• Day 1: Arrive in Uganda via Entebbe Airport & transfer to the Hotel

  Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary en route

  Day 3: Do Morning game drive & an afternoon Nile boat cruise with a hike to the top of the falls

  Day 4: Travel to Lake Albert Lodge / Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve.

  Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park.

  Day 6: Do chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest and afternoon Bigodi wetland walk

  Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

  Day 8: Enjoy a game drive in Kasenyi & an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel

  Day 9: Do game drive in Ishasha sector as you transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

  Day 10: Engage in Gorilla trekking adventure & an evening boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi

  Day 11: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, traditional lunch stop at Igongo Cultural Center en route & do evening game drive upon arrival

  Day 12: Do morning walking Safari & transfer to Kampala. Make a stop at Equator.

Day 1 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Arrive In Uganda (Entebbe   International Airport) & Transfer To The Hotel

This 12 Days Uganda tour kicks off the moment you touch down at the Entebbe International Airport−your entry point to Uganda which is located on the shore of Lake Victoria−the world’s largest tropical freshwater lake. Our professional company representative will be at the airport to welcome you, help load the bags into our comfortable 4×4 safari car and then lead you on a journey to the hotel for a welcome drink and a briefing on your ultimate Uganda safari tour. After you will relax, enjoy dinner and overnight.

The highlight of the day: – Touch down in the Pearl of Africa at Entebbe airport with the breathtaking waters of the largest lake on the continent−Lake Victoria.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/ Upmarket: – Protea Hotel Entebbe/Serena Lake Victoria Resort

Mid-range/ Moderate: – Boma Hotel Entebbe/2 Friends Beach Hotel Entebbe/ Lake Heights Hotel Entebbe

Budget/ Basic: – Airport Guesthouse Entebbe/Acacia Boutique Hotel

 Meal Plan: – Bed & Breakfast / Half board in a hotel in Entebbe

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 3-5km or 10-20 minutes

 Activities and services:-

• Airport pickup and transfer to a hotel
• Briefing on your safari

Other activities you can do include:-

• Visit Uganda Wildlife Education Center for a chimpanzee close up
• Visit the Jane Goodall sanctioned chimpanzee sanctuary on Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria
• Visit the bird-rich Mabamba Swamp with its easily spotted shoebills
• Birding in Entebbe botanical gardens
• Sundowner boat cruise on Lake Victoria
• Entebbe city tour

Day 2 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Transfer To Murchison Falls National Park, Visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Enroute.

After an early breakfast at your hotel in Entebbe at around 6.00 am, we will drive northwest to Murchison Fall National Park, Uganda’s largest protected area. We will pass through impressive flat stretches of Nakasongola district with scattered human settlements, towns, and markets where you will see people going on with their daily life. We will branch off at Nakitooma for a 7km drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which is home to 22 southern white rhinoceros and the only place in Uganda to see these endangered, magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

We will undertake a 2 hours rhino tracking expedition on foot (with an expert ranger guide). Depending on the location of the Rhinos, you may need to drive closer to their location before you start the trek to reduce the distance. Your expert ranger guide will share different information on the behavior of Rhinos and how you ought to behave while as you track. Once you locate the Rhinos, you can stay a maximum of 1 hour in their presence. You will retreat from the activity, settle for lunch at Kabalega dinner and continue to Murchison Falls arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

The highlight of the day: – Tracking wild white rhino on foot a few in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

 Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Paara Safari Lodge/Bakers Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Murchison River Lodge/Pakuba Safari Lodge

Budget/Basic: – Hornbill Bush Lodge/Red Chilli Rest Camp

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 375km or 7-8 hours

 Activities & Services:-

• Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
• Tracking the wild southern white rhinos on foot in Ziwa sanctuary

Day 3 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Do Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Nile Launch Cruise With A Hike To The Top Of Murchison Falls.

After an early breakfast at around 6.30 am we will drive to Murchison Falls National Park’s northern sector for a morning game drive and get a feel of this Uganda’s biggest (and one of its best) national park. Murchison provides the setting for a classic savannah safari, but it is the Victoria Nile – dividing the park into northern and southern halves – that gives rise to the park’s greatest drawcard, the Murchison Falls. Notable visitors to the park include Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, and several British royals. The 1951 film The African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart was filmed on Lake Albert and the Nile River in Murchison Falls National Park.

