Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe (in the morning hours), drive to Ziwa Rhinos for Rhino Tracking

Ziwa Rhino

You will be picked by our driver/guide at your hotel or residence in Entebbe to commence the Uganda gorilla wildlife safari. We shall first be visiting Uganda's most remote park, Kidepo  but with a a night break at sanctuary.

Within about three hours we arrive at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will be tracking the white rhinos

The Rhino revival project is an initiative of two organizations, Rhino Fund Uganda and Uganda Wildlife Authority. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is situated about one hundred and seventy-six kilometers (approximately 100 miles) north of Kampala on the Gulu highway as you are heading towards Murchison Falls National Park.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you will get the opportunity to see rhinos in the wild.

At the moment the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a habitat to sixteen southern white rhinos. Ziwa Rhino sanctuary has become very popular with tourists in the recent years. It’s a perfect spot for rhino trekking, nature walks, bird watching and relaxation.

Accommodation (all meals included)

Upper Luxury and Luxury: Amuka Safari Lodge

Midrange: Amuka Safari Lodge

Low Budget: Ziwa Rhino Camp

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 2: Onwards to Kidepo Valley National Park

Today you will travel to Kidepo Valley National Park. A long but rewarding drive will take you passed one of the most beautiful sceneries in Uganda.

The park has some of the most amazing scenery in the country! For many people, this is the most beautiful park of Uganda. Here you will find almost no tourists leaving you free to enjoy the park and its unique combination of wildlife without distraction

Kidepo Accommodation (all meals included)

Upper Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

Luxury: Adere Safari Lodge

Midrange: Kidepo Savannah Lodge (ensuite)

Low Budget: Kidepo Savannah Lodge (sheltered tents with bedding and mosquito nets)

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 3: Safari in Kidepo Valley National Park

Wildlife in Kidepo Valley National Park

In Kidepo Valley National Park you will find zebras, giraffes, elephants, lions and leopards. This is also the only place in Uganda where you can find the cheetah and ostrich.

Kidepo is famous for its lions relaxing on the rocks - a scene which may remind you of a certain Disney film. You might even be very lucky to spot a leopard or cheetah! Besides the 4x4 safaris, you can also take a bushwalk in the park with an armed ranger.

Kidepo Accommodation (all meals included)

Upper Luxury: Apoka Safari Lodge

Luxury: Adere Safari Lodge

Midrange: Kidepo Savannah Lodge (ensuite)

Low Budget: Kidepo Savannah Lodge (sheltered tents with bedding and mosquito nets)

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 4: Murchison Falls National Park

We set off from Kidepo at 7a.m. after our morning breakfast and drive to Murchison Falls National Park.

This route gives you an opportunity to enjoy the scenery of Labwor hills and in particular the massive and bare Alerek (Kidi Rwot) rock about 55 km from Kotido.

On arrival at the park, you will relax at your lodge for the rest of the day/evening, dinner and overnight.

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest in Uganda at 3,840 square kilometres. Here is the awe-inspiring Murchison Falls where the River Nile hurls itself in convulsions through a narrow crevice and then plunges 40 metres in one breathtaking leap.

The park has a variety of vegetation ranging from riparian forests and swamplands to broad savannah and provides visitors the opportunity of seeing large concentrations of wildlife including lion, leopard, civet, hyena, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, a host of smaller game, small primates and many bird species, including the rare shoebill stork. The park is especially famous for crocodiles and hippos.

One we enter the park; you will be stopping at the top of the falls which is a fantastic sight. Here the Nile, the longest river in the world, is forced through a narrow gap in the rock (only 7 meters wide), before ferociously plunging down 43 meters.

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest in Uganda at 3,840 square kilometres. Here is the awe-inspiring Murchison Falls where the River Nile hurls itself in convulsions through a narrow crevice and then plunges 40 metres in one breathtaking leap.

The park has a variety of vegetation ranging from riparian forests and swamplands to broad savannah and provides visitors the opportunity of seeing large concentrations of wildlife including lion, leopard, civet, hyena, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, a host of smaller game, small primates and many bird species, including the rare shoebill stork. The park is especially famous for crocodiles and hippos.

Apart from game viewing, the launch trip to the bottom of the falls is another memorable adventure giving you the experience of the mighty Biblical Nile. On the launch you may see schools of crocodiles and hippos basking on the riverbanks as well as a variety of birds.

Our Top Recommendations Murchison Falls National Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Top Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge

Luxury:  Murchison River Lodge | Paraa Safari Lodge

Moderate: Fort Murchison Lodge | Pakuba Lodge

Budget: Fort Murchison Lodge (tents) | Murchison River Lodge (tents) | Red Chilli Rest Camp

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 5: Murchison Falls National Park

Boat Trip to the Bottom of Murchison Falls

After breakfast head to the Delta in search of birdlife and enjoy the game drive to look for lions, giraffes, herds of elephants, buffaloes and many more.

