Overview
Uganda’s greatest treasures, located in its vast protected areas, can be explored in this 15 days Uganda safari. While on this safari, expect to be blown away by some of the many wildlife species the country harbors, including the Big Five animals, the endangered mountain gorillas, the rare golden monkeys, and the playful chimpanzees, among others. These and more you will encounter as you explore the various destinations, such as Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, and Lake Mburo National Parks, to mention but a few. Adding to this excitement is a city tour in the capital and an adventurous quest to Sipi Falls. Follow through on how your day-to-day experience will go below.
Full itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and Kampala city tour
Upon arrival in the country via its main gateway, Entebbe International Airport, our company driver guide will welcome and brief you on the trip proceedings and answer any queries. Head to the capital for a city tour accompanied by a delicious local cuisine. During this city tour, explore the historical religious places like the Bahai temple, Namirembe, and Rubaga cathedrals. Visit the torture chambers of Amin and end your tour by visiting the cultural sites like the Kabaka’s palace and Kasubi tombs, a recognized heritage site by UNESCO. Head to your booked hotel in the evening for dinner and rest.
Day 2: Journey to Sipi Falls
Early morning check out of your hotel in the city after your breakfast and drive out to Sipi Falls in Mbale district. Venture to Ssezibwa Falls en route and enjoy scenic views with a taste of cultural heritage as the local guide will enlighten you. Continue to Jinja for a boat ride to the source of the longest river in the world, the River Nile. Enjoy an en route lunch, thereafter proceeding with your journey. By evening, arrive at your booked lodge around Sipi Falls in time for dinner and rest.
Day 3: Hiking and coffee tours
Wake up to a delicious breakfast at your lodge, accompanied by sun rise views of the surroundings. Head out for a hiking experience to the top of the falls after your breakfast. During this hike, explore the three falls that make up the Sipi Falls. Spot several species from birds to primates and flora while on your hike. Conclude your hike by heading back to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, explore the Arabic coffee plantations on a coffee tour. A local guide will take you through the different plantations as you learn a thing or two about coffee and its production processes. Drive back to the lodge by dusk for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Travel to Kidepo Valley National Park
Travel to Kidepo Valley National Park immediately after your breakfast. This long journey to Uganda’s most isolated protected area will take you the whole day, with an en route lunch mid-journey. The flat landscape and scenic views of the countryside keep you entertained throughout the journey until you arrive at your booked lodge in the evening for dinner and rest.
Day 5: Full-day game drive
Embark on a full-day game drive immediately after your breakfast. Drive to the Narus Valley, a popular site for game drives. Witness the early risers who managed to make it through the dangerous and unpredictable night. Kidepo Valley National Park is a unique but incredible site for a full-day game drive given its vast landscape that harbors epic wildlife species like lions, buffaloes, ostriches, cheetahs, elephants, leopards, hyenas, and warthogs, among others. Enjoy your packed lunch in the sight of the wild at Apoka Hill, and in the afternoon, head to the Kidepo Valley. Continue with your game drive with sights of many wildlife species grazing, as predators rest to reserve energy for the late-night hunt. Drive to your lodge later in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Check out of your lodge immediately after breakfast and drive southwest to Murchison Falls National Park. This journey, though it may seem long, its scenic views of the landscape and countryside that help keep you entertained. An en route lunch will be served to revamp your energy as you proceed with your journey. Arrive in the evening at your lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 7: Game drive and boat cruise
Murchison Falls National Park is renowned for being the largest protected area in the country and offers the best game drive experiences, which you can enjoy immediately after your breakfast. On top of the wildlife encounters like lions, leopards, antelopes, giraffes, buffaloes, and elephants, among others, you will also meet the world’s strongest waterfall, Murchison Falls. Its thunderous roar can be heard over Kilometers away, thus igniting your adventure spirit. Return to the lodge for lunch. Drive downstream to the Victoria Nile for a boat cruise experience that takes you until evening. From hippos and crocodiles to epic scenic views of the surrounding landscape, a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile offers untamed experiences. Sign out with a sunset view of the Murchison Falls and head back to the lodge for dinner and sleep.
