EXPLORE OUR SAFARI PROMOTIONS

Welcome to our dedicated page for tour promotions. These – for now – are limited to Uganda but cover the national desire for shorter tours of 3 to 4 days to visit our more popular parks, such as Queen E and Murchison Falls. They also facilitate inbound international tourists with longer 7 to 10-day tours covering Uganda’s established bucket list experiences, such as chimp and gorilla tracking adventures. All our safari promotions are based on solid 4-star lodges/hotels and include all major activities on location, national park entry and conservation fees, the permits required for gorilla and chimp tracking, and are based on HB / FB meal plans as specified. After all, we do not aim to be the cheapest, just the best tour operator in the region, offering tours delivered with attention to detail, quality, and innovation, promoting sustainable tourism, supporting local communities, and respecting wildlife conservation and the preservation of the environment. Come and explore our promotions, which are, on average, discounted to +10% from our standard safaris for Uganda.

EXPLORE BUCKET LIST EXPERIENCES UGANDA

Gorilla Tracking
Chimp Tracking
White Water Rafting River Nile & Nile Bungee Jumping
Climbing the Rwenzori Mountains
Climbing Mount Elgon

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THE CHIMP EMPIRE EXPLORER

The ‘Chimp Empire’ Explorer takes you on an amazing adventure to track the famous chimp troops of the Kibale Forest. Situated in southwest Uganda, near the Rwenzori Mountains, the Kibale National Park was first gazetted as a protected area in 1932 and formally upgraded to national park status in 1993. It covers just 766 square kilometers of tropical forests interspersed with grasslands and represents the second most important bucket list experience Uganda has to offer, next to visiting the ‘Gorilla Kingdom’ in the ancient Bwindi Forest. Known also as the ‘Empire of the Chimps,’ the Kibale Forest allows you to visit habituated chimpanzee troops in their natural habitat while enjoying sensational views of evergreen tropical rainforests. Of the more than 5,000 chimpanzees living in various forest reserves around Uganda, 1,400 live in the Kibale Forest, representing the highest concentration of primates anywhere in the world. Altogether, 13 species of primates have been identified in Kibale National Park. Other primate species you can observe during the daily guided tours to visit the habituated chimp troops include the red colobus monkey, olive baboons, blue monkey, black and white colobus monkey, grey-cheeked Uganda mangabey, and L’Hoest monkey.

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THE LAKE MBURO EXPLORER

The Lake Mburo Explorer takes you to the Lake Mburo National Park. As the smallest of Uganda’s savannah parks, Lake Mburo National Park was initially gazetted in 1933 as a controlled hunting area, upgraded to national park status in 1983, and occupies just 370 square kilometers about 240 km south of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Lake Mburo is considered the country’s most ‘family-friendly’ park due to the absence of elephants and big cats, which allows for cycling, horseback, and walking safaris through park landscapes. Along with 13 other lakes, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50 km wide wetland system linked by a swamp. With five lakes, associated wetlands, and swamps comprising 20% of the park, the remaining areas are covered by golden savannahs interspersed with Acacia trees, rocky ridges, and riverine woodlands, which supports a healthy population of elands, zebras, impalas, topi, reedbuck, warthog, buffalos, hippos, and, since 2015, a small population of Rothschild’s giraffe. Predators may include hyenas, genets, civet cats, jackals, and serval, but no lions or leopards, as these were driven out of the park by human overpopulation many years ago. In addition, the park is home to more than 350 bird species, including the rare and elusive shoebill stork.

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THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA EXPLORER

The Mountain Gorilla Explorer takes you to the ancient Bwindi Forest in southwestern Uganda, first established as a Crown Forest Reserve in 1932 and gazetted as a national park in 1991. The ancient Bwindi Forest is an important UNESCO World Heritage Site and is Uganda’s most famous national park due to the large population of endangered mountain gorillas living in the bamboo forests of its interior. The park is comparatively small, occupying about 330 square kilometers of montane and lowland forests that can be accessed only on hiking trails established at main park entry points linked to the four sectors of the forest, Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. Of the close to 1,000 mountain gorillas in this region, about 470 reside in the ancient Bwindi Forest, dating back to the last ice age and providing the backdrop for the ‘Bucket List’ adventure of tracking mountain gorillas in their natural habitat of dense bamboo thickets with enchanting views of tropical rainforests. The remaining African mountain gorillas are in three other locations: the Mgahinga Gorilla NP in Uganda, the Volcanoes NP in Rwanda, and the Virunga NP in the DRC. These three national parks and a string of eight volcanoes on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley are known as the Virunga Conservation Area (VCA).

