Luxury/Mid-range Wildlife, cultural, Chimpanzee and Gorilla tracking photographic Safari in Murchison Falls. Kibale Forest.

Semuliki. Queen Elizabeth. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Mgahinga Gorilla and Lake Mburo National Parks. Safari highlights: Rhino tracking-1. Gorilla Tracking-1, Chimp Tracking-1, Game Drives -6. Boat Cruise-2, Cultural Tours- 5 and nature walks Equipment to bring: Camera, wide angle lens, 200+ mm lens, Tripod, waterproof protection for equipment, spare batteries and charger.

What you need: Closed shoes, long pants, water and insect repellent. What to Bring for Gorilla Tracking: Good walking boots, wet weather clothing and warm layers for the evenings – it gets cold and damp at this altitude. The sun is still fierce during the day – even when overcast – so be sure to still wear sunscreen and a sun hat. You may also want to bring waterproof bags to protect cameras and other equipment when hiking. Water and snacks will be provided.

Note on accommodation: Depending on the location gorilla family you track, you will stay at Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxury) or Silverback Lodge (Mid-range) in Buhoma. In the southern sector of Bwindi, you will stay at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (Luxury) or at Rushaga Gorilla camp (Mid-range). This itinerary is based on a trip to Buhoma but can be adjusted according to the location of the gorilla family to be tracked.

Itinerary summary:
Day 1: Airport- Kampala
Day 2. Kampala – Rhino tracking- Murchison Falls National Park.
Day 3: Nature walk and Game Drive in Murchison
Day 4: Game Drive, Boat cruise and Sundowner Photography
Day 5: Drive to Fort Portal
Day 6: Chimp tracking and Cultural tour
Day 7: Landscape Photography and drive to Semuliki for Nature Walk and Photography
Day 8: Nature walk/ Game drive in Semuliki and head to Queen Elizabeth.
Day 9. Game Drive and Boat Cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 10: Katwe Salt Lake for Landscape and Cultural Tour and drive to Ishasha.
Day 11: Tree climbing lions game drive in Ishasha and drive to Bwindi.
Day 12: Gorilla tracking and nature/ Cultural tour in Bwindi
Day 13: Drive to Kisoro and sunset Photography
Day 14: Golden monkeys tracking and Batwa Cultural trail in Mgahinga.
Day 15: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park via Lake Bunyonyi
Day 16: Game Drive and Boat cruise in Lake Mburo National Park.
Day 17: Visit Rwenjeru community campsite and Igongo cultural village
Day 18: Nature Walk and Drive to Kampalav
Day 19: Shopping/ City Tour and Airport Departure

Detailed Programme

Day 1: Airport- Kampala
You arrive at Entebbe International Airport and a representative from Snap Uganda Tours will meet you and drive you to Sheraton Kampala Hotel (luxury) {1hr} or to Cassia Lodge (mid-range). Please feel free to ask questions about Uganda along the way.

Dinner and overnight at Sheraton Kampala Hotel- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Cassia Lodge – Mid-range

Day 2. Kampala – Rhino tracking- Murchison Falls National Park.
Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch located in Nakasongola, 176km north of Kampala {2hrs, 20min} on the Gulu high way towards Murchison Falls National Park is home to the only wild rhinos in Uganda. Presently the sanctuary is home to twenty two (22) southern white rhinos.

As these rhinos are free to move around on 7000 hectares of land, it is often necessary to drive to the areas where the rhinos before tracking them on foot.

While at the sanctuary you may also encounter a range of other wildlife species including Uganda kob, oribis, bush bucks, water bucks among others. You will need 1½ to 2½ hours depending on the location of the rhinos. After Rhino Tracking, you will have lunch at the sanctuary and proceed to Chobe Safari Lodge in Murchison Falls National Park passing by the Karuma Falls and on arrival you check in the Lodge.

For Mid-range you proceed to Murchison River Lodge via Masindi.
Dinner and overnight at Chobe Safari Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 3: Nature walk and Game Drive in Murchison
After breakfast, do a nature walk within the vicinity of the Lodge and at 10.00 am, you check out and drive to Paraa Safari Lodge, (Luxury) or at Murchison River Lodge (Mid-range) where you will check in and then have Lunch. At 4.00 pm you will go for an evening game drive. In the evening, look out for sunset over Lake Albert and then return to the Lodge. For those staying at Murchison River Lodge, the sun set can be photographed on the River Nile.

Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 4: Game Drive, Boat cruise and Sundowner Photography
Wake up early have a quick cup of coffee/tea and at 6.00 am you go for a game drive with packed breakfast. Murchison Falls National Park is bisected by the Rive Nile and is composed of woodland, wetland, savannah as well as tropical forest. The game drives are done in the savanna plains on the northern bank up to the delta where the Nile powers its waters in Lake Albert up to lunch time. Among the mammals to look out for are: lions, Cape buffalo, Uganda kob, Jackson’s hartebeest, elephants and Rothschild’s giraffe. Murchison hosts the biggest number of the Rothschild’s giraffe species in the world. After lunch you go for boat cruise on the Victoria Nile. A boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison Falls is another rewarding experience to view wildlife and birds. Hippos, waterbucks, crocodiles, buffaloes and elephants can be seen along the banks of the Nile

At the bottom of the falls, you leave the boat and take 20 minute hike to the top of the falls for sunset pictures over River Nile. At the top of the falls, you will see the Nile waters forced into a narrow gap 7m wide as they plunge down in a 35m drop in a majestic cascade that has been named the “Cradle of the Nile”. Your driver will pick you and drive you Murchison River Lodge. Those staying at Paraa will cross to the hotel by boat.

Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Murchison River Lodge- Mid-range

Day 5: Drive to Fort Portal
Early breakfast then you check out and drive to Kyaninga Lodge in Fort Portal via Masindi with a lunch stop in Hoima. {5hrs} At Kyaninga Lodge, check in (Luxury) or proceed to Primates Lodge in Kibale Forest (Mid-range) At Kyaninga, you can take a walk around with your camera and capture the beautiful landscapes and get up close with neighbouring communities. In the evening, watch out for sunset over the Rwenzori ranges. After dinner, you can relax by the fire and sip a drink as you share your pictures with your loved ones using the wireless internet access in the lodge.

At Primates Lodge, you can do a nature walk in the forest and relax by the campfire as you are entertained by local dancers.

Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Primates Lodge- Mid-range

Day 6: Chimp tracking and Cultural tour
Wake up early, have breakfast and drive for one hour from Kyaninga to Kibale Forest National Park visitors’ center at Kanyanchu for a pre- chimpanzee tracking briefing. If you stay at Primates Lodge, it’s just a stone throw away. At 8.00 am, enter the forest to track the chimpanzees and other primates. You will have a picnic lunch in the forest. The Park is famous for Chimpanzee tracking. With 13 primate species, Kibale National Park is known is the Primates Capital of the world. The park hosts about 1500 chimpanzees out of the 5000 recorded in the country and has 375 and 250 bird and butterfly species respectively in addition to 70 mammal species.

After tracking, you drive to the nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a nature walk and community visit. There is a craft center manned by the local women group.

After the community tour, you return to Kyaninga or to Primates Lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Primates Lodge- Mid-range

Day 7: Landscape Photography and drive to Semuliki for Nature Walk and Photography
Wake up early have breakfast and then you drive to Top of the World spot for the panoramic view of the Kasendi crater area from here you proceed to Semuliki National Park {1hr 30min}. In Semuliki, you walk to the Hot Springs through the riverine forest. Semuliki National Park sprawls across the floor of the Semuliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Rwenzori. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin and is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests that survived the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago.

The forest is home to numerous Central African wildlife species. As a result, the park provides a taste of Central Africa without having to leave Uganda. The meandering Semuliki River forms the international boundary between Uganda and the DRC and is a miniature version of the Congo River.

Hot springs bubble up from the depths to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years. You can boil some eggs and plantains in the hot spring for a quick lunch snack. The park is known for its endemic bird species and hot springs. It is Uganda’s most rewarding birding destination with 441 recorded species, representing 40% of Uganda’s total bird species and 66% (216) of the country’s forest bird species. Some of the birds in Semuliki are: Nkulengu Rail, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Piping Hornbill, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Black Dwarf Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, African Piculet, White-throated Blue Swallow, Yellow-throated Nicator, Leaf-love, Swamp Palm Bulbul, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, Crested Malimbes, Red-bellied Malimbes, Blue-billed Malimbes, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Orange-cheeked Waxbill.

