Guided explore Uganda safari on gorilla trekking & wildlife tours
Explore Uganda safari overview
This 3 weeks explore Uganda safari package getting you to Africa’s big 5 game, source of the Nile, gorilla trekking, chimpanzees, birds, golden monkeys on the 21 days Uganda safari starting from Kigali, Rwanda that will see you enjoy your last day in Kigali city of Rwanda ending with a two country experience. Explore Uganda safari will see you get all Uganda’s major game parks from Bwindi Impenetrable gorillas park, Queen Elizabeth national park a lion sanctuary, Murchison falls national park, Kidepo valley national park among others.
A safari to the Pearl of Africa (named by Winston Churchill) will leave you satisfied with its sightings from the highest snow capped Rwenzori peaks, its source of the river Nile, wildlife sanctuary parks, near experiences with shoebills, giraffes, southern white rhinos, coffee tasting tours etc.
Arrival & departure: Entebbe
- Day 1- arrival and rest on l. Victoria shores
- Day 2- mabamba swamp, botanical tour and night life
- Day 3- source of the River Nile
- Day 4- Mbale city tour, culture, coffee tasting and agro tour
- Day 5- mt. Elgon N.P and hiking
- Day 6- Sipi falls, hiking and Pian Upe
- Day 7- transfer to Kidepo via Karamojong homesteads
- Day 8- game drives & hiking at Kidepo N.P
- Day 9- game drives at Kidepo
- Day 10- Murchison falls N.P game drives
- Day 11- game drive & hike to top of the Murchison water falls
- Day 12- game drive & boat cruise on the Nile
- Day 13- Zziwa rhino sanctuary
- Day 14- chimpanzee tracking at Kibale N.P
- Day 15- hot springs & forest species & birds at Semuliki N.P
- Day 16- game drives at Queen Elizabeth
- Day 17- boat cruise at Kazinga channel & game drive through Ishasha
- Day 18- gorilla trekking, Batwa experience at Bwindi
- Day 19- golden monkeys at Mgahinga
- Day 20- transfer to Kigali- Rwanda- night life
- Day 21- city tour and departure
Detailed explore Uganda safari itinerary
Day 1 Lake Victoria shores
You will start the 3 weeks/ 21 days explore Uganda safari, you will be picked from the airport by our guide and taken to your booked accommodation at the shores of Lake Victoria; Africa’s largest lake for a rest as you chill in the cool lake breeze, scenic endless water horizons and numerous green islands to overcome travel exhaustion as you prepare also to embark on a long awaited tour to Uganda’s game parks for a lot of exciting adventures.
Accommodation: Imperial resort hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Lake Victoria shores into the narrow water stretches of the swamp; a tour lasting for 3 hours. This will come with an opportunity to watch many other swamp endemics and water birds. After the shoebill tracking, you will head to the botanical gardens still along the shores of the lake. This walking tour at the cool 40.7 hectare botanical gardens along the shore of Lake Victoria. The gardens are also common for biking/ cycling safari, monkey feeding, birding safari and 500 plant species including both foreign and indigenous. These plants are categorized into indigenous and non-native fruits, medicinal, beverage, spices, ornamentals, timber, oils and important crop wild relatives, several of these threatened in the wild and agro-ecosystems. Later in the evening, you will embark on a nightlife experience either in Entebbe at Lake Victoria shores or in Kampala that will take till late.
Accommodation: Lake Victoria Serena hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning, you will travel for 2-hours to Jinja at the source of the river Nile. This section of the river Nile has numerous water falls that have become common water sport points to tourists and adventurers from all corners of the world. Some of the falls include Owen falls, Bujagali falls, Ripon falls, Itanda falls, Busowoko falls among others. The clean and white waters of the River Nile at this point are the most entertaining of the river course throughout Africa offering the best bungee jumping point, water rafting, horse riding at the river banks, water surfing, swimming, canoeing, Kayaking, river boarding, quad biking around the river banks among others. The river banks also host numerous bird species that can be experienced on nature walks thus being some of the best birders’ destinations in the region. You will also take a boat to reach the source of the nile where 30% of the water emanates from underground streams and 70% from Lake Victoria. The green sparsely forested areas will provide a chilling breeze for nature walks and relaxations that will grant you a memorable time at the source of the river Nile.