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THE NILE RIVER EXPLORER

The Nile River Explorer takes you on an exhilarating white water rafting safari to the city of Jinja, located in eastern Uganda on the shores of Lake Victoria at the ‘Source of the Nile’. Jinja is also the starting point of the river’s 6,650 km journey to the Mediterranean Sea. The town was founded in 1907 by the British colonial administration and was previously recognized as the country’s industrial capital due to the construction of the Owen Falls Dam (Nalubaale Power Station) and its hydroelectric generators in 1947. Today, Jinja is known as the ‘Adventure Capital of Uganda’ due to its tourism developments, and a variety of exciting activities awaits the international traveler, such as white water rafting with Adrift, a popular and respected adventure operator with over 30 years of worldwide rafting experience. Other activities to explore include bungee jumping over the Nile River, horse riding safaris, quad biking, and sport fishing. Walking tours along the Nile and extensive boat tours present further exciting opportunities to discover exotic tropical bird species, such as the Ross and blue turacos, hawks, and fish eagles, or observe giant otters, and monitor lizards in the waters of the river, and even meet face-to-face with the largest crocs in the world.

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THE MURCHISON FALLS EXPLORER

This promotion takes you to the Murchison Falls NP, the largest and most popular park in the country, with the highest annual number of visitors of any park. Situated along the River Nile and in part on the shores of Lake Albert, it covers more than 3,900 square kilometers of landscapes dominated by savannahs dotted with acacia trees in the north and sub-tropical lowland forests, interspersed with riverine woodlands in the south. The park is named after the famous falls on the Nile River and features a 43-meter fall of boiling white water, which is forced through a 7-meter wide gap in a rocky escarpment before crashing into the lightly wooded savannah below. Today, there is a hiking trail starting at ‘Baker’s Point’ at the bottom of the falls, which marks the spot where the famous explorer, while standing on a giant rock, declared in 1864 that the falls be named after geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, who was the president of the British Royal Geographical Society at that time. Murchison Falls NP is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, including buffalos, lions, elephants, and Rothschild’s giraffe, with chimpanzees present in the Budongo forest reserve. The park can also be considered a birder’s paradise, with more than 450 bird species documented, including the rare shoebill stork.

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THE QUEEN ELIZABETH EXPLORER

The Queen Elizabeth Explorer takes you on an exhilarating tour of the Queen Elizabeth NP, the second most popular national park in Uganda, next to Murchison Falls NP. The park is home to an amazing variety of wildlife, such as elephants, buffalos, hippos, chimps, many antelope species, and the Rothschild’s giraffe. It features altogether more than 90 species of mammals and 20 species of carnivores, such as the lion, leopards, side-stripped jackal, and spotted hyena, and is also considered a birder’s paradise with 600 tropical bird species identified to date. The parkland covers 1,978 square kilometers of vistas ranging from Lake Edward and Lake George near the crater-dotted Katwe region and below the Rwenzori Mountains in the north to the rolling golden savannahs of the Ishasha sector and its tree-climbing lions in the south. Here, you can visit the volcanic cones and crater lakes on the west side of the Kazinga Channel, which formed as a result of volcanic activity along the Albertine Rift Valley and are used today by local communities to extract salt. Next on the ‘not to miss’ list is the Kazinga channel itself, a 32 km long natural canal linking Lake Edward and Lake George, and exploring the channel during a boat cruise allows you to say hello to the ‘Hippo Nation’.

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THE GORILLA KINGDOM EXPLORER

The Gorilla Kingdom Explorer takes you first to the ancient Bwindi Forest, an important UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is Uganda’s most famous national park due to the large population of endangered mountain gorillas living in the bamboo forests of its interior. The park is comparatively small, occupying about 330 square kilometers of montane and lowland forests that can be accessed only on hiking trails established at main park entry points linked to the four sectors of the forest, Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. Of the close to 1,000 mountain gorillas in this region, about 470 reside in the ancient Bwindi Forest, dating back to the last ice age and providing the backdrop for the ‘Bucket List’ adventure of tracking mountain gorillas in their natural habitat of dense bamboo thickets with enchanting views of tropical rainforests.

