DESTINATION: WESTERN UGANDA (KABAROLE- FORTPORTAL- KIBALE FOREST NP, KASESE, QUEEN ELIZABETH NP, L. MBURO NP)
OVERVIEW
This Western Ugandan Cultural trip takes you to Culture of Batooro in Fortalportal, Kabarole District, Bakonjo of Kasese District and Banyankole in Kiruhura District. This trip is blended with Chimpanzee Tracking in Uganda’s Primate Capital of Kibale Forest National Park- the park has 13 species of primates, Bird watching, Cultural Trails, Over 50 Crater Lakes. Wildlife adventure in Uganda’s most popular and visited Park- Queen Elizabeth National Park which offers game drives, boat cruise on Kazinga Channel, Bird watching, Salt mining on Lake Katwe, the Tree Climbing Lions in Ishasha sector and the Kasenyi fishing village. Queen Elizabeth NP has 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species. Then L. Mburo NP with a great story of the two brothers that led to its formation, its Uganda’s smallest Savannah Park and it’s the only one with Impalas and Elands in Uganda. This park has 13 communities which makes it suitable for a great Cultural experience, Bird watching, Nature guided walks, Fishing in the Lake, Boat cruise, Salt Lick, Wild Safaris, Horseback riding, Bicycle tours, over 313 bird species, 69 mammal species and 6 fish species in the lake.
Come join us in discovering some of the Unique Cultures of Western Uganda like never before and make us a part of best memories.
HIGHLIGHTS
DAY 1 Transfer to Fortportal/ Kibale Forest
Early morning, the City is already astir, after your breakfast, our driver guide will drive you through the City’s street lights towards Fortportal/KNP. Get to see and understand the city life, proceed on a 310 kilometers drive to Fortportal/Kibale National Park via the Kampala-Mubende-Fortportal highway. Enroute observe nature offerings, the pointing adjacent hill with tea plantations, the grazing local herds of cattle, different town suburbs with locals selling off their merchandise and so much more. We shall pass by Nakayima Tree Shrine
Later, you will proceed with journey to Fortportal and have lunch. After your lunch, we head for the Tooro Palace tour where we shall learn about the rich history of Batooro and the far they have come.
On our way to the Lodge, we take a visit to Kabundaire Market in Fort Portal. After we check in, refresh, relax as we wait for dinner
LOCATION: Kibale Forest National Park/ Fort Portal
Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Jungle Lodge Kibalez/ Lake Nkuruba Camp Site
Mid-range: Kibale Forest Camp/ Chimpanzee Guest House
Luxury: Kyaninga Safari Lodge/ Papaya Lake Lodge.
DAY 2 Homestead experience at Engabu Za Tooro & Amabeere ga Nyina Mwiru Caves.
After breakfast, we drive out and head to Engabu za Tooro, this will give us experiences with women groups and youth taking out different economic activities like craft designs and talent development by the vulnerable youth. We shall engage with the women in the process and procedure of what they do. We shall also head to the gardens for food harvest, preparation and service, so we shall have a traditional meal and end up with the traditional dance performance
In the after, we transfer to visit Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru Caves which is a great historical and cultural site, the Amabere caves will give you an exhilarating experience and the trail leading to the water falls near the caves that form a pond of very clean water.
Beyond the Amabere caves are the explosion crater lakes, so we proceed to explore the 3 crater lakes and a hike to Kyeganwa hill gives a beautiful scenery.
There after we head back to the lodge, refresh and relax as we wait for dinner.
LOCATION: Kibale Forest National Park/ Fort Portal
Meal plan:Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Jungle Lodge Kibale/ Lake Nkuruba Camp Site
Mid-range: Kibale Forest Camp/ Chimpanzee Guest House
Luxury: Kyaninga Safari Lodge/ Papaya Lake Lodge.
DAY 3 Chimpanzee Trakking and Community walk
After an early breakfast, we drive to the UWA offices for a briefing about chimpanzee tracking and there we shall find other groups going for the same activity. Here we shall be led by UWA rangers in small groups of 8pax maximum and this tracking normally takes 3-4 hours and you will have an up- close and personal interaction with the chips for a maximum of one hour. Afterwards, we shall head back to our lodge for lunch and refreshment.
In the afternoon, we move out for the community walks be fully immersed in the ways of the Batooro people. We shall have the banana beer brewery experience, from harvesting the bananas to the ready beer. There after we proceed to the coffee tours experience from planting coffee seedlings in the garden to the cup of coffee on the table. This will be a participatory experience and the activities are: coffee planting, harvesting coffee beans, drying, cleaning, sorting, roasting, grinding and making a cup of coffee. We shall crown the day with the traditional dance of the Batooro after which we get back to our lodge for relaxation, refreshment, dinner and overnight stay.
LOCATION: Kibale Forest National Park/ Fort Portal
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Jungle Lodge Kibale/ Lake Nkuruba Camp Site
Mid-range: Kibale Forest Camp/ Chimpanzee Guest House
Luxury: Kyaninga Safari Lodge/ Papaya Lake Lodge.
