12 days, 11 nights · Entebbe · Kidepo · Nshenyi · Trip code LGS-UG 1008
A trip to experience real Africa, meet and interact with local people, and learn about Uganda’s culture and history. Uganda has a very strong cultural heritage, with kingdoms across many regions including Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro, Ankole and Toro. Ugandans are remarkably hospitable and hail from a diversity of rich cultures and lifestyles, each tribe with its own traditional dance.
On arrival you are welcomed by your guide and transferred to your hotel for the night.
Guinea Fowl Guest House · Bed and breakfast
After breakfast you begin the journey north, stopping en route at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Uganda’s rhinos became extinct in the early 1980s after civil unrest and heavy poaching; the sanctuary now breeds black and white rhinos to restore populations in the national parks.
You continue to Kitgum, visiting some settlement camps en route, with dinner and an overnight stay.
This morning you continue to Kidepo Valley National Park. In the far corner of Uganda, in the semi-arid valleys of Karamoja, Kidepo is the country’s most isolated park. The few who make the journey are rewarded with stunning scenery and an unparalleled abundance of wildlife including lions, cheetahs, ostriches and buffalo. Kidepo also has a bird list of 475 species, among them the black-breasted barbet and the Karamoja apalis.
Road conditions are rough and the drive can take two to four hours, but the scenery is remarkable and the route offers a rare glimpse of Acholi and Karamojong culture. You arrive in the late afternoon for a short game drive.
A full day in one of East Africa’s most isolated and spectacular parks. The best part is that the park is effectively yours, with little chance of meeting another vehicle. The day closes with a walking safari in the evening.
You travel towards the Sudanese border to see Kidepo’s ostrich population, with a bush lunch overlooking the park, and an optional afternoon game drive or visit to Karamojong communities.
Depart Kidepo for Murchison Falls National Park, stopping in Kitgum or Gulu for lunch, and spend the evening at the lodge overlooking the Nile.
The next morning you set off on an early game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest national park, with chances of lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo and elephants. Birders will find the secretary bird and black-chested snake eagle among many others. In the afternoon a boat trip takes you to the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile forces through a seven-metre gap and plunges 43 metres on its way to Lake Albert. The banks are densely populated with crocodiles, hippos and other wildlife coming down to drink.
Two nights at Murchison Falls
After breakfast you depart for Hoima, arriving at the cultural lodge in the afternoon for cooking lessons with the local staff.
Hoima Cultural Lodge
After breakfast you head for Fort Portal, arriving in the afternoon. Visit the Toro king’s palace, the Amabere caves with their local legends, and the craft markets.
Rwenzori Guest House
An early departure west, with a stop for lunch, arriving at Nshenyi village in the afternoon.
After an introduction to the village, the culture and the family, you may join the herders to learn the skill of setting cows out to graze, spend time in the field watering the cows, or try turning milk into ghee while sitting inside a traditional hut. You might also visit a local school, take a nature walk, or spend the evening at an open market to see how rural trade comes to life.
Nshenyi Village
The morning starts early as you go out to milk the long-horned Ankole cows. After breakfast, a short walk takes you to a Bahima village to learn about where they live, what they eat and their customs, with rich birdlife along the way. In the afternoon you continue to Kisoro, arriving in the evening.
Travellers Rest Hotel
An early start for a visit to the Batwa community. You visit the cave where their king lived and hear the history of the Batwa in Uganda.
You meet local people and experience an authentic culture, with cultural dancing, music, craft making and storytelling. The Batwa were moved out of the forest when Mgahinga became a national park, and in 1998 the forests were given full conservation status. Return to the hotel in the evening, with a cooking class if possible.
Travellers Rest Hotel
After breakfast you transfer to Kisoro airstrip for the flight to Entebbe International Airport.
Send us your dates and party size and a guide will come back with availability, permits, and a fixed quote.