Your remarkable 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari offers Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest, combined with amazing game viewing in Murchison Falls & Queen Elizabeth National Parks, community tours, Lake Bunyonyi boat cruise & relaxation and beautiful scenery viewing. Your 10 days Uganda Wildlife safari will begin with wild rhino tracking on foot Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. You then visit Murchison Falls National Park, the largest, oldest and best Game Park in Uganda, home to the world’s most powerful waterfalls, and four of the Big 5 animals (Lion, Leopard, Elephants, and Buffalo).
You continue to Kibale Forest, home to Africa’s highest density and diversity of primates, including over 1500 chimpanzees and explore the Bigodi Village. Next, travel to Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda’s most popular safari destination, with over 600 bird species, 95 species of mammals and tree-climbing lions.
Finally, it’s off to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where half of the world’s remaining Mountain Gorillas live, about 459 gorillas at last count. From Bwindi, take a break and relax on beautiful Lake Bunyonyi before visiting Lake Mburo National Park for a game walk. Then travel back to Entebbe/Kampala where this 10 days Uganda safari began.
Major Activities
- Track wild white rhinos on foot
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Trek for wild Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest
- Cultural tour of Bigodi Village
- Track rare tree climbing lions in Ishasha
- Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
- Boat trip to the bottom of Murchison Falls
- Boat cruise on beautiful Lake Bunyonyi
- Game drives in Murchison Falls & Queen Elizabeth Parks
- Visiting the top of Murchison Falls
- Walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park
- Uganda Equator crossing experience
Highlights
Day 1: Track rhinos in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary & Transfer to Murchison Falls
Day 2: Morning Game Drives & Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 3: Visit the Top of the Falls & Transfer to Kibale Forest
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Community Walk.
Day 5: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Game Drive in Kasenyi & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
Day 7: Track Tree-Climbing Lions & Travel to Bwindi
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking & Relaxation at Lake Bunyonyi
Day 9: Relaxed Breakfast & Transfer to Lake Mburo
Day 10: Game walk in Lake Mburo NP & Drive Back to Kampala
Details
Day 1: Track rhinos in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary & Transfer to Murchison Falls
Your remarkable 10 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari begins today! Your tour driver guide will pick you up from Kampala/Entebbe at 7.00 am and take you on a 5-6 hour drive you northwest to Murchison Falls NP. You will pass through lively towns, roadside markets, and rural Uganda villages.
You’ll make a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda where you can see wild rhinos. The 70km2 sanctuary is run by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and committed to the restoration of Uganda’s Rhino population. Its long-term goal is to establish a sustainable rhino population and relocate them back to their original habitat in the National Parks of Uganda. You’ll have a two hour rhino tracking adventure on foot with an expert ranger guide. This exciting start to your safari will be followed by lunch break at nearby Kabalega Dinner.
After lunch, you will continue to Murchison Falls National Park where you’ll arrive in late afternoon. At 3,893km2, this park boasts over 70 mammal species including four of the Big 5, more than 470 bird species, and spectacular scenery. Here, River Nile, the world’s longest river bisects flourishing savannahs, flanked by lush riverine woodlands, before bursting through a tiny gorge to form the world’s strongest waterfalls, the Murchison Falls.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/Bakers Lodge/Nile Safari Lodge
Mid-range: Pakuba Safari Lodge/Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Hornbill Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 311 km or 5-6 hours
Day 2: Morning Game Drives & Afternoon Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast, you’ll head out on a 3 to 4-hour morning game drive. You explore the scenic savannah grasslands of park’s northern section, as you watch the beautiful sunrise. You look out for Giraffes, Buffalos, Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Hyenas, Warthogs, Hippos, Antelopes, Patas monkeys, and Baboons.
You will also see special birds like Pel’s Fishing Owl, Saddle-billed Stork, Goliath Heron, Ground Hornbill, Grey Crowned Crane, and Great Blue Turaco. You may even be lucky to catch a glimpse of the rare prehistoric-looking shoebill stork. Return to the lodge for lunch and some time to rest. In the afternoon, take a thrilling 3-hour boat cruise on the Nile. Watch huge crocodiles slip beneath the waves and pods of hippo grunt and jostle. See countless waterbirds.
You pause a little distance from the bottom of the falls, where you will marvel at 50m wide Nile River thundering through an 8m gorge, before falling 45m below what has been termed as the devil’s cauldron. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge/Bakers Lodge/Nile Safari Lodge
Mid-range: Pakuba Safari Lodge/Murchison River Lodge
Budget: Hornbill Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Visit the Top of the Falls & Transfer to Kibale Forest
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast today and drive to the top of the Murchison falls to see the world’s strongest waterfalls from a different perspective. After witnessing magical waterfalls, proceed on a very scenic drive of about 6 hours, south Kibale Forest National Park.
