14 Days Best of Uganda Safari

This 14 Days Best of Uganda Safari is an extensive two-week journey through Uganda, combining the River Nile, Big Five wildlife, chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, boat safaris, and time to relax on Lake Bunyonyi. The safari begins in Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria. It continues east to Jinja, where the Nile begins its long journey from Lake Victoria. Explore the Source of the Nile and spend a full day experiencing the river, with white-water rafting and gentler Nile activities available according to your interests. From Jinja, the trip continues north through central Uganda to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and onwards to Murchison Falls National Park. By tracking rhinos at Ziwa and exploring Murchison Falls wildlife including lions, leopards, elephants and Cape buffaloes creates the opportunity to encounter Uganda's Big Five. The two nights in Murchison will include game drives and boat cruise along the Nile and a hike to the top of the falls to witness the world’s powerful waterfalls. Continue through western from savanna to Kibale Forest National Park where you will trek habituated chimpanzees and a nature walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Travel further south to Queen Elizabeth National Park for another boat safari along the Kazinga Channel famous for harbouring one of the highest concentration of hippos. The following morning explore Queen Elizabeth's open plains and Ishasha wilderness in search of Tree Climbing lions. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and trek through the ancient mountain rainforest in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family. Rather than immediately beginning another long transfer after the trek, spend a second night close to the forest and allow the gorilla experience to remain the focus of the day. The safari then continues deeper into southwestern Uganda to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, part of the Virunga Volcanoes that straddle the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. Mgahinga offers an opportunity to encounter the rare golden monkeys in the park's bamboo and this will be your third distinctive primate encounter after Kibale's chimpanzees and Bwindi's mountain gorillas. Spend your final night on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation among the terraced highlands and islands of southwestern Uganda. On the morning of day 14, embark on the return journey back to Entebbe, completing a 2 weeks Uganda safari.

Safari highlights

• Spend two weeks exploring Uganda from the Nile to the Virunga highlands
• Visit the Source of the Nile in Jinja
• Choose from white-water rafting or gentler Nile experiences
• Track southern white rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
• Explore Murchison Falls National Park by game drive and boat safari
• Look for lions, elephants, giraffes, Cape buffaloes and possible leopard
• Experience the Nile at both Jinja and Murchison Falls
• Visit the powerful Murchison Falls
• Trek chimpanzees in Kibale National Park
• Explore Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
• Cruise the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel
• Search Queen Elizabeth National Park's Ishasha in search of tree-climbing lions
• Trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Track endangered golden monkeys in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
• Relax beside Lake Bunyonyi
• Stop at the Uganda Equator on the return journey

Itinerary at a glance

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe

Day 2: Entebbe to Jinja, source of the Nile

Day 3: Jinja Nile adventure day

Day 4: Jinja to Ziwa rhino tracking and Murchison Falls national park

Day 5: Murchison Falls game drive and Nile boat safari plus top of the falls experience

Day 6: Murchison Falls to Kibale national park

Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking and nature walk in Bigodi Wetland

Day 8: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park for Kazinga Channel boat safari

Day 9: Queen Elizabeth game drive via Ishasha to Bwindi Impenetrable national park

Day 10: Gorilla Trekking

Day 11: Transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park in Virunga Mountains

Day 12: Golden monkey trekking

Day 13: Mgahinga to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation

Day 14: Lake Bunyonyi via Uganda Equator to Entebbe

Detailed Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe International Airport

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, meet your Firante Gorilla Treks driver guide and transfer to your hotel. Check in and recover from your flight ahead. Day 1 should be kept relaxed. However, depending on your arrival time and interests, a short optional activity around Entebbe can be arranged such as an morning excursion to Mabamba wetland to search for Shoebill stork. Your driver-guide will brief you about the safari and what to expect for the next day.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 2: Entebbe to Jinja at the Source of the Nile

After breakfast, leave Entebbe and travel east to Jinja, arriving early afternoon and settle into your accommodation. Take a boat excursion on the water and learn about the geographical and historical significance of the spot where the Nile River begins to flow from Lake Victoria. This first day introduces the river at its headwaters. You will encounter the Nile again several days later at Murchison Falls, where the same river transforms one of Uganda's largest conservation areas. Return to your lodge or hotel and spend the evening relaxing by the Nile.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 3: Nile river adventure activities