DAY 4: Transfer to Kasese for the Bakonjo Community
After breakfast, we check out and drive to Kasese, heading to Bughalista Community. After reaching, we check in at the Kinyamwirima camp and then trek for about 9KM and it comes with various perks like the beautiful and exhilarating view sceneries, livelihoods of the people of the area as depicted by their trading centers banana and coffee plantations and also have an opportunity to interact and getting close to the Bakonzo people and their ways of life. This view gives us an exceptional view of Kasese plains and Queen Elizabeth National park. We shall have lunch at the camp.
After lunch, we enjoy some traditional treats such as traditional dance of the Bakonzo, storytelling which is part and parcel of the community way of life, visiting the Williams waterfalls and just getting a full blown experience of how these people get accustomed to their rugged yet beautiful terrain.
LOCATION: Kasese/ Bughalista Community
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Kinyamwirima Camp
DAY 5: Kameli Home/ Babinga Cultural Site
You wake up to a sumptuous breakfast and terrific glimpse of the sunrise, check out and we move straight to the Kameli Home known as the Babinga cultural site where you will experience the wonderful Bakonzo culture, then trail to River Rukooki, Bamboo forests and having an encounter with several plants and their cultural essence. This trail offers encounter with local wildlife like blue monkeys, three horned chameleon and various insect species.
Have lunch at Kameli home and there after hike Kameli Hill, afterwards descend to William camp for camp fire and an overnight.
LOCATION: Kasese
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
William Camp
DAY 6: Cocoa Visits and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
We shall have breakfast, check out and proceed to the Cocoa tours after which we drive to Queen Elizabeth NP. We check in our lodge, relax as we wait for lunch. After lunch we go to explore the salt production by locals on Lake Katwe. And after that we proceed to one of the communities in the park, which is Kasenyi Fishing village. Return to the lodge, refresh, relax and wait for dinner.
LOCATION: Queen Elizabeth NP
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge/ Bush Lodge
Mid-range: Twin Lake Safari Lodge/ Elephant Hab Lodge
Luxury: Elephant Plains Game Lodge/ Mweya Safari Lodge.
DAY 7: Morning gamme drive and Boat cruise.
We have our breakfast and by 7:00am we are at the Kasenyi gate for registration and there after we start our game drive on the Northern side of the park in the Kasenyi plains. This game drive will offer to us 4 (four) of the BIG FIVE that is: Lion, Leopard, Elephant and Buffaloes but also different bird species, large schools of hippos, waterbucks and the Uganda Kob. The game drive will take 3-4 hours after which we go back to the lodge for lunch and get ready for an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and there after we head to the lodge for luxation as we wait for dinner and overnight stay.
LOCATION: Queen Elizabeth NP
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge/ Bush Lodge
Mid-range: Twin Lake Safari Lodge/ Elephant Hub Lodge
Luxury: Elephant Plains Game Lodge/ Mweya Safari Lodge.
DAY 8: Transfer to L.Mburo National Park
After breakfast, we to Uganda’s smallest Savannah park which is an Epicenter of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Bunyoyni, Mgahinga Gorilla NP and Rwanda Boarders. Here there is a variety of activities like Bikiing and Walking Safaris, Game drives, Bird watching, Horseback safaris, Mountain biking and the Salt lick walk. On arrival, we check in relax in await for lunch and there after go an afternoon Boat cruise, then crown it with an evening game drive. Get back to the lodge, refresh and have dinner. LOCATION: L.Mburo NP
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Mburo Eagle’s Nest/ Leopard Rest Camp
Mid-range: Rwaboko Rock/ Arcadia Lodge L. Mburo
Luxury: Mihingo Lodge/ Mburo Safari Lodge.
DAY 9: Moving to the Banyakole Community
We shall wake up early morning and go to the Ankole community to experience how they wrap their lives around animal farming and making products out of milk. We shall go and have a milking experience, take on the turning process (ghee formation), making eshabwe (local mayonnaise), cleaning of pots and watering of cows. We shall make breakfast and lunch with the community people. We shall graze the animals too then end with a traditional dance, this so energetic, joyful and yet very graceful. There after we go back to the lodge for refreshment and relaxation as we wait for dinner.
LOCATION: L.Mburo NP
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation Options
Budget: Mburo Eagle’s Nest/ Leopoard Rest Camp
Mid-range: Rwakobo Rock/ Arcadia Lodge L.Mburo
Luxury: Mihingo Lodge/ Mburo Safari Lodge.
DAY 10: Game drive, checkout & transfer to Kampala
After breakfast, we head out for either a morning game drive or walking/ nature walk safari, there after we checkout and transfer to Kampala. We shall a stopover for the Equator experience in Kayabwe and lunch.
LOCATION: Kampala/ Entebbe International Airport
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation Options
Budget:
Mid-range:
Luxury:
General Notes
Passenger Information
Baggage allowance for domestic flights is 15kgs per person including hand luggage.
Soft sided luggage or duffels are preferable to hard luggage for storage on Safari vehicles within East Africa. Large suitcases of dimensions greater than 24*17*7 are impossible to store in vehicles and on aircraft and should not be used. Baggage and personal effects are at owner’s risk throughout the tour and baggage insurance for members is strongly advised).
Variation in Rates
Calsaar Safaris Uganda may alter the contract rates in writing in case of changes in park entrance fees and other levies and taxes.
Once you have booked a Safari and we have confirmed the booking, contract rates are fully guaranteed and will not be subjected to any surcharges.