We will then go for an afternoon boat cruise to the foot of Murchison Falls. This boat trip along the Nile is often cited as being the highlight of a trip to Murchison since it allows you to get up-close and personal with the animals. Along this stretch of the river, there are reported to be around 4,000 hippos in addition to some enormous Nile crocodiles. The birdlife is stunning with brightly colored kingfishers and bee-eaters darting along the riverbanks. If lucky, you may see the rare and prehistoric-looking shoebill, which is a cross between the dodo and a dinosaur. The boat takes you to the base of the falls which only adds to their impressiveness.

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Top Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge

Luxury:  Murchison River Lodge | Paraa Safari Lodge

Moderate: Fort Murchison Lodge | Pakuba Lodge

Budget: Fort Murchison Lodge (tents) | Murchison River Lodge (tents) | Red Chilli Rest Camp

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 6: Kibale National Park; Guided Primate Walk in Bigodi Swamp (flights can be arranged if long-distance driving is a challenge for you)

Early morning after breakfast we continue driving through the undulating highlands of southwestern Uganda on our way to the greener and beautiful Fort Portal area. The lush rolling hills of this region provide good "photo opportunities". As you approach Fort Portal in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, you enter Uganda's famous tea plantation region. A carpet of green spreads before you, as far as the eye can see, and seems an unusual contrast to the countryside through which you have just passed.

In the afternoon we visit a nearby forest swamp that is excellent for viewing primates and other forest animals. At the Eastern edge of the Kibale forest is the Bigodi Wetland sanctuary which is maintained by the local community. You will expect birds like the great blue turaco, blue monkeys, baboons, otters, mongoose, bushbucks, bush pigs, and others.

Kibale Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury: Ndali Lodge

Luxury: Primate Lodge Kibale | Crater Safari Lodge

Midrange: Isunga Lodge| ensuite tents at Kibale Forest Camp

Low Budget: Tents at Kibale Forest Camp (with bedding and mosquito nets, shared bathroom) | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 7: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale National Park & Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

Assemble at Kanyankyu River camp at 08:00 hours to go for the most popular activity in this park which is chimpanzee tracking.

Chimpanzees are man’s closest cousins though they are one of the most threatened primate species. More primates like black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, bushbabies, pottos, and many bird species like the yellow-spotted nicator, rumped tinker bird, little greenbul, green breasted pitta, the crowned eagle, black bee-eater, and mammals like elephants can be seen in this walk.

Kibale National park, which averages about 3,300 feet in elevation, is an extension of the great rainforests of central Africa. It is inhabited by three large communities of chimps, each numbering more than 100 individuals. Each community has a complicated social structure. The big adult males dominate the group and defend the community territory against incursions by male outsiders; the females usually wander in small family groups.

Typically, we locate the chimps by listening for their pant-hooting calls, then hustle to the area from which they are calling. We get to observe them as they feed in fruiting trees, lounge, and socialize with each other, or even, occasionally hunt.

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury:  Ndali Lodge

Luxury: Primate Lodge Kibale | | Crater Safari Lodge

Midrange: Isunga Lodge| ensuite tents at Kibale Forest Camp

Low Budget: Tents at Kibale Forest Camp (with bedding and mosquito nets, shared bathroom) | Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Leave the national park after breakfast and drive to Fort Portal.

We incorporate some crater lake hikes into this program. You will be simply amazed by the beauty of these ancient and not ancient crater lakes found in the Fort Portal area.

After you have witnessed all these amazing landscapes, you will be transferred to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge | Kyambura Gorge Lodge | Kasenyi Safari Camp

Luxury: Buffalo Safari Lodge| Katara Lodge

Mid-range:  Enganzi Lodge |  Bush Lodge

Budget: Bush Lodge (tents)| Simba Safari Camp (tents) | Pumba Cottages

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 9: Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, we depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is dominated on its northern border by the snow-capped 16,000-foot Rwenzori Mountains - the famed "Mountains of the Moon". This 767-square-mile conservation area is bordered on the northeast by Lake George and on the southwest by Lake Edward; its western border adjoins the Congo Parc du Virunga.

As we drive through the park, expect to spot teeming herds of impala-like Uganda kob, as well as topi, elephant, Cape buffalo. There are also several soda lakes filling ancient volcanic calderas where flamingos reside seasonally.

In the afternoon we will go on a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. This gives you the opportunity to view wildlife up close: hippo’s huff and spray at very close range from the boat, buffalo linger in the shallows. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink-backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle-billed stork, and many others.