Today is dedicated to experiencing the Nile according to your preferred level of adventure. You can take part in white water rafting. Professional rafting operators provide safety briefings and equipment. The experience combines exciting rapids with calmer sections of the Nile and is one of Jinja's best adventure activities. In addition to white water rafting, among other alternative Nile experiences including Kayaking, tubing and water bike for those preferring a slower activity; horseback safari and quad biking. This variety of adventure activities is particularly useful for groups whose members may have different interests. Return to your accommodation afterwards for a second night in Jinja.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 4: Jinja to Murchison Falls via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Leave Jinja early in the morning for 6-hour drive north to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest conservation area. Along the way, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided rhino tracking experience. You will be accompanied by trained guides gently walking on foot in search of southern white rhinos and learn about rhino conservation in Uganda. The encounter offers a completely different wildlife experience from the vehicle-based game drives that follow at Murchison. Given that the journey from Jinja is substantial, this itinerary does not unnecessarily force several major Murchison activities into the arrival afternoon. After rhino tracking and lunch, continue to your lodge, enjoying any wildlife encountered naturally along the way, check in and settle into the park. Your full Murchison wildlife experience begins the following morning.

Main Activity: Ziwa Rhino Tracking

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 5: Murchison Falls Game Drive, Nile boat safari and the falls

Discover Murchison Falls wildlife during a morning game drive. Search for Rothschild's giraffes, African elephants, Cape buffaloes, lions, hyenas, hartebeests, Uganda kobs, oribis and waterbucks, among other wildlife. Leopards also occur within the park and sightings can be unpredictable. Combined with the southern white rhinos tracked at Ziwa, the wildlife of Murchison creates an opportunity to encounter the animals traditionally associated with the African Big Five during this section of the safari. Return for lunch and later embark on another thrill. The Nile boat safari offers an opportunity to watch hippos and Nile crocodiles in the water. Elephants, buffaloes among other wildlife may appear along the banks to drink or feed. The river is also rich in birdlife including African fish eagle, Egyptian goose, and malachite kingfisher. As you cruise upstream you will reach the viewing area below Murchison Falls and look towards the point where the Nile tumbles into the devil’s cauldron. Your itinerary will also include an opportunity to experience Murchison Falls from above, subject to the most practical sequencing with your lodge location and boat arrangements. At the top, witness the Nile forces its way through a narrow rocky gorge plunging into the channel below creating a trademark rainbow. Experiencing the river from both the boat and the top of the falls reveals two completely different perspectives of the same natural feature. Return to your lodge for your second night at Murchison.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 6: Murchison Falls to Kibale National Park

After breakfast, leave Murchison Falls and begin the journey south towards Kibale National Park. Today involves a longer 6-hour drive transfer with stopover for refreshments along the way in Hoima town and some of the viewpoints to enjoy spectacular views of the rift valley. Continue to Fort Portal and the Kibale region encompassed by agricultural landscapes and tea-growing areas. Arrive at your lodge later in the day and settle. Spend the evening relaxing and preparing for the following day's chimpanzee trekking experience.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale and Nature in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

Today is the first great-ape encounter. After breakfast, transfer to the designated briefing point for chimpanzee trekking. Following a briefing, you will be accompanied by UWA rangers into the tropical forest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community. Pant-hoot calls of chimpanzee echo through the forest before you actually see them. Chimpanzees are highly active primates, and their movements and behaviour make tracking them a very thrilling ad exciting experience. Once the chimpanzees are located, spend the permitted viewing period observing their social behaviour and return through the forest back to the lodge for lunch. Later in the afternoon, complement the chimpanzee experience with a guided walk through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Bigodi's more open wetland and forest-edge environment offers opportunities to look for 8 of Kibale’s 13 primates. There are over 200 birds including the Great blue Turaco. Learn about the relationship between conservation and the Bigodi community. Return to your lodge for your second night in Kibale. Where a morning chimpanzee permit is confirmed, Bigodi can normally be visited in the afternoon. With an afternoon chimpanzee session, the order can be reversed. Those intending to spend more time with chimps may alternatively request the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, subject to permit availability. Because this is a longer activity, Bigodi may need to be omitted or rescheduled.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 8: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park for Kazinga Channel boat cruise

After breakfast, leave Kibale and travel south to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda most diverse park associated with different habitats such as open savannah plains, tropical forests, and crater filled lakes. Arrive in the park and continue to your lodge or stop for lunch and later, go for a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel, the natural waterway connecting Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel is famous for large pods of hippos and its waters also attract elephants and Cape buffaloes coming to drink the water. The channel also supports abundant birdlife and provides an excellent wildlife-viewing experience from water level. Return to your lodge after the cruise.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 9: Queen Elizabeth game drive and transfer via Ishasha to Bwindi