The morning game drive here takes 3-4 hours through designated tracks with possibilities of encountering the Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos, Rothschild giraffes, Hippos, Waterbucks, Spotted hyenas, Oribis, and Kobs plus a variety of birds. Retreat from the activity and return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch after which you gather at Paraa jetty for the afternoon for a 3-hour boat cruise along the Victoria Nile to the bottom of the Murchison Falls. Here, the 50 meters wide Nile River which is the world’s longest river forces its way through a 7-meter wide cleft in the Rift Valley Escarpment before falling 45m below to create this world’s most powerful waterfall, making a river cruise to the bottom of this fall one of the absolute highlights of this entire Uganda trip.

Not only you will take in the drama of the fall, but you’ll enjoy good game viewing from the comfort of the boat – keeps an eye out for hippos and crocodiles – plus (thanks to a bird list of over 451 species) amazing bird watching. Upon arriving on the bottom of the falls, you will embark on the hike to the top of the falls for sheer sensory overload as you enjoy the sounds of the Nile as it splashes its head on the impermeable rocks that have stood in its way for centuries.

The highlight of the day: – An afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of the Murchison Falls.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Paara Safari Lodge/Bakers Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Murchison River Lodge/Pakuba Safari Lodge

Budget/Basic: – Hornbill Bush Lodge/Red Chilli Rest Camp

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 Activities & Services:-

• Exciting game drive in the park’s Northern sector
• Stunning boat cruise along the Nile to the bottom of Murchison Falls
• Hiking to the top of the falls

Other optional activities you can choose to do on this day in Murchison include:-

• Bush Breakfast
• Night game drive
• Hot air balloon safari
• Sportfishing along the Nile delta
• Bird watching
• Cultural visits

 Day 4 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Drive To Lake Albert Lodge/Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve. Sightseeing Of The Albertine Rift Valley & Bush Dinner

Day 4 of our 12 Days Uganda Safari will start with a relaxed breakfast at around 8.00 am then drive to the Albertine Rift valley. You enjoy incredible scenic views of the steep escarpments, the flat rift valley stretches, Lake Albert, and the Blue Mountains in the DRC. A stop can be made at Kibiro Salt Gardens to explore this 900-year-old traditional salt mine where locals still practice the traditional methods of salt extraction. A short but steep hike at Kibiro provides a rare opportunity to appreciate a dramatic out-of-the-way stretch of the rift on foot.

The afternoon will be spent at the comfort of Lake Albert lodge and an evening game drive in the superbly scenic Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve can be undertaken with chances of seeing buffalos, Uganda kobs, oribi, Anubis baboons, warthogs, waterbucks, and common duikers. The thrilling bush dinner will make your stay memorable

The highlight of the day: – Incredible scenic views of the steep escarpments and a scenic game drive in Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve.

Accommodation:-

Midrange: – Lake Albert Lodge/Hoima Cultural Lodge

 Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance and time: – Approx. 170km or 5-6 hours

Activities & Services:-

• Transfer to Lake Albert Safari Lodge
• Evening game drive
• Bush dinner

Day 5 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Transfer To Kibale National Park

On the fifth day of our 12 Days Uganda Safari starts with a relaxed breakfast at around 7.00 am after which we drive to Kibale National Park, the home of primates. You enjoy the countryside views en route and settle for lunch in the best restaurant in Fort Portal town. There is an option of cycling in the Mpanga tea estate after lunch, where workers still harvest the tea leaves by hand. The green tea plantation is spread over a beautiful undulating landscape with endless scenic views which makes it ideal to experience on a mountain bike.

Alternatively, you can visit the Amabere Caves which are named after the live stalactite formation-Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru (literally, Breast of Nyinamwiru) which resembles the breasts of a woman. The woman in question is Nyinamwiru, a legendary princess who is said to have been so beautiful that no man could leave her alone. When Nyinamwiru’s father King Bukuku became weary of receiving marital requests from unsuitable suitors, he took the extreme measure of cutting off his daughter’s breasts in order to make her less attractive and later hid her away in this cave.  Here, she was discovered by the Batembuzi King Isaza, who impregnated with a son. Since Nyinamwiru lacked breasts, she stayed in the cave with her infant, feeding him on the cloudy limestone ‘milk’ that drip from its stalactites. The child nurtured by the stalactite formation would grow up to become King Ndahura the founder of the Bachwezi dynasty.

