About This Journey
This is the most comprehensive Uganda itinerary we run — twenty-one days built for travellers who want to see it all, with nothing left out. It opens with rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and the thunder of Murchison Falls, then moves through Kibale's chimpanzee forests, Queen Elizabeth's game-rich savanna, and the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, before the trip's centrepiece — a morning with the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Where our other Uganda routes turn for home, this one keeps going: a Batwa cultural experience, two nights at Lake Bunyonyi, a walking safari and boat cruise at Lake Mburo, golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, a quiet stop on the shores of Lake Mutanda, and adventure at the Source of the Nile in Jinja, with an optional detour for shoebill birding at Mabamba Swamp on the way back to Entebbe.
It's the full breadth of Uganda's wildlife, primates, lakes, and culture in one unhurried journey — ideal for travellers with the time to see the country properly. Every departure is private, led by an expert Ugandan driver-guide, and shaped around your dates and pace rather than a fixed group schedule.
Trip Highlights
- Rhino tracking on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Game drives and a Nile boat cruise beneath Murchison Falls
- Chimpanzee tracking and a wetland walk in Kibale Forest
- Game drives and a Kazinga Channel boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Tree-climbing lions in the remote Ishasha sector
- One unforgettable hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family in Bwindi
- A Batwa cultural experience and guided nature walk
- Canoeing and an island tour on Lake Bunyonyi
- A walking safari and boat cruise at Lake Mburo National Park
- Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- Canoeing and photography on the shores of Lake Mutanda
- Optional white-water rafting, tubing, and adventure activities at the Source of the Nile, Jinja
- Optional shoebill birding at Mabamba Swamp
Day by Day
Welcome to Uganda! You're met at Entebbe International Airport by your safari guide and transferred to your hotel to rest after your flight and settle in before the journey ahead.
- Overnight
- ViaVia Entebbe or 2 Friends Beach Hotel
- Meals
- Dinner
Depart Entebbe for Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda to track southern white rhinos in the wild, walking on foot with an armed ranger to find them in the bush. Continue on to Murchison Falls National Park, visiting the Top of the Falls, where the entire Nile is forced through a gap barely seven metres wide before plunging into the gorge below.
- Overnight
- Pakuba Safari Lodge or Fort Murchison Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A morning game drive across the park's northern savanna, watching for elephant, giraffe, buffalo, and lion, followed by an afternoon boat cruise on the Nile past pods of hippo and basking crocodiles, with the falls rising ahead as the boat approaches.
- Overnight
- Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A sunrise game drive while the park is at its quietest and most active, with the rest of the day open for optional birdwatching among Murchison's more than 450 recorded species, or a visit to a nearby community.
- Overnight
- Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A long, scenic drive south through the rolling hills and tea plantations of western Uganda, arriving at Kibale Forest — home to the highest density of primates found anywhere in Africa — in time to rest before the next day's tracking.
- Overnight
- Chimpanzee Forest Lodge or Turaco Treetops
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A morning tracking a habituated chimpanzee community through the forest, followed by an afternoon walk through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, rich in monkeys, birdlife, and butterflies.
- Overnight
- Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving in time for an evening game drive across its open savanna, where lion, elephant, and Uganda kob are regular sightings.
- Overnight
- Elephant Hab Lodge or Buffalo Safari Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A further morning game drive, followed by an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, past some of Africa's densest hippo and elephant concentrations and a huge variety of waterbirds.
- Overnight
- Elephant Hab Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
South to the remote Ishasha sector in search of Uganda's famous tree-climbing lions, which have taken to resting in the branches of fig trees — one of the strangest sights on an East African safari.
- Overnight
- Enjojo Lodge or Ishasha Jungle Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A scenic drive through the terraced hills of the Kigezi highlands to Bwindi, home to nearly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, arriving in time to rest before the trek ahead.