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge | Kyambura Gorge Lodge | Kasenyi Safari Camp

Luxury: Buffalo Safari Lodge| Katara Lodge

Mid-range:  Enganzi Lodge |  Bush Lodge

Budget: Bush Lodge (tents)| Simba Safari Camp (tents) | Pumba Cottages

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Optional activity: Lion Tracking ($125 per person):

For visitors who yearn to get up close to wild African fauna, a research trip is a rewarding adventure. This new and unique experience allows visitors to actively participate in monitoring some of the lions in the park, using locator devices and learning habituation calls, as well as monitoring weather, surroundings, and behavior. The results are added to researchers’ databases, contributing valuable information to the overall understanding of wildlife ecology - and helping to conserve this wonderful ecosystem. This will as well gives you a 95% chance to see the lions!

The number of people on each outing is limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and to increase the quality of the experience for visitors.

The experiential tourism activities currently available are Mongoose Tracking, Lion Tracking, Hippo Census, and Bird Counts. The number of people on each outing is limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and to increase the quality of the experience for visitors.

Experiential tours last between one and three hours. They usually take place in the early morning or evening, or occasionally at night. All activities must be booked through the Visitor Information Centre in Mweya at least 24 hours in advance.

Costing: $125 us dollar p.p.

Day 10: Game drives for Tree climbing lions in Ishasha, Drive to Bwindi

After your breakfast, you will proceed to Ishasha Sector. Drive along the deep and wide dry craters that are occupied by savanna grasses and acacia. The drive takes you through the unique western rift valley escarpment and the (southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park); thereafter proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The journey takes about 2-3 hours but driving through interesting features. We shall be arriving in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening. This park is home to the rare mountain gorillas plus 11 other primates species including the blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush and green and there are streams running through it.

Bwindi Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Upper Luxury: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge | Mt.Gahinga Lodge

Luxury: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge | Chameleon Hill Lodge or Gorilla Safari Lodge

Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Camp or Travellers' Rest Hotel Kisoro

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 11: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, proceed for the morning briefing before enjoying the highlight of the trip - gorilla trekking, which may last the entire day.

We trek through the rainforest and bamboo-covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten. When sighted, visitors will be guided to within 6 meters from the gorillas, sit around them for a whole hour while gazing into their big round eyes.

Gorilla trekking is unpredictable. It's difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. The gorilla excursion can take from 2 up to 8 hours. Expect to walk a long distance in steep and muddy conditions, sometimes with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. A good physical condition is recommended. For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. A ranger will brief you on how to behave with the gorillas.

Bwindi Accommodation options

Upper Luxury: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge | Mt.Gahinga Lodge

Luxury: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge | Chameleon Hill Lodge or Gorilla Safari Lodge

Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Camp or Travellers' Rest Hotel Kisoro

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 12: Golden Monkey Tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

After breakfast, we will trek the scenic Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and our target this morning will be to track a troop of golden monkeys.

Mgahinga is more famous for mountain gorillas but also the only place in Uganda where rare golden monkeys can be found. Apart from primates, the park has rare bird species, some endemic to the Albertine Rift area such as scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, mountain yellow warblers, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori turaco, Archer’s robin-chat, and many more.

Overnight:

Upper Luxury: Mt.Gahinga Lodge

Luxury:  Chameleon Hill Lodge

Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Low Budget: Rushaga Gorilla Camp or Travellers' Rest Hotel Kisoro

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 13: Mburo National Park

We drive east to Mbarara, now one of Uganda’s major towns, but formerly the capital of Ankole kingdom for over 400 years until disbanded by independence in 1962. In the days before modern Uganda came into being, the area had a series of fiercely independent tribal states.

From here you continue to Lake Mburo, a small but picturesque national park renowned for its herds of antelope and one of the only two Ugandan parks home to Burchell’s zebra. The park is also especially good for acacia-associated birds.

Upon arrival, you will go for the game drive which will give you insights into animal species like the zebras, topes, elephants, elands, impalas, buffaloes, antelopes and so many others.

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Upper Luxury and Luxury: Mihingo Lodge

Moderate: Rwakobo Rock Lodge  | Arcadia Cottages 

Low Budget: Mburo Eagles Nest

Day 14: Lake Mburo National Park Game Drive, Return to Entebbe

Rise early for breakfast before setting off for the morning game drive.

This has often been a good chance of seeing hyenas coming back to their dens, hippos walking back to the water, you will see buffalo, zebra, impala, and topi, and with a bit of luck maybe even a sitatunga, an antelope rarely seen living in the papyrus swamps.

After your early morning activities, return to the lodge for a check-out.

We then bid farewell to the park’s friendly staff as we depart for Kampala / Entebbe.

En route, we will stop at the Equator for photographs and ‘polar-water experiment', then local community crafts shops and fruit markets.

We will be in Entebbe in the evening before your flight back home. End of the Uganda gorilla wildlife safari.