This 18 Days Exclusive Uganda Safari takes you on a remarkable journey where you get to explore Uganda’s top tourist destinations. Major highlights of this trip include white water rafting in Jinja, rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, top of the falls in Murchison falls national park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park, boat cruise on Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Lake Bunyonyi boat ride and birding in Mabamba Swamp. This tour begins and ends in Kampala/Entebbe.
Highlight for 18 Days Exclusive Uganda Safari
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel in Kampala/Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja – visit the source of the Nile
Day 3: White water rafting
Day 4: Rhino trekking – Murchison falls national park – top of the falls
Day 5: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale national park – Bigodi swamp walk and community tour
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 8: Morning game drive – afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Day 9: Ishasha game drive – transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park (4-5 hours’ drive)
Day 10: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 11: Batwa community tour and transfer to Kisoro
Day 12: Volcano climbing/Golden monkey tracking
Day 13: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
Day 14: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park – biking safari or walking safari (4 hours’ drive)
Day 15: Morning game drive and afternoon boat trip
Day 16: Transfer to Entebbe – Botanical garden visit and reptile village visit
Day 17: Mabamba swamp tour
Day 18: Departure
Detailed Itinerary for 18 Days Uganda Safari
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel in Kampala/Entebbe
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will meet our company representative/guide who will be waiting to receive you and transfer you to either Entebbe or Kampala depending on your arrival flight time. You will be transferred to your hotel to check-in and rest from the long flight. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja – visit the source of the Nile
After breakfast, meet your safari guide, you will be met by our company representative and transfer to Jinja town which is about 3-4 hours’ drive from Entebbe airport depending to road traffic. Upon arrival, check-in your reserved hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: White water rafting
After breakfast, meet your driver and connect for water rafting experience on the Nile, it’s a full day activity. You will first report for briefing then be provided with rafting gears for the activity. After rafting, return to your hotel for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 4: Rhino trekking – Murchison falls national park – top of the falls
You will be picked up early morning after your breakfast and connect to Ziwa rhino sanctuary for Rhino trekking. It’s a 2-3 hours’ drive from Murchison falls national park. After trekking, connect to drive to Murchison falls national park. You will enter through Kichumbanyobo gate and proceed to the top of the falls before you proceed to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Early morning breakfast and then go for a game drive where you will spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, lions, Uganda kobs among others. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the park’s main tourist attraction the unique Murchison Falls as well as the River Nile with its streaming hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight as above
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale national park – Bigodi swamp walk and community tour
After breakfast, transfer to Kibale national park. It’s about 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route lunch in fort portal town. Visit the Bigodi swamp with lots of birds and primates and also do a community tour before you connect to your booked accommodation in Kibale National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge.
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Have early morning breakfast and go for briefing and start Chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Kibale’s 795km2 National Park contains one of the most beautiful and with the most varying tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda. This is place to a number of forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primate coupled with chimpanzees.
After trekking, transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park while you explore the Kasenda crater lakes. This area is one of the hidden attractions in Uganda. These crater lakes formed years back during the volcanic eruption forming calderas and later formed the scenic crater lakes in the Kibale-Ndali-Kasenda area, visit the various crater lakes then proceed to Queen Elizabeth national park. Connect to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Morning game drive – afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel
After breakfast, connect for a morning game drive in the Kasenyi sector for yet another game drive to find the early risers lions, leopards, hyenas and other various animals like elephants, Uganda kobs, and buffaloes, waterbucks, kobs, Oribi among others. Return at the lodge for lunch. Later afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise where you will spot various water animals like Hippos and crocodiles, the cruise will enrich you with various water birds too. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 9: Ishasha game drive – transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park (4-5 hours’ drive)
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and proceed to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park where you may spot some tree-climbing lions and any other missed animals. Proceed to Bwindi impenetrable national park with en-route lunch. Check at your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Gorilla trekking experience
After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for briefing and go for gorilla trekking. This could take 4-6 hours depending on the movements of the gorillas and on finding the creatures, you will be allowed to spend an hour with them. Return to your starting point where you will meet your guide after receiving your trekking certificate. Drive back to the lodge. Dinner and overnight at lodge as above
Day 11: Batwa community tour and transfer to Kisoro
After breakfast, connect for a Batwa community experience where you will learn about the life and culture of the pygmies of Uganda who lived in the Bwindi forest before it was gazetted as a national park for conservation. Proceed to Kisoro with en-route lunch. Upon arrival late afternoon, connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Volcano climbing/Golden monkey tracking
Option 1: Volcano hike – After breakfast, drive back to the park headquarters for briefing from your ranger guides about the hike. The park is located on Mount Gahinga one of the 8 Virunga mountains with the lowest height of about 3,474m. The hike is between 6-8 hours’ hike depending on your fitness. You will hike through the bamboo cover, if luck is on your side you may encounter the golden monkeys and the gorillas. Reaching the top is so fulfilling and interesting as you enjoy the cool air and the breeze from the giant lobelia in the carter swamp. You will then return at your starting point to meet your driver and go back to your lodge to rest.
