Overview
This 16 days all-round Uganda safari offers a comprehensive exploration of the country’s iconic destinations. It begins with an arrival in Entebbe and ends with drop off either in Kampala or Entebbe. No key activities offered in the country are omitted; gorilla trek, chimpanzee trek, game drives and boat cruise. Exploration is in key national parks; Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley and Lake Mburo. Additional destinations to visit include Mabamba Bay, River Nile, Bigodi Swamp and Batwa Village etc.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport. Optional Mabamba Shoebill Tour, depending on arrival time
From your country, arrive at Entebbe International Airport by plane. Our guide is ready to welcome you, and take a moment to brief you about the 16 days all-round Uganda safari. If you arrive early, go to Mabamba Bay on Lake Victoria for a shoebill tour. This is a chance to explore the wetland on a canoe. The guided tour offers more than to search for and watch shoebill storks and other bird species. Fishermen here offer some moments for interactions between you and them, thus a much better experience. Head to your booked hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. Have dinner and overnight stay in the accommodation.
Day 2: Drive from Entebbe/Kampala to Jinja. White Water Rafting on the Nile River
After breakfast early in the morning, drive to Jinja, a city situated 122 km away from Entebbe. Arrive and head to the Nile River for a thrilling watersport called white water rafting. Paddle through the water rapids. Meanwhile, view many birds and the lush landscapes around you during this activity. Go and check in at your prebooked hotel for the best dinner in the city. Enjoy a quiet night at the hotel while you sleep.
Day 3: Drive from Jinja to Sipi Falls. Tour the small coffee plantations near Sipi Falls
Wake up to have your breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. Check out and start to transfer to Sipi Falls, 196 km away to the northeast. Lunch is offered on the way towards the Sipi Falls. As soon aa you arrive, check in and head to coffee plantations nearby for a guided tour. Experience how coffee is grown, harvested, dried and processed. Taste a warm cup of coffee to enjoy the sweet aroma of this region’s coffee. Buy some of the coffee while you end your guided coffee plantations tour. With your purchased coffee return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Drive from Sipi Falls to Moroto, Via the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve and Meet the Karamojong Tribe
From the remarkable Sipi Falls, Moroto is situated 199 km and this is where to spend your night. So wake up at your lodge, then get breakfast at your own pace. Transfer to Moroto, with your enroute lunch a guarantee. The scenic drive takes you through Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, situated 135 km away from Moroto district. A few places in Uganda offer better views of Rothschild’s giraffes, greater kudus, ostriches and zebras etc. than Pian Upe.
Continue to Moroto, and meet a community of Karamojong people. Learn somethings about their local languages. Get entertained as they sing and dance in front of you. Their history is very unique and delves into their origin and conflicts. Explore their beautiful homesteads before you go to your booked lodge. Have dinner and then head to bed for a very comfortable goodnight sleep.
Day 5: Drive from Moroto to Kidepo Valley National Park. Evening Game Drive in Kidepo Valley National Park.
Prepare for a journey northwestward after your morning breakfast in Moroto. Once check out is finished, drive for 240 km to Kidepo Valley National Park. Arrive at the remote park, where lunch is available for you at your lodge. Check in at the lodge and take some moments relaxed. In the evening, have a game drive in the Narus Valley. Spot beautiful savannah animals and impressive landscape. River valleys, ostriches, cheetahs, lions, buffaloes, giraffes and hartebeests can be seen. Return to your lodge for dinner and sleep.
Day 6: Walking Safari in Kidepo Valley National Park + Game Safari in Kidepo Valley National Park
After your morning breakfast, start a guided nature walk at Apoka Rest Camp. This is an opportunity to walk across the savannah and view a variety of animals. To name but a few, spot, zebras, lions, reedbucks and others. After lunch explore other parts of the Narus Valley while seated in your safari car. Besides the mentioned animals, lions, buffaloes, elephants, cheetahs can be seen. The landscape, both near and far are visible, especially if you want to see Morungole ranges, Mount Lomej and others. Get back to your lodge and enjoy dinner. Rest for the night.
Day 7: Drive from Kidepo Valley National Park to Murchison Falls National Park
On this seventh day of the 16 days all-round Uganda safari, you transfer to Murchison Falls National Park in northwest Uganda. Through Kitgum and Gulu, enjoy the 314 km drive that takes you to the home of the Murchison Falls. A pause for an enroute lunch is very important to keep your energy levels up. Check in at your lodge in Murchison Falls National Park, where dinner and overnight is done.
Day 8: Game Drive in Murchison Falls National Park + Boat Cruise to Murchison Falls.
