Overview
Ten days is enough time to take in the main highlights of Uganda at a relaxed pace. This itinerary includes gorilla trekking in Bwindi, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale and savanna game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, all in one well-paced trip.
Extra days, compared with a shorter Uganda trip, leave space for a rest day between the tougher trekking days. They also let you enjoy the boat safaris and game drives of Queen Elizabeth fully, with no need to squeeze them into one hasty stop.
Any Uganda trip built around gorillas calls for early planning, so confirm permit availability as soon as you can.
Our guide to the best time to visit Uganda helps with timing, and contacting us is the way to check permits for your dates.
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (10 days)
This is the first day of your trip, and what happens depends on whether you fly into the country on this day or are already here. Either way, our guide meets you and then transfers you to Murchison falls national park, a must-see for its variety of wildlife. Stop for lunch at Ziwa rhino sanctuary and go rhino tracking and on a dugout experience while looking for the rare shoebill stork. Afterward, visit the top of the falls and take amazing photographs of these landforms. Dinner and overnight at Baker’s camp.
Meal plan: F/B
Start with a dawn game drive to spot early-rising nocturnal animals and other wildlife, including the big five: lions, buffaloes, giraffes, elephants and leopards. You will meet more animals and birds as well. Return to the lodge for African cuisine, then prepare for a boat cruise on the River Nile, moving closer to the falls. On the cruise, expect to watch animals and birds along the riverbanks and take a great variety of photographs of these species. Go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Full board (F/B)
On this day you wake up early and have a relaxed breakfast. You then head toward lake Katwe, with lunch on the way, and reach the lake late in the evening, checking in for dinner and overnight at Tembo safari lodge.
Rise in the morning and have breakfast. Next comes the salt mining experience, and then you return for lunch. From there you head to Kibale forest, with its fabled view of the mountain of the
moon. Lunch is taken en route, along a scenic drive. Dinner and overnight at Kibale primates lodge. Meal plan: Full board (F/B)
After breakfast, go to Kanyanchu headquarters for a briefing on the dos and don’ts of searching for the great apes. You then enter the jungle to track the chimps as they swing in the tree branches. While looking for the apes, you also have a good chance of seeing other primates such as white and black Columbus, Vervet monkeys, plenty of birds, and many plants that will interest botanists. Return to the lodge for lunch and a rest, then in the afternoon take a nature walk in Magombe swamp to look for birds such as the shoebill, and for primates. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Full board (F/B)
After breakfast today, your local guide takes you to the KFRED association to join in some rural projects, such as preparing local foods. Then board your safari vehicle for the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoying scenic green landscapes along the way. On entering the park, you take a game drive to spot wildlife and birds, then visit Katwe Crater Lake to see salt mining and watch flamingos as the sun goes down. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Meal plan: F/B
Breakfast comes first, and then a dawn game drive to look for nocturnal wildlife. Kasenyi mating ground is especially good for this, with a variety of wild animals such as the elephants, Kobs, Lions, warthogs, bush backs and water bucks, topi among others. You return to the lodge for lunch-relax, and afterward take a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel, which offers a clear platform to see wildlife and aquatic animals like buffaloes, elephants, crocodiles, hippos as well as birding. Dinner and overnight at the lodge,
Meal plan: F/B
After breakfast you set off with a packed lunch for the southern sector. If chance allows, you will see the rare African tree climbing lions up in the trees, plus other wildlife like elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and savannah birds. From there the drive continues to Bwindi forest, where half of the remaining mountain gorillas live. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma lodge.
Meal plan: F/B
Have breakfast, then attend a briefing about the mountain gorillas given by park officials, before setting off to track them in the heritage jungle. Bring enough packed lunch and drinking water, a rain jacket, walking boots, a hat, insect repellent, a camera, and any other gear the activity calls for. Rangers will provide a walking stick. Gorilla tracking is one of the unique activities you will enjoy, as you photograph and observe the gorillas. Afterward you board your safari vehicle and drive to Lake Bunyonyi, arriving in the evening and checking in for dinner and overnight at Birds Nest lodge.
Meal plan: Full board
Have breakfast, then board our safari vehicle and drive back to Kampala-Entebbe. Lunch is en route at Agip Motel in Mbarara, and then you continue to the Equator and shop for souvenirs to take home. You reach Entebbe late in the evening, which brings this trip to an end.
The package covers:
The package does not cover:
Rates Per Person
See "Accommodation & Meals" on the Overview tab for the general comfort levels available — send us your dates and group size for an exact quote.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Kilimanjaro International Airport and ends in Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Airport Information
Kilimanjaro International Airport and Mwanza Airport are the most common arrival points, depending on your route.
Transfer Information
Airport pickup and all transfers between destinations are included and arranged by our team.
Accommodation Before/After
Need a night in Mwanza or Arusha before or after this trip? We can arrange that on request.