8 Days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari
8 Days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari
This 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari is an exciting safari that will take you the off beaten track in Kidepo valley national park which is located in northern Uganda and harbors abundant wildlife species including giraffes, zebras, bushbucks, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, bird species like ostrich, vegetation types among others. You will also visit Murchison falls national park which is the largest national park in Uganda situ, and while in the park you will participate in game drive, boat cruise to the bottom of the falls which is the most powerful falls, Nile delta boat cruise and community walk to the neighboring villages.
Highlights of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari
Day 1: Arrival and drive to Gulu
Day 2: Transfer to Kidepo national park
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon game drive
Day 4: Game drive and cultural tour
Day 5: Drive to Murchison falls national park
Day 6: Game drive and boat cruise
Day 7: Nile delta boat cruise and community tour
Day 8: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 8 days Kidepo and Murchison falls national park safari
Arrival and transfer to Gulu, upon arrival at Entebbe international airport on the first day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Kidepo valley national park. It’s a full day journey an on your way you will have en-route lunch and spectacular views of the beautiful landscape, homesteads, local people among others. After lunch you will continue the journey with a stopover in Gulu town for dinner and overnight in order to cut the journey short.
Day 2: Drive to Kidepo national park
On the second day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari, you will have breakfast and your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to continue the journey to Kidepo national park. the journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and on your way you will have great scenic views of the landscape, hills, Karamojong manyatas, seasonal rivers among others and upon arrival you will check into the lodge and have lunch. After lunch you will freshen up and relax as you prepare yourself for an evening game drive where you will get an opportunity to take beautiful pictures and have great views of sunset, animals like giraffes, buffaloes, elephants, zebras, lions, waterbucks, bushbucks, Jackson’s hartebeests among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon game drive
Morning game drive, on the third day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and safari you will have an early breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive. During the game drive you will be able to view different animals like lions, cheetahs, leopards, bush duikers, jackal, buffaloes, elephants, bushbucks, giraffes, zebras, bird species like ostriches, Kori bustard, yellow barbet, dark chanting goshawk, purple heron, yellow billed shrike, little green bee-eater, Karamoja apalis among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Afternoon game drive, after lunch you will go for another game drive to the Narus valley. Narus valley is a permanent water body in Kidepo valley national park which attracts large concentrations of wildlife species such as elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, hippos, zebras, lions, leopards, cheetahs, bird species among others. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Game drive and cultural tour
Game drive, after breakfast on the fourth day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for another morning game drive to Kanangorok hot spring in Kidepo valley. The hot spring is located at the border with southern Sudan between a hard rock where water boils underneath the earth’s crust seeps through vents and emerges from rock outcrops onto the surface. During the game drive you will have an opportunity to view some of the wildlife species that you might have missed, learn about the traditional and cultural beliefs of the hot spring, view different vegetation types, meet people who take the hot spring as a sacred place for their spirits or ancestors. Many people therefore visit the hot spring to offer sacrifices, seek blessings and also bathe as a self medication to cure body ailments. After the game drive you will transfer back to the lodge for lunch.
Cultural tour, after lunch you will go for a cultural tour where you will visit the Karamojong people that live near Kidepo valley national park. During the cultural tour you will interact with the local people in the community which gives you an opportunity to know more about their lifestyle, culture where you can marry many wives depending on the number of cattle you own, learn about their way of living, visit their homesteads which are known as manyattas, enjoy traditional performances in form of dances and songs, listen to ancient stories among others. After the cultural tour you will meet up with your driver and transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
After breakfast on the fifth day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Murchison falls national park. On your way you will have great views of the beautiful scenery, landscape, farmlands among others and upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Game drive, after an early breakfast on the sixth day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari you will meet up with your driver guide and go for a morning game drive which starts at around 6:30 or 7:00am. During the morning game drive you will follow different tracks in the park such as Buligi game track, Victoria game track, Albert game track which give you an opportunity to catch up with predators like lions, leopards, hyenas among others which will be going back to their hiding areas, other animals like bushbucks, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, waterbucks, Jacksons hartebeests, oribi, warthogs, bird species like marabou stork, black bellied bustard, open billed stork, black headed lapwing, Abyssinian ground hornbill, grey crowned crane, yellow billed stork, secretary bird, osprey among others. After the morning game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will drive to Paraa jetty for an amazing and interesting boat cruise to the bottom of the falls. The scheduled boat cruise starts at around 2:00pm and takes about 2 to 3 hours and during the boat ride you will have great views the waterfall, take beautiful pictures, view aquatic animals like hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, other animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes among others along the water banks drinking water, aquatic bird species such as the grey headed King fisher, Bee-eaters, Herons, cormorants, long toed plover, African darter, veracious dove among others. The boat will continue to the bottom of the falls where you will either opt to cruise back to the starting point or go for an adventurous hike to the top of the falls. Hiking to the top of the falls takes about 45 minutes but strenuous therefore it requires you to be physically fit. During hiking you will enjoy water splashes, view beautiful scenery, listen to roars of the waterfall among others and when you reach on top you will find your driver guide waiting for you and then drive to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Nile delta boat cruise and community tour
Nile delta boat cruise, on the seventh day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari you will have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Paraa jetty for a Nile delta boat cruise. The Nile delta boat cruise is done in schedules and each schedule takes about 4 to 5 hours ride starting from Parra jetty and stretching to the shores of Lake Albert. During the Nile delta boat cruise you will have spectacular views of Murchison falls, large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks among others along the water shores, bird species like the elusive shoebill stork, goliath heron, African jacana, pied and malachite kingfisher, African skimmer, papyrus gonolek, African fish eagle, saddle billed stork among others. You will also be able to view fishermen catching fish in dugout canoes on Lake Albert, view beautiful landscape, take clear photos among others. After the Nile delta boat cruise you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for lunch.
Community walk, after lunch you will go for a community tour around the park where you will visit different communities surrounding Murchison falls national park such as Mubako community and Boomu Women’s group among others. During the community tour you will explore the heritage of Bunyoro culture, interact with the local people which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their way of living, visit farmlands, enjoy cultural dances from Mubako dancers, visit craft shop where they sell handmade crafts, wood sculptures among others. After the community tour you will meet up with your guide and drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Departure to Kampala
On the last day of the 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On your way you will have a sop over at Ziwa rhino sanctuary the only place in Uganda where you will track the rhinos. During rhino tracking you will watch rhinos moving around in the wild and view other animals like Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, bird species among others. After rhino tracking you will continue the journey with en-route lunch and upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight.
End of 8 days Kidepo valley and Murchison falls national park safari
Tour includes
- Park entrance fees
- Karamojong cultural tour
- Boat cruise fees
- Community tour
- Rhino tracking permit
- An English speaking driver guide
- Park entrance fee
- Full board accommodation
- Ground transfers
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Tour excludes
- International air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.