Highlights for today are game drive in the northern sector and a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile. The 2-3-hour game drive happens in the morning before sunrise to see as many predators as possible. Lions, leopards and hyenas can be sighted in the grasses, or the leopard in trees. Herbivores, often seen as they graze on the grass include waterbucks, hartebeests, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes and so many others.
After lunch head for a boat cruise that takes you closer to the Murchison Falls. Beside, crocodiles and hippos spend a lot of time in the Nile waters, so enjoy their views. Time to take photos of the falls is presented, so take advantage of that. Return to the lodge, where you should spend the rest of the day at the swimming pool. Dinner and overnight is ready in the evening, so eat before your overnight stay.
Day 9: Drive from Murchison Falls Nationals Park to Kibale National Park
This day of your 16 days all-round Uganda safari is for another transfer, this time to the southwest. A scenic drive from Murchison Falls National Park to Kibale National Park has a distance of 253 km to cover. Another opportunity to enjoy lunch on the way is offered. Arrive at Kibale Forest and check in at your lodge. Relax because you might feel so tired. In the night, breakfast is served while you expect to stay here for the night.
Day 10: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale National Park and afternoon swamp walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
It is the tenth day of your 16 days all-round Uganda safari, and you must take breakfast as soon as you wake up. Chimpanzee trekking tours take an hour, once you find these primates in their foraging area. Altogether, the adventure might last for 2-4 hours. Nevertheless, you have to move in the dense forest where birds, other primates and mammals could be seen. Now, you must head to the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary just continuous with the forest after lunch.
Do a guided swamp walk for opportunities to see the great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, sitatunga, and grey crowned crane etc. Moreover, primates like red-tailed monkeys, L’hoest’s monkeys, Uganda red colobus and Uganda mangabeys also spend time in these swamps. Try to interact with the local guide and some indigenous people for a chance to learn about their way of life. After all this, return to the lodge for dinner, while you prepare for another overnight at Kibale Forest.
Day 11: Drive from Kibale National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Night Game Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Today, you transfer further southwest, for 75.1 km to Queen Elizabeth National Park. What a scenic drive this is, because you pause for views of the rift valley and crater lakes. Photos at the Kikorongo Equator monument are guaranteed. Lunch is enroute, and once you arrive at the lodge in the park, check in and relax. As the sun disappears behind the horizon, head to the vast savannah for a guided night game drive. Sight nocturnal animals like lions, leopards and others. Return to the lodge for dinner and sleep for the night.
Day 12: Drive from Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Via Ishasha Sector to spot Tree-climbing lions
Travel for 140 km from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Pass across the game tracks of Rushaga sector, where you can view the rare tree-climbing lions. Warthogs, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, buffaloes also share habitats in this important part of Queen. Have your lunch while you proceed to Bwindi. Check in at your lodge in the lush Rushaga for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 13: Mountain Gorillas Trekking in Rushaga Sector. Meet the Batwa Tribe of Bwindi in the Evening
On this thirteenth day of your 16 days all-round Uganda safari, meet a habituated mountain gorilla family in the forest. Do this very captivating experience from the Rushaga trailhead after your breakfast. It takes 2-6 hours because the gorillas sometimes move for much longer distances. Head for a Batwa encounter in the village just near the Bwindi forest. Through traditional music and dance, the tribe brings a smile on your face. Elders available offer history of their time in the forest. They reveal how they survived in the forest through hunting, food-gathering and others. Come back to your lodge afterwards for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 14: Drive from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Lake Mburo National Park
Morning breakfast is already prepared for you, and you should consider it as soon as you wake up. This is to reenergize you for the 234 km drive to Lake Mburo National Park, northeastwards. Enroute lunch is part of the journey, and we promise it is so delicious. At Lake Mburo National park, check in and relax. Do this for the rest of the day before your dinner is prepared. Spend the night at your lodge after dinner.
Day 15: Walking Safari in Lake Mburo National Park and 2:00pm Boat Safari
Have breakfast after you wake up from your sleep on this fifteenth day of the 16 days all-round Uganda safari. A guided walking safari along specific trails of the park is done in the morning. This is the best experience in the savannah since plenty of animals start to search for food at this time. Animals to see while on foot include topis, zebras, impalas, elands, giraffes and others. Return to your lodge for lunch before you head to Lake Mburo for a boat safari. For 2 hours on a motorboat, view crocodiles, hippos, pelicans and other creatures. Have dinner and stay at your lodge, one last time.
Day 16: Drive back to Entebbe/Kampala
Get excited as soon as you wake up. This is because you get to take your last morning breakfast of the 16 days all-round Uganda safari. Check out and embark on this 230 km drive back to Kampala. Lunch is along the way, before you arrive. Drop off is either in Kampala or Entebbe before you end the safari. If your plan is to fly out of the country, drop off is preferably at Entebbe International Airport. Your tour has ended before you even board the flight.