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5 Days Murchison Falls Big Five Safari, Chimpanzee Tracking & Rhino Trekking Adventure

Private Journey • Uganda

5 Days Murchison Falls Big Five Safari, Chimpanzee Tracking & Rhino Trekking Adventure

View Itinerary

Overview

About this journey

Uganda Wildlife Safari to Murchison Falls National Park

Safari Overview

Experience the ultimate 5 Days Murchison Falls National Park Safari, one of the most rewarding Uganda wildlife safaris combining the famous Big Five Safari Experience, chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest, rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, thrilling game drives, a scenic Nile River boat cruise, and the spectacular Murchison Falls. This unforgettable Uganda safari takes you to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest and most diverse protected area. The park is renowned for its incredible wildlife populations, breathtaking landscapes, and the mighty River Nile, which dramatically squeezes through a narrow 7-meter gorge before plunging 43 meters below, creating the world's most powerful waterfall.

During this safari, you will have the opportunity to encounter the Big Five animals including lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos, along with giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, and hundreds of bird species including the rare Shoebill Stork.

Safari Highlights

Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Big Five Wildlife Viewing Safari, Game Drives in Murchison Falls National Park, Boat Cruise to the Bottom of Murchison Falls, Delta Boat Cruise and Shoebill Stork Search, Chimpanzee Tracking in Budongo Forest, Visit to the Top of Murchison Falls, Community Cultural Experience, Bird Watching Safari, Photography and Nature Viewing Opportunities



Highlights

What you'll experience

  • Budongo's cathedral mahogany canopy shelters one of East Africa's largest chimpanzee communities. Your UWA-certified guide reads knuckle prints and half-eaten figs to close the gap, and when the first whoop rings through the understorey the whole forest answers.

  • On foot, no vehicle between you and them: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary's southern white rhinos graze in open grassland as oxpeckers pick ticks from their flanks. Your armed ranger narrates every ear-flick and head-swing as you close to thirty metres.

  • The afternoon launch from Paraa leaves the hippo pods undisturbed as you drift upriver. Nile crocodiles stack themselves on sandbars, African skimmers cut low across the current, and the roar of the falls builds until spray drifts over the bow.

  • The north bank of the Victoria Nile is one of Uganda's densest game corridors. Lion prides rest under borassus palms, Rothschild's giraffe browse at the horizon, and Cape buffalo herds throw dust across the murram track at dawn.

  • A short hike to the lip of the gorge puts you directly above the point where the entire Nile is compressed into a single roaring jet. The mist carries for half a kilometre and soaks your shirt before you reach the railings.

  • The papyrus delta at the river's mouth into Lake Albert harbours shoebill storks standing motionless in the reeds. Alongside them: African pygmy goose, malachite kingfisher, and the yellow-throated nicator calling from the gallery forest edge.

Why choose us

Why choose a Private Journey?

This route packs three of Uganda's most distinctive wildlife experiences into a single five-day arc — and does it without a single wasted hour on the road.

Three Ecosystems, One Circuit

Savanna game drives, riverine boat cruises, closed-canopy chimpanzee forest, and open rhino grassland: this itinerary moves through each environment at its own pace rather than skimming across the surface of any one.

Expert Resident Guides

Enock Mudde and his north Uganda team have worked the Murchison circuit for over a decade. They know the individual lion prides by ear-notch, and they know which papyrus channel the shoebill favours this season.

Fully Private — Your Vehicle, Your Pace

Maximum six guests in a single vehicle. If the leopard appears, you stay. If the group wants a second hour at the falls, you stay. No other group's schedule governs yours.

Itinerary

your day-by-day journey

Day 1Kampala – Murchison Falls National Park

After an early breakfast, your professional Arrive Africa Safaris guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe for a scenic drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Enjoy beautiful views of rural Uganda, traditional villages, and rolling countryside as you journey northwards. Upon arrival in the park, proceed to the famous Top of Murchison Falls, where you will witness the Nile River force its way through a narrow rocky gorge before crashing into the gorge below.

The views, thunderous sound, and mist from the falls create one of Uganda's most spectacular natural attractions. Later, continue with an evening game drive as you head to your lodge.

Accommodation Options

Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge

Mid-Range: Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge

Budget: Heritage Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp

Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner

Lunch, Dinner

Day 2Chimpanzee Tracking in Budongo Forest and Evening Game Drive

Before dawn your guide drives the Masindi road to the Kaniyo-Pabidi sector of Budongo Forest Reserve, home to one of Uganda's largest populations of habituated chimpanzees. arriving at the briefing post as the first light catches the canopy. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers assign your tracking group and you move into the forest on a cushion of leaf litter, listening.

