Warthogs, Oribis, Uganda kobs and Waterbucks. You will also have an opportunity to see several of the park’s 451 bird species.

You will then return to the lodge for a lunch break before proceeding to the pier for your two hour boat cruise to the bottom of the falls to witness how river Nile squeezes itself in a 7 meter wide gorge before dropping down while exploding out a 45 meters narrow gorge producing an experience of a lifetime.

On the launch cruise, you will be able to see passing hippos and crocodiles, elephants and waterbuck that come to the river to drink along with numerous birds such as shoebills, Goliath herons, Saddle billed storks, African Jacana, Senegal thick-knee, African quail finch, Squacco heron, kingfishers, skimmers, and Comrants.

Thereafter, you will undertake a challenging but rewarding hike to the top of the falls from where you will be marvelled by the power with which the Nile crashes through the narrow gap in the escarpment with a deafening roar and voluminous spray.

After this exciting afternoon, you will drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and over night

Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge  

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 6: TRANSFER BACK TO KAMPALA WITH A STOP EN ROUTE AT BUDONGO FOREST

After breakfast, you will bid farewell to the lodge and start your journey back to Kampala. You will make a stop en route at Budongo Forest to experience 2-5 remarkable hours of Chimpanzee tracking from the Kaniyo Pabidi Forest Exploration Center. The chimp trek in Budongo allows you to encounter a community of habituated Chimpanzees that is part of the 800 chimpanzees that reside in this tropical rainforest. The trek leads you into depths of the lush green forest surrounded by bird songs since Budongo is home to over 366 bird species. This trek is fairly easy due to reasonably flat terrain provides the perfect opportunity to see several other primates including Black-and-white colobus monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Blue monkeys, Anubis baboons, Forest giant squirrels and of course the chimpanzee. Once a chimpanzee community is found, you will have an hour with these fascinating creatures to watch them interact and play with each other

Meal Plan: Breakfast and lunch

End of Tour