After exploring the caves, embark on the hike to the Fort Portal Crater Lake field where you traverse the challenging slopes of Kyeganywa hill surrounded by a range of crater lakes and crater hollows presenting one of the beautiful scenic sites in Uganda. Retreat from any of the encounters and transfer to Kibale National Park for relaxation, dinner and overnight. Kibale Forest National Park is a natural habitat that contains one of the highest primate densities in Africa. There are over 1500 chimpanzees, and besides chimps, contains 12 other primate species, a total of 70 mammal species, and 325 bird species.

The highlight of the day: – The scenic drive through Uganda’s countryside

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Ndali Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Crater Safari Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Chimpanzee Forest Guest House/ Kibale Guest Cottages/ Mountains of the moon Hotel

Budget/Basic: – Kibale Forest Camp/ Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

 Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 240km or 4-5 hours

 Activities & Services of the day:-

• Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

 Optional activities:-

• Visit the Amabere caves in Fort portal
• Cycling in Mpanga tea estate.
• Nocturnal walk in Kibale National Park enables you to encounter some of the nocturnal creatures such as Bushbabies, Nightjars, and Genet

Day 6 Of The 12 Days Uganda Safari: Do Chimpanzee Tracking In Kibale Park & Afternoon Bigodi Wetland Walk. 

We will have our breakfast at around 7.00 am. We will then transfer to Kibale’s Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for a briefing about the chimpanzee tracking adventure from an excellent local ranger guide which starts at around 8.00 am. From here, we will embark on a 3-4 hours trek in search of chimpanzees. As you search for the chimps you will see some of the other 12 primate species that reside in Kibale such as black-and-white colobus, Uganda red colobus, and red-tailed monkeys as well as many of the 375 bird species. As you pushing through the tangled undergrowth, you are most likely you’ll hear the chimps before you see them. An exciting hoot from somewhere deep in the jungle; just one voice at first, then several, rising in volume and tempo and pitch to a frenzied crescendo, before it stops abruptly and fades away. Jane Goodall called it ‘pant-hoot call’.

As you follow the direction of the calls, you should soon find one of the communities’ sub-groups. They may be high up in the treetops, feasting on figs, grooming, playing, dozing, or laughing. But if you’re lucky, some will come down to the ground, and that’s when the real magic happens. You will be thrilled by how intelligent they are, with their poses, expressions, and interactions that could be almost human and you are free to take as many photos as you wish.

After the chimpanzee encounter which lasts an hour, return to the visitor center where your trekking efforts are rewarded with a trekking certificate. From here, have a lunch break then transfer to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary a famous successful community tourism initiative in the whole of Uganda presenting a magical walk in its communally controlled wetland with possible sights of 138  bird species and primates. A community tour to the traditional healer and local school can also be arranged. Retreat from the encounter and embark on the transfer to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

The highlight of the day: – Tracking a troop of wild chimpanzees (our closest relatives) on foot

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Ndali Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Crater Safari Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Chimpanzee Forest Guest House/ Kibale Guest Cottages/ Isunga Lodge Kibale

Budget/Basic: – Kibale Forest Camp/ Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

 Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 Activities & Services of the day:-

• Chimpanzee tracking
• Bigodi swamp walk

Optional activities:-

• Nocturnal walk in Kibale

Day 7 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Transfer To Queen Elizabeth National Park. Visit Ruboni Community Enroute And Evening Game Drive Upon Arrival.

After breakfast at around 6.00 am, we will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park 157km (2-3 hours) drive enjoying the scenic views en route before making a stop in Kasese on the foothills of Mount Rwenzori (Africa’s tallest mountain range) to explore the Ruboni Village to explore the cultural traditions of the Bakonzo people that have lived on the foothills of Mount Rwenzori for centuries.