Begin with an early morning game drive across Queen Elizabeth National Park's open plains. Search for lions, elephants, Cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks with the possibility of finding a leopard. After the morning wildlife experience, have breakfast and continue south through the Ishasha sector famous for harboring tree climbing lions. They tend to be found resting in large fig trees. Among other wildlife in Ishasha you may spot include buffaloes, elephants, and topi. Continue further southwest to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The final trekking sector and lodge will be coordinated once the gorilla permit is confirmed. Where permit allocation and routing allow, Buhoma creates a natural connection from Ishasha. Arrive at your lodge, check in and prepare for the following morning's gorilla trek.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 10: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

Today brings one of the most awaited wildlife experiences of this 14 day Uganda safari itinerary. After an early breakfast, transfer to your designated briefing point with your packed lunch, drinking water and trekking gears and accessories. Attend and listen to the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers briefing on dos and don’ts of trekking. Then you will be accompanied into the forest in search of your assigned habituated gorilla family. The trek can be physically challenging due to the nature of terrain and gorilla families move freely through the forest, meaning that the duration and difficulty of every trek differs. However, porters are available and recommended. They can carry your daypack and provide valuable assistance on steep or slippery terrain while earning income directly from tourism. Once the gorillas are located, you will spend up to the permitted viewing time observing the family. Watch as gorillas feed, rest, groom, play and interact within their natural rainforest environment. After the encounter, return to your lodge and relax after the trek and enjoy a second night in the Bwindi region.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 11: Bwindi to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

After breakfast, leave the Bwindi region and travel deeper into southwestern Uganda to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, part of the Virunga Mountains. On clear days, the Virunga volcanoes dominate the horizon, creating one of Uganda's most impressive mountain landscapes. Arrive at your lodge on the edge of Mgahinga region and check in and simply rest in preparation for the following morning's golden monkey trek.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 12: Golden Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

After breakfast, transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for your golden monkey trekking experience. Meet the ranger guides for a briefing before entering the forest on the lower slopes of the Virunga Mountains. Golden monkeys inhabit the bamboo-dominated forests of the Virungas and provide a very different primate encounter from Kibale's chimpanzees and Bwindi's mountain gorillas. These colourful and energetic monkeys move actively through the vegetation, feeding on bamboo and other forest foods. Follow the ranger guides through the forest in search of a habituated troop and spend the permitted viewing period watching their movements and interactions. After trekking, return to your lodge. Spend the remainder of the day relaxing beneath the Virunga Mountains or add an optional cultural Batwa trail experience where available.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 13: Mgahinga to Lake Bunyonyi for relaxation

Enjoy breakfast before leaving the Virunga region for Lake Bunyonyi. Travel through the spectacular southwestern highlands towards Kabale and the lake. After nearly two weeks of Nile adventures, game drives, boat safaris and primate trekking, Lake Bunyonyi provides a deliberate change of pace. Check into your lakeside accommodation and spend the afternoon at leisure. Relax overlooking the water and surrounding terraced hills, enjoy the lodge facilities or arrange an optional boat or canoe experience depending on your interests and arrival time. The purpose of this final safari night is not to add another demanding activity. It is an opportunity to slow down, enjoy southwestern Uganda's scenery and reflect on the journey before the long return to Entebbe.

Optional Activity: Boat or canoe experience

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 14: Lake Bunyonyi to Uganda Equator to Entebbe

Enjoy breakfast overlooking Lake Bunyonyi and begin the return journey to Entebbe. Travel through Mbarara town for lunch en-route towards central Uganda. Stop at the Uganda Equator for photo shoots and an opportunity to buy local crafts. Continue to Kampala or Entebbe depending on your onward arrangements, your driver-guide will drop you at Entebbe International Airport or your Kampala/Entebbe hotel.

Quotation and booking details

Request a personalised quotation based on your dates, group size and accommodation preference. Your written quotation will confirm the lodges, meal plan, trekking permits, transport, included activities, optional extras and exclusions before booking. No fixed package price is currently advertised.

Trekking duration, wildlife sightings and travel times vary. Final arrangements depend on permit availability, lodge location and local conditions. Where a long transfer or trek falls on your departure day, an additional overnight stay before flying is recommended.

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Planning advice: Gorilla trekking · Chimpanzee experiences · Safari destinations