Uganda is a paradise for adventure seekers looking to experience the best that nature has to offer. From abundant wildlife roaming the savannahs to mountain gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the country has a wealth of activities for the intrepid traveler.
One of the most popular adventures in Uganda is a trip to Murchison Falls National Park. Home to the largest waterfall in the world, Murchison Falls is a stunning sight to behold, with dramatic views and a captivating abundance of wildlife. The park is a fantastic spot for wildlife watching, and visitors can observe elephants, leopards, buffalo, giraffes, warthogs, and over 450 species of bird. Cruise up the Nile River to the base of the falls and then board a boat to make the unique journey up the falls. The dramatic gorges, powerful rapids, and breathtaking scenery will leave visitors in awe.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda is one of the most exciting adventure destinations in the world. Located in the western part of the country, this lush rainforest is known as the “impenetrable” because it is home to an incredibly diverse array of tropical flora and fauna. It’s also one of the few places on earth where you can experience gorilla trekking. This is a must-do when visiting Bwindi as it allows you to get up close to the endangered mountain gorillas, observe them in their natural habitat, and learn more about their behavior and habits.
Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts a wide variety of wildlife and stunning landscapes. You will experience several types of adventure activities in the park, such as bird watching, wildlife viewing, game drives, nature walks, and boat cruises on the Kazinga Channel. The wildlife viewing opportunities here are remarkable, since the park boasts over 500 different species of animals—including elephant, lion, leopard, chimpanzee, and hippo. Bird watching also you to observe a variety of birds, including the shoebill, yellow-billed stork, and African fish eagle.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest is an incredible experience. Kibale Forest is home to some of the largest and most spectacular primates on planet Earth – the Chimpanzees. Trekking in the forest provides an opportunity to learn about primates, plants and the environment while being able to spot some of the primates in their natural habitat.
Brief itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
Day 2: Drive to Lake Mburo national park
Day 3: Walking safari and Boat ride
Day 4: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
Day 5: Gorilla trekking and Batwa people
Day 6: Relax at Lake Mutanda resort
Day 7: Drive to Queen Elizabeth national park (Ishasha sector)
Day 8: Drive to North of Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 9: Game drive and Kazinga channel boat ride
Day 10: Drive to Kibale forest national park
Day 11: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 12: Drive to Murchison falls national park
Day 13: Game drive and boat safari to bottom of the falls
Day 14: Game drive and bird tour to the delta
Day 15: Drive to Entebbe
Day 16: Entebbe botanical gardens
Day 17: Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
On arrival in Uganda at Entebbe international Airport, your tour guide will welcome you to the pearl of Africa. Board the safari jeep and drive to the hotel.
After a refreshment, he will brief you on the safari you are to have around the country, itinerary reading from day 1 to Day 17, questions and answers and in case there is a change you may wish to make, it will be communicated and the itinerary updated where necessary
Day 2: Drive to Lake Mburo national park
Set off from Entebbe and drive to the south of the country heading to Lake Mburo national park.
Driving past big cattle ranches with massive horns will be eye catching as you get in this savanna paradise. On arrival, you will check in, relax as you enjoy the beautiful sunset by the lodge pool side.
Day 3: Walking safari and Boat ride
Early in morning after breakfast, the day will start with a horse ride you will in search for the animals such as the zebras, antelopes, buffaloes, elands, giraffes and many bird species. Later return to lodge for lunch and relaxation. After lunch head for a scenic boat cruise on lake Mburo; spotting hippos, crocodiles and other bird species such as Fish Eagles, Pelicans, Black crake, Heron, Cormorant, and the rare shoebill stork.
Return to your lodge for dinner an overnight stay.
Day 4: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National park
After having your breakfast, you will check out and start your journey to the famous Bwindi Impenetrable national park’s Rushaga sector.
This is one of the most scenic drives as you cruise through rolling hills and terrace on their slopes, the view of the several volcanoes close and at a distance will take your breath away.
On arrival in the evening, you will check in, have dinner and rest to prepare for the next day thrilling adventure experience.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking
Life-time memorable experience.
After morning breakfast, you will get ready, along with your packed lunches to embark on the lifetime memorable experience in this magnificent forest for gorilla tracking. The trail you use may reward you with exciting moments of the giant mountain gorillas in Uganda this will be a reward of the ultimate gorilla experience’ as well as other primates that inhabit the forest. This may take you about 4-5 hrs in the jungle. Expect to walk a long distance in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead before you encounter any gorilla. But it will definitely be worthwhile as you observe them closely while they eat, play and rest. For conservation purposes, time will be limited to one hour. The ranger guide will always briefs you on how to behave with these gentle giants
After the trekking, you will drive to Lake Mutanda resort , check in and relax on your dinner
Day 6: Lake Mutanda resort
Spend the whole day at the resort. Your comfortable tent atop a wooden platform will give you stupendous views to the south of the Virunga Mountains and Lake Mutanda. As a bilharzia-free lake, it offers the perfect expansive of fresh water for swimming.
Day 7: Drive to Queen Elizabeth national park (Ishasha sector)
After your breakfast, you will check out and start your journey to Queen Elizabeth national park southern sector (Ishasha sector)
On arrival, you will check in the hotel and relax and have dinner in the evening.
Optional activity: Game drive to in the ishasha game track for chances of catching a glimpse of the tree climbing lions
Day 8: Drive to North of Queen Elizabeth national park
Checkout of the lodge and start on a bumpy drive to the north of Queen Elizabeth national park
On your way, you will encounter elephants and several antelopes since the drive is within the park, check on the beauty of the twin lake and later proceed to the lodge.