We will learn about their way of life, the crops that they grow livestock that they keep their art and craft as well as their exciting music, dance and drama. You retreat from the encounter and continue on the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an afternoon game drive. This park was founded in 1952 and named Kazinga National Park but was renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen is one of the most biologically diverse parks in the world with an enviable checklist of 612 bird species and 96 mammal species. The park’s famous tree-climbing lions are its undisputed wildlife stars but it also hosts elephants, buffalos, leopards, hippo, crocodiles, and numerous antelope species. During the afternoon game drive, you will explore the impressive landscapes of the park with the beautiful views of the savannah before you retire for relaxation dinner and overnight.

The highlight of the day: – An afternoon game drive through the impressively, scenic landscapes the park

Accommodation:-

Luxury/ upmarket: – Mweya Safari Lodge/ Katara Safari Lodge/Mazike Valley Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Enganzi Game Lodge/ Kasenyi Safari Camp/ Bush Lodge

Budget/ Basic: – Pumba Safari Cottages/ Park View Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 157km or 2-3 hours

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Cultural encounter at Ruboni Community
• Afternoon game drive

Other optional activities you can choose to do on this day in Queen include:-

• Night game drive experience
• Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu Forest or Kyambura Gorge
• Birding

Day 8 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Do Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise Along The 45km Long Kazinga Channel.

We will start our day with an early morning breakfast at around 6.00 am after which we will embark on an amazing game drive through the rolling plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kasenyi sector which will give us a chance to encounter several fantastic African big games such as elephant, buffalo, hippos, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, and several grassland birds such grey-crowned cranes, red-throated spurfowl, and yellow-throated longclaw.  The activity lasts 3-4 hours after which you will return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.

In the afternoon, we will embark on another super, exciting activity; a scenic boat cruise along the 40km long Kazinga Channel which hosts the highest concentration of hippos in one place in the whole world. On this relaxing boat cruise, you will also see Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffalos, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, and countless waterbirds such as water thick-knee, yellow-billed stork, plovers, weaverbirds, pink-backed pelicans, and white-billed cormorants. Retreat from that and do a game drive along the channel track as you connect to the lodge overnight.

The highlight of the day: – A relaxing afternoon boat cruise on the impressively scenic, hippo-filled Kazinga channel.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/ upmarket: – Mweya Safari Lodge/ Katara Safari Lodge/Mazike Valley Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Enganzi Game Lodge/ Kasenyi Safari Camp/ Bush Lodge

Budget/ Basic: – Pumba Safari Cottages/ Park View Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

 Activities & Services:-

• Morning game drive
• Afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel

Other optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Night game drive
• Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu Forest/ Kyambura Gorge
• Birding
• Cultural encounters

Day 9 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Transfer To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Do Ishasha Game Drive Enroute In Search Of Tree Climbing Lions.

After an early breakfast at around 7.00 am we will embark on the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Before leaving Queen, we will undertake a game drive in the park’s southern Ishasha sector in search of the legendary tree-climbing Lions that tend to lie on giant fig tree branches overlooking their prey in the plains. Continue on the drive to Bwindi for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is where almost half of all mountain gorillas on Earth live; about 459 individuals at last count. Declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1994, Bwindi is an amazing piece of land; it survived the last Ice Age when most other forests in Africa disappeared. In the local language, Bwindi actually means ‘a place of darkness’.

Aside from the endangered Mountain gorillas, Bwindi shelters 120 mammal species, 10 primate species, 250 species of butterflies, and 27 species of reptiles. It is also one of the finest birding destinations in Africa with 351 bird species including 23 species endemic to Albertine Rift including the mysterious African green broadbill, Shelly’s Crimson wings, White-tailed blue flycatcher, Brown-necked Parrot, White-billed robin chat, and Frazer’s eagle owl.

The highlight of the day: – Seeing the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Gorilla Forest Camp/ Buhoma Lodge/Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge

Mid-range/Moderate: – Gorilla Valley Lodge/ Bakiga Lodge/ Silverback Lodge

Budget/Basic: – Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/ Buhoma Community Rest Camp

 Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & time: – Approx. 130-220km or 4-7 hours

 Activities & Services:-

• Scenic transfer to Bwindi
• Game drive in Ishasha in search for the tree-climbing lions

Day 10 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Do Gorilla Trekking & Transfer To Lake Bunyonyi, Do An Evening Boat Cruise.

