Overview
In an epic exploration of the Pearl of Africa, the 18 days safari holiday in Uganda is the best choice. Uganda is an adventure powerhouse that trades quantity for quality in the safari realm. The country hosts a vast variety of wildlife species, from the Big Five to the primates and birds- name it all. During this 18 days safari holiday in Uganda, visitors are not just assured of spotting wildlife but also have an intimate time with these species. This is through game drives and boat cruises in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, and Lake Mburo, to chimpanzee trekking in Kibale and gorilla trekking in Bwindi, among others. The story of your 18 days safari can best be told in the detailed itinerary below.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport
Your 18 days safari holiday in Uganda starts and ends at Entebbe International Airport. Upon arrival, our guide driver will welcome you. He will take you through an oversight of how your tour will run. The driver will take you to your booked hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja, visit the museum and explore the source of the Nile
Wake up early for breakfast, then head to Jinja to explore the source of the Nile. The journey to Jinja takes about 1-2 hours depending on the traffic. Upon arriving in Jinja city, explore the city by visiting the Uganda Railway Museum. Witness the history of the railway industry in Uganda and also East Africa. You will spot some of the artefacts that were used in the construction of the railway that date back to the 1800s. Enjoy a local lunch before heading to the Nile.
The afternoon takes you to the source of the Nile, where you explore and witness the beginning of the longest river on Earth. However, to explore the source of the Nile, you will take a boat cruise on Lake Victoria to the source. Lake Victoria is the biggest freshwater lake in Africa and happens to be the source of the Nile. Take pictures at the signpost where the Nile leaves the lake to begin its long journey to northern Africa. Return to Kampala and settle back into your hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 3: Drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino trekking
Check out of your hotel and head northwest to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary after breakfast. Arrive in under 4 hours and embark on a rhino tracking adventure. Prepare for this activity with a short briefing by the ranger guides. Drive to a certain point and then leave the vehicle and track the rhinos on foot. Spot the rhinos as they graze and interact with each other. You will also encounter a few other animals like zebras, bushbucks, giraffes, and warthogs, among others.
Return to the vehicle and drive back to the sanctuary headquarters, marking the end of your rhino tracking experience. Enjoy a delicious lunch before checking into your lodge inside the sanctuary. Relax for the remaining evening until dinner and rest for the night ahead.
Day 4: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park and view the top of the falls
Have breakfast and check out of the lodge in Ziwa before hitting the road to Murchison. Your transfer to Murchison Falls National Park will take about 3-4 hours because it is located a few kilometers from Ziwa. Enjoy your journey with scenic views of the wilderness and green farmlands. Cross the Kafu River, enter Masindi town, and head to Murchison.
You will arrive at the Kichumbanyobo gate of Murchison Falls National Park, sign in, and enter the park. This gate is the main park entrance on the southern side of the park through Budongo Forest Reserve. Your guide will bring you up to speed with what is yet to unfold in your next adventure in this park. Drive for about 2 hours to the top of the falls.
This is where the magic of the park takes effect as you witness the raw power of Mother Nature. The falls are found on the Victoria Nile, a tributary of the River Nile that bisects this park into two regions. Murchison Falls are formed when large volumes of water are forced through a narrow gap between rock walls. It plunges over 45 meters into a small pool, causing a roar loud enough to be heard over a mile. The force of the falls pushes the water vapor some feet into the air, watering the surroundings.
After taking pictures and enjoying the moment at the falls, drive to your booked lodge for lunch. Spend the rest of the evening relaxing or take on an optional activity to fix in the afternoon. As dusk settles in, have dinner and rest.
Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise
A game drive is the best way to explore Murchison Falls National Park. Set out for this amazing experience after a heavy early breakfast. The early hours of the day present possible chances of spotting several wildlife species. The park receives humid temperatures, especially in the dry season. Therefore, early mornings are the best hours to spot various animals active. Expect to spot animals like lions, leopards, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, and hyenas, among others. Head to the lodge for lunch.
