Garamba National Park is one of the oldest parks in Africa and located in the northeast of Congo on the border with Uganda. It’s a fabulous park which has suffered a lot from poaching, but since African Parks took over, illegal activities have dropped over 90 pct.
Garamba NP consists mainly of savanna and we can see several plain antelopes, buffaloes, hyenas, elephants, lions and around 50 Kordofan giraffes. It was once the last stronghold of the northern white rhino, but they have sadly all been poached.
Our travel takes off from Entebbe from where we’ll fly to the border with Congo. There are currently two fixed flights a week. We’ll then cross the border and take a second plane to our beautifully situated lodge. The coming week we’ll explore the park on foot, by jeep and also from the air (with a plane or by helicopter). Garamba Park is a little-visited park and is one of the highlights in terms of nature in Congo. Together with the Virunga Park, it is also the only park where we can find a good lodge and well organized tourist activities.
The order of the programme may differ but we’ll do all activities as listed below. There is also a standard 1-hour airplane safari in the program with awesome views over the park. This can also be upgraded to a helicopter flight for about 3000 usd extra. It is difficult to say which day the flight is, it depends on the availability of the pilot.
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
You will be met by our team and taken to your hotel.
Day 2: Flight to the park
We’ll fly from Entebbe to the border with Congo, where our team will help you cross the border and then fly into the park with our second plane. Enjoy the beautiful views from the sky. We’ll arrive around 1:00 PM, and then we’ll have lunch followed by a game drive and sundowner in the park. Dinner is served at 19.00.
Day 3 Garamba
We’ll start the day with an early coffee or tea at 5.30 am and half an hour later we’ll leave on our first game drive to view the animals. We’ll have brunch around 9am in the park and return to the lodge around 11am after which you can rest a bit. Lunch is served at 13.00, followed by a free afternoon. At 4.30 pm we start our second drive with a beautiful sunset. We now start to look for the animals that are active at night. Dinner is around 20.00.
Day 4 Garamba
After an early coffee or tea at 5.30 am we drive to Bagunda Mountain where we take a walk. At 9.00 we take our brunch from the top of the mountain and around 10.00 we return to the lodge, where you can rest. Lunch is served around 13.00, after which we have time to rest. At 4.30 pm we have a game drive with sunset and we have dinner around 7 pm.
Day 5 Garamba
At 5.30 we take breakfast and go by 4×4 to Mondo Missa, where we’ll visit the chimpanzee monitoring camp and explore the hills, followed by lunch in the camp. At half past one we return to the lodge and have a free afternoon. At 7 pm it’s dinner time.
Day 6 Garamba
Breakfast at 5:30, followed by a safari by car and at noon we have a picnic near the Aka River. We return to the lodge around 1:00 PM to relax and at 4:30 PM we jump back in our jeep in search of animals. At 20.00 we have dinner after our night drive.
Day 7 Garamba
Breakfast around 5:30, followed by a morning drive and brunch in the park. Around 11 am we return to the lodge. Lunch around 13.00 with time to rest and at 16.30 we will search for animals by jeep for several hours. Dinner around 8pm.
Day 8 Entebbe
After our breakfast at 7 am, we make our bags and at 9 am we leave the same way we came. Overnight in Entebbe.
Day 9 Whitewater rafting on the Nile
Today we’ll raft on the longest river in the world: the Nile! Our team will pick you up in the morning and we will drive to Jinja and after our instruction we will embark on one of the wildest adventures of your life! If you prefer not to raft, we can also spend a day in Jinja hiking and visiting sites. In the evening you will be transferred back to your hotel in Entebbe.
Day 10 Return
Return flight. Today it is time to return home!
You can also combine this trip with a safari in Uganda such as the Kibale Forest, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth NP or (our favorite) the Kidepo Valley, one of the most beautiful parks in Uganda.Send us an email if you are interested.
Including:
– Accommodation
– All meals in Garamba (not in Uganda)
– Professional guides
– All transportation
– All activities and park as described
Not included:
– PCR testing
– International flights
– Meals in Uganda
– Drink
– Visa
– Tips
We offer you this formula for USD 5,190 per person if you share a room. This price is subject to change.
Why choose Congo Voyages for this tour?
We are the only local agency with people who are actually on site, and apart from a “lost Belgian expat”, our team consists entirely of Congolese with years of experience in the field. We work closely with the authorities such as the Ministry of Tourism, ICCN, but also the military who help us to secure sensitive areas. Our tours will only take place if all safety conditions have been met and the necessary permissions have been granted and if we have been given the green light from the local authorities/chiefs if necessary.
Beware of (fake) travel agents who copy our itineraries and offer our tours for a lower price. Most of them are Ugandan, Rwandan and Spanish operators who have never been to Congo and recruit locals without knowledge of the field or a license on the internet to do their travels, often with disastrous results, with people being arrested or defrauded and put in jail. worst case no one even shows up.
