9 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari

Meet your professional driver-guide in Entebbe, Kampala or at the airport and travel north through rural Uganda, roadside markets and small towns. At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, join a ranger-led walk to observe southern white rhinos from a safe distance and learn about their conservation.

After lunch, continue to Murchison Falls National Park and visit the Top of the Falls, where the Nile is forced through a narrow rocky gorge before plunging below. Continue to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Set out early for a game drive across Murchison Falls’ northern savannah and the Buligi tracks. Look for lions, elephants, buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, hartebeests, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs and, with luck, a leopard.

After lunch and relaxation, board a Victoria Nile boat cruise from Paraa Jetty toward the base of the falls. Watch for hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and waterbirds before returning to the lodge.

After breakfast, begin the scenic southwest transfer toward Fort Portal and Kibale Forest National Park. Stop for lunch en route while travelling through rural settlements, farms and trading centres.

The landscape becomes greener and more mountainous near Fort Portal, with tea plantations, crater lakes and views toward the Rwenzori Mountains. Arrive at your lodge near Kibale and receive a briefing for tomorrow’s chimpanzee trek.

Transfer to the chimpanzee trekking briefing centre for registration and a mandatory ranger briefing. Enter the forest with trackers in search of a habituated chimpanzee community; the trek may take two to five hours, followed by up to one hour observing the chimpanzees.

After lunch, travel through the crater-lake region and Rwenzori foothills to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Depending on arrival time, take a short evening game drive or relax at the lodge.

Enjoy an early game drive through the Kasenyi Plains or another productive wildlife-viewing area. Search for lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, spotted hyenas and giant forest hogs.

In the afternoon, board the Kazinga Channel boat cruise from Mweya Jetty. The channel between Lake George and Lake Edward is home to hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, monitor lizards and prolific birdlife.

Travel south through Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha Sector, searching for the famous tree-climbing lions that sometimes rest in large fig trees. Topis, buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, baboons and leopards may also be seen.

Continue through cultivated hills and rural communities to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Your lodge location is selected around the confirmed gorilla trekking sector, and your guide will help you prepare for the following day.

Attend the Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing with your packed lunch, water and essential trekking gear before joining rangers and trackers in Bwindi Forest. The trek may take two to seven hours over steep, muddy terrain; after locating a habituated family, visitors normally spend up to one hour with the gorillas.

Return to the trailhead for your trekking certificate, then transfer through terraced hills and rural communities to Lake Bunyonyi for a relaxed evening beside the lake.

Wake to views of Lake Bunyonyi’s terraced hills and enjoy a guided boat or canoe experience. Depending on the confirmed programme, enjoy birdwatching, an island visit, local stories and scenic photography.

After breakfast, travel through Kabale, Ntungamo and Mbarara to Lake Mburo National Park. Take an afternoon or evening game drive while approaching your lodge, looking for plains zebras, impalas, giraffes, elands, topis, waterbucks and buffaloes.

Meet an armed ranger for an early guided walking safari in Lake Mburo. Learn about tracks, plants, insects, birds and wildlife behaviour while looking for zebras, impalas, giraffes, elands, waterbucks, bushbucks, topis, warthogs and buffaloes.

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kampala or Entebbe, stopping at the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe for photographs, souvenirs and an optional water demonstration. Continue to your hotel, Entebbe International Airport or another agreed drop-off point; a late-evening flight is recommended for same-day departures.