Winston Churchill called Uganda "The Pearl of Africa" and the name has stuck ever since. Of all East Africa's countries, the scenery along the Mountains of the Moon in the western part of the country where most of the big game parks are, is the most dramatic of all. This short safari visits the main big game attractions of Uganda, the three parks along the eastern edge of the Mountains of the Moon.

Birders will be anxious to know this area has the highest species count of any place in East Africa, nearly 650 species during the European winter. This is also a great safari to follow a Rwandan gorilla trek. (See elsewhere on our site for Mountain Gorilla Trek.) The Rwandan gorillas are very close to Lake Bunyonyi, the last active day of this safari.

The prices include: ** Meals as detailed in brackets following each day's description below; ** All park entrance fees, VAT and other government taxes; ** Comprehensive pre-trip material with discount coupons for travel gear and equipment. Additional expenses not included: - Meals not included; - All beverages; - Requisite visas and other travel preparations like inoculations; - Tipping.

Contact EWT for the best international air fares and for recommendations on how to use your frequent flyer miles.

You'll be personally met when you arrive at Entebbe airport, and transferred to Kampala's finest downtown hotel, the Kampala Serena Hotel. For those arriving early, an afternoon excursion can be planned to the famous tombs of the Kabaka kings. The hotel is perfectly located for exploring Kampala on your own, and this evening there is a wide range of excellent dining available.  [no meals]

After breakfast you begin the safari with a day's drive west towards the Mountains of the Moon. These are on good roads through developed Ugandan rural countryside. Along the way, you'll stop for lunch at a local restaurant. By mid-afternoon you'll arrive the extensive eastern plains of Uganda's biggest national park, Queen Elizabeth National Park. Continue to Mweya Safari Lodge overlooking the deep Kazinga Channel for dinner and overnight.  [b-l-d]

Uganda's best national park is also its biggest, and filled with game. Game viewing is at your discretion. Your driver/guide will have the most current information and best advice as to what to do and where to go, but ultimately you decide whether to go out all day with picnics, or return to the lodge for meals. The park is famous for its Ugandan kob, a beautiful antelope only found here and found in massive numbers. There are also many elephants, giant forest hog, buffalo, as well as the cats. You'll enjoy part of the day on a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel where you'll see many hippos and crocs, as well as some of Uganda's many species of exotic birds. Return to the beautiful Mweya Safari Lodge in time for sundowners before dinner. The lodge is built right on the edge of a steep precipice above the Kazinga Channel with beautiful views of Lake Albert.  [b-l-d]

Your destination this afternoon is one of the most unique national parks in East Africa, a midland ecosystem at the convergence of jungle and sacanna. This morning you travel north through Queen Elizabeth National Park game viewing, and this area is particularly good for lion. You'll enjoy a picnic lunch on the way, before heading into the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve. Arrive Semliki Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.  [b-l-d]

The day is spent game viewing in this huge area which includes savannas up to the shores of Lake Albert. The unique combination of ecosystems provides habitat for many animals found only the interior of central Africa, such as the forest elephant, forest buffalo and (much darker) forest leopard. The savanna includes all the more traditional big game species found on the great plains elsewhere, and there are also opportunities to see unique primates and birds found nowhere else. Semliki Safari Lodge is one of Uganda's most beautiful, albeit most remote. Whatever you do, today, you'll be among the few visitors to "East Africa" to have experienced "Central Africa".  [b-l-d]

The day is spent returning from the Semliki Valley to the main road and then north into the Kibale Forest. There will be game viewing opportunities in the morning as you leave the jungle, and you'll enjoy a picnic lunch enroute Ndali Lodge near the Kibale Forest. This impressive boutique safari lodge is perched on a hill overlooking beautiful coffee plantations and one of the area's deepest lakes. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.  [b-l-d]

Kibale National Park is the best place in all of East Africa to view chimps, and this includes the more famous reserves of Gombe Streams and Mahale in Tanzania. Chimp viewing is arduous anywhere, as chimps are hyperactive, curious animals that race through the jungle canopy with the ease of forest bird. The scientific attention at Kibale has been focused for a very long time, and the guides here are all highly academic and wonderfully trained. The chances of seeing chimps are excellent, and unlike many other chimp places in East Africa, the terrain is mostly flat. Following the morning excursion, you can relax at the lodge or take a walk with a ranger around a lake known for its exotic birds. Meals and overnight at Ndali Lodge.  [b-l-d]

The day is spent returning to Kampala from the north. You'll pass through the fascinating Nile Delta and understand why it was so difficult for the early explorers to travel down the Nile. Here this massive river spreads into many marshes, small rapids and huge papyrus glens. Arrive the city of Kampala for an independent evening. Overnight at the Kampala Serena Hotel.  [b-l- ]

After breakfast you'll be transferred to the airport at Entebbe for your departure.  [b- - ]

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