12 Days Best of Uganda Safari & Popular Destinations

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will meet your safari driver, who will transfer you to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. He will also brief you about your next day’s adventure trip as you interact. You can relax and acclimatize at your hotel or lodge as you wait to explore Uganda the next day on this extraordinary 12 Days Uganda Safari.

Accommodation & meals:

• Midrange: Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe/2Friends Beach Hotel.
• Luxury: Entebbe Protea Hotel.

Bed & Breakfast.

After a sumptuous breakfast, start your long, fun-filled, exclusive 12 Days Uganda safari adventure by embarking on a scenic road trip to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on your way to Murchison Falls National Park. While here, you will go rhino tracking under the instruction (which includes a briefing before the activity) of the ranger guide assigned to you.

After the rhino tracking activity, you will take a lunch break at the sanctuary and then transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. You will access the park through the northern bank and then visit the top of the falls before checking in at your reserved lodge for dinner and a relaxed evening.

The ride takes about 6-7hrs.

Accommodation & meals:

• Luxury: Paraa Safari lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge/Chobe Safari Lodge.
• Midrange: Fort Murchison/ Baker’s lodge/Murchison River Lodge.
• Budget: Fort Murchison/Red. Chilli/Murchison River Lodge in tents.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

On this day, you will take pleasure in a morning game drive towards the Albert and Victoria Niles to experience a great deal of wildlife and birds. Wake up to a sumptuous breakfast and embark on a morning game drive in the plains. In this exciting encounter, you will look out for herds of African elephants, the truly unique Rothschild’s giraffes, antelopes, Uganda Kobs, cape buffaloes, waterbucks, lions, and several bird species. Later, return to the lodge for lunch.

After enjoying lunch, you will embark on a boat cruise to the foot of the falls. This 3-hour cruise from Paraa is a rewarding trip that will expose you to a variety of wildlife species like hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants (though quite occasional along this side), and a variety of bird life like African fish eagles, gray-crowned cranes, giant kingfishers, giant herons, the elusive Shoebill stork, and many more. You will then retire to the lodge for a wonderful dinner and a peaceful overnight.

After a healthy breakfast, the safari heads south with a 400km/7- 8hrs drive down the escarpment of the Albertine Rift to Kibale Forest. The journey is broken up for a picnic lunch at a scenic spot. Fort Portal sits near the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, your springboard into the Kibale Forest. You will arrive in the evening and check in at the booked lodge.

Accommodation & meals:

• Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge/ Primate Lodge.
• Mid-range: Kibale Forest Camp/Turaco Treetops.
• Budget: Chimps Nest/Wild Camping.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

After an early breakfast, you will arrive at the nearby Park Headquarters in time for the pre-tracking briefing, after which you will walk or drive to the starting point of your chimpanzee trekking adventure. You’ll learn about the flora and fauna of Kibale from your trekking guide as you delve deeper into the forest.

Once you come across a troop of chimpanzees, you’ll be allowed to spend one hour observing them as they go about their daily lives: feeding, playing, grooming, taking care of their young, howling, and screeching. Since it’s a natural forest, you will encounter other forest primates like the L’hoest, black-faced colobus monkeys, baboons, and other forest species and return to the lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon, you will embark on a guided nature walk through the Bigodi wetland sanctuary. The Bigodi Swamp Walk is an initiative owned by the local community. It’s a gentle trek led by local community guides. They will walk with you through 4km (3–4 hours) of wilderness where you’ll encounter a rich diversity of birdlife and primates. All proceeds from eco-tourism go back to the community, a conservation project well worth supporting.

Wake up early, enjoy a relaxed breakfast, and check out of the lodge to start a scenic road trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the way, you will enjoy spectacular views of the Rwenzori Mountains, Lake George, and tea plantations, and soon enough, you will be approaching the park. You will check in at the lodge upon arrival, and lunch will be served.

After lunch, embark on an afternoon game drive to view animals like African elephants, cape buffalos, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, and warthogs, and then return to the lodge for dinner and a great night of sleep.

Accommodation & meals:

• Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge/Katara Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Lodge.
• Mid-range: Bush Lodge/Enganzi Game Lodge.
• Budget: Bush Lodge in the Tents/Simba Safari Camp.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

After an early breakfast, you will embark on a morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains and have great views of the sunrise. This is the perfect spot to see the big four mammals (lions, leopards, African elephants, and African buffaloes) as well as hippopotamus, topis, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, giant forest hogs, Nile crocodiles, spotted hyenas, chimpanzees, and different bird species.

