Safari Overview
The 12-day Uganda safari combines primate adventures, wildlife encounters, and cultural experiences. Embark on our primate and wildlife safari combo to enjoy the best of mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, game drives, boat cruises, and cultural tours.
Expect to visit Uganda’s leading destinations such as Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, and Queen Elizabeth National Park. These will guarantee you captivating encounters with the abundant savanna wildlife including the Big 5 game and a variety of antelope families.
Primate destinations to explore as per this itinerary include Kibale National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The exciting experiences to expect to enjoy on your 12-day Uganda safari include game drive, boat cruise tours, rhino tracking, Bigodi wetland walk, chimpanzee tracking, and mountain gorilla trekking.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival & transfer to the hotel in Entebbe
Get a warm welcome from your safari guide upon arrival at the Entebbe International Airport (EBB). You will be picked up at the airport and transferred to the hotel within the Entebbe town. Our representative will also be available to take you through the itinerary and what you should expect.
Day 2: Pick up from Entebbe & drive to Murchison Falls National Park
Early in the morning, you will have a hefty breakfast and later, you will meet the driver guide for briefing. During the briefing, you will get insight into what awaits you on your road trip to Murchison Falls National Park in northwestern Uganda.
Driving to Murchison Falls National Park involves navigating via the Kampala-Gulu highway, about 6 hours drive. En route, your road trip will cover a visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for you to engage in a guided rhino trek.
The two-hour guided rhino trek in Ziwa allows you to explore rhinos in the wild then you will transfer to Masindi to have lunch. From Masindi, head off to Murchison Falls National Park through the Kichumbanyobo gate. Drive to the top of the falls for a photography moment and later, you will be transferred to your respective lodges for relaxation.
Day 3: Enjoy a captivating game drive and boat cruise tour
Have breakfast and after, you will embark on a thrilling guided game drive through the enriching game tracks on the Northern section of Murchison Falls National Park. Using a 4×4 safari vehicle with the presence of an experienced guide, expect to enjoy uninterrupted views of the park’s diverse wildlife.
A game drive in Murchison allows you to see wildlife such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, giraffes, hartebeests, oribis, plus many birds. You will spend at least 2-3 hours exploring different wildlife and when you return, you will have lunch plus relaxation.
Leave your lodge for the unforgettable boat cruise tour along the Victoria Nile as you connect to the base of the falls. Along the Victoria Nile, a myriad of aquatic life can be spotted including hippos, crocodiles, and water birds. At the base of the falls, expect to have a great moment taking pictures and later, you may opt for a 45-minute hike to the top.
Day 4: Transfer by road to Kibale National Park via Hoima city
At leisure, enjoy a cup of tea/coffee and later, you will be transferred to Kibale National Park. Access to Kibale from Murchison will involve driving via Hoima City to Fort Portal tourism city. A stopover will be made at Fort Portal to let you have some lunch then proceed to the park to check in your lodge for an overnight stay.
Day 5: Engage in Kibale chimpanzee tracking & Bigodi Wetland walk
After breakfast, ensure that you get to the Kanyanchu Visitor Center which is found in the heart of Kibale National Park. At Kanyanchu, expect to meet the park officials for you to get registered, cleared, and then settled at the briefing room. The park official will take you through the guidelines to be followed when on a trek to see chimpanzees. The park ranger guides will also be allocated to accompany you and each ranger guide will lead about 6 visitors.
The actual trek with Kibale chimpanzees will begin at around 8:00 am and is expected to take about 2-4 hours. The trek involves exploring the habituated chimp communities and about 4 communities are available for chimpanzee tracking.
Kibale National Park prides itself on over 1500 chimpanzees plus 12 more primates. On finding a community of chimpanzees, expect to spend a maximum of 1 hour face-to-face with these primates. Other primates will also be spotted on your trek including the red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and black and white colobus monkeys.
After you have enjoyed a special one-hour with Kibale Chimps, you will walk back to meet the driver guide. Drive back to the lodge for relaxation and lunch break. After lunch, you will be transferred to Bigodi Wetland for a guided nature walk. At Bigodi, expect to encounter more primates and birds then return to the lodge for relaxation.
Day 6: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park through Kasese town
Have a leisurely breakfast and after, you will be picked up by the driver guide. Expect to drive out of Kibale and connect to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Access the park via Kasese town and at Kikorongo, you will have a great moment taking pictures at the Uganda Equator crossing. From Kikorongo, drive to the lodge in or around the park.
Day 7: Game drive & Boat cruise tour
After a delicious breakfast, expect to embark on a guided game drive through the Kasenyi track with an experienced guide. The Kasenyi game drive will take about 2-3 hours and expect to come across a variety of wildlife including lions, leopards, warthogs, elephants, Kobs, waterbucks, buffaloes, and many bird species.
Drive back to the lodge after a great time in the savanna wildlife. Have lunch and some relaxation till late afternoon when you will transfer to Kazinga for a boat cruise tour. A guided boat cruise on the Kazinga channel gets you a great sight of hippos, crocodiles, and water bird species. You will get back from the Kazinga boat cruise experience and spend the rest of the evening at the lodge.
Day 8: Drive from Queen Elizabeth Park to Bwindi via Ishasha
At leisure, have breakfast and then check out of the lodge. Today, you will be heading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park accessing it via the Ishasha sector. At the Ishasha sector, you will have a moment to search for the tree-climbing lions, topis, buffaloes, and other wildlife. Have lunch in the wild and after, you will connect to the Buhoma sector to check in the gorilla lodge.
Day 9: Engage in an active gorilla trek in Buhoma & visit the Batwa community
Report to the Buhoma sector for briefing about gorilla trekking rules and to get a gorilla group to visit. Expect to begin your gorilla trek in the Buhoma area at around 8:00 am and you will take about 2-6 hours. When you locate a gorilla group in Bwindi, you will be allowed to spend a maximum of one hour to explore in-depth the unique behaviors of mountain gorillas and take photos.
Walk back from the gorilla habitat to meet your driver guide. Transfer to the lodge after getting a gorilla trekking certificate from the park official. In the afternoon, you will end the day perfectly with a community visit to the Batwa Pygmies’ community. Get to explore more about the Batwa pygmies, their traditions, cultures, and practices.
Day 10: Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi –enjoy a canoe ride/sunset cruise
Leave Bwindi National Park after the leisurely breakfast and you will visit Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district. Lake Bunyonyi features 29 islands that make it a spectacular Lake in Uganda and expect to engage in a canoe ride or sunset cruise excursion.
Day 11: Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo Game Park, boat cruise
Depart from Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo National Park in Kiruhura district. Expect to spend about 6 hours and upon arrival, check in your lodge. Have your items dropped off at the hotel/lodge where you will have a relaxed stay. Later in the afternoon, expect to experience the best of a boat cruise to see hippos, crocodiles, and aquatic species.
Day 12: Game drive & depart
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and after, you will embark on a game drive. A guided game drive in Lake Mburo National Park gives you great insight into leopards, topis, Kobs, zebras, giraffes, and many birds. After the game drive, return to Kampala with an en route visit expected at the Uganda Equator crossing.