Accommodation: Whispers of the Nile lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Different from other parts of Uganda growing colonal and robusta coffee, Mbale specifically grows Arabica coffee from the ancient times and is one of the few places in the world that grow this type of coffee more so because of the fertile volcanic soils on the slopes of the mountain Elgon which the masaba people occupy. Mbale was once the world’s determinant of the price of Arabica coffee on the world which it is partly is today given the high yields and quantity of coffee produced; thumbs up for the Mbale farmers’ cooperative Union that has stood firm with the farmers to uphold this area to the pride of this cash crop. The union has a great contribution to the organisations and development of Mbale town and people’s welfare. On this day you will also reach out to some traditional sites and be entertained by the masaba people with their famous Embalu dance and learn more about the essence of this tradition. The area also has eco resorts, art and crafts centres that sell various artifacts from different Ugandan traditions. The welcoming people of Mbale will make you feel at home and get you enjoying their local dishes such as matooke (bananas), cassava, millet, maleewa (a famous delicacy and soup prepared from soft bamboo shoots), ground nuts, mchomo (barbeques) among others. Later in the evening hours you will set off for Jinja town a journey that will continually grant you more volcanic geographical features such as rocks, volcanic plugs among others.
Accommodation: Mount Elgon resort hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day you will start your journey from Sipi falls to mountain Elgon national park while enjoying sights of the Elgon peaks, numerous water falls flowing from the mountain caldera, montane vegetation that cascades on the slopes of the mountain, volcanic plugs, basalt cliffs and many others volcanic features and rocks. You will then go through the park and its forests enjoying its wild game such as blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, de brazza’s monkey, leopards, elephant and cape buffaloes. Later you will have a tour on cultural sites and know about the Bagisu/ Masaba people that are custodians of that place most interesting their cultural dance, tunes and embalu adulthood initiation ceremonies.
Accommodation: Mount Elgon resort hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 6 Sipi falls & Pian Upe
Still on the 21 days explore Uganda safari, you will continue with the 3 different water falls (Sipi, Simba, Ngasire) that pour from cliffs as high as 95 meters and are separated by steep hillsides. The falls are found outside mountain Elgon national park. During the hike you get across numerous other unnamed water falls across the steep slopes, a number of bird species as you hike along, can engage in fly fishing, biking among others. Later on you will visit the surrounding community for an agro-tour more so of the special indigenous Arabica coffee and coffee tasting sessions. You will also head to the Pian Upe game reserve; Uganda’s second largest game reserve, that will guarantee you over 80% chances of spotting cheetahs along with ostriches, lions, leopards, buffaloes, crocodiles and snakes, dik-dik, roan antelopes, zebras, hyenas, wild cats, vervet and patas monkeys, eland, hartebeests, and numerous bird species.
Accommodation: Rafiki safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 7 transfer to Kidepo valley N.P
On this you will set off on a 9-hour journey to the Kidepo valley national park in north eastern part of Uganda at the border of Uganda and South Sudan. Still while on the 21 days explore Uganda safari, you will make a stopover at the Karamojong community residences called Manyattas which are huts constructed of mud, cow dung and grass thatching as one main hut is surrounded by numerous huts of extended members of the family, fenced with thorny logs and sharing one compound. You will learn more about the culture of these pastoralists and warriors before you embark on the journey to Kidepo. On reaching Kidepo you will get to your booked accommodation and rest for the next days’ activities.
