14 Days Uganda Safari to All Uganda’s Premier Parks

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and meet your safari driver, who will transfer you to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala.

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

Bed & Breakfast.

Start your long, fun-filled, exclusive safari adventure with an early morning transfer from your hotel after breakfast to Kisoro, western Uganda. The driver will pick you up and ride through the beautiful landscape of mountains, hills, terraced slopes, tropical rainforest, and the majestic chain of the Virunga Volcanoes — a breathtaking experience over southwestern Uganda.

Alternatively, take a walking safari through the community village’s terraced gardens and paddle in a dugout canoe on Lake Mutanda before proceeding to your accommodation in the south of Bwindi.

The ride takes about 7.5 hours.

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 

This gorilla trekking excursion starts at 7:30 a.m. after an early breakfast and packed lunch. Your guide will ensure that you make it to the Nkuringo/Rushaga trailhead in time for the briefing.

The Nkuringo visitor centre is about 500 m from your forest lodge (Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge); you can probably walk there within 10 minutes. If you’re trekking from the Rushaga sector, your driver will transfer you to the starting point, which is about 30 minutes away. A litre of drinking water in a reusable bottle will serve you better during the trek, and comfortable hiking boots for steep climbs and wet ground will keep you on course. A poncho will keep you dry if it rains (it’s a rainforest). Long sleeves and long pants will protect you from forest bugs and thorny bushes. Follow every instruction your guide gives you to the dot; everything will work out fine.

The chances of seeing gorillas are so good that most estimate that visitors will get to see them over 90% of the time. However, so as to minimize disturbance to these primates, once you find a family, you are allowed to spend one hour with them. This time goes by very quickly, but you have plenty of time to observe them and get all the photos you want.

You can choose to stay at the lodge and enjoy the magnificent views of the rugged Rift Valley landscape, the Virunga Volcano Chain, and the misty Bwindi Canopy from around the jungle resort, or engage in a community walk and hiking experience in the nearby areas. The day hike can last for a whole day, and it includes a walk with the Batwa in Buniga Forest Pocket, bird watching around the Bwindi boundary, and a hike to Suma community waterfalls.

After breakfast, head to Nkuringo with your driver and start your community walk towards Lake Mutanda. You will be dropped off by your safari vehicle at Rubuguri Junction. From here, start your 9-kilometre walk to the north shore of the lake, where the dugout canoe team will pick you up for the 2-3 hour paddling experience. Excellent views over dozens of small islands and the Virungas will take your breath away. Link up with your driver at the Rwajenje landing site to traverse through the lake for about 2.5 hours to the southern shore. It is a 90-minute walk into Kisoro town from the south coast. Then you will drive past Kisoro to Mgahinga National Park.

Accommodation & meals:
Volcanoes Mgahinga Lodge
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Mount Gahinga National Park settles on the border between Uganda and Rwanda between Sabinyo and Muhavura, rising up to 3,474 meters. It is covered by bamboo, which is the main vegetation and habitat of the endangered mountain gorillas. Several other animal and bird species form part of the Mount Gahinga ecosystem. The golden monkeys are not exceptional.

Your driver will transfer you to Ntebeko Gate, where you’ll start the Golden Monkey Tracking Excursion, which takes about 4 or 5 hours. Golden monkeys are a unique species that can only be found in the Virunga Mountains.

Accommodation & meals:
Volcanoes Mgahinga Lodge
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Have your early morning breakfast at 7:00 am, and then transfer to Kasese (about 4.5 hours). Meet with your driver or guide to continue to the park. You will have a game drive en-route to your accommodation.

The ride takes about 6.5 hours.

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 

You will start your Queen Elizabeth NP exploration with early morning game viewing in the most notable areas of Kasenyi, the north Kazinga plains, and the Ishasha sector, famous for tree-climbing lions. During the game drives, you are guaranteed to see wild game such as buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, baboons, elephants, lions, leopards, and many more.