Though studies about butterflies in the park are in progress, the Lepidoptera data from the 1996 census showed Semuliki to be the most butterfly rich park in Uganda, containing 309 species from a country with a total of approximately 1,300 species (Davenport, 2001).

From Semuliki, you proceed to the Semuliki Wildlife Reserve where the forest meets the savannah and check in the Semuliki Safari Lodge (Luxury or at Ntoroko Game Lodge (Mid-range) and then relax in the floor of the Rift Valley. Here you will snap the scenic Rift-valley landscape of Queen Elizabeth National Park, showing the mosaic of open grassland and wooded savannah, the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges and the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake George.

Dinner and overnight at Semuliki Safari Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Ntoroko Game Lodge –Mid-range

Day 8: Nature walk/ Game drive in Semuliki and head to Queen Elizabeth.
After breakfast, you do a nature walk, check out and do a game drive on your way to Queen Elizabeth National Park with a lunch stop in Fort Portal. Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park and in at Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury) or at Enganzi Lodge (Mid-range) after breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park with a stopover at the Equator at Kikorongo where you can take pictures. {1hrs 30min).

In the Evening, if you are at Mweya, take a short drive to photograph sunset at the Mweya Peninsula. Mweya Safari Lodge is located on a peninsula within the heart of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and is surrounded by the magical Rwenzori Mountains aptly described as the ‘Mountains of the Moon. If you are at Enganzi lodge, drive a short distance to the rift valley view point to catch sun set over the scenic Rift-valley landscape of Queen Elizabeth National Park, showing the mosaic of open grassland and wooded savannah, the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges and the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake George.

Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Enganzi Lodge.

Day 9. Game Drive and Boat Cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Early wakeup, call have a quick cup of coffee/tea and at 6.00 am go for a game drive with packed breakfast. The main focus of the game drive will be looking for lions around Kasenyi and photographing the park’s landscapes. Queen’s main attractions are: craters carved into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants and the Ishasha plains home to tree climbing lions.

Return to the hotel for lunch and go for a game Boat Cruise along Kazinga Chanel in the afternoon. The channel joins Lake George to Lake Edward. Kazinga channel is an oasis for many of the fascinating species that inhabit the park. A boat cruise gives you a chance to watch schools of hippos, buffalo’s elephants and a lot of birds along the shoreline.

Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Enganzi Lodge.

Day 10: Katwe Salt Lake for Landscape and Cultural Tour and drive to Ishasha.
After breakfast, do a game drive to the Crater Lakes and the Baboon cliff to explore these features and proceed to Lakes Katwe and Munyanyange. For centuries, locals have been mining salt from Lake Katwe. Culturally, to be called a man, you must own at least one salt plot in the lake. The lake is divided into plots that can look beautiful when photographed from a high elevation. A visit to the lake gives you the experience of meeting the local people as they go about their centuries old trade- salt mining. Because the area around Lake Katwe is hot, locals usually do their business in the morning up to mid-day.

One nearby Crater Lake- Munyanyange (Cattle egret in the local language) attracts bird’s migrant birds including Lesser Flamingos. Lake Munyanyange is a small seasonal shallow crater lake located to the North East of Katwe town. The lake is an important habitat for migratory birds and has one of the largest concentrations of the Lesser Flamingos and Lesser black-backed gulls among others.

Some of the birds are Palearctic migrants arriving in October and departing in April. Thousands of these birds roost at the lake. Because it’s safe for them as at one stage of the year it turns muddy and that makes it difficult for wild animals to wade through the mud and prey on them. The Lesser flamingos majorly feed on algae that occur in alkaline lakes.

Lesser flamingos though they appear to be the abundant, their declining populations and loss of breeding sites puts them at risk. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as near-threatened on its red list. From Katwe, drive to the hotel for lunch and proceed to Ishasha and check in at Wilderness Camp (Luxury). Ishasha Wilderness Camp has large twin bedded tents, in a wooded area facing the Ntungwe River where you might see elephants coming to quench their thirst.

