Wildlife & Culture Safari with Rafiki

Enjoy a 15-day combined Uganda wildlife and culture safari. You will visit Mabamba marshland and Lake Mburo. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is your next destination to track the gorilla. See the elusive tree-climbing lions at Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Chimpanzees at Kibale National Park.

Day 5: Gorilla tracking Bwindi, Batwa Community visit –Bwindi

Today after breakfast with packed lunch, go to the gorilla tracking briefing point. The ranger guides will brief you on the day's activities in the forest before you come face to face with the giant primates.

It takes 4 to 7 hours to track them in the forest hideouts and one hour viewing them.

Later in afternoon we will go for a community walk to the Batwa village and learn about the original inhabitants of the Bwindi forest and visit a local women project called "Give a hand to a Woman" at Rushaga. If the project is unavailable, we will visit "Ride 4 a Woman" at Buhoma instead.

Overnight: Haven Lodge or Ichumbi Safari lodge or similar

Day 6: Kihihi Community experience

Today, we will travel to Queen Elizabeth Ishasha sector. We stopover at Ishasha community centre to visit the women projects involved in tailoring and coffee making. It is a hands-on experience for you to test your experience at making clothes. We will also visit the Simba Café for a taste of Ugandan coffee (https://wildlifeuganda.org/simba-cafe/) and Agatha Taste of Uganda for local bakiga delicacies and being part of the preparation at Kihihi (booking required in advance).

Overnight Ishasha Jungle lodge or Ishasha wilderness Camp or similar

Day 7: Game in Ishasha sector

At Ishasha sector enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Rwenzoris. This sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is a habitat of several mammals like Topi, Spotted hyena, Uganda Kob and African Elephant and tree climbing lions.

Overnight Ishasha Jungle lodge or Ishasha wilderness Camp

Day 8: Game Drive

Continue to Queen Elizabeth heartland. Early morning game drive in search of retiring nocturnal animals like the lions. Return for lunch and go for a boat ride on Kazinga channel an exciting ride that brings you closer to the hippos, crocodiles and birds like the African skimmer. Return to lodge. Night game drive is an optional activity available.

Overnight: Engazi lodge/Marafiki Safari lodge

Day 9: Rwenzori Community tourism experience

Harvest, cook and dine with a local family like one of them in the Bakonzo traditional cooking experience. You will have an opportunity to learn the process of growing and harvesting local foods eaten by the people living in the Rwenzori foothills. Before we dig in to our jointly prepared feast, we will invite some members of the community to come and enjoy our meal with us.

The experience is done in a village setting in the Mubuku valley. the village is surrounded by mountain views. The key highlights will be the beautiful views of the portal peaks on clear days, in the west, tasting the delicious meal, taking the cup of freshly grown organic Ugandan coffee and visiting the gift shop on site to shop local handicrafts.

Stage 1 – Arrive at the community visitors center by 8:00am and meet the local woman. You will be told the meal of the day and introduced to the local kitchen so that you get an idea of how local cooking works. Walk to the garden to harvest the food and vegetables that you will use to prepare the lunch meal through the tour. The crops to harvest may include bananas, Irish potatoes, beans, sweet potatoes vegetables and others, based on the season.

Stage 2 – return home with banana leaves to steam your meal. follow the step by step process of starting a local fire, peeling, and steaming your food. you will participate in the full process of preparing banana leaves to team the food. take a cup of local coffee and have talks with the community members to share other local stories as you roll in the process of cooking the sauce and vegetables.

Stage 3 – Meal time is the time for joy and celebrating the local delicacy. In time for lunch, you will get ready to enjoy the meal. Seat and enjoy the real taste of the organic produce of the Rwenzori mountains.

After lunch is good time to pass by the gift shop to purchase some of the local souvenirs made by the local women to further support the community and deepen your memories of the Rwenzori mountains community. You will also try to create some souvenirs yourself to experience the skill that goes into each and every piece made by the local women.

Overnight: Engazi lodge/Marafiki Safari lodge

Day 10: Bigodi Community

After breakfast, travel to Kibale Forest National Park. It has the highest concentration of chimpanzees in East Africa. In the afternoon visit the Bigodi community to learn more about the women group projects and Bigodi swamp for birding.

Here, you can also participate in the handicraft making and support the women group financially by purchasing souvenirs plus helping grow their groups.

Day 11: Chimp trekking

In the morning, go for chimp tracking to trace the chimps in the forest. It is quite an experience to visit these playful creatures, swinging in tree branches in their habitat. As your track them you will come across other primates like the Red Colobus and L'Hoest' Monkeys and the endemic Uganda Mangabey.

Day 12: Tinka home

You conclude your trip in this area by visiting Tinka Home stay for a local meal learning about and tasting a real traditional Kitooro lunch, then the Tinka family is welcoming you with open arms. You will be immersed in authentic traditions as you are enjoying fresh, organic food underneath a thatched roof, with warm company and background melodies of song birds. During your meal you will learn more about food traditions, ways of preparation and local stories.

Day 13: Royal Palace & Community Project visit [subject to confirmation]

Today after breakfast you will take tour around Fort Portal town, visit the King's palace and Royal tombs and also visit a Honey co-operative group or basket weaving women community at Rubona. You will participate in making candles out of bee wax or other activities of bee keeping (depending on availability).

Overnight: Mountain of the Moon or similar

Day 14: End of Wildlife and Culture Safari.

Travel back to Kampala, enjoy the beautiful Rwenzori mountain ranges, tea plantations.

Overnight at your accommodation.

Day 15: Fly back home

Catch your flight back home with memories to share with friends and family.