This 14-day trip will take you to the best five and biggest national parks of Uganda. It will also leave you with fascinating memories and experiences, from Gorilla and chimpanzee tracking to game viewing, boat cruises, and Rhino tracking.
Arrival at Entebbe Airport. Your guide will pick you up and take you to the hotel for relaxation. If you arrive early, you can go on a shoebill excursion and enjoy a canoe ride on the Mamba swamp, where you can search for the unique shoebill stork and other visitor bird species.
Accommodations:
Included: Airport Transfer
After breakfast, depart for Murchison Falls National Park. Stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to track the White Rhino. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you can see the White Rhino in the wild. Proceed to Murchison Falls National Park. If time allows, we can visit the top of the falls.
Accommodations:
Included: Rhino tracking, visit to the top of the falls
After an early morning breakfast, we shall head for a 4–5-hour game drive on the northern bank of the Nile. Expect to see elephants, Rothschild giraffes, Jackson hartebeest, lions, oribis, waterbucks, and various Savannah woodland birds. After lunch, we shall depart for a three-hour Boat launch trip upstream towards the bottom of Murchison Falls and hike to the top. You will see hippos, Nile Crocodiles, and plenty of birdlife. You might also see elephants drinking at the water's edge. Return to the Lodge for Dinner and Overnight.
Accommodations:
Included: Game drive, boat trip, hike to the top of the falls
After breakfast, we drive to Kibale National Park. After checking in, you can take an optional walk around the community. Kibale National Park is a spectacular rainforest best known as the Primates Capital of the world. The forest hosts 13 primate species such as chimpanzees, baboons, black and white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, and L’Hoest monkey, among others. Birds such as the great blue turaco can be found here.
Accommodations:
Optional: Community walk
After breakfast, you will meet your fellow trackers at the Kibale National Park Headquarters, where the park ranger and guides brief you about the activity and give you instructions on how to follow during the trek in the forest. You will see a variety of monkey species, such as the red-tailed monkeys and white and black colobus monkeys, among others. When you spot the chimpanzees, you can see them for one hour while taking photos and short videos with non-flashlight cameras.
Optional: In the afternoon, we will take a nature walk in the Bigodi wetland, which will take us through the swampy area to the community. You will participate in interesting local activities, such as a coffee experience, banana winemaking, and visiting the traditional healer.
Accommodations:
Included: Chimpanzee tracking
Optional: Bigodi Swamp Walk
Have a relaxed breakfast and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will stop for a crater tour on your way to the Medley of Wonders. Afterwards, proceed to your accommodation in the park. Check-in and do an afternoon game drive, and it’s also possible to visit communities.
Accommodations:
Included: Crater tour
After a morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains, return to the lodge for lunch and prepare for a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon. You will see various birds and animal species, including buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, and elephants. Return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodations:
Included: Game viewing, Boat cruise
After a relaxed breakfast, we drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the Ishasha Sector, famous for its unique tree-climbing lions. Enjoy the drive and journey through the beautiful scenery and stop over at fresh markets en route to your accommodation for relaxation.
Accommodations:
Included: Search for tree-climbing lions
Early departure with your ranger guides in search of one of the world’s most interesting, endangered animals, the Mountain Gorilla. You will spend one hour with one of your closest relatives. Coming up close to endangered Mountain Gorillas in the forests of Uganda is a thrilling lifetime experience that surely ranks on most people’s travel bucket lists. Trekking at a high altitude through dense forests and up steep terrain can be challenging, especially in the African heat, but the hour you get to spend with these gentle giants is worth every step. Only eight guests may visit one gorilla family at a time - one trek per day/ family. Gorilla Tracking - is managed entirely by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, with a head ranger, security personnel (armed as a precaution against wildlife, etc.) and trackers, with optional porters – who walk with the guests until a family is located. Once the gorillas are found, the rangers only take the guests closer to the gorillas – and your viewing time commences – which is one hour. Porters are from the local communities and are rotated for revenue sharing, which goes directly to them. It is recommended that at least one porter be hired per person trekking. Fees are usually additional to your tour and paid directly.
Accommodations:
Included: Gorilla permit and transfers
Start your day with breakfast and tighten your hiking boots for this full-day adventure. It begins with a 3–hour hike through the forest to a Batwa settlement. The Batwa, originally known as the “Forest Keepers,” are an enchanting group of people uniquely described by their lifestyle and character. The Batwa pygmies are a hunter-gatherer tribe that settled in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for many years before they were brought out for conservation purposes. During this unique experience, you will observe how they cook and serve a meal, how they gather and use herbs as medicine and learn more about their distinguished culture. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodations:
Included: Batwa Experience
In Bwindi, you may do one of the optional activities: a forest walk to the waterfalls, a birding walk, a community walk, or second gorilla tracking. Drive to the island-dotted Lake Bunyonyi, where you can relax or go for birding. Lake Bunyonyi is one of the deepest and most beautiful lakes in Uganda. It is at an altitude of 2,000 m and was formed by multiple volcanic eruptions. 29 islands beautify it.
Accommodations:
After breakfast, board the canoe for a ride to the different islands on Lake Bunyonyi, such as Punishment Island. The guide will explain the names of the islands visited and what happened there. After lunch, return to the lodge and drive to Lake Mburo National Park. Lake Mburo National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park. It is the second national park in Uganda with zebras and the only one with impalas. Lake Mburo National Park has no elephants or lions, making it ideal for walking safaris and biking.
Accommodations:
Included: Visit the islands
You can go on a morning game drive in the park, go horse riding inside or outside the park, or explore the park on a bicycle. Afterwards, drive to Mabamba Swamp, the best spot to see the shoebill using a canoe boat. On our way, stop at the Equator for a photo opportunity and some magical demonstrations at the point where the northern and southern hemispheres are.
Relax at the lodge or go on an optional canoe trip to search for the rare shoebill stork in Mabamba Swamp. Afterwards, transfer to the airport for your outbound flight home.
| Price | Mid-range | High-end |
|---|---|---|
| Per person | $7,970 | $8,989 |
| Single room surcharge | $1,670 | $2,260 |
The prices are based on 2 people sharing a room. A single room surcharge applies for clients who would like to stay in single rooms.