For Mid-range check in at Jungle Lodge
Dinner and overnight at the Wilderness Camp- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Jungle Lodge- Mid-range

Day 11: Tree climbing lions game drive in Ishasha and drive to Bwindi.
After breakfast do a game drive searching for the tree climbing lions and also visit River Ishasha, which marks the boundary between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to look for sunbathing hippos. There after you drive back to the hotel for lunch and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

In Bwindi check in the Gorilla Forest Camp ( Luxury in Buhoma or at Silverback Lodge ( Mid-range in Buhoma.
Dinner and overnight at Gorilla Forest Camp- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Silverback Lodge- Mid-range

Day 12: Gorilla tracking and nature/ Cultural tour in Bwindi
Wake up early have breakfast and assemble for a briefing before 8:00am. At 8.30 you enter the forest to track the Mountain Gorillas. Tracking can take from 2 hours to half a day depending on how far the gorillas are and which gorilla family you track. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site and a habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas. It hosts 50% of the world’s Mountain Gorilla Population.

It is located in South Western Uganda on the edge of the western rift valley, covering 331 square Kilometers shared by Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu districts on the edge of the western rift valley. The park lies on an altitude range of 2,607m (Rwamunyonyi peak)-1160m (Ishasha gorge).

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best place in the world to track the endangered Mountain Gorillas. It lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most diverse rainforests that dates back over 25,000 years hosting almost 400 species of plants. More famously, Bwindi’s “impenetrable forest” protects an estimated 400+ endangered Mountain Gorillas – roughly 50% of the world’s population. Bwindi is known to have a rich fauna community in East Africa with over 120 mammal species making it only second in mammal numbers to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Apart from gorillas, there are 11 primate species in the park. They include: Black-and-white colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys, baboons and chimps among the many. Other residents are: Forest Elephants and several species of antelopes. Of Bwindi’s 200 butterfly species, 42 are endemic to the Albertine Region. Out of around 350 species of birds, 23 Albertine Rift endemics.

In the evening after tracking, you can do a community tour and get close to the locals by visiting handcraft shops. The neighboring Batwa community in Buhoma performs songs and dances about their former life in the forest. During the tour, you learn how to make to make juice, beer and gin from bananas and taste it too. Or, you go for a nature walk to the Munyaga waterfalls. During a nature walk to the Munyaga Waterfalls, you can observe birds, primates, and a plethora of tree ferns, epithetic ferns, orchids and Bwindi’s colorful array of butterflies. The trail leads to three delightful crystal clear waterfalls.

Dinner and overnight at the Gorilla Forest Camp- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Silverback Lodge- Mid-range

Day 13: Drive to Kisoro and sunset Photography
After breakfast you drive to Kisoro via Ruhija. {2hrs} on the way, will enjoy a scenic view of the terraced hills and Bwindi forest. On arrival you in check in Gahinga Lodge near Mgahinga National Park (Luxury or at Lake Chahafi Resort (Mid-range). In the evening, you drive to Kanaba to take sunset pictures of the three Virunga Mountains namely Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabinyo against the setting sun.

Dinner and overnight at Gahinga Lodge
Dinner and overnight at Lake Chahafi Resort

Day 14: Golden monkeys tracking and Batwa Cultural trail in Mgahinga.
After breakfast you to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for a nature walk, to track Golden monkeys and visit the Batwa. (Pygmies). (Move with packed lunch) The 434-sq. km Mgahinga National Park is park is located in the South Western corner Uganda, bordering Republic of Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo, 14km south of Kisoro town. It covers the northern slopes of the three northern most Virunga Volcanoes: Mt. Muhavura (4,127m), Mt.Sabyinyo (3,645m), and Mt.Gahinga (3,474m).

Tracking the habituated Nyakagezi Gorilla family in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the main activity. The group is led by Mark, the dominant Silverback, who likes travelling and keeps on crossing borders between Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Due to quite unpredictable behavior, permits for this group can only be booked at the local Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Mgahinga Gorilla Park.