In the afternoon, of course, after your lunch, your driver will transfer you to the head of the Mweya Peninsular to take one of the most exciting Africa safari experiences with a boat launch safari on the Kazinga channel. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, including one of the world’s largest concentrations of hippos and numerous Nile crocodiles. It also attracts a tremendous variety of rare avian species, including the African fish eagle, open-billed stork, and pied kingfisher.

After an early breakfast, take on another savanna game drive in the plains. View more African game as you catch sight of them on their hunting expeditions.

Your driver will gracefully connect to the highway heading to Kibale Forest NP. Enjoy the landscape as you drive along the Kaseses-Fort Portal highway southwest of Uganda for 4 hours.

The most favourite of Kibale’s walks starts from the Kanyanchu visitors’ center at 8:00 a.m. and lasts 2 to 3 hours. Although chimpanzees are the most sought-after primates in Kibale forest, keeping an eye out for the black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys will benefit you quite a lot. Your appointed ranger guide will be able to show you pittas, different bird species, and plants within the forest. After lunch in Fort Portal, you’ll walk to the “top of the world” along crater lakes.

Accommodation & meals:

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

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner 

Here’s your chance to take another safari adventure to the rainforest jungles with the challenge of finding excited chimpanzee troops and keeping up with their natural daily habits. It’s thrilling and exhausting, but worth every moment.

The trek starts with a briefing session from the park rangers. They’ll share with you the dos and don’ts and more about the chimps and their behavior in the wild. You will then delve into the forest in search of a habituated chimpanzee troop (those accustomed to human presence). These groups barely retreat too deeply into the forest, meaning you don’t have to hike as far before coming across your first troop swinging in the trees above. Once contact is made, you will spend an hour observing their behavior, with your trekking guides providing more context on what you see and how the chimps behave.

You’ll take a walk through the Bigodi community in the afternoon, which settles at the borders of Kibale Forest.

Have an early breakfast, drive via the Escarpment, and enjoy spectacular views of the landscapes as you are northbound to Murchison Falls National Park. It will be a long driving day of about 7-9 hours, and you will have numerous stops to stretch your legs. Enjoy a late-evening game drive through the Murchison Falls game tracks as you catch sight of predators on their evening hunting expeditions.

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 

Game drives are a way of viewing and appreciating the rich diversity of wildlife. This park is home to a great diversity of animal and bird species. Mammals here include buffaloes, Jackson hartebeests, antelopes, lions, kobs, Rothschild’s giraffes, hyenas, bushbucks, and warthogs, among others. They are widely spread all over the Savannah grasslands, grazing or hunting for prey. The park’s beautiful landscape is so impressive for game drives while on a Uganda safari. This African savanna experience starts after breakfast with a morning savanna game drive in the Murchison tracks.

After that exciting savanna game drive, a morning delta boat ride will take you to the bottom of the Murchison waterfalls. Look out for Nile crocodiles, hippos, waterbucks, and various bird species. Upon reaching the bottom of the waterfalls, you will disembark and climb or hike your way up to the top of the fall, where you will be rewarded with amazing views of the Nile. Also, do not forget to look out for different bird species.

After an early morning breakfast with a packed lunch, you will transfer to Budongo Forest, found in the southern sector of Murchison Falls NP. After having your tummy nourished, you’ll proceed for a briefing with the ranger guides assigned to you, who’ll provide highlights of this particular activity. After an hour or two with these primates, you will drive back to the northern sector of Murchison Falls National Park as you retire to your lodge.

After your breakfast this morning, you will enjoy a morning game drive in search of more savanna wildlife before checking out of your lodge.

Presently, you must be prepared for the final episode of your Uganda safari. You’ll be transferred to Entebbe via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where you’ll have your lunch and track rhinos, and then proceed to Kampala or Entebbe.

No accommodation
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch.

End of the 14 Days Uganda Safari trip.