The second part of your safari takes you to the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, situated in southwestern Uganda, bordering Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and was gazetted as such in 1991. It is the smallest of the ten parks the country has established, covers just 33 square kilometers, and is part of the Virunga Conservation Area (VCA). The park has just one habituated transboundary gorilla family, which is difficult to track as it constantly crosses borders into Rwanda and the DRC. The Mgahinga NP is often visited to see the equally endangered golden monkeys or to venture on an exhilarating climb of the forested slopes of three of the eight extinct volcanoes that make up the Virunga Volcanoes range.

The last part of your safari goes to Lake Mburo National Park, considered the country’s most ‘family-friendly’ park due to the absence of elephants and big cats. It allows for cycling, horseback, and walking safaris through park landscapes. The park is mainly covered by golden savannahs interspersed with Acacia trees, rocky ridges, and riverine woodlands, which supports a healthy population of elands, zebras, impalas, topi, reedbuck, warthog, buffalos, hippos, and a small population of Rothschild’s giraffe.

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THE PRIMATE KINGDOM EXPLORER

The ‘Primate Kingdom’ Explorer takes you first to the Kibale National Park, which was first gazetted as a protected area in 1932 and formally upgraded to national park status in 1993. It covers just 766 square kilometers of tropical forests interspersed with grasslands and represents the second most important bucket list experience Uganda has to offer, next to visiting the ‘Gorilla Kingdom’ in the ancient Bwindi Forest. Known also as the ‘Empire of the Chimps’, the Kibale Forest allows you to visit habituated chimpanzee troops in their natural habitat while enjoying sensational views of evergreen tropical rainforests. Of the more than 5,000 chimpanzees living in various forest reserves around Uganda, 1,400 live in the Kibale Forest, representing the highest concentration of primates anywhere in the world.

The second part of your safari takes you to the ancient Bwindi Forest, an important UNESCO World Heritage Site and is Uganda’s most famous national park due to the large population of endangered mountain gorillas living in the bamboo forests of its interior. The park is comparatively small, occupying about 330 square kilometers of montane and lowland forests, accessed only on hiking trails established at main park entry points linked to the four sectors of the forest, Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. Of the close to 1,000 mountain gorillas in this region, about 470 reside in the ancient Bwindi Forest, dating back to the last ice age and providing the backdrop for the ‘Bucket List’ adventure of tracking mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

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THE PRIMATE EMPIRE EXPLORER

The Primate Empire Explorer takes you first to the Kibale National Park. Situated in southwest Uganda, near the Rwenzori Mountains, the Kibale National Park was first gazetted as a protected area in 1932 and formally upgraded to national park status in 1993. It covers just 766 square kilometers of tropical forests interspersed with grasslands and represents the second most important bucket list experience Uganda has to offer, next to visiting the ‘Gorilla Kingdom’ in the ancient Bwindi Forest. Known also as the ‘Empire of the Chimps’, the Kibale Forest allows you to visit habituated chimpanzee troops in their natural habitat while enjoying sensational views of evergreen tropical rainforests. Of the more than 5,000 chimpanzees living in various forest reserves around Uganda, 1,400 live in the Kibale Forest, representing the highest concentration of primates anywhere in the world.

The second part takes you to the ancient Bwindi Forest, an important UNESCO World Heritage Site and is Uganda’s most famous national park due to the large population of endangered mountain gorillas living in the bamboo forests of its interior. The park is comparatively small, occupying about 330 square kilometers of montane and lowland forests that can be accessed only on hiking trails established at main park entry points linked to the four sectors of the forest, Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. Of the close to 1,000 mountain gorillas in this region, about 470 reside in the ancient Bwindi Forest, dating back to the last ice age and providing the backdrop for the ‘Bucket List’ adventure of tracking mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

The third part of your safari takes you to the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, situated in southwestern Uganda, bordering Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and was gazetted as such in 1991. It is the smallest of the ten parks the country has established, covers just 33 square kilometers, and is part of the Virunga Conservation Area (VCA). The park has just one habituated transboundary gorilla family, which is difficult to track as it constantly crosses borders into Rwanda and the DRC. The Mgahinga NP is often visited to see the equally endangered golden monkeys or to venture on an exhilarating climb of the forested slopes of three of the eight extinct volcanoes that make up the Virunga Volcanoes range.

