5 Days Murchison Delta Cruise & Chimpanzee trekking is one of the most amazing tours where travelers have an exclusive experience of Murchison Falls National Park one of the best National Parks in Uganda.
Murchison falls National Park is the biggest park in Uganda covering about 3,840sq.km and is located in northwestern Uganda. On your 5 Days Murchison Delta Cruise & Chimpanzee trekking, be sure to sight out several mammals including the Buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards, antelopes, grey duiker, bushbuck, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles , nocturnal mammals, several bird species including the rare shoebill, the water waves and the waterfalls among others that will make your trip a colorful one. Murchison falls can be visited any time throughout the year, but the best time is the dry season when you will be able to see all the animals gather along the River Nile bank in search of water while you cruise along the River Nile and the delta.
Highlights of 5 Days Murchison Delta Cruise & Chimpanzee trekking
- Rhino trekking done at Ziwa rhino sanctuary
- Top of falls
- Morning Game drive
- Evening Boat cruise
- Top of the fall hiking (optional)
- Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest
- Delta launch cruise
- Spot fishing (optional)
- Hot air balloon trip (optional)
Detailed Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Pick Up & transfer to Murchison Falls
- Transfer to Murchison Falls: You will be picked up by our company driver at your lodge in Kampala or Entebbe airport. Keeping in mind that the journey from Kampala to Murchison falls is 5-6 hours’ drive, you need to be at your pickup point in time. Our company driver will then pick you up and start your journey from Kampala making a stopover in Luwero district where you can buy any snacks that you may need for your trip.
- Rhino Trekking: You will also make a stopover at court view hotel in Masindi for lunch and then do a Rhino trek at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary which will take you around 1-2 hours and then head to Murchison falls National Park.
- Drive to the top of the falls: Depending on the arrival time you can proceed to the top of falls where you will be in a position to view the park from the top while enjoying the clean and fresh breath from down the fall. After that, your guide will drive you to Paraa safari lodge where you will check-in, freshen up, have your dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Game Drive & Boat Cruise
- Game Drive: On your Day 2 , you will wake up early at around 5:30am, take a bath, have your breakfast and then meet your driver to start your morning game drive at exactly 6:30am in order to catch up with the Nocturnal mammals before they return to their hideouts, you will also see the hunters and early birds. Several mammals will also be seen grazing on the moist green vegetation before the sunrise. This is an interesting activity that offers you an opportunity to view several mammals including the Giraffes, lions coming out of their dens, African Elephants and Buffalos, Jackson’s Hartebeest and Uganda Kob as they graze. This will take you around 5-6 hours.
- Boat Cruise: After the morning game drive, you will be driven back to the lodge, have your lunch and rest for a few minutes then get prepared for the boat cruise at the river Nile. Boat cruise starts at exactly 2:00pm, so your driver will ensure that you are at the starting point in time because you ought not to miss out on this breath taking the activity of cruising on the Nile River. During the boat cruise, keep the eyes wide open towards the river bank and at the base of the falls where you will see several hippo pods, crocodiles, herds of buffalos, elephants, and several water birds all flocking the river bank to drink water due to the thirst caused by the scorching sun during the afternoon hours.
- Hike to the top of the falls: At the end of the boat cruise, you may decide to hike up to top of the falls where you will meet with your driver to drive you back to your lodge for dinner and overnight as you prepare for the chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest the following day. Note: Hiking to the top of falls requires that you are physically fit and good healthy because it needs a lot of enough to climb till you reach on the top of the falls. However, once you manage to get to the top of the falls, you will surely enjoy the experience of viewing the entire fall from above.
- Community Tour: In case you are not up for hiking to the top of falls, you can do a community walk.
