Arrive at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, where you’ll be greeted by a Volcanoes Safaris representative. Transfer to Hotel No. 5 for check-in.
Enjoy drinks and a welcome dinner with Dr. Braczkowski, who will provide an overview of the safari, sharing insights from his extensive research on big cats, including his work on leopards and African lions.
Overnight at Hotel No. 5 (dinner, breakfast).
After breakfast, transfer to Entebbe Airport for a domestic flight to Pakuba Airstrip in Murchison Falls National Park.
On arrival at Nile Safari Lodge, relax and enjoy a light lunch with views over the river.
Nile Safari Lodge offers a magical escape in the most luxurious, tranquil, and eco-friendly setting in Uganda. Explore the breathtaking views of the River Nile every corner of our lodge. Experience the awe-inspiring spectacles on offer on the banks of the world’s longest river and Uganda’s largest national park.
Embark on an afternoon game drive in the Nile Delta, renowned for its high densities of leopards and other predators. Dr. Braczkowski will share findings from his research, which has documented leopard densities reaching 14 individuals per 100 km² in this area.
Dinner at the lodge, followed by a presentation from Dr. Braczkowski on predator ecology and conservation strategies in Murchison Falls National Park.
Overnight at Nile Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Set out on an early morning game drive focused on tracking big cats. Dr. Braczkowski will provide guidance on eye-level photography techniques, drawing from his experience as a wildlife cameraman and photographer with National Geographic Television and Magazine.
Return to the lodge for an afternoon siesta followed by a specialized photography tutorial session. Dr. Braczkowski will teach off-camera flash techniques to capture stunning images of predators at dusk as part of a Lightroom workshop going through their imagery, discussing composition, and showing critical editing techniques.
In the early evening go for a game drive in the park.
Overnight at Nile Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Enjoy a morning private boat cruise along the Nile, observing wildlife such as Nile crocodile, hippo elephant, and diverse bird species.
Over lunch, join Dr. Braczkowski for a discussion on human-wildlife conflict and conservation strategies, referencing his publication on the unequal burden of such conflicts.
Engage in evening an astrophotography session, capturing nocturnal landscapes and, if fortunate, nocturnal wildlife.
Overnight at Nile Safari Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Transfer from Nile Safari Lodge to Pakuba Airstrip for a short flight to Kasese.
On route to the Kyambura Gorge Lodge, visit the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation and learn about the cultural partnership with Volcanoes Safaris to support Ugandan Artists. Head out on an afternoon drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park searching for the tree-climbing lions, and maybe even spot a leopard in one of the Kasenyi plains’ unique candelabra trees (a giant cactus like tree where lions and leopards often rest).
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the veranda overlooking the savannah plains with the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains in the distance. Dr Alex, Dr Ludwig Siefert from the Uganda Carnivore Project, and researchers from the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project will join you to present some of their long term conservation science on lions in the region.
Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 2 hours.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (lunch, dinner).
Enjoy an early breakfast and set out for a morning game drive to find Queen Elizabeth’s legendary tree-climbing lions. The Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lions, leopard, elephant and buffalo and Dr Alex and his team will guide guests on specialized photography techniques to get eye-level shots of African lions in the trees. We will be joined by James Kalyewa from the Uganda Carnivore Program and we will track lions on VHF as part of their experiential tourism program. The Mweya peninsula is one of the best places to look for leopards, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets.
You will be joined by a member of the Kyambura Lion Team on your game drive who will teach you how to take lion identification photos and track your GPS, which will form part of an annual carnivore census as part of the Lion Monitoring Project.
On return to the lodge, participate in the Kyambura Gorge Eco-tourism Project. Try roasting coffee with the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative, go birding in the Kyambura reclaimed wetlands, and plant a tree seedling in the wildlife buffer zone.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After breakfast walk from the lodge directly down into Kyambura Gorge, to search for the ‘Lost Chimpanzees of Kyambura’. The gorge is an extraordinary natural environment and forms a stark contrast to the surrounding grasslands. Here you can track one of our closest animal relatives: the chimpanzee. This group of isolated chimps are quite mobile and viewing can be unpredictable but the walk itself is exciting and enchanting.
In the afternoon take a cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which flows between Lakes Edward and George. Kazinga is home to one of the greatest concentrations of hippo in Africa and herds of elephant, buffalo and other animals come to drink at the water’s edge. The channel is a magnet for waterbirds, with great flocks of pelicans and others birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle. At the end of the cruise head for one final photography session with the tree climbing lions and Alex and his team.
After your boat cruise harvest honey with the Kyambura bee-keeping cooperative, see a performance from the Omumushaka Dance Group, and go on a gorge walk to see birds, monkeys and other wildlife around Kyambura Gorge Lodge.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Transfer from Kyambura Gorge Lodge to Kasese airstrip for your flight to Entebbe and connect to your international flight.
Approximate Travel Times: Flying 1 to 2 hours; Driving 1 hour
(Breakfast at the lodge)
Join this exclusive specialist photography and big cat conservation safari in 2025, with two departures starting on 9th May 2025 and 23rd October 2025. Rates from $12,180 per person on a shared basis, for this all inclusive 7-night safari.
Requires a minimum of 6 people to run.
Prices Include
• An expert Volcanoes driver/guide and vehicle for the itinerary agreed.
• Accommodation on a shared basis and meals as stated in the itinerary. On safari in Volcanoes Nile Safari Lodge and Kyambura Gorge Lodge – full board, all-inclusive).
• All activities as per the itinerary agreed. So where appropriate, fishing, game drives, boat trips, park fees, lion monitoring, and community walk fees, visit the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation, one chimpanzee permit are included.
• At Volcanoes Lodges (Kyambura Gorge Lodge), accommodation and meals, soft drinks, standard and premium alcoholic drinks, signature cocktails, cellar collection wines (except French champagne), single malt whiskeys, laundry services, any activities at the lodges, and all massages (subject to booking and availability).
Prices Exclude
• Airfares to Uganda/Rwanda.
• Entry visas and airport taxes.
• Gratuities.
• Personal expenditure such as drinks and laundry at non-Volcanoes Lodges.
• For single rooms, a supplement (SRS) applies.
Terms and Conditions apply.
Write to us on enquiries@volcanoessafaris.com or send us a message via the form on our contact page.
Rwanda: +250 (0) 252 502 452
Uganda: +256 (0) 414 346 464
© Volcanoes Safaris 1997 – 2024. All Rights Reserved
Write to us on enquiries@volcanoessafaris.com or send us a message via the form on our contact page.
Rwanda: +250 (0) 252 502 452
Uganda: +256 (0) 414 346 464
Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor is nothing short of exhilarating. The chimps effortlessly cross and scamper through the trees above the gorge, and visitors on the other hand must cross the river using natural bridges in order to keep up with the chimps. So although the walk usually lasts only 2–3 hours, descending the steep gorge and crossing the log bridges over the river requires some agility and fitness.
Chimpanzee tracking is also available in nearby Kalinzu, a forest reserve 30 minutes drive from Kyambura Gorge Lodge where there is a community of about 40 habituated chimpanzees.