Budongo's chimps travel several kilometres daily and your trackers use radio contact to converge on the group. When you find them — usually feeding, playing, or resting in a fruiting fig — you have one hour in their company. The vocalisations, the smell of damp bark, the sudden sprint of a sub-adult through the understorey: nothing else quite compares.

you may also encounter: Black-and-White Colobus Monkeys, Red-tailed Monkeys, Olive Baboons, Forest Birds, Butterflies, Ancient Mahogany Trees. Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. Later in the evening, enjoy another game drive, offering excellent chances of spotting predators such as lions and leopards as they become active before sunset.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3Morning Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise

Wake up early for an exciting morning game drive across the northern savannah plains of Murchison Falls National Park. This area offers some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in Uganda. Expect to encounter: African Elephants, Lions, Rothschild's Giraffes, Cape Buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, Hartebeests, Waterbucks, Oribis, Hyenas, Leopards (with luck). Return to the lodge for breakfast and relaxation before lunch. In the afternoon, embark on a memorable boat safari along the River Nile towards the base of Murchison Falls.

This scenic cruise provides exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities, including: Hippos, Nile Crocodiles, Elephants, Buffaloes, Waterbirds, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, African Fish Eagles, Enjoy breathtaking views of the powerful falls before returning to the lodge.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4Delta Boat Cruise and Community Cultural Experience

After an early breakfast, head out for a fascinating Delta Boat Cruise where the River Nile flows into Lake Albert. This section of the park is one of the best locations in Uganda for bird watching and wildlife photography.

Highlights include:

Shoebill Stork, African Fish Eagle, Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Hippos, Crocodiles, Buffaloes, Elephants. The cruise lasts approximately 3 to 4 hours and offers incredible wildlife viewing opportunities. After lunch, visit a nearby local community to learn about traditional lifestyles, cultural practices, music, and dance. This cultural encounter provides insight into how communities coexist alongside wildlife conservation areas. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Return to Kampala

After breakfast, check out and begin your journey back towards Kampala. En route, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda where wild rhinos can be tracked on foot. After a safety briefing, enjoy a guided rhino trekking experience that allows you to observe these magnificent animals in their natural environment while learning about Uganda's rhino conservation efforts. Following the trek, enjoy lunch before continuing to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch

End of Safari

Safari Inclusions

Rhino Tracking Permit, Chimpanzee Tracking Permit, Park Entrance Fees, Nile Boat Cruise, Delta Boat Cruise, Community Visit, Professional English-Speaking Driver Guide, Accommodation on Full Board Basis, Transportation in a 4x4 Safari Vehicle, Bottled Drinking Water. All Activities Mentioned in the Itinerary

Safari Exclusions

International Flights, Uganda Visa Fees, Travel Insurance, Tips and Gratuities, Laundry Services, Alcoholic and Soft Drinks, Personal Expenses.


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Breakfast

Extensions

+3 Days

Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

After returning from Murchison, fly south to Bwindi for three days among the mountain gorillas of the Rushaga or Buhoma sectors. Kigezi Highland Camp places you inside the forest boundary with the mist coming in low every morning.

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+2 Days

Kibale Forest — Deeper Into Primate Country

Two days at Kibale National Park adds red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus, and L'Hoest's monkey to your primate list alongside a second chimpanzee tracking permit. Fig Tree House Kibale sits at the forest edge and the chimps sometimes pass through the garden at dusk.

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+2 Days

Queen Elizabeth National Park

South from Kibale, Queen Elizabeth's Kazinga Channel offers the same boat-cruise intimacy as the Nile but with buffalo herds that number in the thousands and the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha in the southern sector.

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Dates & Prices

Prices in USD, including internal air, per person, double occupancy.

  • Jun 14 – Jun 18
    $2,950Available
  • Jul 12 – Jul 16
    $2,950Available
  • Aug 9 – Aug 13
    $3,150Available
  • Oct 4 – Oct 8
    $2,950Available

Minimum Age

12 years for chimpanzee tracking and rhino walking; all ages welcome on game drives and boat cruise

Safari Duffel

Soft-sided bag recommended for vehicle packing; max 15 kg checked luggage on any internal charter flight

First Group Event

Arrival transfer from Entebbe or Kampala on Day 1 morning — please confirm flight details at least 72 hours before departure

Last Group Event

Return transfer reaches Kampala/Entebbe by 19:00 on Day 5

Guaranteed Departures

All departures listed above are guaranteed with a minimum of 2 guests

Alternate Sightseeing

Shoebill sightings are wildlife-dependent and cannot be guaranteed; your guide will attempt alternative papyrus wetland sites if conditions require

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