Accommodation: Apoka safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Kidepo national park is one of the most typical of an African wilderness so vast and untampered with having savannah grasslands that tend to dry when it’s hot and all green when rains set in. Kidepo game park has the second highest number of bird species in Uganda recorded at 475 species in the park such ostriches, secretary bird, raptors and vultures, among others along with 83 mammal species such as elephants, zebras, buffaloes, rothschild’s giraffes, kobs, hartebeests, blue monkey, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, lions, wild dogs, jackals among others. Expect to enjoy views of big buffalo and elephant herds. You will have a nature walk and hike on higher altitudes of the park to have a vast scene of the park and its wild game. You will wind up the day while driving out of the park head to Murchison falls national park.
Accommodation: Apoka safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Today you will head out to sections of the Murchison falls national park to continue exploring this vast grassland and its remarkable wild game. You will be amazed with many elephant families and their playful young ones, lion families, rothschild’s giraffes, waterbucks, buffaloes, baboons, reptiles, numerous bird species among others. Later on you will have a trek up to view the magnificent Murchison water falls from above and watch the strongest falls on the planet, gashing 3,000 cubic liters of water per second through an eight-meter corridor cascading down a 43-meter height into the “the devil’s caldron” forming a white mist and a signature rainbow producing a loud sound from the powerful force of the water of the river Nile. Murchison falls game park has the strongest water falls in the world and the highest number of rothschild’s giraffes in the world, more than three- quarter of the total world population and numerous elephant and lion families, waterbucks, impalas, kobs, warthogs, hippos, buffaloes, crocodiles, leopards, hyenas, jackals among other mammals and more than 450 bird species recorded in the park. After lunch you will then head to the banks of the river Nile for a boat cruise towards the face of the Murchison falls.
Accommodation: Pakuba safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day early in the morning, you will start off with a walking safaris watching out for rhinos and towards the swamp areas. Ziwa rhino sanctuary has more than 45 white southern rhinos, rothschild’s giraffes, kobs, leopards, swamps with papyrus endemics like the shoebills, African wild cats, warthogs, reptiles among other species. the sanctuary not having big predators, allows you to easily make nature walks to come to nearby engagement with the park’s wild game. In the late afternoon you will continue with your trip to Kibale national park
Accommodation: Primates safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
On this day, at Kibale national park for chimpanzee tracking and forest walk as the park is known for chimpanzee tracking and for having the highest population & concentration of chimpanzees in world numbering above 1,500 individuals in the park. The tracking session start at 08:00, 11:00 & 14:00 and takes 2-5 hours with a more than 99% chance of meeting the chimpanzees; a forest walk that will come along with numerous sceneries of more than 370 bird species of grassland, forest, swamp and Albertine rift region endemics, 350 tree species and 71 mammal species. other primates in the park include the L’hoest monkeys, colobus monkeys, blue monkey, olive baboon, red tailed monkey, vervet monkeys.
Accommodation: Primates lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Semuliki national park is also an intersection of the east African grasslands and the central African tropical forests thus harboring numerous tree species of the west and central African forests and bird species. Semuliki game park has 435 bird species, 11 primate species and 53 mammal species. some of these include Albertine Rift Endemics such as the dwarf honey guide and purple-breasted sunbirds; 35 Congo-Guinea biome species found nowhere else in East Africa, including black dwarf hornbill, Nkulengu rail, Congo serpent eagle, Gabon, woodpecker; and other species with very limited ranges such as white-tailed hornbill, capuchin babbler, blue-headed crested flycatcher and the orange weaver. Mammal and primate species include; chimpanzee, blue monkey, black and white colobus, red colobus, olive baboons, vervet monkey, de brazza’s monkey, Mangabeys, stripped jackal, leopards, elephants, hippos, cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, sitatungas, warthogs, nile crocodiles.
Accommodation: Semuliki safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
This day you will have morning and evening game drives to various parts of the park for a lot of wonderful scenic view of the Rwenzori mountains and its slopes, the African big 5; elephant herds, lion families, leopards, hippo herds, hyenas, wild dogs, Uganda kobs, water bucks, antelopes, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, crater lakes, reptiles, raptors, sun birds and many more awaiting your memorable tour in this game park.
