DAY ONE: Transfer to QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
After an early breakfast, set off for western Uganda through Masaka city for about 5-7 hours drive. Drive through delightful tea plantations and the beautiful scenic rolling hills.
We will have our first stop in Kayabwe to take pictures at the Equator. In Kayabwe town.
The equator crossing in Uganda is a classic spot for pictures, and souvenirs, and a perfect stopover for any safari to Western and southwestern Uganda.
Uganda is one of the countries in the world that is crossed by the equator – the imaginary line that cuts Earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. While the Equator crosses through all of Uganda, the most Iconic spot for the equator crossing is in Kayabwe, just 70 kilometers from Kampala city.
At Kayabwe, the Equator line crosses the Kampala – Masaka highway making it an easy stop for some equator science experiences and experiments. It has become a popular stop for anyone going to visit the popular national parks of western Uganda.
While Uganda has so many places to visit and take pictures, pictures taken at the equator line have an iconic feeling to them and they will become your favorites. For many visitors, being able to stand in 2 hemispheres and feel a bit lighter is a wonderful experience to add on top of their Uganda safari holiday.
There are several craft shops and art galleries at this place on Masaka Road. With products that have been locally made by individuals and organizations that are around the equator area.
After the stop, we will head to Mbarara with a quick stop over in Lake Mburo National Park to spot a few Zebras and some Antelopes.
Continue to Queen Elizabeth arriving in the evening.
Dinner and Overnight Stay at Kazinga Channel Safari Lodge.
DAY TWO: QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Have an early breakfast and go for an early morning game drive heading for the mating grounds of the Uganda kobs. You will view other animals like lions, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs and bushbucks. After the game drive, head to the Katwe Salt Lake in Kashenyi.
Queen Elizabeth National Park spans the equator line; monuments on either side of the road marking the exact spot where it crosses latitude 00. The park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park and renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of England. The park is home to over 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
The Katwe explosion craters mark the park’s highest point at 1,350m above sea level, while the lowest point is at 910m, at Lake Edward.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes, and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for a classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees, and over 600 species of birds.
Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo, and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.
As well as its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history. There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy storytelling, dance, music, and more. The gazetting of the park has ensured the conservation of its ecosystems, which in turn benefits the surrounding communities.
Most of Queen Elizabeth comprises open grassland and savannah which tends to be moist and woody in the west than the eastern part, Thorny Acacia dominates this savannah habitant with the high concentration of candelabra shrub a cactus that grows along the kazinga channel and on the kasenyi plains.
Queen Elizabeth supports at least 95 species of mammals,it boasts of 20 carnivores like the Lion,Leopards, side stripped jackal and spotted hyena among others.
Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park is truly a Medley of Wonders!
After lunch, you will take a launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel. This is a natural channel that joins Lake Edward to Lake George and its one of the highlights of your safari. On the cruise, abundant birdlife is sighted and perhaps the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. Dinner and overnight stay at Kazinga Channel safari lodge.
DAY THREE: TRANSFER TO KAMPALA
After a breakfast, transfer to Kampala arriving in the evening with beautiful memories of the trip.
Included in the package:
- 2 nights’ accommodation with meal plan as stated, Full board.
- Transport (4WD) tour Vehicle with a full-time English-speaking safari guide
- Fuel for the whole trip
- Water throughout the trip.
- Wifi- on board
- Park entrance fees and government taxes in the national parks.
- Car entrance charges
- Game drive Queen Elizabeth national park
- Boat cruise Kazinga Channel.
Excluded from the package:
- Phone calls, bar bills, laundry bills and any other personal expense not included on the itinerary.
- Accommodation for the night after safari
- Tips
- Fees for extra activities, meals not included in the itinerary as well as optional activities.
- Lunch and dinner on the first day before the safari and last day after the safari.
