8 Days Murchison Falls and Kidepo National Park Safari
8 Days Murchison Falls and Kidepo National Park Safari
This 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari is one of the extraordinary adventures that will give you an opportunity wildlife species in Uganda such as the big five mammals which include lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinos. During the safari you will visit Murchison falls national park, the largest national park in Uganda and engage in an amazing boat cruise on River Nile and game drive. From Murchison falls national park you will connect to Kidepo national park an isolated protected area in northern Uganda and participate in a game drive to view a wide range of wildlife species and also hike mount Morungole where you will meet and interact with IK people.
Highlights of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Kampala
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
Day 3: Morning game drive and boat cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Kidepo valley national park
Day 5: Morning game drive and afternoon game drive
Day 6: Hiking mount Morungole
Day 7: Game drive and transfer to Gulu
Day 8: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari
Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Kampala, depending on your arrival time on day 1 of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to Kampala. upon arrival you will have lunch and then go for an optional city tour where you will visit interesting destinations like the Uganda Museum where you will know more about Uganda’s culture, visit art and craft centers where they sell souvenirs, visit Owino market where you will interact with local vendors, visit Namugongo Martyrs Shrine among others. After the city tour you will transfer to a hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
After breakfast on day 2 of the 8 days Murchison falls national park and Kidepo national park safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel to start the journey to Murchison falls national park in northwestern park of Kampala. On the way you will have a stopover at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking where you will be able to view the rhinos in their natural environment. After rhino tracking you will proceed to Masindi town for lunch and after continue with the journey to the park. Upon arrival you will drive directly to the top of the falls where you will have views of the waterfalls which is the most powerful waterfall, views of the bird species, animals and then drive to the lodge for dinner and over night.
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 2 of your 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for the morning game drive across the savannah vegetation which starts at around 6:30 or 7:00am. During the game drive there are different game tracks that you will follow such as Buligi track, Albert game track, Victoria track among others and as you drive you should look out for predators like lions, leopards, hyenas among others which will be going back to their hiding areas, other animals like giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, Jackson’s heartbeats, bird species like grey crowned crane, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black haeded lapwing, yellow billed stork, secretary birds among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will drive to Paraa landing site for an exciting boat cruise on River Nile. The scheduled boat cruise starts at around 2:00pm and takes about 2 to 3 hours ride to the bottom of the falls. During the boat cruise you will have great views of the waterfall, cruise meters away from large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs among others along the water banks drinking water, aquatic bird species such as the King fisher’s, Bee-eaters, Herons, comorants, fish eagles, papyrus gonolek, hornbills among others. The boat will continue to the bottom of the falls where you will either opt for hiking to the top of the falls or return to with the boat to the starting point. Hiking to the top of the falls is an adventurous activity that takes about 45 minute to reach the top but strenuous therefore you have to be physically fit in order to enjoy. During the hike you will have spectacular views of the landscape, scenery, River Nile, enjoy water slashes, listen to roars of the water among others. When you reach on top you will find your driver guide waiting for you to drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Kidepo valley national park
After breakfast on day 4 of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kidepo valley national park. Kidepo valley national park is Uganda’s most remote national park but with breathtaking and spectacular beauty. On the way you will have en-route lunch and great views of the beautiful scenery, landscape, farmlands, homesteads, local people among others and upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Morning game drive and evening game drive
Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 5 of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive which starts as early as 6:00am so as to catch up with the predators which will be going back to their hiding areas. During the game drive you will be able to views predators like lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas among others if you are lucky, other animals like elephants, buffaloes, duikers, jackal, bushbucks, giraffes, zebras, bohor reedbucks, waterbucks, oribi, guethers Dik Dik among others, bird species like the ostrich, beautiful scenery, take pictures of the sunrise among others. After the morning game drive which takes about 4 hour drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
Evening game drive, after lunch you will go for another game drive which starts at round 2:00pm. During the evening game drive you will drive to Narus River the only permanent water source in the park which makes it the best place to take beautiful pictures and view large concentrations of animals which come to the river to quench their thirst. Animals that can be spotted include elephants, lions, reedbucks, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbucks, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, klipspringer, guethers Dik Dik, different bird species like secretary bird, little weaver, black breasted barbet, yellow billed hornbill, singing bush lark, superb starling, Nubian woodpecker among others. After the evening game drive you will transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Hiking Mount Morungole
Hiking Mount Morungole, on day 6 of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, you will have breakfast at the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the starting point where you will be allocated a park guide to help you during hiking mount Morungole. You need to be physically fit in order to climb the mountain because the peak rises up to 2749 meters above the sea level. Mount Morungole is located in the northeastern part of Apoka and it acts as the ancestral home for the IK people, an ethnic group that originated from Ethiopia and first settled in Kenya and later moved to Kidpeo national park. While climbing mount Morungole you will have spectacular views of the beautiful scenery, landscape, valleys, surrounding areas, eastern rift valley and also visit the loving and welcoming IK people. Visiting IK people gives you an opportunity to interact with them, learn about their lifestyle, cultural habits where they pay bride price with beehives, chickens and goats, taste their food, local beer among others. Hiking to the peak of Mount Morungole takes 8 hours round hike and after descending down from the mountain, you will return back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Morning game drive and transfer to Gulu
Game drive, after breakfast on day 7 of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for another game drive in the savannah woodland. During the game drive you will visit Kanangorok hot spring where you will have great views of the mountains, animals, get an opportunity to interact with different people who come to pay homage, offer sacrifices and seek blessings from the hot springs among others. From the hot springs you will drive shortly in the park and then return your lodge for lunch.
Transfer to Gulu, after lunch you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Gulu town in the northern part of Uganda. You will have spectacular views of the beautiful landscape, homesteads, local people among others on the way and upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Departure to Kampala
On the last day of the 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari, you will have an ultimate breakfast and your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer to Kampala. You will have en-route lunch on the way and upon arrival in Kampala your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of convenience.
End of 8 days Murchison falls and Kidepo national park safari
Tour includes
- Park entrance fees
- Hiking mount Morungole
- Boat cruise fee
- visiting IK people
- 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.