Check in the lodge, have dinner in a picnic setup as you hear sounds of the hippos granting, elephants, warthogs and several animals who are frequent visitors at the camp.
Day 9: Game drive and Kazinga channel boat ride
Be early to raise, have a cup of coffee and set out for a game drive where you will see some early risers along the Kasenyi track such as Elephants, antelopes, solitary buffaloes, lions, warthogs, as well as birds. After the drive which takes 2 to 3 hours head to the lodge and have breakfast and lunch after some time go for the launch cruise on Kazinga channel. The boat cruise is one of the amazing activities to enjoy in the park; you will enjoy watching elephants, buffaloes along the banks, crocodiles, hippos, waterbucks, birds among others.
Day 10: Drive to Kibale forest national park
After a healthy morning breakfast, prepare to transfer to Kibale forest national park. You will enjoy warm lunch along the transfer. And arrive in the evening, dinner and overnight at primate lodge Kibale
Kibale forest is one of Uganda’s magnificent tropical rain forests and one of the most rewarding areas to explore. This park is the world’s primate capital and a home to 13 species of monkeys and man’s closest relative; the chimpanzees, these delightful apes are the most closest to human than to any living creature. These can be seen swinging in tree branches as one treks through the forest trails. Other animals like the red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkey and the endemic Uganda Mangabey a species of old world monkey found only in Uganda
Day 11: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
After breakfast on an early morning, you will head to the park head offices for briefing. After briefing, at around 8:00am start chimpanzee trekking through this rain-forest as you will be guided by the park rangers. It is always a thrilling and an unforgettable experience meeting chimpanzees face to face and watching them engage in their daily activities like playing, jumping feeding etc. Also other animals can be spotted such as the grey cheeked mangabeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and also different birds.
Later depending on the trekking time, you will have a swamp and community walk in the community of Bigodi. Here, you will appreciate more of nature as you walk on the wooden platform spotting a number of bird species like the papyrus gonorek, marachite king fisher, great blue Turaco to mention but a few and many monkey species not common in other parts of the country.
A visit to the local people will take you through how they survive and how their ancestors used to. Rest in banana will be an amazing experience to witness how the locals extract juice, beer and gin from banana fruits.
Later you will head back to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 12: Drive to Murchison falls national park
Check out and set off to Murchison falls national park.
Lunch on the way, you arrive Murchison river lodge in the evening. Enjoy the beautiful sunset views on the Nile river.
Dinner and an overnight stay
Day 13: Game drive and boat safari to bottom of the falls
As early as 6am, we will leave the lodge for a morning game drive. We always aim at the big game viewing as most of the animals are always active in the morning hours, this may also yield a chance of spotting the some nocturnal animals like the lions, leopards, hyenas and hippopotamus from the hunting activities in the night.
Later we return to the lodge for breakfast, refreshment and lunch in at 12:30pm
Drive to the jetty for a boat along the Nile. On your way, you will encounter schools of hippos diving in the water, herds of elephants and tower of giraffes that come to quench their thirst at the river banks and the crocodile which are the Nile predators. Brightly colored water birds like the kingfisher, red throated bee eaters, African fish eagle, African darter, long tailed and white breasted cormorant, pale’s fishing owl, great white egrets, herons, African jacana, black crake to mention but a few will overwhelm your birding experience
At the top, the fall will catch your eyes as the Nile waters hit the rocks and bounce high to form a rainbow, a photo is inevitable!
Day 14: Game drive and bird tour to the delta
The day will start very early in the morning (6am). Bird watching is at its best in the early morning hours and these are perfect for photography.
The delta point of the Nile is one of the best birding destinations in the country where one will have chances of indentifying a number of water birds including Shoebill Balaeniceps rex, Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum and Papyrus Gonolek Laniarius mufumbiri. The site is also important for large numbers of White-winged Black Terns Chlidonias leucopterus on passage. Most of the larger species, such as White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata and Long-tailed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus, number of pairs of Fish Eagles Haliaeetus vocifer breed, and there is a small colony of African Darters Anhinga rufa. The list is endless but I assure you a birding trip to the delta is never disappointing for bird lovers.
Later in the evening, you will have an evening game derive to enjoy the wildlife as grazers take their last taste on the grass before its dark. Nocturnal animals and birds like lions, leopards, hippos, hyenas, jackals are getting ready for their night activities and you may be lucky to catch a glimpse of some of them. The sunset in the middle of the savannah is eye-catching!
Drive back to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 15: Drive to Entebbe
After your break fast, you will checkout and embark on your drive back to Entebbe.
A stop at the Ziwa rhino sanctuary is unique way to wrap up the wilderness experience with a walk to catch a glimpse of the wild white rhinos.
Watching these second largest land mammal will complete your list of the big five mammals; Lions, leopard, buffaloes, elephants and rhinos.
Later after lunch, you will proceed to Entebbe for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 16: Entebbe botanical gardens
The gardens house a collection of species of plants of the tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones, besides several shrubs and other plants regenerated naturally over the years. The collection as of 1998 numbered 309 species, 199 indigenous to Uganda, 122 with known medicinal value and 110 exotic. The gardens are a popular attraction for visitors of which some 40,000 per year are passing through the gates since the rehabilitation in 1998.
The gardens are a home to number of bird species and different monkey species
Relax at the beach side to enjoy the African sun.
Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay
Day 17: City tour and departure
The last hours in Uganda can be spent with a visit to the capital of the country, Kampala
Visit the local market, the taxi park and a walk on the streets will leave you testifying how Ugandans are the most friendly people. Later you will head back to Entebbe and prepare for your flight and the your guide will transfer you to the airport at the right time.