Today after breakfast we start our safari. A long drive across Uganda with a traditional lunch on the way takes us to the Murchinson Falls National Park in the far North East of the country. We drive through small scale fertile farmland and marvel at the abundance of biodiversity, color, profusion, brilliant life and the serene beauty.  About halfway we stop for a traditional lunch served on banana leaves.  After crossing the Nile with a ferry at Paraa, we drive for another hour through the park to check in in the late afternoon at the Pakuba Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Driving:  360 km, 7 hours

Activities: traditional lunch, game drive en-route

Meal plan; ( B, L, D )

Murchison National Park is one of the oldest wildlife conservancies in East Africa having been declared a game reserve as early as 1926.  Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway were some of the early notable visitors to the park. After breakfast we undertake an extensive game drive. We may find Lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes and hundreds of Ugandan Kobs, Hartebeests, Elephants, Oribis besides others on the way. Our game drives take us to the top of the falls, where the Nile waters drop 43 m through a 7 m wide gorge. After lunch we take a boat ride to the bottom of the falls. On the way we see crocodiles mingling with Hippos in the water and Elephants and Buffaloes besides plains game on the shore. Upon return with the boat our driver picks us up again and with game drives en-route we return to our lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge

Driving:  game drives

Activities: Nile cruise, waterfall hike

Mealplan: ( B, L, D)

Today we have a long drive before us. The journey takes us through the town of Gulu and Kitgum. In the past, tribal warfare, cattle raids and very bad roads, have kept Kidepo Valley National Park isolated and unvisited. Fortunately, today, the situation has improved. The park, however, remains a Lost Eden, a place everyone recommends but where few have been.  The first 200 km are tarmac. Thereafter we proceed on a good murram road further north.  The hilly landscape is impressive.  On the way we stop and unpack our lunch boxes. In the early afternoon we reach our destination the Savanah Lodge situated on a hill at the edge of the park overlooking the Kidepo plains.  After checking in we explore the park with an evening game drive until 6.00 pm when we get back to the lodge to relax as we watch a beautiful sunset. Kidepo is a savannah landscape with 77 mammals and 475 different bird species. Dinner and overnight will be at the Savannah Lodge

Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge lodge

Driving:  360 km, 7 hours

Activities: game drives

Mealplan: ( B, L, D)

With the sweeping plains of Kidepo and Narus Valleys overshadowed by the brooding mountain scape of Mount Morungole, this park has huge appeal just for scenery alone. We have an early breakfast and should leave the Lodge by 7.00am for our morning game drives where we find herds of buffaloes; Kidepo has the highest concentration of buffaloes in East Africa – Elephants, Lions, Leopards and maybe even the elusive cheetah besides plenty of plain game such as giraffes, zebras, impalas, harte beests and varieties of birds.  As the temperatures rise we return to the lodge for lunch and a siesta and embark on another game drive later in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight will be again at the lodge.

Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge

Driving:  game drives

Activities: game drives

Mealplan: ( B, L, D)

Today we leave the extreme northern frontier and drive down south to Kotido the capital of the northern Karamoja sub region.  The 150 km drive takes about 3 hours.  We just arrive in time for lunch at the Karamoja Arts Center for lunch. After lunch we visit the largest Karamojong settlement in the area and if it is a Sunday we join them for their traditional Song and Dance after church.  The Karamojong originate from Ethiopia and is a subtribe of the Nilo-Hamids. They are closely related to the Turkana in in Kenya and share the same lifestyle.  The area was long isolated until recently when the Ugandan government started to build roads and provide security for the people. People have responded by surrendering their weapons acquired through the conflict zones in southern Sudan and after Idi Amin abandoned the army barracks in Karamoja.

Accommodation: Karamoja Arts

Driving:  270 km,  3 hours

Activities: Karamojong Village visit

Mealplan; ( B, L, D)

After an early breakfast at 7.00am we drive down south to Moroto, here we visit the Karamojong Museum, get our exit stamp and after an early lunch at the Mt. Moroto Hotel drive through hills and mountains up to almost 1600m before descending on winding roads to the Kenyan border.  There is no border post – we just pass through a police barrier at Lokiriama which tells us that we are now in Kenya. The road now passes along a seasonal tributary river to River Turkwel. On the way we find Turkana people herding their cattle and women searching for water. In The late afternoon we reach the capital and economic center of the area – Lodwar town.  Here we get our official entry letters and proceed for a well-deserved dinner and overnight at The Cradle – a good tented camp in the area.

Driving:  250 km,  6 hours

Activities: Karamojong Museum

Mealplan: ( B, L, D)

After a leisurely taken breakfast we start our 70 km journey to Eliye springs, a palm beach resort at the shores of Lake Turkana. We drive through treacherous sand tunes and after 2 to 3 hours arrive at the shores of Lake Turkana.  The turquoise waters, the palm trees and the sandy beach are an unforgettable sight.  We arrive for lunch, and in the afternoon take a stroll or a swim in the “jade sea” deriving its name because of the green water.   Dinner overnight will be at the Resort.

Accommodation: Eliye Springs

Driving:  70 km,  3 hours

Activities:

Mealplan: ( B, L, D)

The 200 km long and 50 km wide Lake in often quite windy and the waves are quite treacherous. We can opt to visit one of the islands in the Lake, the central island which is also a National Park. The time for the 40 min boat trip depends on the wind and weather conditions. Central Island has 3 crater lakes. One is inhabited by crocodiles, while another is home to flamingos and the third one is full of tilapias. But we can also opt to enjoy the scenery and the waters at the shore by spending the day at the resort.

Accommodation: Eliye Springs Resort

Driving:

Activities:  boat to central island

Mealplan: ( B, L, D)

Today our journey ends with a flight back from Lodwar to Nairobi. After breakfast we pack our bags and drive back to Lodwar for our 14.00h flight to Nairobi to connect with our international flight or for an overnight in Nairobi.