This 11 Days Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Budongo Chimpanzee tracking safari combines two national parks that give one of the best safaris and wildlife experience while on Uganda wildness. While in Kidepo Valley National Park, you will enjoy the wildness in form of game viewing, cultural encounters, and then the beautiful boat cruise safaris in Murchison falls National Park on the river Nile. You will also hike to the top of the falls, and then do chimpanzee tracking in Budongo forest which is part of the greater Murchison conservation area before you bypass Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking. The safari is interesting for the visitors interested in taking road trip safaris to explore Uganda wildlife and cultural encounters.

11 Days Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Budongo Chimpanzee tracking safari highlights

Day 1: Arrive and transfer to Entebbe town for overnight stay

Day 2: Transfer to Sipi

Day 3: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park

Day 4: Morning and afternoon game drives in Narus Valley

Day 5: Second Morning and afternoon game drives in Narus Valley

Day 6: Game drives to Kidepo valley, hot springs, and visits to Manyatas

Day 7: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park

Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

Day 9: Morning boat cruise to the delta and top of the Falls hike

Day 10: Morning Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo and drive to Nakasongora near Rhino sanctuary for overnight stay

Day 11: Rhino tracking in Ziwa and Return to Entebbe airport  

Detailed itinerary 

Day 1: Arrive and transfer to Entebbe town for overnight stay

After arriving at Entebbe International Airport, for your 11 Days Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Budongo Chimpanzee tracking safari in Uganda, you will meet pour traveler guide who will drive you to your hotel for relaxation, lunch, dinner and the overnight stay deepening on the time you have landed at the Airport

Drive time: Approximately 10 minutes

Accommodation: Protea Hotel (luxury), 2friends (Midrange), and Via Via Guest House (Budget)

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Day 2: Transfer to Sipi- Source of the Nile

After breakfast, here you will wake up very early in the morning and have breakfast and thereafter you embark on the road trip to Eastern Uganda for Sipi hiking experience. While on this road trip, you will enjoy the scenic views of Mabira forest and Jinja Nile bridge as you cross the almighty river Nile which is the longest river in the whole World. Discover the source of the Nile before continuing to Sipi for exploration and overnight stay.

Journey time: 6 to 7 hours

Accommodation option: Mbale Resort hotel (Luxury), Rakifi Lodge Sipi (Mid range) & Lacam Lodge Sipi (Budget)

Meal plan:  Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Drive to Kidepo Valley National Park

After breakfast which is usually served early in the morning, you will pack your belongings and drive to Kidepo Valley National Park you will enjoy some of the magnificence hills making a demarcating mark between the Iteso land and the Karamoja as you meet the Mayatas (Small houses or homestead for the Karamoja people) on your way to Gulu and cross some of the seasonal rivers and arrive in Kidepo valley National Park for relaxation and lunch and later drive for the evening game drive in the Narus valley

Journey time: 3 to 4 hours 

Lodging options: Adere Safari Lodge (Luxury), Kidepo Savannah Lodge (Midrange).

Meal: Full board

Day 4: Morning and afternoon game drives in Narus Valley

After taking a cup of tea in the morning, now you will drive to the Narus valley for the morning game drive as you be keen to sport some of the animals such as cheetahs in case you’re lucky. Kidepo Valley National Park is so unique in that it is interesting with self-guided game drives passing through the vast untamed wildness. The Narus Valley is so fantastic with stunning and beautiful views for your photograph moments. As you finish, you will return to your lodge for short relaxation and lunch as you prepared to go ahead to visit the Karamajong cultural people who are popular cattle keepers who find love with their cows and at times they have a mentality that all cows in the word belong to their home or tribe. They live in the homesteads called Manyatas which you will explore and visit and you will be welcomed traditionally with music dance and drama competitions and later you will return to the lodge for the overnight stay and relaxation

Accommodation Lodges: Adere Safari Lodge (luxury), Kidepo Savannah Lodge (Midrange)

Day 5: Second Morning and afternoon game drives in Narus Valley

Kidepo Valley National Park is very fantastic and so interesting for game drives safaris and it can be explored more while on game drives. And this on this day you will again go for another game drive to spot some of the animals that you could have missed in the previous game drive.