The park hosts about 3000- 4000 endangered Golden monkey individuals. Golden monkeys have black and a golden-orange patch on the upper flanks. They live in social group of 30 individual members led by one adult male. Golden monkeys are opportunistic feeders. Their diet can easily be influenced by the availability of food. The golden monkeys are considered to be the species of Old World monkey found in four national parks i.e. Virunga and Kahuzi – Biega, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda, Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda.

The endangered golden monkey is endemic to the Albertine Rift and can be found high in the dense bamboo forests on the Gahinga trail in Uganda’s small but gifted with rare primate species national park Mgahinga.

The two hours trek in search of Golden monkeys gives you greet views of terraced landscape and passes through green bamboo forest where you can see the Regal Sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, Olive Woodpecker, African hill Babbler and other wild life. After the trek, you visit the Batwa trail. The Batwa exhibit hunting techniques; gather honey; point out medicinal plants and show you how to make bamboo cups. Guests are finally invited to the sacred Ngarama Cave, once home to the Batwa King, where the women of the community perform traditional dances.

During the Batwa Cultural Trail, the Batwa exhibit hunting techniques; gather honey; point out medicinal plants and show how to make bamboo cups. Guests are finally invited to the sacred Ngarama Cave, once home to the Batwa King, where the women of the community perform traditional dances.

From Mgahinga National Park you go to the hotel
Dinner and overnight at Gahinga Lodge
Dinner and overnight at Lake Chahafi Resort

Day 15: Drive to Lake Mburo National Park via Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, drive to Lake Mburo National Park via Lake Bunyonyi. Along the way, stop at Kanaba to do landscape pictures of the terraced cultivated hills and the Virunga Mountains. There are other view points before Lake Bunyonyi. Stop ay Bunyonyi Overland Resort for lunch and proceed to Lake Mburo and check in at Mihingo Lodge (luxury) or at Rwakobo Rock (Mid-range). Lake Mburo, is Uganda’s smallest savanna National Park. It is conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. The park is underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. The park is home to over 350 bird species and has the biggest concentration of zebras, impala, and eland in Uganda. Other animals are: buffalo, oribi, defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck.

Lake Mburo National Park with 13 other lakes forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes.

In the mid-1980s, half of Lake Mburo National park was de-gazetted by the Government of Uganda to resettle some communities. Livestock ranches were curved out in some of the degazetted area. But the animals remained. About 50% of the wildlife is outside the park in the livestock ranches that were once their home range. It is common to see zebras and impalas grazing with livestock outside the park boundaries.

Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Rwakobo Rock -Mid-range

Day 16: Game Drive and Boat cruise in Lake Mburo National Park.
After breakfast, drive the park offices to get a ranger who will guide you through a game drive. The network of game tracks in the east of the park passes a variety of landscape features; acacia woodland, wetlands, grassy hillsides, rock outcrops and seasonally flooded valley floors. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to roam the park in search of wildlife. Commonly sighted are warthog, topi, impala, duiker, bushbuck, waterbuck, zebra, the shy eland and a variety of birds.

Go back to the hotel for lunch
After lunch and short relaxation, do a nature walk under the guidance of a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger? This activity is suitable for those who would like to stretch their legs and view wildlife on foot. At the moment, it’s only in Lake Mburo where you can do safari on foot. You will get an opportunity to see what you could have seen on any game drive except that this time around you will do it on foot. The walk will give you an opportunity to do macro photography of insects, butterflies and plants.

In the evening you do a boat bruise on Lake Mburo. Lake Mburo is well-to-do with a variety of animal and plant species which can only be seen clearly if you take a boat trip. The Hippopotamuses, crocodiles and birds like Pelicans, Heron, Fish Eagle, Black Crake, African Fin foot and Cormorants can be sighted on a during a boat cruise.

During or after the boat cruise, check out and prepare to take stunning sunset pictures over the lake if it’s not cloudy. At night, get out your camera and tripod and watch the stars in the sky.
Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge- Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Rwakobo Rock -Mid-range

Day 17: Visit Rwenjeru community campsite and Igongo cultural village
After breakfast, you drive southwest ward towards Mbarara town to visit Rwenjeru Community Camp site where you will be welcomed by the local community who are mainly cattle keepers in the region. They will take you through what they do on a daily basis including, cattle raring, cattle watering, milking and so much more. You will also learn the history of the cattle keepers and about their long horned cattle.