Gorilla trekking in the misty jungle of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is going to be an undoubted highlight of this entire 12 Days Uganda Safari tour. This day will start breakfast at 6.00 am and then transfer to the park headquarters to get briefed by the expert local ranger guides. At 8 am we will embark on the gorilla trek in the beautiful misty jungles of Bwindi. Glossy black against the rainforest’s luminous green, this is what you are looking for: a family of gorillas headed by a watchful but benevolent silverback male.

The relatively tiresome gorilla might take you 2-8 hours, you will see a variety of other forest creatures like butterflies, birds, and primates. The efforts of your gorilla trek evaporate in an instant and, for the one enchanting hour you spend with the Mountain Gorillas. You will see young gorillas as they rough and tumble like wrestlers, maternal females gather in grooming groups, occasionally reprimanding the little ones, while the patriarchal giant silverback keeps a protective eye on the surroundings.

After seeing the gorillas you will walk back to the briefing point for debriefing and transfer to the starting point to embark on the transfer to Lake Bunyonyi driving through fascinating Kigezi Highlands for relaxing boat tripe after the tiresome gorilla trekking. You will retreat from the activity for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

The highlight of the day: – Spending a full hour interacting with the magnificent mountain gorillas.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/ Upmarket: – Birdnest @Bunyonyi Resort

Mid-range/ Moderate: – Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort/Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort

Budget/ Basic: – Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort

 Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 55-85 km or 1-3 hours

 Activities & Services:-

• Gorilla trekking
• Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Day 11 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Transfer To Lake Mburo National Park & Enjoy An Evening Game Drive Upon Arrival.

After a relaxed breakfast at around 8.00 am, embark on the transfer to Lake Mburo National Park 199km about 4 hours’ drive. A lunch stop will be made at Igongo Cultural Centre before proceeding to enter the park through Sanga Gate. You will do an evening game drive in search of Zebras, Buffalos, Impalas, Elands, and Topis among others as you head to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

The highlight of the day:- Evening game drive in Lake Mburo National Park.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/ Upmarket: – Mihingo Lodge

Mid-range/ Moderate: – Rwakobo Rock/ Arcadia Cottages Mburo/Mpogo Safari Lodge

Budget/ Basic: – Eagles Nest Mburo

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 240km or 4-5 hours

 Activities & Services:-

• Transfer to Lake Mburo
• Evening game drive in Mburo Park

Optional activities include:-

• Game walk safari
• Evening boat cruise
• Biking safari experience
• Birding

Day 12 Of 12 Days Uganda Safari: Do Morning Walking Safari In Lake Mburo National Park & Transfer To Kampala.

After your early morning breakfast at around 6.30am, you will undertake a nature walk in this Uganda’s smallest but beautiful savannah park.  This interesting game walk will expose you to many of the 68 mammal species that reside in Mburo including Burchell’s Zebras, Rothschild’s giraffes, Impalas, Elands, Cape buffalos, Defassa waterbucks, Topis, and Klipspringers plus much more. You will also see several of the 316 bird species that call this park home including black-billed bustard, bare-faced go-away bird, southern ground hornbills, black-collared barbet, black-throated barbet, and green-capped eremomela.

Retreat from the activity and embark on the transfer to Kampala 240km about 3-4 hours’ drive making a stop at Uganda Equator crossing Kayabwe for magical photo shoots where one leg can be placed in the north sphere and the other remains in the south. It is also an impressive site for purchasing memorabilia to take back home as a remembrance of this safari in Uganda

The highlight of the day: – A close encounter with the wild mammals of Mburo during the morning game walk and magical photo shoots at the equator.

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – Approx. 240km or 3-4 hours

Activities & Services: –

• Morning game walk
• Transfer back to Kampala
• Equator experience

Optional activities include: –

• Banyankole cultural safari experience
• Horseback safari
• Evening boat cruise on Lake Mburo
• Biking safari experience
• Birding

End of the 12 Days Uganda Gorilla Chimpanzee & Wildlife

12 Days Uganda Safari−EXCLUSIONS

International &domestic flight fees

Visa fees

Laundry services

Items of personal nature

Gratuities and tips

Other beverages/ drinks

Other extras not mentioned in the itinerary above

Getting There