Accommodation Lodges: Adere Safari Lodge (luxury), Kidepo Savannah Lodge (Midrange)

Day 6: Game drives to Kidepo valley, hot springs, and visits to Manyatas

After taking your breakfast, you will be excited with the en-route game drive via the Narus valley as you head to Kidepo Valley. This trail will lead you to an area with a lot of bird species including the rare ostrich bird. Explore the hot springs as the guide will explain all about the cultural settlements and the history attached to the indigenous people. You will as well enjoy the photos of the Uganda South Sudan Border before you return to the lodge for lunch, dinner, and the breakfast

Accommodation Lodges: Adere Safari Lodge (luxury), Kidepo Savannah Lodge (Midrange).

Day 7: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park

After taking breakfasts, continue enjoying your 11 Days Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Budongo Chimpanzee Tracking Safari with an adventure drive to Murchison falls National Park to enjoy the routine game drives especially in the northern region of the park which is known as the para where you have a glimpse at various animals and if you are lucky, you will be able to see big cats hunting. Here you will check on at your Lodge and if the time allows you will go for the evening game drive.

Lodging options: Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury), Pakuba Safari Lodge (midrange), and Hornbill Bush Lodge (Standard)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

Take breakfasts and drive to the park for the wonderful game drive views via the morning game drives. While driving through well-established trails within the Murchison falls National park, you will be rewarded with the interesting sightings of buffaloes, spotted hyenas, elephants, hartebeest, lions, buffaloes, elephants with unique bird species within the park and these include secretary birds, open billed stork, marabou stocks, Abyssinian, black-bellied bustards among others. After returning from the morning game drives, you will drive back to your lodge, relax and have lunch, and after lunch head for the boat cruise at the lodge that goes up to the bottom of the forest and experience the wonderful tranquil magnificence that is formed by the waterfalls with water squeezing through the narrow gorge which about 43 meters. The boat cruise safari will lead you close to various animals surrounding the River Nile such as the Hippopotamus, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants that come to the river for drinking water, and after all, you will get back to the lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight stay.

Lodging options: Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury), Pakuba Safari Lodge (midrange), and Hornbill Bush Lodge (Standard)

Day 9: Morning boat cruise to the delta and top of the Falls Hike

After having your breakfast, you will go on another boat cruise that will take you to the delta region and you will enjoy the waters and how it flows down the Lake Albert. And in case the river Nile is carrying any load, this is the time when it starts to drop it. On the course of the river, you will enjoy several animals such as hippos, elephants, Nile crocodiles, and luckily enough you will encounter the rare shoebill. After this wonderful boat cruise, you will proceed to your lodge for lunch and after prepare for the hiking to the top of the falls that will take about 45 minutes before returning to your lodge to relax and have dinner and the overnight stay.

Lodging options: Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury), Pakuba Safari Lodge (midrange), and Hornbill Bush Lodge (Standard)

Day 10: Morning Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo and drive to Nakasongora near Rhino sanctuary for overnight stay

After having your nice breakfast in the morning, you will walk to the Budongo forest headquarters for a chimpanzee trekking briefing where you will be told of the dos and don’ts while in the forest looking for chimpanzees. Start your chimpanzee trekking walk into the forest with the help of experienced and trained guides. As you walk, you will encounter other primates and bird species and your guide will give information about all of these primates explored in the forest. You will continue until you find the habituated community of chimpanzees which you will be allowed to observe for one hour, as you take the photos and ask anything you want to know about chimpanzees, and then after you will drive to Nakasongora at your booked lodge awaits rhino tracking in the morning

Journey time: Approximately Two hours (2 hours)

Lodge: Amuka Safari Lodge 

Day 11: Rhino tracking in Ziwa and Return to Entebbe airport

After having your breakfast in the morning, you will be led by a guide to the wild to tracking the endangered white rhinos which were poached to extinction but later re-introduced in Uganda. By engaging in this wonderful activity, you will be able to contribute to the conservation efforts as well. After rhino tracking, you will be driven back to Entebbe international airport and this will be the end your 11 Days Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Budongo Chimpanzee Tracking Safari

Safari includes;

Airport or airstrip transfers

Bottled mineral water

Full board accommodation while on safari

The park entrance fees and the ranger fees

The services of the safari guide

All the safari activities within the park

Transportation in a 4×4 vehicle

Safari Excludes;

Personal related expenses such as drinks, cigars, tips, laundry, Crafts and other

Visas costs