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest
- Chimpanzee trekking: Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest is carried out at Kaniyo Pabidi and it starts in the morning at 7:00am. So this day, you will need to wake up at 6:00am, prepare yourself and have your breakfast, pack your lunch box, snacks and enough drinking water which will be provided by the tour operator then meet your driver who will drive you to the office for briefing on how the trekking process is carried out, the dos and don’ts while trekking the chimpanzees and the time you are supposed to spend with the chimpanzee once a certain family is allocated. A skilled ranger guide will take deep in the Budongo forest and you move to and fro in search of the habituated chimpanzee family. This will take you between 2-5 hours to find the chimpanzee family depending on your trekking speed and the distance moved by these primates. Well, after finding a certain family, you will be given only one hour in presence of the chimpanzee family as you take photographs, and interacting with the chimpanzees and studying their behaviors including eating habits, mating habits, and more others. Chimpanzee trekking is normally termed as a full day activity because nobody is sure of how long you will move before encountering the chimpanzee family. While trekking, look around for various tree species in the forest, several mammals including the olive baboons, velvet monkey, and reptiles like snakes, several bird species and a variety of beautiful butterflies all in one forest. After the trek, return to the lodge for dinner and relaxation from a tiring but interesting day. Note: If you need something much more than just a trek, then opt for the chimpanzee habituation experience where you will spend as much time as possible with the game rangers and the habituators training the chimpanzees which are not used to human.
- Community Walk: In case you aren’t tired from the chimpanzee trekking, you may do an even community walk around the park where you will meet the BOOMU women’s group who work together to eradicate poverty, they will narrate to you their daily lifestyle and then proceed and visit the Mubako cultural center for horrific cultural performances and also have look at their handcraft such as mats, baskets which you can buy any of your choices and close your community walk by visiting the storytellers who will share their stories about the customs and their culture. Then return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Delta launch cruise, Sportfishing, and hot air balloon (optional)
- Delta Launch Cruise: On this day, you will need to wake up at 6:30am, enjoy your breakfast at Paraa safari lodge, pack your lunch box and then meet your guide who will drive you to the starting point of the delta cruise which starts at 8:00am. Well! , try to be at the starting point (Paraa jetty) in time to avoid missing out on this golden opportunity of floating on top of the Nile towards the shores of the lake Albert. This activity is pretty and shouldn’t be missed out during your five days Murchison falls trip as you will spend your 4th day cruising on the Nile towards Lake Albert. Wow, on this cruise you will be sure to sight out the Shoebill stork. Since shoebills are good fishers, you will watch them on the Albert delta in search of food as they follow the Hippo’s trail, and other birds such as kingfishers, Goliath Heron among others will be seen while on delta cruise. This cruise lasts for 2-3 hours. After the delta launch cruise, do a spot fishing where you will have an opportunity to catch some fish such as the Nile Perch, tiger fish, Tilapia, Electric cat-fish or Genus Alestes and in case you catch any fish, you are free to take it to your lodge where it will be prepared for you to enjoy. This will take around 1-2 hours.
- Hot Air Balloon Safari (Optional): You may also choose to do a hot air balloon where you will have a look at the entire plain in the north and west Paraa. This activity requires an additional cost which is paid to the Jobihani Dream Balloons office at Paraa Safari Lodge. After all the day 4 activities, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Drive back to Kampala – Evening City tour and departures
- Transfer back to Kampala: This is your last day in Murchison. You will need to have enough rest and wake up at around 7:00 am, take your breakfast at the lodge, check out and meet your driver to start your journey back to Kampala. Make a stopover in Masindi at court view hotel for lunch and proceed to Kampala.
- Kampala City Tour & Drop off: Depending on your next destination as agreed in your trip itinerary, in case you still want to be around Kampala, your guide will take you for a brief city tour until the time of your departure then you will be driven up to the airport or bus stop to proceed with your next program
End of the 5 Days Murchison Delta Cruise & Chimpanzee trekking
Your itinerary includes
- Park entrance fee
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- A full board accommodation at Paraa safari lodge for 4 nights
- Enough bottled drinking water
- A 4×4 trip vehicle with fuel
- Ferry crossing fee
- A tour guide
- Delta boat
- Boat cruise
- Game drive
The itinerary excludes
- All the travel expenses such as visa and air ticket to and from Kampala to your next destination
- Laundry
- Tips
- Juices and Alcoholic beverages
- Airtime
- All the optional activities
“By the time you complete your five days Murchison falls trip, you will go back with a mind full of all the beautiful encounters of the primates, mammals, birds, trees, and people all in Uganda the pearl of Africa”
