5 Days Murchison Falls & Queen Elizabeth Safari

Drive north via Masindi (approx. 5–6 hours) to Murchison Falls National Park. Visit the top of the falls viewpoint where the Nile squeezes through a 7-metre gorge and plunges 43 metres into the Devil's Cauldron.

Check in at your Paraa-area lodge overlooking the Victoria Nile. Olive baboons and warthogs are common around the lodge; Rothschild's giraffe may be visible on the southern bank approach.

Enter Murchison via Kichumbanyobo or Bugungu gate depending on lodge location. Park entry requires UWA fees plus vehicle charge — both included in your package.

Pre-dawn game drive on the northern bank Buligi circuit — elephant herds, buffalo, Jackson's hartebeest, oribi and Uganda kob are common; lion and leopard are possible at first light. Return for breakfast.

Safari activity | Nile boat cruise to Murchison Falls

Afternoon launch on the Victoria Nile toward the base of the falls — hippos, crocodiles, elephant at the water's edge, and classic birdlife along the papyrus banks.

Afternoon launch cruise on the Victoria Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls. Hippos yawning at close range, Nile crocodiles on the banks, and Goliath herons along the papyrus edges.

Murchison's northern bank supports roughly 76 mammal species. Patas monkey occurs in the drier zones near the delta; the launch cruise regularly passes pods of 50+ hippos near Paraa.

After breakfast, begin the long drive southwest (approx. 6–7 hours) via Masindi, Hoima and Fort Portal toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lunch en route — often in Fort Portal with Rwenzori foothill views on clear days.

Arrive at your Mweya or Katwe-area lodge by late afternoon. Evening at leisure overlooking the Kazinga Channel or crater lakes.

Dawn game drive on the Kasenyi Plains — lion prides stalk Uganda kob at first light; leopard, spotted hyena, elephant and warthog are regular. Return for breakfast.

Safari activity | Kazinga Channel boat safari

Two-hour boat cruise on the channel linking Lakes George and Edward — dense hippo pods, elephant and buffalo on the banks, and outstanding birding.

Afternoon 2-hour Kazinga Channel boat safari — dense hippo pods, buffalo and elephant herds at the banks. African skimmer and malachite kingfisher are standout birds.

Queen Elizabeth (1,978 km²) links the ice-capped Rwenzori to the western rift valley. The Kazinga Channel holds an estimated 5,000+ hippos — among the densest concentrations in Africa.

Optional short morning game drive or crater-lake viewpoint near Katwe, then checkout and drive north to Kampala/Entebbe (approx. 6–7 hours) via Mbarara.

Lunch en route; airport drop-off for evening flights.