Travel downstream to the Victoria Nile at the landing site in the afternoon. It is here that you will set out for a scenic boat cruise experience that details the aquatic life of the park. Hippos and crocodiles are the common residents of the river. Other species like elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and warthogs, among others, can be spotted on the banks of the river to quench their thirst. Enjoy the scenic beauty of the riverside with the natural vegetation. Return later as you set off with the sunset back to the lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 6: Travel to Kibale Forest National Park
Set off to the western side of the country to Kibale Forest National Park after breakfast. This adventurous journey takes about 8 hours of straight driving with scenic views of the Rift Valley escarpment. Midway through the journey, make a stopover for an en route lunch as you experience the other side of the country.
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi community tour
As the highlight of the day, chimpanzee trekking will proceed after a heavy early breakfast. Head straight for the park headquarters to begin the experience with a short briefing. This briefing highlights the rules and regulations of this chimpanzee trekking experience. It also directs how the visitors will behave in the presence of the chimpanzees.
After this short briefing, head for the forest to traverse its dense canopies to encounter the assigned chimpanzee community. With coordination with the on-ground trackers and the guiding rangers, you will spot the chimpanzees. This is where your hour will begin to count down in the primates’ presence. Return to the headquarters after your trekking hour elapses. From here, head for lunch at your lodge.
Explore Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary in the afternoon by taking a nature walk in this wetland. This wetland is a rich, biodiverse sanctuary harboring a variety of primate and bird species. You will encounter most of the inhabitants of this sanctuary. Exit the sanctuary to the community and interact with the members. You will have a local coffee preparation and a chance to enjoy this local delicacy with some local nuts. Return to the lodge later at dusk for dinner and rest.
Day 8: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park and boat cruise
Travel far west in the morning after breakfast to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This short but scenic journey takes you through vast vegetation and scattered crater lakes. You will also spot the vast green fields of tea plantations that brighten up your road trip. Get to your lodge in Queen Elizabeth in time for lunch.
The afternoon is designated for a boat cruise experience on the Kazinga Channel. This channel is rich in large schools of hippos and countless Nile crocodiles. It also attracts others animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks, etc since it’s the main water source of the park. To add to your experience, this channel connects Lakes George and Edward. Enjoy the beautiful scenes of the sun setting as you return to the lodge for dinner and rest for the night ahead.
Day 9: Game drive and transfer to Ishasha sector
Head out for an early game drive immediately after breakfast. A game drive is the best way to explore this park. Expect to spot various wildlife species like lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, hyenas, buffaloes, and waterbucks, among others. A game drive takes on directly in the savannah plains of some of Africa’s formidable predators. Later, return to the lodge for lunch and check out. Drive further south to the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park into Ishasha. Arrive in the late evening and relax as you enjoy dinner and rest.
Day 10: Game drive in Ishasha and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Your last day in Queen Elizabeth is kicked off with a heavy delicious breakfast. Embark on a game drive around this vast territory of the tree-climbing lions. A game drive in this side of the park opens up new species like the topis that can only spotted here. The spotlight goes to the tree-climbing lions that can be spotted hanging around the large branches of fig trees. The Ishasha sector defies the nature norm of lions from their daily routines of ground to take the heights in the trees.
Continue through this sector and head to Bwindi. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Travel to the southwestern side of Uganda into the Kigezi highlands that usher you into Bwindi. Arrive at your lodge, have dinner, and rest.
Day 11: Gorilla trekking
This safari holiday then shifts to the highlands of Bwindi through the chilly mornings with a hot breakfast. Drive to the park offices for a pre-trekking briefing with a short entertainment by the local women. In this briefing, the rangers will detail the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking and the expected code of conduct. A short history of the park and the trekking experience, with some facts on the gorilla numbers and families will be delivered too.
You are then arranged in groups of 8 people and allocated a gorilla family with rangers to guide you. Navigate the dense forest to the assigned gorilla family with the help of the rangers. This activity is quite intense and a bit exhausting, especially trekking the steep terrain of the park. However, it is very rewarding when you encounter the mountain gorillas. These are the faces of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Spend the next hour in their presence taking pictures and videos as they go about their day. Return to the park offices after the hour with the primates. Trekking takes about 4-6 hours or even more depending on where the gorillas are situated. This is why packed lunch is required, and visitors can enjoy their lunch after the trek.
Return to the lodge later and rest for the remaining evening until dusk. Have dinner and rest for the night ahead.