You’ll reach Fort Portal town in time for lunch. Fort Portal is another scenic area of the country, situated shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon and is famous for its many tea plantations. From this lovely town, continue to Kibale National Park, containing one of the loveliest and most varied tracts of tropical forest in Uganda. Spanning some 770km2, the park is reputable for having the greatest variety and the highest concentration of primates in Africa – a total of 13 primate species including over 1500 wild chimpanzees. You’ll reach your camp in the late afternoon for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Primate Lodge Kibale
Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse – Cottages/Kibale Forest Camp
Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse – Main house
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 366 km or 6 hours
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Community Walk.
Today is going to be a highlight!
After an early breakfast at 6.30 am, you will transfer to the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre to do your Chimpanzee trekking adventure which begins promptly at 8am. The encounter begins with a briefing from the excellent park rangers who will be your guides for the activity.
After the briefing, you head to the forest in search of man’s closest relative. The activity lasts about 2 to 5 hours and over the years have had a 95% success rate of seeing some of the 1,500 individuals in Kibale Forest. The chimps have been fully habituated and thus offer you an opportunity to draw quite close to them and take pictures. Viewing them as they munch fruit, swinging in trees, socializing, patrolling, mating and making hooting calls is an unforgettable experience that you’ll treasure forever.
You have a full hour to enjoy these precious creatures and you are free to take as many photos as you wish! There are of course several other mammals present in Kibale’s lush flora, though they are hardly seen. If you’re lucky you might see Bushbucks, Duikers, Forest Hogs or Bush pigs. And if you’re very lucky, you can encounter some of the forest-adapted Elephants.
A sharp observer will also see several species of reptiles, amphibians and a colorful variety of butterflies. Kibale is also home to 375 bird species, including Green-breasted Pitta, African Pitta, and African Grey Parrot. After your amazing Chimp trek you’ll return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch the fun doesn’t stop, as you go for a guided cultural walk in Bigodi Village to learn about African rural life in Uganda.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Primate Lodge Kibale
Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse – Cottages/Kibale Forest Camp
Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse – Main house
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After a leisurely breakfast today, you’ll check out and say farewell to the great staff of Kibale. You then embark on the day’s journey further south towards Queen Elizabeth NP. It is a 2 to 3 hour drive with incredibly scenic views en route. You’ll arrive at your lodge in time for a lunch. After lunch, you have some time to rest and then set out on an afternoon game drive.
You’ll explore the impressive landscapes of “Queen”, as the locals and that in the know call the park. It was founded in 1952 and named Kazinga National Park, but was renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.
The park covers an area of 1,978km2 and Uganda’s most visited park with good reason! It has the most diverse habitats of any park in Uganda, and includes areas of sprawling savannah grasslands, tropical forests, dense papyrus swamps and beautiful crater lakes cut into the green, rolling hills.
This incredible diversity has led to a fauna and flora count of 95 mammal species, over 600 bird species and much, much more. Get your cameras ready! After your first game drive you’ll return to your lodge to relax and have dinner with beautiful views of the savannah at sunset. Later you’re off to bed for a good night’s sleep.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge/Kyambura Gorge Lodge
Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Game Drive in Kasenyi & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
You’ll start your day six of the 10 days Uganda safari with an early breakfast at the lodge, and then you are off to the park again. Your game drive this morning through the Kasenyi Plains will give you a chance to tick some impressive African big game species such as Elephant, Buffalo, Kob, Bushbuck, Hippos, Forest Hog, Warthog, Crocodile, Hyena, Leopard, etc.
This sector, apart from the great wildlife, is also one of the prettiest in the park, especially in the golden light of the morning. After our game drive, return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.
At 2 pm, you will transfer to Mweya jetty for an afternoon boat cruise. Taking the boat trip on the Kazinga channel is a real must-do activity when visiting the park. It offers you a chance to cruise just metres from hundreds of hippos and Buffalo, while Elephants linger on the shoreline, along with waterbirds and Crocodiles.
It is an incredible experience being so close to all these fantastic creatures from the comfort of the boat, with the stunning park all around you adding to the memories you will have of this cruise. After the boat cruise you will do a short game drive along the channel track as you head back to the lodge. You will relax; have dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge/Kyambura Gorge Lodge
Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Track Tree-Climbing Lions & Travel to Bwindi
After a leisurely breakfast on day seven of your 10 days Uganda wildlife safari, head towards the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth NP (Ishasha). You take a game drive in search of rare tree-climbing Lions who spend long lazy days dozing in the pretty fig trees.
After a short game drive, exit the park and continue south through rolling hills, and traditional homesteads and enjoy panoramic views. Enjoy lunch somewhere en route before you eventually reach Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a World Heritage Site. This 321km2 park lies on the edge of the Rift Valley. Bwindi is one of Africa’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, with about 400 plant species.
