The 4 days Murchison Falls and Budongo Chimps is a combined wildlife and primate tour taking you to explore Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest wildlife safari park. The key highlights of this trip include a game drive, a launch cruise excursion, and Budongo chimpanzee tracking.
Murchison Falls NP lies in the 4 districts in Northwestern Uganda; Nwoya, Buliisa, Kiryandongo, and Masindi. It is one of the oldest wildlife parks in Uganda, established in 1952, and occupies 3840sq.km. It hosts a total of 76 species of mammals, and 451 bird species including shoebill storks and forest birds.
Day 1: Travel to Budongo Forest and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary visit
After breakfast, leave Kampala/Entebbe for Budongo Forest, one of the scenic tropical rainforests in Uganda. This is found in the Southern section of Murchison Falls NP before you get there, you will branch off at Nakasongola district for rhino tracking in Ziwa rhino sanctuary. From Ziwa, drive to Masindi for lunch then drive to Budongo Forest to check in at your lodge.
Day 2: Budongo chimps & drive to the top of the falls
Wake up early for breakfast, and after, connect to a briefing point to get to know the chimpanzee tracking guidelines. Budongo comes second after Kibale National Park with a huge profusion of chimpanzees and today, you will track habituated chimpanzee communities.
Over 800 chimps live within Budongo and today’s encounters include other primates such as baboons, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and black & white monkeys. Other than primates, Budongo is a rich birding site inhabiting birds such as arrow marked, isabelline wheatear, sooty chat, Puvel’s illadopsis, Nubian woodpeckers, white-fronted black chat, yellow-footed flycatchers, and more. After return to the lodge for lunch and leave for the top of the falls. You will observe the falls as they force themselves into a narrow gorge of 8 meters and then cascade 45m down before flowing to the Albertine Nile.
Day 3: Murchison Falls Game Drive & Launch Cruise recreation
A hot cup of coffee/tea, after, leave your lodge in the Northern sector of Murchison Falls National Park to enjoy a 6:00 am game drive. Your game drive will go for 2-3 hours and as you explore the Northern circuit, expect to encounter animals such as buffaloes, giraffes, elephants, antelopes, warthogs, and many bird species.
The boat cruise excursion starts at 2:00 pm from the Paraa Jetty and takes 2-3 hours. This will be done along the Victoria Nile taking you upstream to the base of the falls while you keep an eye on hippos, crocodiles, aquatic bird species, and other animal species.
Day 4: Depart Murchison Falls Park
A hefty breakfast will be enjoyed while at the lodge after you will catch up with early morning risers during a short game drive or check out of the lodge and drive back to Kampala or Entebbe city. If time allows, proceed to the airport for departure to the next destination. Today marks the end of the 4 days Murchison Falls and Budongo chimps.