Day 12: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Batwa community tour
Drive to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park after breakfast, a sister gorilla destination to Bwindi. Drive through the meandering roads through scenic hills to Mgahinga. This journey takes about 2 hours. Check into the lodge upon arrival in Mgahinga and then head for a community tour of the Batwa people.
This community tour unpacks the ancient history of the Batwa people as the early settlers of the forest of Mgahinga. Relive their moments in the forest as they tell their stories of their time in the forest. They are considered the actual forest keepers since they depended on the forest for their survival. Enjoy their unique traditions and cultures through dances and songs. Return to the lodge later for lunch and relax. As night comes in quickly, have dinner and rest.
Day 13: Golden monkey trekking
Begin your day in Mgahinga with a hot breakfast before setting out for the park quarters for a briefing. From the briefing, embark on a golden monkey trekking experience with the help of rangers. Venture the forest through the rugged terrain along the foothills of the volcanic mountains in this park. Follow the directions of the rangers as they track the golden monkeys to their habitats.
Golden monkeys are unique primates and only encountered in this park. Their encounter also takes an hour after a relatively short moderate trek. Return to the lodge for lunch after your hour with these beautiful primates. Spend the rest of the day relaxing or take on an optional activity like a nature walk in the vast Mgahinga forest.
Day 14: Drive to Lake Bunyonyi and afternoon boat cruise
Journey to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale, the deepest lake in Uganda. This lake is a crater lake formed after a flowing river was cut off by volcanic activity. The river flood the surrounding valleys resulting into the current Lake Bunyonyi. The journey to this lake from Mgahinga takes about 2-3 hours. Relax while having a delicious lunch upon arrive at the resort on the lake. Embark on a boat cruise in the afternoon to uncover the treasures of this lake and also learn the mythical stories of the lake. This lake has about 29 islands, each with a resounding history worth learning. Enjoy the scenic views of the sun setting on the lake under the beautiful melodies of birds returning to their nests. Retire back to the lodge before nightfall, have dinner, and rest.
Day 15: Travel to Lake Mburo National Park and walking safari
Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park in the morning after breakfast. Journey through the meandering roads rotating around the terraced hills of Kigezi. Later in under 4 hours, arrive in Lake Mburo National Park. Head straight to the lodge for lunch. In the evening when the sun is weaker, take on a walking safari. This activity is amazing, as it gives visitors a chance to explore the park on foot. This activity is guided by an armed ranger to keep you safe while enjoying your adventure. Walk along the herds of giraffes, zebras, impalas, and waterbucks before returning to the vehicle. Drive back to the lodge after your activity, dinner and rest.
Day 16: Game drive and boat cruise
Wake up for breakfast and head for a game drive in the park. Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest savannah park but one of the most interesting. It offers a chance to spot amazing animals like buffaloes, impalas, waterbucks, giraffes, zebras, leopards, hyenas, and elands, among others. This is short to say, what it lacks in size, it delivers in adventure. The size of the park make it easy to cover more ground to spot many animals. Later, drive back to the lodge for lunch.
From here, embark on a boat cruise adventure on the major water source of this park after lunch. Spot a vast majority of the aquatic species from hippos, crocodiles, to monitor lizards, and also many bird species. Retire to the lodge at dusk for dinner and rest.
Day 17: Transfer to Kampala for a city tour
As you wrap up your 18 days safari, journey to Kampala after breakfast in Lake Mburo National Park. From the quiet savannah and farms of western Uganda, cross the equator to the central busy region of the country. An en route lunch will be served relatively midway your journey before arriving in the city.
Upon arrival in Kampala, explore the city by taking on a city tour. This tour will take you through the different cultural sites like the Buganda palace, Kasubi tombs, and historical sites like the Amin torture chambers. Visit the religious sites like the Bahai temple and Gadhafi mosque, among others. Head for your booked hotel by evening for dinner and rest.
Day 18: Departure
The final day always marks the end of your 18 days safari holiday in Uganda. It is an emotional but proud day after exploring the Pearl of Africa. Your breakfast will resound the aroma of the country side of Uganda and a taste of the African adventure. But everything good also comes of an end. After breakfast, depart for the airport in time for your flight back home.