This “impenetrable forest” is home to around half of the world’s remaining Mountain Gorillas. It is also a refuge for other 120 mammal species and hosts more than 350 bird species, including 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics. You arrive in the evening for relaxation before your gorilla trek tomorrow.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge
Mid-range: Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Budget: Trekkers Tavern Ruhija
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 130-220 km or 4-7 hours
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking & Relaxation at Lake Bunyonyi
Gorilla trekking really is a bucket list experience that naturalists from all over the world dream of doing! You will have breakfast at your lodge and then head to the park offices to get briefed by the expert local guides. At 8 am you’ll embark on the trek along the designated trails within the impenetrable forest in search for these great mountain creatures.
The gorilla trekking might take you 2-7 hours, depending on their movements. The trek for these great apes is relatively tiresome as the forest can be quite wet and the going fairly steep. But trust us, the bit of exercise will he very well rewarded by meeting, watching, spending time with and photographing these incredible creatures as you look straight into their inviting, brown, expressive eyes.
This is a thrill of a lifetime only Bwindi can offer you. After this life-changing gorilla trekking experience you will return to the starting point where you’ll receive your gorilla trekking certificates at your gorilla graduation. You’ll enjoy a packed picnic lunch, after which you will leave for beautiful Lake Bunyonyi, about 90 minutes away.
You will arrive at Lake Bunyonyi in the late afternoon. This is an ideal stopover for this tour, because your final park of the safari, Lake Mburo NP, is unreachable today. Meaning place of many little birds, Lake Bunyonyi is popular for its green and lush terraced islands that hold over 200 bird species.
It is also a good spot for water activities like swimming, canoeing and boat cruises. You will have some to relax at the resort, and while you marvel at the stunning scenery. You’ll have a lovely dinner as you reflect on your incredible day with the gorillas! Then you are off to bed for your overnight stay.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Birdnest @ Bunyonyi
Mid-range: Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 55-85 km or 1-3 hours
Day 9: Relaxed Breakfast & Transfer to Lake Mburo
After a relaxed breakfast today, you will leave for your final park of the 10 days Uganda wildlife safari. The drive to the northeast will take all of the morning, and you will make a lunch stop at the Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara.
After lunch, you will continue on your way, and then enter the Lake Mburo NP through the Sanga Gate. Just outside the park you will come across some of the world-famous long-horned Ankole cattle of the Bahima people that live in the area – always a highlight and worth a few photos.
The 260km2 parks is a superb wetland and Acacia savanna sanctuary that is a famous spot for serious birders, and also a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Together with 13 other lakes in the area, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50 km-long wetland system linked by a swamp.
Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. You’ll then basically do an afternoon/early evening game drive in the park as we head to our lodge. Lake Mburo is home to 350 bird species as well as Plains Zebra, Impala (the only park in Uganda with this elegant antelope), Eland, Buffalo, Oribi, Defassa Waterbuck, Leopard, Hippos, Spotted Hyena, Topi, and Banded, Slender and Dwarf Mongoose.
You’ll reach your lodge in time to freshen up. Then you will have your excellent farewell dinner after an amazing tour through the ‘Pearl of Africa’, as you watch the African night creep closer over the waters of Lake Mburo.
Accommodation Options:
Luxury: Mihingo Lodge
Mid-range: Rwakobo Rock
Budget: Eagles Nest Mburo
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Game walk in Lake Mburo NP & Drive Back to Kampala
After your early morning breakfast, you will undertake a nature walk, your last safari activity of the tour. This is one of the most interesting game walks in the country, in a beautiful area with a knowledgeable local guide. On the walk you might see various species of primates, birds, antelopes like Common Eland, Waterbuck, Impala, Topi, Bushbuck and Klipspringer among others, as well as Hyena, Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra and Warthog. All this in a beautiful savannah landscape dotted with great Acacia trees.
After the walk you’ll embark on the transfer to Entebbe, about 4 to 5 hours away. However, there is one more surprise in store! You’ll make a stop at the Ugandan Equator at Kayabwe, where you can stand with one leg in the Northern hemisphere while the other remains in the Southern! It makes for great photographs and memories.
It is also an impressive site for purchasing memorabilia to take back home as a memento of this incredible safari in Uganda. You’ll reach the Entebbe Airport where you’ll depart on your onward or homeward flight. Safe Travels!
End Of The 10 Days Uganda Safari
Inclusions
- Full board accommodation on the safari
- Gorilla Trekking Permit
- Chimpanzee Tracking Permit
- Transportation in a 4X4 safari vehicle
- Service of the English Speaking Driver/Tour Guide. Any other foreign language speaking guide can be arranged on request.
- Bottled drinking water in the safari vehicle
- Entrance Fees for the park
- All safari Activities Mentioned in the itinerary
Exclusions
- International flight fare
- Visa fee
- Laundry services
- Tips
- Drinks of personal nature like alcohol
