7-Day Kidepo Valley & Murchison Falls Fly-In Safari, Uganda

Leave Entebbe early and drive north to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, allowing roughly 2.5–3 hours depending on traffic and your starting point. With a ranger, track southern white rhinos on foot and learn about the breeding programme supporting Uganda's rhino recovery. After lunch, continue through Masindi into Murchison Falls National Park. Visit the top of the falls, where the Nile drops about 43 metres through a narrow gorge, before arriving at your lodge in the late afternoon.

Head to the northern bank at dawn, crossing via Paraa Bridge if required for your lodge location, and explore the Buligi tracks. Look for giraffe, elephant herds, buffalo, Uganda kob and Jackson's hartebeest, with lion and leopard also possible. The early start gives you cooler temperatures and time to search before the midday heat. In the afternoon, take the launch upstream toward the foot of the falls, passing hippos, Nile crocodiles and riverbank wildlife. Where trail access and your fitness allow, combine the cruise with a guided hike to the top and a vehicle pickup afterward. Otherwise, enjoy the return boat trip, usually around three hours in total, and a top-of-the-falls visit by road.

Head out early by boat toward the papyrus delta where the Victoria Nile meets Lake Albert. This is a rewarding part of the park for birdwatching and a place to search for the shoebill, though sightings depend on conditions and are never guaranteed. Spend the afternoon on another game drive on the northern bank, or rest at the lodge before tomorrow's flight north.

Transfer to Pakuba airstrip for your confirmed flight to Kidepo. A direct sector is approximately 1–1.5 hours, with the plains of Acholi and Karamoja below. Flying avoids a lengthy overland transfer and gives you more time in the park; the day's activity timing depends on the actual flight schedule. After arrival and a lodge transfer, head into the Narus Valley for your first game drive if time allows. Mountains frame the open grassland, and buffalo herds often gather near remaining water.

Spend a full day exploring the Narus Valley, where water draws wildlife through the drier months. Search the grassland for buffalo, elephant, zebra, Jackson's hartebeest and eland, and the rocky outcrops for lions. Your guide also watches the open plains for cheetah early and late in the day, but sightings remain a matter of patience and luck. Take a picnic lunch in the valley or return to your lodge during the midday heat. Apoka guests can ask about an optional ranger-guided walk, arranged in advance and subject to availability.

Drive into the drier Kidepo Valley, where sandy riverbeds are lined with borassus palms. Search for ostrich and other dry-country wildlife while enjoying the changing landscape. A longer excursion toward Kanangorok hot springs can be arranged as an optional activity when access and local conditions allow. In the afternoon, visit a Karamojong homestead outside the park with a community guide. Learn about pastoral life and the family compound through a locally arranged visit, respecting hosts' preferences around photographs and participation. Return to your lodge for sundowners overlooking the valley.

If your flight schedule allows, take a final dawn game drive in the Narus Valley before transferring to the airstrip. Fly to Entebbe on the confirmed routing, which may include a stop. Your international connection is planned around the actual arrival time with an appropriate buffer, rather than assuming every evening departure will connect. If necessary, we can arrange an additional night in Entebbe at extra cost. End of Saringi Tours services.