The Bayankole are located in southwestern Uganda and were mostly under the Ankole Kingdom. They speak a Bantu language called Runyankore that is a member of the Niger-Kordofanian group of language families.

The Bayankole well known keeping long-horned cattle, which were objects of economic significance as well as prestige. The Mugabe (King) was an absolute ruler who claimed all the cattle throughout the country as his own. The Mugabe’s (king’s) homestead was usually constructed on a hill surrounded by a large fence made from basketry. A large space inside the compound was set aside for cattle. Special places were set aside for the houses of the king’s wives, and for his numerous palace officials.

Bayankole society is divided into a high-ranked caste (social class) of pastoralists (nomadic herders) and a caste of farmers. Legends and tales taught moral behavior to the young and today, storytelling is a common means of entertainment. Girls began to prepare for marriage as early as eight years of age. They were kept at home and given large quantities of milk in order to grow fat. Today, heaviness is still valued. Full adult status was achieved through the rearing of a large family. For this reason, teenage pregnancies before marriage were uncommon. Polygyny (multiple wives) was associated with rank and wealth and the Mugabe (king) sometimes had over one hundred.

Social relations in the community centered around exchanges of wealth, such as cows and agricultural produce. Greetings vary by the age of the participants, the time of day, the relative rank of the participants, and many other factors. Anyone meeting an elder has to wait until the elder acknowledges that person first.

Dress differentiates Bayankole by rank and gender. Chiefs traditionally wore long robes of cow skins. Ordinary citizens wore small portions of cow skin over their shoulders. Women of all classes wore cow skins wrapped around their bodies. They also covered their faces in public. Bahima herders consume milk and butter and drink fresh blood from their cattle and beef. Buttermilk is drunk by women and children only. When used as a sauce, butter is mixed with salt, and meat or millet porridge is dipped into it. Herders never eat chicken or eggs. Women consume mainly milk, preferring it to all other foods. Unlike the herders, the farmers consumed chickens and eggs.

Carpenters, ironworkers, potters, musicians, and others were once permanent features of the Mugabe’s (king’s) homestead. Iron-smiths manufactured spears, knives, and hammers. Every family had a member who specialized in pottery. Pipes for smoking displayed the finest artistic creativity. Small colored beads were used to decorate clay pipes, which came in various shapes and sizes, and walking sticks.

In 1967, the government of Milton Obote, prime minister of Uganda, abolished kingdoms in Uganda, including the Kingdom of Ankole. Source: http://www.ugandaweb.com/ugaembassy/ From Rwenjeru, you will drive to Igongo cultural center for lunch and sample traditional dishes. After lunch, you will tour Igongo Museum to get an explanation on the several ethnographic collections in the museum and return to the lodge.

Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge – Luxury
Dinner and overnight at Rwakobo Rock – Mid-range

Day 18: Nature Walk and Drive to Kampala
Wake up early and have breakfast then you go for a nature walk to the salt lick. At 10.00 am you check out of the hotel and drive to Kampala {3hrs} with a stopover at the Equator at Kayabwe to take photographs and have a late Lunch. On arrival you will check in at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

Night at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

Day 19: Shopping/ City Tour and Airport Departure
After breakfast you check out of the Hotel and you go for shopping in Kampala City then you will have Lunch at a restaurant of your choice, thereafter you will be transferred to Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight.

Tour Prices
This is a private Photographic Safari and can be booked by an individual or a group of a maximum of 4 people per vehicle.

Cost Includes

  • Airport transfers
  • Transport in a 4×4 Safari Van
  • Services of an English speaking driver guide
  • Gorilla tracking permits
  • Nature walks
  • All park entry fees Nature walks
  • All locally produced alcoholic and soft drinks at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.
  • Meals and accommodation
  • Drinking water in the Vehicle

Cost excludes
Visa fees, Air ticket and tips for guides and porters

Thank you for choosing Snap Uganda Tours. We will be pleased to hear your comments after the Photographic Safari