5 Days Trip to Fort Portal City

Highlights.

• Amabere caves.
  ● Entanda cultural center
  ● Tooro palace
  ● Sempaya hot springs
  ● Semliki wildlife reserve
  ● Kibaale forest
  ● Nyakasura hill.

Fort portal city is regarded as a tourism city because of the many attractions one can go to. It is located in Western Uganda which is 296.3 Km from Kampala.
On this five-day trip, you will visit places like the Mabeere caves also known as Amabere ga nyina mwiru, nyakasura hill and more places.

OVERVIEW.

Amabere ga nyina mwiru is located in Fort portal city and it is a cultural site. It has an interesting story behind it. It is covered with rocks which form scenic caves with streams of water above them causing a refreshing waterfall. This rock is a result of stalagmites and stalactites. These caves are between several trees and beautiful waterfalls.
Nyakasura hill has an elevation of about 1657 ft above sea level. At the top of the hill, you have beautiful scenery and a cool breeze. You will be able to view the four crater lakes and a few homesteads
Toro Semuliki wildlife reserve enjoys a dramatic rift valley setting between Rwenzori, Kijura escarpments and lake Albert. Dominated with grassy savannah, Borassus palm forest, riparian woodland. In this reserve, there are so many activities that can be done.
Kibale National Park is located in South Western Uganda and harbors very many wildlife species. Chimpanzees are also found in Kibale and they are the most selling in Kibale through trekking.
Sempaya hot springs are among the most standing attractions in Semuliki National Park. These hot springs consist of the female and male hot springs. The stories behind these hot springs are very interesting to hear and you would like them.
Toro palace is located on a hill in the middle of Fort Portal and has the youngest leader.

Travel itineraries

DAY 1 : Transfer from Kampala to Fort Portal

You will be picked from your hotel in Kampala and then head to Fort Portal city which is almost a 300-kilometer journey. On your way, you will make a stopover at Entanda cultural center which is located in Mityana. At Entanda, you will enjoy the cultural dances of Kiganda and fruits. Which is interesting as you engage in the dances, teach one to prepare local food and many more activities. You will as well have lunch from here. The Entanda Initiative offers an authentic visitor experience in a non-staged environment. Through active participation, visitors are able to learn a lot of things and they return home with bountiful knowledge and lessons for use in the future.

Later in the evening after the wonderful time at Entanda, you will proceed to Fort Portal city, check in at Koi-koi village hotel. You will be given a warm welcome here, be served dinner and engage in overnight activities.

Meal plan; Lunch and Dinner.  

Day 2: Visit to Amabere ga nyina mwiru, a hike to Nyakasura hill and later head to Tooro kingdom.

The Amabere Caves, also known as the Nyakasura Caves, are a popular tourist attraction located near Fort Portal in western Uganda. These caves are renowned for their natural beauty, cultural significance, and intriguing geological formations.

The name “Amabere” translates to “breasts” in the local Tooro language, and the caves are named as such due to the stalactite formations inside resembling breasts.

You will wake up to an early morning breakfast and after it, you will head to the caves and explore them with the help of a local guide. You will get to view the beautiful scenery of the waterfalls, be briefed about the historical background of the place and after that, you will hike a hill called Nyakasura. It is somehow hectic but when you reach the top, you will have a beautiful view of the crater lakes. The scenery is very beautiful and the breeze is everything. From here, you shall have a wholesome moments of photoshoot

These 2 activities of visiting the Mabeere caves and hill hike will consume about 5 hours of your precious time and after them, you will head back to the hotel, have lunch and then refresh. After lunch, you will head to the Tooro Palace and have a tour. The Tooro Palace, also known as the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Tooro, is the official residence and seat of the cultural and traditional leadership of the Tooro Kingdom.

It holds a significant place in the cultural and historical heritage of the region. The palace serves as the center for preserving and promoting the traditions, customs, and cultural practices of the Tooro people. During your visit here, you will get to learn of the key features of this palace and kingdom which include cultural center, historical significance, traditional leadership and the fact that it is a tourist attraction. You will also learn about the Tooro dress code. After this episode on your activities, you will head back to your hotel for dinner and overnight refreshment.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 3: Semliki wildlife reserve.

The Semliki Wildlife Reserve, also known as Semliki National Park, is a protected area that is part of the larger Albertine Rift ecosystem. It is known for its high biodiversity and unique species. Semliki Wildlife Reserve encompasses a variety of habitats, including tropical rainforests, savannah grasslands, wetlands, and volcanic hot springs, whereby key features and attractions here include biodiversity, hot springs, wildlife viewing, cultural encounters, landscape diversity, scenic beauty, safari and nature activities.

In Semliki wildlife reserve, you will have a game drive and a community walk whereby after early morning breakfast, you will head to the reserve gates and get cleared for a morning game drive. During the game drive, you will see animals like the buffalos, warthogs, Uganda kobs and many more. The game drive here will take you 3 – 4 hours and after it, you will head back to the hotel for lunch. After your lunch time relaxation, you will go for a community walk. This is done by the Karugutu community conservation association. Here you will see traditional dances being performed and also shop from the craft shop that’s there. The community interaction will take you maximum 2 and a half hours and it will be the last activity for this day. After it, you shall be transferred to your hotel, have dinner and overnight sleep and refresh for next morning’s activities.

Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 4: Kibaale and Sempaya hot springs.

After breakfast, you will go for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park. Kibale National Park is one of the best places in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Visitors have the opportunity to join guided treks led by experienced rangers and guides. The treks typically involve exploring the forest in search of habituated chimpanzee groups, which are accustomed to the presence of humans. In addition to regular chimpanzee tracking, one can have chimpanzee habituation experiences. This involves spending more time with chimpanzee groups that are in the process of becoming accustomed to human presence. It provides a deeper understanding of chimpanzee behavior and ecology.

During this activity, the guides will first track them. You will then be briefed and then the trekking is started. During the trekking, you will get a chance to view different animals and birds for example, black and white colobus monkey, red tailed monkey and many more. After sighting the chimpanzee, you will be left to watch them eat, play for about 1 hour.

After chimpanzee trekking, you will have lunch and refreshments after which you will head to the Sempaya hot springs. After a short briefing, you will then have a nature walk on one of the Sempaya trails as you head to the hot springs. These hot springs have female and male. At the female hot spring, you can boil an egg for 10 minutes and it’s ready to be eaten. Isn’t it interesting?

At the hot springs, you will learn of the history of the hot springs, have moments of photography and after a period of close to 3 hours you will spend on this activity, which is the very last on your to-do list, you will drive back to your hotel room for dinner, refreshment and sleep.

Meal plan: Beak fast, Lunch and Dinner.

Day 5: Transfer to Kampala.

You will wake up in the morning, prepare your belongings and be served a nice breakfast. After it, your driver will be ready, he will set the engine and transfer you to Kampala and back to the hotel.  Meal Plan; Breakfast and Lunch.