- Overnight
- Bakiga Lodge or Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mountain gorilla trekking — the day you came for. After a briefing at park headquarters, rangers and trackers lead you through the forest to a habituated gorilla family for one unforgettable hour in their company, followed by a relaxed evening back at the lodge.
- Overnight
- Bakiga Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A guided Batwa cultural experience with the forest's original inhabitants, who share their traditional hunting and gathering skills and forest knowledge, followed by a further nature walk in the surrounding forest.
- Overnight
- Bakiga Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A scenic drive to Lake Bunyonyi, one of the few lakes in Uganda safe for swimming, with 29 islands scattered across its still water. Spend the day relaxing lakeside, with a canoe ride and island tour on offer.
- Overnight
- BirdNest Resort or Arcadia Cottages
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Lake Mburo, Uganda's smallest savanna park and the only one home to impala, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive across its acacia woodland and open grassland.
- Overnight
- Rwakobo Rock Lodge or Eagle's Nest
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A morning walking safari — one of the few Ugandan parks where this is possible, thanks to the absence of lions — followed by an afternoon boat cruise on the lake past hippo, crocodile, and waterbirds.
- Overnight
- Rwakobo Rock Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda's smallest park and the only place in the country to trek the golden monkey — a vividly coloured, lively primate found only on the bamboo slopes of the Virunga volcanoes.
- Overnight
- Travellers Rest Hotel or Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A short transfer to Lake Mutanda, one of Uganda's most photogenic lakes, framed by the Virunga volcanoes. A quiet day for canoeing, photography, and simply relaxing after the primate trekking of the past week.
- Overnight
- Mutanda Lake Resort
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A long drive across the country to Jinja, on the shore of Lake Victoria where the Nile begins its 6,600km journey to the Mediterranean.
- Overnight
- Nile Village Hotel or 2 Friends Jinja
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A visit to the source of the Nile, where the river leaves Lake Victoria, with the rest of the day free for optional white-water rafting, tubing, quad-biking, or a gentler boat cruise on the river.
- Overnight
- Nile Village Hotel
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive back toward Entebbe, with an optional stop at Mabamba Swamp — one of the best places on earth to see the rare, prehistoric-looking shoebill stork, gliding through papyrus channels by canoe. Continue to Entebbe for your final night.
- Overnight
- ViaVia Entebbe or 2 Friends Beach Hotel
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Depending on your flight schedule, enjoy some leisure time in Entebbe before transferring to Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
What's Included
Included
- 20 nights' accommodation in hand-picked lodges
- All meals as indicated in the itinerary (B/L/D)
- Private English-speaking Ugandan driver-guide and 4×4 pop-up-roof vehicle
- All fuel and bottled water in the vehicle
- Rhino tracking fee at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- 1 gorilla trekking permit per person (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park)
- 1 chimpanzee tracking permit per person (Kibale Forest National Park)
- 1 golden monkey trekking permit per person (Mgahinga Gorilla National Park)
- Batwa cultural experience
- Murchison Falls boat safari and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
- Lake Mburo walking safari and boat cruise
- Canoe trips at Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mutanda
- All national park and conservation fees for parks visited
Not Included
- International airfares
- Uganda entry visa
- Personal travel and medical insurance
- All drinks
- Meals and snacks not indicated in the itinerary
- Optional adventure activities in Jinja (white-water rafting, tubing, quad-biking, etc.) — available at a supplement
- Optional shoebill birding excursion at Mabamba Swamp
- A porter for gorilla and golden monkey trekking (optional — carries your daypack)
- Tips and gratuities for driver-guide and hotel staff
- Personal expenses — laundry, souvenirs, and items of a personal nature
Accommodation
Pakuba Safari Lodge
Murchison Falls NP, Uganda3 nights
Bakiga Lodge
Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda3 nights
Mutanda Lake Resort
Lake Mutanda, Uganda1 nightReady to Plan This Safari?
Every trip we run is private and tailored around you — your dates, your pace, your budget. Tell us what you have in mind and one of our safari planners will craft it into a detailed, costed proposal.