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THE WILD UGANDA EXPLORER

The Wild Uganda Explorer takes you first to the Murchison Falls National Park. Situated along the River Nile and in part on the shores of Lake Albert, it covers more than 3,900 square kilometers of landscapes dominated by savannahs dotted with acacia trees in the north and sub-tropical lowland forests, interspersed with riverine woodlands in the south. The park is named after the famous falls on the Nile River and features a 43-meter fall of boiling white water, which is forced through a 7-meter wide gap in a rocky escarpment before crashing into the lightly wooded savannah below. Murchison Falls NP is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, including buffalos, lions, elephants, and Rothschild’s giraffe, with chimpanzees in the Budongo forest reserve. Another adventure not to miss is daily scheduled boat cruises departing from various locations along the Nile. One goes upstream to visit the falls, and another goes down the river into the Nile Delta, a papyrus swamp ecosystem that developed at the Nile and Lake Albert meeting point. Here, you can observe an abundance of hippos, elephants, and crocodiles.

The second part takes you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to an amazing variety of wildlife, such as elephants, buffalos, hippos, chimps, many antelope species, and the Rothschild’s giraffe. It features altogether more than 90 species of mammals and 20 species of carnivores, such as the lion, leopards, side-stripped jackal, and spotted hyena. The parkland covers 1,978 square kilometers of vistas ranging from Lake Edward and Lake George near the crater-dotted Katwe region and below the Rwenzori Mountains in the north to the rolling golden savannahs of the Ishasha sector and its tree-climbing lions in the south. Tracking the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector is another objective you should achieve during your visit to this national park. Tree-climbing lions exist in substantial numbers only in a few places on the continent. Driving across the rolling savannah of Ishasha, you can observe lions climbing into Acacia trees to find the best branch to sleep on in the daytime. This means you may find a dozen lions clambering up the same tree, sometimes fighting each other for the biggest branch to sleep on.

The last part takes you to the ancient Bwindi Forest, an important UNESCO World Heritage Site and is Uganda’s most famous national park due to the large population of endangered mountain gorillas living in the bamboo forests of its interior. The park is comparatively small, occupying about 330 square kilometers of montane and lowland forests that can be accessed only on hiking trails established at main park entry points linked to the four sectors of the forest, Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. Of the close to 1,000 mountain gorillas in this region, about 470 reside in the ancient Bwindi Forest, dating back to the last ice age and providing the backdrop for the ‘Bucket List’ adventure of tracking mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

EXPLORER ENDORSEMENTS

Lillian Nakamanya

Thank you for the excellent service provided following the car hire from Kampala to Rushaga for two days. The focal person for booking ensured the process was hassle-free, the driver was very time conscious, arriving 30 minutes before departure time, and what a polite and helpful man who gave us a good ride to and fro. The vehicle was very sound and comfortable with phone charging ports, which was a nice touch that we thoroughly made use of. Thank you for the professional delivery of this service.

Herman Verwimp

An unbelievable two-week trip to Uganda with our most valuable treasures. Uganda, the Pearl of Africa they say. Well, we enjoyed every little second of this road trip. Surprising, diverse, friendly, natural, good food, drinks and infrastructure… what else can you wish? The best guide? Ask for the magnificent guide Robert Ahenda, a family friend by now.

Frederic Platini

Clients arrived well in Kigali – just a bit KO. They were extremely happy with Safinah who they describe as an incredible woman. Asked me to thank her.

Julius W.

The activities were well planned, and you did a beautiful thing to have scanned copies of all necessary documents and receipts. Having a contact person at the lodge to expect and preplan for the guests was perfect because it created a feeling that everything has been taken care of by Buyigi Safaris [now The Rift Valley Explorer]. 9/10 on trip planning and lodge selection.

Marjorie S. & Family

This was my first safari, and words are not enough to express how great the experience was. From the time of pickup all the way to the lodge and then the tour experience. The drivers of the tour vehicles are very personable, professional, and polite. They were very knowledgeable about the areas of the tour – taking time to explain sites and make the experience memorable. The vehicles had charging ports, so you are never running out of a charge on your phone or electronics. I would highly recommend Buyigi Safaris [now The Rift Valley Explorer].

No Name

Thank you for selecting Michael for us. He was a good driver-guide throughout the whole trip. My clients were so happy to travel with him, and they have promised to come back soon for another tour.