This trip offers you and your children a great mix of real African adventure with magnificent wildlife, exotic locations and comfortable accommodation. The sheer variety of wildlife in sanctuaries and national wildlife reserves will delight all the family.
Overview
This trip offers you and your children a great mix of real African adventure with magnificent wildlife, exotic locations and comfortable accommodation. The sheer variety of wildlife in sanctuaries and national wildlife reserves will delight all the family. This adventure holiday covers Uganda Wildlife Education Center Entebbe, Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary, the Uganda snake village, Ssese Islands, Murchison falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. It features activities like camping / picnicking, Launch Cruise, game viewing, canoeing, squad biking, fishing and other water sports.
Introduction
Nothing compares to the pleasure of spending time with your loved ones, your family members. The natural curiosity and lightheartedness of children makes them ideal adventurers. Teens thrive with the combination of activity and culture that adventure travel offers. This trip has been specifically designed with the needs of teenagers and kids in mind. It features more adventurous activities that are suitable for younger and older children and parents or guardians, offering valuable learning experiences accompanied with lots of fun. The eco adventure holiday experiences become fun for everyone and the memories as a family last a lifetime. If you love more adventurous travel, and don't see why you should stop just because you have kids then this family eco adventure holiday is worth a try! Your family will be exposed to new and stimulating places in Uganda.
Detailed Holiday Plan
Day 1
On our first day we shall spend the whole day at Entebbe Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) and Entebbe Botanical Gardens (EBG).
Opened as a zoo in 1952 by the Colonial Government in Uganda as a reception centre for wild animals that were found as casualties, UWEC housed a number of indigenous and non-indigenous species, including bears and tigers that were kept as an attraction during that time. In 1994, Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Trust was founded and developed the zoo primarily for Conservation Education purposes. The center is located in Entebbe at the edge of Lake Victoria and provides a wide collection of wild animals in their rich and natural habitats. There is a wide range of exhibits of the wildlife with mimicked ecosystems in Uganda. The wildlife ranges from fauna like birds, reptiles, antelopes, carnivores, primates, to flora like trees, shrubs etc. There are several kids’ recreation facilities in the green natural compound, beach area, well developed walk ways that make the site very attractive for enjoyment, education, wildlife viewing and photography.
Depending on the choice and interests of the group, we may also tour Entebbe Botanical Gardens (EBG) or the nearby snake village.
The Snake village houses a collection of several species of snakes and other reptiles that are found in Uganda.
Situated on the northern shores of Lake Victoria (adjacent to UWEC), virtually on the Equator, EBG is a beautiful place with colourful butterflies, birds and primates in an area of 40.7ha.The gardens house a collection of species of plants of the tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones, besides several shrubs and other plants which regenerated naturally over the years. The habitat has attracted a diverse array of birds – 206 species (both forest and shorebirds) and monkeys; Black and White Colobus and Vervet Monkeys.
We will spend our whole day here with our family, eating, drinking, and playing with wildlife around us!
Day 2
The second day we leave Entebbe for Ngamba Island on a speed boat. We will spend the whole day at the Island, and return later in the evening for dinner and overnight in our hotel in Entebbe.
Established in 1998, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary provides a safe home for orphaned chimpanzees that have been rescued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other concerned authorities from poachers and/or traders, with no chance of survival back to the wild. Located 23 km offshore from Entebbe, the chimpanzees are housed on 40 ha island of rain forest with rich biodiversity and provides a variety of wild food for them. The chimps have personalized this natural habitat and are free to roam around.
The trip to the island offers a unique opportunity for close viewing of chimpanzees in their natural environment especially during the Pre-arranged supplementary feeding times. These harmless closest living relatives to man, are attracted within meters of the raised walkway specially designed for easy viewing and excellent photographic opportunities. To everyone’s astonishment, these creatures will not wary a glimpse of a distrustful fleeting looks at our sudden interruptive visit into their private world.
Day 3 & 4
The third day we aboard the Ferry on Lake Victoria and head for Ssese Islands
The Ssese Islands are an archipelago of eighty-four islands in the northwest of the world’s second largest fresh water body, Lake Victoria in Uganda. We shall in particular have our holiday at Bugala Isalnd. The soothing sounds of the water waves of Lake Victoria wash the serene white sandy beaches, amidst the blue skies, in the shadow of the natural rainforests, making life at the Island more exotic and yet relaxing for your family; a quiet, relaxing and entertaining country side whose tranquility is blended with the chanting sounds of birds, the colourful displays of the butterflies, and the frequent visits by the forest primates like monkeys.
We shall camp here for three nights, enjoy water sports, go fishing, squad biking; sunbathing, swimming, forest walk etc. A home away from home alongside a true nature experience!
Day 5 & 6
On the fifth day we shall transfer to Entebbe aboard the ferry and continue to Murchison falls national park, crossing the second longest river in the world, river Nile; arriving there late in the evening. We shall settle at our hotel for refreshments, dinner and overnight stay for two nights.
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's largest national reserve containing massive portions of archetypal wilderness of African savannah traversed by the great River Nile. The park got its name from the overwhelming falls on the Nile, where the river explodes violently through a narrow gap of about 6.7m falling into a pool 43m below.
The next day we shall have a morning game drive and an afternoon boat ride along River Nile. On our game drive, we expect to meet big game like lions, elephant, leopard, buffalo, giraffe; antelopes like Kongoni, oribi, Uganda Kob, waterbuck, etc are also abundant.
The exploration of the Nile on a boat along the calmer stretches of the river, up to the bottom of the falls, is by far the most thrilling expedition where beauty and tranquility of the water flow surpasses human imagination. On your observation deck, you will have stunning vistas of the white waters plunging down the river. There are also big congregations of Hippos, Nile crocodiles, Buffalo along the river. The riverbanks also attract an array of waterfowls like Senegal and water Thicknee, Squacco heron, common, wood, green, and marsh sandpipers, etc.
Day 7
The seventh day, we check out of our hotel cross the Nile again and drive towards the top of the falls for scenery and game viewing. We shall thereafter continue and drive back to Kampala.
Day 8 & 9
Day eight will see us traveling west of Kampala through the green picturesque Fort Portal area. We shall stopover in Fort Portal town for Lunch and later continue our journey up to Queen Elizabeth National park. We will spend our night at Mweya Peninsula.
Queen Elizabeth National park is one of the most arrestingly beautiful destinations in the world! Rolling hills and valleys caress the savannah plains speckled with acacia woodland before soaring inland to explosion craters some with pure water lakes.
The following day, we shall begin our eco adventure with a game drive in the park and later in the afternoon aboard a launch cruise along the Kazinga channel. The Kazinga channel launch cruise is the most luxurious in the whole of western Uganda; plying these waters with comfort, elegance and attentive service, affording superb wildlife viewing from your observation deck!
This 40km-long channel is a natural, narrow neck of water that connects Lakes George to Lake Edward. It provides the park's prime wildlife spectacle. Its shoreline attracts large numbers of water birds, mammals and reptiles year round. Among the wildlife you are likely to encounter here are large congregations of Hippo, waterbuck, crocodiles, elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog etc. birds include African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, African Crake, Water Thick-knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood, and Common Sandpipers, Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp Warbler, Collared Pratincole, Yellow- billed Ox-pecker etc.
Day 10
Our family eco adventure holiday ends on day ten as we transfer back to Kampala.
