10 days in Uganda: north-eastern ethnic groups special

Table of contents

Trip map

Itinerary of the trip

Please note:

Each element can be tailored to your needs and interests, from duration to type of accommodation and activities.

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe and transfer to the hotel

Upon arrival at the airport you will be met by our English-speaking driver (or Italian- speaking on request) who will take you to the hotel. In anticipation of the adventures that await us in the coming days, we suggest you take advantage of the remaining hours to visit
the city, taste typical local dishes and take a break.

• Mid-range/low-cost accommodation: Lake Victoria View Guest House
• High-end accommodation: Cassia Lodge
• Meals included: none

Day 2: Entebbe – Ziwa Rhino Ranch – Murchison Falls NP

In the morning we will drive north, stopping half way at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, where we will trek with rhinos; stop for lunch and in the afternoon we are expected to arrive at Murchison falls National Park where we will have a photo safari before checking in at the lodge.

The Ziwa sanctuary, which is currently home to around 25 white rhinos, is designed to allow them to be seen in their natural habitat. The two native subspecies, the northern white rhino and the eastern black rhino, have both been extinct in the wild since 1982. The area on which Murchinson Falls National Park is located is the largest in Uganda, about 5000 square kilometres, and also includes the Bugungo, Karuma and Bugongo reserves. The Park is characterized by typical savannah and forest vegetation. The name of the Park comes from the beautiful waterfalls that rise at a point where the Victoria Nile crosses a crack in the rocks and falls about 45 metres, creating a spectacle of power and rare beauty. In the Park there are about 76 species of mammals: elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, leopards, antelopes, Uganda kobs and many others; there are also about 450 species of birds, some of which are very rare.

• Low cost accomodation: Fort Murchison Lodge, fixed tent, shared bathroom
• Mid-range accomodation: Pakuba Safari lodge
• High-end accomodation: Paraa Safari lodge
• Meals included low cost and medium level: breakfast and dinner – half board
• Meals included high level: breakfast lunch (at ziwa rhino ranch) and dinner – full board
• Hours spent on the road: 6 hours and 15 minutes approximately – 420 km
• Planned activities : Rhino trekking – Game drive Murchison Falls

Day 3: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National park – Game drives

In the morning we will transfer to the north-east of the country, lunch in Kitgum and in the afternoon arrival at Kidepo Valley National Park, considered the wildest park in East Africa. Here you will find zebras, giraffes, elephants, lions, leopards, ostriches, kobs, topys, hyenas, buffalos, various types of birds and many others.

The Kidepo Valley National Park, extending over 1400 square kilometres and located in northern Uganda on the border with South Sudan and Kenya, with an altitude ranging between 1000 and 2750 m, is considered one of the wildest parks in East Africa. The Park is home to two rivers, the Kidepo and the Narus, which dry out during the dry season to form pools of water where the Park’s countless animals drink. There are about 77 species of mammals, including zebras, giraffes, lions, leopards, elephants, Uganda kobs, buffaloes and many others, as well as 475 species of rare birds.

• Mid-range accommodation: overnight at Kidepo Savannah Lodge
• Meals included: breakfast and dinner
• Hours spent on the road: approximately 6 hours and 40 minutes – 405 km
• Planned activities: photo safari Kidepo valley National Park

Day 4 & 5: Sunrise to sunset game drives at Kidepo valley NP

In these two days we will do game drives at dawn and in the afternoon looking for all the animals that live there. If the weather will allow it, we will go north to the border with South Sudan, where it will be easier to find ostriches. Lunches will be taken at the lodge.

• Accommodation mid-range: Kidepo Savannah lodge
• Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
• Planned activities: Game drive Kidepo Valley Np

Day 6: Visit to Kidepo, Kaabong, Nakapelimoru and transfer to Moroto

We’ll leave at dawn, on a trip that will take us through the most remote places of the country along the eastern border with Kenya, observing unspoilt and wild landscapes. The first stop will be Kaabong: a local IK guide will pick us up and take us to Kamion, the last border before Kenya, where we will have a breathtaking view of the rift valley, a one hour drive through the “bush” (there are no roads leading to this area); here we will visit an IK village. Along the way we will meet Karamajon shepherds from Lake Turcana. We will have a picnic lunch and then descend to Kotido, before reaching Moroto in the late afternoon. En route we visit the Nakapelimoru village, the largest in East Africa.

• Low cost accommodation: Mount Moroto Hotel
• Meals included: breakfast and dinner
• Hours spent on the road: about 4 hours and 40 minutes – 250 km
• Planned activities: visit to the local people

Day 7: Visit to the villages of Tepes and Karamojon

We will spend the whole day visiting the villages Tepes and Karamojon, near Moroto Mountain. After a walk of about 11⁄2 hours, we will visit extremely interesting archaeological sites, such as rock paintings dating back to the Stone Age, the Labowr Hill and, if allowed, the mines. On our return to the hotel, we will have the pleasure of meeting Father Aldo, a Combonian Father who has dedicated himself to the local population for 50 years.

The inhabitants, called “Karimojong”, are traditionally semi-nomadic and mainly engaged in cattle breeding, especially cattle. The region has the worst socio-sanitary indicators in Uganda. Historical and environmental reasons are at the root of this situation, and only in recent years have improvements in the social and economic field been noticed. Archaeological findings of great interest have been found in the area, such as cave paintings dated as being from the Stone Age. It is estimated that the present inhabitants (“Karimojong”) arrived about 4000 years ago, and pushed the original inhabitants (“Tepes”) into the mountains where they still live in traditional villages. About 80% of the population still lives in rural areas, even in the lowlands (typical savannah), in villages built of wood and mud, where life still takes place according to the culture inherited from the ancestors.

• Low cost accommodation: Mount moroto Hotel or similar
• Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
• Activities: visit to the Ik , Tepes peoples and cave graffiti

Day 8: Visit to Mount Napak

In the morning we will visit Mount Napak. On the way we will have the opportunity to visit the Matany Hospital, where Italian staff work. The trip takes about two hours to get there and two hours to get back. We will have a packed lunch or lunch at the “Rose School”. During the afternoon there will be the possibility of climbing Mount Moroto and, if arranged in advance, spending a night “in the bush” with local shepherds.

• Low cost accommodation: Mount moroto hotel or similar
• Meals included: breakfast and dinnerv
• Planned activities: Visit to Mount Nepak and other tribes

Day 9: Transfer to Jinja and visit the source of the Nile

In the morning we will transfer to Jinja which we are expected to reach in the afternoon. We will pass through Nakapipirit and drive along the reserve of Pian Upe National Park. Packed lunch or lunch on the way.

Arriving in Jinja in the afternoon, we will organize a visit to the source of the Nile.

• Accommodation mid-range: Source of the smile Guest house
• Meals included: breakfast and dinner
• Hours spent on the road: 6 hours approximately – 380 km
• Optional activities:Visit to the source of the Nile

Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe

In the morning we’ll transfer to Entebbe for the return flight, which is scheduled to take
place after 1pm.

• Meals included: breakfast and dinner
• Hours spent on the road: 2 hours

Prices and services included

Terms of payment:
50% at the time of booking, 50% 40 days before departure.

Cancellation terms:
– up to the second payment tranche full refund except for gorilla and
chimpanzee permits;
– after making the final payment and up to 10 days before departure, 50% refund;
– from 10 days to departure date nothing is refundable.

Please note:

Each element can be tailored to your needs and interests, from duration to type of accommodation and activities. Ask for a quote for this trip

Ask for a quote for this trip

Sea getaway – Possible extension