Option 2: Golden Monkey tracking – You will have breakfast and head to Mgahinga national park which is about 3 hours’ drive from Rushaga sector of Bwindi for your Golden monkey tracking experience. Upon arrival at the park headquarters at 7 am, you will receive a briefing from the park officials before entering the montane forest to search for the Golden monkeys. Trekking starts at 8 am taking about 2-5 hours tracking and on finding them, spend an hour with them before you return to meet your driver and return to the lodge.
Day 13: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation. Connect for a boat trip on the lake exploring some of the lake’s 29 islands found there, learning about the history and interacting with the locals. Meals will be served at your lodge. Later afternoon, connect for a Batwa community experience and also learn about the indigenous people of Uganda. Return to the lodge to relax.
Note that there are other activities to enjoy while staying near Lake Bunyonyi such as Zip lining across the lake, High-rope challenge activities, nature walks, so you can do these if you wish to as optional activities. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 14: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park – biking safari or walking safari (4 hours’ drive)
Depending on what activity you have on this day and time of completion, transfer to Lake Mburo national park and arrive at good time for lunch at your safari lodge close to the park. After lunch, depending on your choice of activity, connect for either a walking safari where you will view animals on foot guided by the park ranger or take a guided mountain biking experience for about 2-3 hours, you will be rewarded by a number of animals like the giraffes, buffaloes, Zebras, elands, Impalas, just to mention a few. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 15: Morning game drive and afternoon boat trip
Early morning after breakfast, start your day on a morning game drive and birding experience at the same time. Lake Mburo is one of the best places for birding in Uganda. Encounter different bird species and animals like Buffaloes, Giraffes, Zebras, Impalas, and other residents found in the park. After the game drive, return to the lodge for lunch.
Take an afternoon boat cruise on Lake Mburo is one of the rewarding birding experiences. You will encounter more water birds and other birds. Also, find animals like the hippos. Later evening, connect for yet another birding drive to find more birds. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge above
Day 16: Transfer to Entebbe – Botanical garden visit and reptile village visit
After breakfast, embark on your drive to Entebbe on a 4-5 hours’ drive with en-route lunch and stop at the Uganda Equator. Upon arrival Entebbe in the afternoon, visit the reptile village and the Entebbe botanical gardens, take a walk in the gardens to find some birds and relax at the beach. Check-in at your booked hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 17: Mabamba swamp tour
After breakfast at your hotel, meet your guide at 8 am and transfer to Mabamba swamp. Mabamba swamp is located around the shores of Lake Victoria and is one of the best birding sites in Uganda that offers visitors an excellent birding experience and an encounter with different bird species. This site is also one of the few places in Uganda where there are higher chances to encounter the rare shoebill stork. Your safari guide will meet you and thereafter set off for birding at Mabamba wetlands. You will take a canoe ride at Mabamba where you will get closer to different bird species that reside here. You may also see the rare shoebill stork. You will spend half a day birdwatching. Return to the lodge for lunch and spend your afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel as above
Day 18: Departure – Depending in your flight schedule, meet your driver to be dropped off at Entebbe airport for your onward flight back home to mark the end of the safari
End of 18 Days Exclusive Uganda Safari