Day 8: Drive to Kibale National Park
After a delicious breakfast, check out of the lodge and drive to Kibale National Park, the primate capital of the world. This journey is quite an experience, with the changing landscape views that depict the country’s various ecosystems. An en route lunch will be served midway through your drive to the park, with short interactions with the locals. Arrive later in the evening at your lodge in Kibale for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland tour
With over 1,500 chimpanzee primates in this park, a quest to encounter them will be next on the agenda immediately after breakfast. Arrive at the park offices for a pre-trekking briefing that seeks to take you through the dos and don’ts of chimpanzee trekking. Head into the forest with a lead range guide in 8-person groups to begin your chimpanzee trekking adventure. With much to see in the forest from the other primates like vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and blue monkeys, with many birds, you will be entertained as you search for the chimpanzees. Spend an hour in their presence upon their encounter. Take pictures and record videos for memories as the chimpanzees play, feed, and rest. Head to the park offices, and our driver guide will take you back to the lodge for lunch, thus concluding your trekking experience. In the afternoon, explore Bigodi wetland with a local guide who walks you through the history and tales of the swamp. Capture the inhabitants, such as the birds, primates, and wildlife species that have called this wetland their home. This activity stretches until evening when you return to the lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 10: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Boat cruise
As you finish up your breakfast at your lodge, check out, and our driver guide drives you to Queen Elizabeth National Park. In about 3-4 hours, arrive at your booked lodge in the park in time for lunch. Travel to Katunguru landing site in the evening to begin your boat cruise experience on Kazinga Channel. This channel is a waterway that connects Lake Edward and George. It harbors over 5,000 hippos, the largest population in the country, with a sizeable number of Nile crocodiles. These and also other animals like elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes that usually come to the shores you will see while on this boat cruise. At dusk, return to the lodge and sleep for the night.
Day 11: Game drive and Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Take on a game drive adventure in the morning immediately after breakfast. While on this game drive, expect to be entertained by the various wildlife species like lions, leopards, antelopes, waterbucks, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, and warthogs, among others. The vast landscape and ecosystem of the park will also amaze you as you conclude your game drive. Head to the lodge for lunch and check out of the lodge after. In the afternoon, embark on your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. A journey that takes approximately 4 hours, thus reaching the park and checking into your lodge by evening in time for dinner and sleep.
Day 12: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community tour
Wake up in the misty, impenetrable forest of Bwindi with birds singing out loud, ushering you to your delicious breakfast. After the park headquarters, you will go for a pre-trekking briefing that enlightens you about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. The briefing series will also highlight the expected code of conduct while in the presence of the gorillas, since they are still wild animals, though habituated. Assigning of lead rangers and grouping in groups of 8 people will follow. Head into the forest with the ranger guide in the lead to begin your gorilla trekking experience. A few hours in the forest, encounter the mountain gorillas as they go about their daily activities of feeding, and the infants play. Your hour to spend in the presence of the primates will start immediately upon encountering them. Later, after your hour return to the briefing center, where the driver guide takes you to the lodge for lunch. Drive to the communities of the Batwa people for a cultural visit. The local guide then ushers you into the community with a short history of the Batwa people, highlighting their origin and traditions. Witness the survival skills these people exhibited during their stay in the forest, from fire making to hunting. Finish off your Batwa experience with a cultural entertainment of the traditional dances and songs. Return to the lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 13: Canoeing at Lake Bunyonyi and overnight in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Drive to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale after breakfast and check out of your lodge. Take on a canoeing adventure across the vast deep waters of Lake Bunyonyi while bearing witness to its 29 islands that scatter its surface. Interact with the fishermen as they tell you mythical stories of this ancient lake. Spot several bird species flying around as others nest on the shores, affirming why this lake is known as Lake Bunyonyi, meaning the lake of many birds. Enjoy a local meal for your lunch in Kabale town before driving to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Check into your lodge in the park, have dinner, and an overnight stay.
Day 14: Golden monkey trekking and travel to Lake Mburo National Park
Embark on a golden monkey trekking adventure immediately after your breakfast. Golden monkeys are rare primates native to this park, and their encounter is worth it. Just like all trekking experiences, golden monkey trekking also commences with a short briefing and then heads out to the park. Trekking golden monkeys is not as exhausting since these primates usually leave traces of their bamboo leftovers that the rangers follow the get to them. They dwell in the lower areas in the bamboo plantations on mountain bases, thus easing their trekking experience. Spend an hour in their presence at the moment of encounter and spot them as they go about the chores. Trek back to the briefing center after finishing your golden monkey trek, and meet with the driver guide to drive you back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, travel east to Lake Mburo National Park, a journey that takes you through the second largest city in the country, Mbarara City, the land of milk and honey. Upon arrival at the lodge in Lake Mburo National Park, have dinner and overnight.
Day 15: Walking safari and departure
Immediately after your breakfast, begin your walking safari experience in the lead of a professional and armed range guide. Lake Mburo National Park offers the best walking safari experience, given that it does not harbor lions that could pose a threat. The abundant wildlife species in the park make it the best place for walking safaris. Although Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest savannah park in the country, it has one of the largest populations of animals. The animals you expect to encounter on your last day’s adventure are zebras, buffaloes, waterbucks, topis, impalas, giraffes, warthogs, leopards, and hyenas etc. The friendly communities around the park have carved a sense of confidence in the animals, thus they remain unbothered as you walk through their herds. Conclude your safari as you return to the lodge for lunch. Journey to where this tour begins for your departure, thus concluding your 15 days Uganda safari.