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will head out to the Kazinga channel (a river connecting lakes Edward and George) for a morning boat cruise through queen Elizabeth national park. At this explore Uganda safari experience you will have a glance at the world’s largest concentration of hippos which are numbered above 5,000 at the Kazinga channel, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, water birds and other land birds coming in to quench their thirst, elephants, lions and other land wild game like water bucks, giraffes, kobs, kudus among others also coming in onto the banks of the Kazinga channel to quench their thirst. After the boat cruise, you will embark on a game drive around this channel and beyond into the vast savannah grassland to enjoy more game viewing at more lion and elephant families, ostriches, cheetahs, leopards, raptors and vultures, reptiles, monkeys, wild dogs among other creatures, scenery views of the ice capped mountain Rwenzori and its slopes as you head to the Ishasha sector of the park that is famously known for tree climbing lions; a character of lions known for on 2 places in Africa particularly this park being one of them.
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Very early in the morning you will embark on a four-hour journey to Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda for a morning gorilla trekking tour. On arrival you will have a briefing on the gorilla behaviors, livelihoods and how to handle their reactions to the human presence. The trek into the tropical montane forests will last between 30 to 1 hour before meeting the gorilla family you are assigned to and you will be allowed to follow and spend an hour with that gorilla family. Getting to find the mountain gorillas on a trek in Uganda is a 99% chance backed up by the gorilla population in this region. After the trek, you will have an experience with the Batwa people who have for all their life time co-existed with the forest and its species. During this nature walk you will experience numerous bird species with particularly 23 albertine endemics that are habitats to only the albertine region.
Accommodation: Buhoma lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing, you will hike the volcanic mountains of the Mgahinga to a height of 2,500 meters above sea level in the bamboo forests of the montane region where these unique primates reside. These have orange-yellow like hair color that give them that distinguished golden look. When you reach their residence, you will be allowed to stay around them for one hour. These live in families of hundreds and have a very playful character, they will keep you so entertained. Looking at them critically, you will notice their facial appearance that the golden monkeys have a nose so different from that of many other primate species. along the hike, you will also observe other primates like the red tailed monkeys, white and black colobus monkeys, reptiles, Albertine rift endemics and many more bird species. later you will head to lake Bunyonyi; Africa’s deepest crater lake and one of the most gorgeous lakes on the continent. The lake is decorated with 29 green islands in its waters and are all accessible by canoe. Lake Bunyonyi and its islands have special bird species such as the grey crowned cranes and many more that are worth watching.
Accommodation: Bird’s nest @ Bunyonyi resort (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 20 transfer to Kigali & Nightlife
On this day you will get to relax in the heart of Kigali city in the chilling city’s cafes or restaurants. You will then have a city tour around Kigali’s eco parks, art and craft shops, malls and treks to Kigali hill to have a glance at the full city view that cascade to a thousand hills that harbor beautiful golf courses and hotels. A visit to the genocide memorial site, museum and various traditional and historical sites which also have several souvenirs that you can buy and live on with beautiful memories. Later in the evening, you will have a night life experience in Kigali till late when you will back to your hotel for rest.
Accommodation: The Manor hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Day 21 Kigali city & departure
On your last day of the trip, you will continue enjoying Kigali city walks, shopping and relaxing as you wait on your departure flight to conclude your 21 days explore Uganda safari beautiful Africa tour.
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast| Lunch| Dinner
Inclusions
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- Golden monkey tracking permits
- Park entry fees
- Airport transfers
- All excursions indicated in itinerary
- Transport 4×4 safari landcruiser
- Government taxes
- Laundry
- Border crossing fees
- Bottled drinking refreshments
- Driver & guide
Exclusions
- Travel insurance
- International flights
- Visa fees & processing
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol/liquor
- Tipping & gratitude
- Souvenirs & snacks
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Accommodation after the end of the trip
- Anything not mentioned
Your safari route map
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