UGANDA CULTURAL SAFARIS
DETAILED ITINERARY:
Destination: Kenya
Meals included: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast
â2 Nights Nairobi 2 Nights Samburu National Reserve 1 Night Lake Nakuru 3 Nights Masai Mara National Reserve
ITINERARY
Arrive Entebbe, Uganda
Morning: At around Upon arrival in Entebbe, Uganda, our representative will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel—a transfer of about an hour.
When you arrive at the hotel, you will check in and receive your room assignment. Depending on what hotel we stay at, we’ll likely be located in the shores of Lake Victoria. Typical hotel amenities include a restaurant, bar and a fitness centre; rooms are likely to feature air conditioning, satellite TV, wireless Internet, and private bath with hair dryer.
DAY 2 – Kampala to Lake Mburo Nat Park
After breakfast embark on the transfer to Lake Mburo National Park in the south west of Uganda departing your place of stay at 6:30am. The drive to Lake Mburo National Park is 240km about 3 – 4 hours’ drive and you will break this journey after driving only 77km from Kampala at the Equator crossing Kayabwe which is a re-known site for photography since most of the travellers prefer taking pictures with one leg in one hemisphere and the other leg in a different hemisphere. There are also geographical experiments that can be carried out for the keen geographers to demonstrate the geographical separation of the north and southern hemispheres.
Continue on the drive to Lake Mburo National Park. You will check in at the lodge and rest for lunch and simple relaxation. In the early evening, you embark on a thrilling game walking safari passing through the impressive savannah ecosystem with lots of Acacia. You enjoy beautiful views of the area including open stretching plains. The walk offers you an opportunity to explore the a range of wild game including; Rothschild giraffes, Impala, Burchell’s Zebra, Topis, Warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, elands not forgetting acacia associated birds. Hiking the Kazuma hill offers you one of the magical scenic views in Uganda.
Whole day Banyankole Culture Exploration
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Wake up 6am and connect to the Enyemebwa centre to catch up with the herds men getting up to do the milking and their daily routine. You arrive and get the milking equipment including the tying rope and the milking pot to actively participate in the traditional hand milking of the Ankole long horned cattle, from milking you participate in sick animal treating, caring for cows like brushing their body using the locally made fiber brush (Enkuyo) and set out to graze in the wilderness. You enjoy the stimulating sounds that are made by the herds men as they set out to the grazing field and be mesmerized by the cows know how to align themselves forming a line headed by those that have special character of leading others. You retreat back and visit the traditional hut where you find the women churning milk in the churning gourd, from here the guide can take you to explore the crop bit of it exploring the extensive banana plantations where you learn about various banana types and their respective use participate in pruning and weeding using local methods and then participate in initial arrangements for traditional lunch.
You take a break from that and rush to the well with red soil that is used for smearing the soil made water trough, smear the trough and fill it with water and then wait for the cattle to come and water them accordingly. You can opt to have a bull slaughtered and grilled traditionally for you where you can also have it alongside the delicious local sauce that is made without fire called Eshabwe. Join the women as they clean milk pots and smoking them with the help of handmade of ceramic and specially chosen tree and grass Species, making crafts and calf pen arrangement. In the evening after the cows have settle in their Kraal, you attend to the traditional performances including citations, dancing and singing. It is a whole day encounter that allows you to gain a deep immersion of the local culture. Retire for relaxation and overnight.
Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, explore the Erijukiro Cultural Museum at Igongo Cultural Center & 1520AD eclipse monument en route
After breakfast, embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and at 33km distance, you make a stop at Igongo Cultural Museum. The tour to the Erijukiro Museum exposes you to counts of collections of all tribes of south western Uganda dating back to their traditional era. You also enjoy the art works including the impressive sculptures of ancient great men like the Muguta y’ Butaaho and the Ishe’ Katabaazi not forgetting the magical cow Mayenje g’ ishinjo which sparked off the war between Nkore and Buhweju. You continue on the drive to tour the 1520AD Eclipse monument overlooking the Igongo Cultural Center. You can opt of for a hill climb other than driving there which is a magical experience to encounter. You explore the great heritage attached to the eclipse monument. The Cows of Ankole kingdom had been totally confiscated by King Olimi I of Bunyoro and the Banyankole were starving. And then a wonder happened when the King Olimi I was from raiding the cows of Rwanda and the total solar eclipse occurred when had reached Biharwe. He and his men thought that something terrible was going to happen to them and they abandoned the cows and run to Bunyoro. When the eclipse was over, the Banyankole found cows all over and they believed that they had been sent by God from heaven in response to their cries. Thus they called them “enduuga mwiiguru”. Break for lunch
After lunch, we drive to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park through the verdant country side, you will pass traditional homesteads and enjoy panoramic views of the Rwenzori Mountains. Arrival in Bwindi National Park, home of the endangered mountain gorillas, you will be checked in for your dinner and overnight at your lodge or camp.
Gorilla trekking and Batwa (Pygmies) Trail Visit
Activity Note: Today’s mountain gorilla trek typically involves two to four hours of walking through thick brush over steep, rugged terrain at elevations ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 feet —and can include exposure to stinging nettles and re ants. As overexposure to humans is harmful to mountain gorillas, contact is limited to one hour—and there is the possibility that they may become agitated and retreat back into the bush in less than our allotted time. Any travelers showing signs of obvious illness may be refused entrance by park authorities.
At about 7:30am, we take a drive of about 30 minutes to the National Park headquarters at to meet your guides for the day. After completing our park formalities, we are embark on a once in a life time experience of tracking mountain gorillas. Once you spot them you are allowed to spend an hour watching your closest long lost cousin. This is perhaps one of the most breath-taking experiences on earth!!! You get so close to these awesome giant primates. You stare at each other blankly not knowing who to break the long silence first. Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virunga is a magical experience. These massive primates are extremely rare, with less than 1000 living today. You will get within meters of the family, and be privileged to spend an hour amongst them. The trekking may be fairly strenuous; up to 3 hours or longer at a relatively high altitude. It is important to bring good hiking boots, long trousers, gloves for protection against stinging nettles, some snacks & sweets (for you, not the gorillas) as well as sufficient water as the rain forest gets hot and humid during the day. You will spend one hour with the gorillas, but it is an hour you will never forget. Depending on the length of our trek, groups will return to our lodge by about 1pm.
At around 3pm in the afternoon, depart for yet another adventure around the park as you visit these indigenous natives the Batwa. The Batwa are Uganda’s marginalized people and are view with derision by most of the Ugandan Nationals. The Batwa have lived their lives to current generations by hunting and gathering in the forest. The visit to the Batwa invariably involves songs and a dance demonstration, and once the music begins you can’t help but notice that they project a genuine pride in themselves.
Drive to back to Kampala
Morning: After your morning Breakfast, bid our host goodbye ad travel back to Kampala City. En-route stop over at the Equator for photographs and as well as to perform a simple experiment and experience a tropical balance before proceeding to the airport for flight back home.