In the afternoon, you will drive to the landing site near Mweya Safari Lodge for an incredible boat cruise along the Kazinga channel. It is a 40-kilometer-long channel that connects Lake George and Lake Edward.

During this exciting boat cruise, you will view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, buffaloes, elephants, and warthogs drinking water along the banks, and water birds like the yellow-billed stork, cormorants, hornbills, African skimmer, kingfishers, fish eagles, and more.

You will see fishermen along the shores preparing their fishing gear for night fishing, so you can take beautiful pictures here. After the boat cruise, take an evening game drive to spot wildlife you may have missed in the morning, and later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Wake up to a sumptuous breakfast and embark on another scenic road trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via the Ishasha sector as you sight the special tree-climbing lions. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to the endangered mountain gorillas, a variety of other forest primates, including the blue and colobus monkeys, and a great wealth of bird life.

The ride takes 4.5hrs

Accommodation & meals:

• Luxury: Mountain Gorilla Lodge/Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge/Buhoma Lodge.
• Mid-range: Engagi Lodge/ Silverback Gorilla Lodge.
• Budget: Gorilla Valley Lodge/Bwindi Forest Lodge/Nshongi Camp.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

After an early breakfast, you will carry a packed lunch and head to the park headquarters for registration and a pre-tracking briefing at 7:45 a.m. After the briefing, you’ll be led into the forest jungle by an expert tracker and armed rangers for your safety.

The trail you use will reward you with an exciting gorilla trekking experience as you walk through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides for about 4-5 hours in search of the gorillas. The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails, allowing tourists access. It is an extraordinary feeling to be with these beautiful gentle giants, and trekking them in their natural habitat is a life-transforming experience that will stay with you forever.

So after finding a family of habituated gorillas, you will spend with them a maximum of one hour. The one hour allotted to you is enough for you to observe them munching, playing, and grooming the young. You will also take amazing pictures for your gorilla trekking story, then return to the headquarters to pick up your gorilla trekking certificate and return to the lodge.

After encountering the gorillas, you will embark on an evening community and nature walk. It allows you to interact with the locals and meet the Batwa pygmies, the forest inhabitants believed to have lived in this rainforest for thousands of years. They will entertain you with traditional dances and folklore, after which you can return to the lodge and relax for the rest of the day.

After an early breakfast at 6:30 a.m., you will transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, the second-deepest lake in Africa. Lake Bunyonyi is popular for its green and lush terraced hills that are punctuated with a plethora of over 200 species of birds.

It combines the art of water birds with some migratory birds. This is the best spot to unwind after long trips along the southwestern safari circuit. You can rest and enjoy scenic views of small villages, coffee and banana plantations, and rolling hills.

Note: Depending on your time of arrival at Lake Bunyonyi, you can pay an extra amount for activities like community walks, canoe or boat rides, bicycle rides, bird watching, and fishing directly at the accommodation and do the activity on this day or the next day.

Accommodation & meals:

• Midrange: Bunyonyi Safaris Resort.
• Luxury: Birdnest Resort.
• Budget: Bunyonyi Overland Camp.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

After a healthy breakfast, you will embark on a short but scenic road trip to Lake Mburo National Park, also known as the zebra’s paradise or capital of impalas. It is the only park in Uganda where you can see impalas and herds of zebras.

You will embark on a boat cruise upon arrival, followed by an evening game drive (you will have lunch in between these schedules). Enjoy excellent views of a diversity of ungulates in this park, such as zebras, impalas, and waterbucks, on guided nature walks. After your activities here, you will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight sleep.

The ride takes about 4hrs.

Accommodation & meals:

• Luxury: Mihingo Lodge
• Mid-range: Rwakobo Rock/Lake Mburo Safari Lodge
• Budget: Eagles Nest Lodge

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After a healthy breakfast, you may lazily pack up your bags as you prepare to return to Kampala. You will enjoy a warm lunch break, take pictures at the equator, witness the water experiment, and purchase souvenirs. You’ll be dropped off at your lodge in Kampala or Entebbe upon arrival or transferred to the airport for your departure flight.

The ride takes about 4hrs.

No accommodation
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch.

End of 12 Days Uganda Safari – Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Big 5 viewing.