15 Day Gorilla, Chimp, birding and wildlife safari
USDÂ $5,500.00px
Day 1
Entebbe
Entebbe
Your Ugandan safari starts here and now. With all of the incredible wildlife that this country has to offer, we know that you’re keen to get started. And as soon as we introduce you to your guide and answer your questions, we’ll get you out there exploring.
Entebbe and its international airport provide a wonderful introduction to Uganda. The airport is practically lapped by the waters of Africa’s largest lake, while the town’s junglelike setting gives it plenty of atmosphere. Once you’re settled in here, you can enjoy some fabulous bird watching – fish eagles shriek overhead and turacos chatter in the forest – or head to any of several waterside restaurants for a relaxed meal or drink.
Birding, Mabamba Swamp
Accompanied by a local guide and pilot, we take a boat into Mabamba Swamp, on the northern verge of Lake Victoria. This is a rewarding birding destination, with 300- plus species recorded, from bulky pelicans and herons to colorful bee-eaters and kingfishers. It’s also a good place to look for papyrus specialists, including the shoebill.
Accommodation | Day 1
 Pineapple Guest House
There’s much for you to enjoy at Pineapple Guest House, a great place to stay in a good location.
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Accommodation
Pineapple Guest HouseÂ
Activities Day 1
All day
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Birding, Mabamba Swamp
Day 2
Lake Mburo National Park
Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Ecologically very different to any other conservation area in Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park protects a cover of rolling acacia woodland that looks like it’s been transplanted from Tanzania or Kenya. Here you can hope to see hippos splashing in the lakes, buffaloes drinking at the shore, leopards prowling by night, and a wide variety of plains grazers including zebra, impala and a reintroduced population of the rare Rothschild’s giraffe. The park’s rich variety of aquatic birds is complemented by several acacia-associated species not found elsewhere in Uganda.
Evening Game Drive, Lake Mburo National Park
You’ll love the warm light and cooler temperatures as we take you out to explore on your evening game drive. This time of day is when both predators and prey are most active and it can feel as though anything could happen at any moment. This is when you’ll most enjoy being on safari.
Situated immediately outside the Nshaara Gate of Lake Mburo National Park, Rwakobo Rock Lodge is an intimate hilltop lodge offering tremendous views across the plains to its south. The ecofriendly thatch-roofed cottages have solarpowered lights and geysers, and are designed to offer maximum privacy while blending artfully into the rocky natural landscape.
Activities Day 2
Evening
Evening Game Drive, Lake Mburo National Park
Day 3
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park
We return to Lake Mburo National Park to enjoy its plentiful wildlife. We return to Rwakobo Rock Lodge and its memorable views over Lake Mburo National Park.
Activities Day 3
Morning
Nature walk, Lake Mburo National Park
Afternoon
Wildlife likely to be seen on our boat trip this afternoon on Lake Mburo includes hippos, buffalos,
crocodiles and a variety of waterbirds.
Morning
We’ll take you out on an evening game drive in Lake Mburo National Park. It’s when temperatures cool, the light is golden and predators set out to hunt.
Accommodation
Rwakobo Rock Lodge
Day 4
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
When you stay at Burunga Gorilla Lodge, you’re in a good location to enjoy this leg of your trip.
Optional for Day 4
Afternoon
Visit the Batwa community
Bird watchingÂ
Day 5
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
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Protecting a pristine landscape of steep forested hills bordering the Congo, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for harboring around 45% of the global mountain gorilla population. In our experience, visiting these gorillas in their forested home is quite simply the most exciting wildlife encounter Africa has to offer. But this biodiverse Unesco World Heritage Site provides you with an opportunity to look for plenty of other rare wildlife, ranging from acrobatic troops of Rwenzori colobus to the multicolored Rwenzori three-horned chameleon and 20-odd bird species unique to the forests of the Albertine Rift Valley.
Mountain Gorilla Trekking, Rushaga Sector
There are few more iconic wildlife experiences than trekking in search of mountain gorillas. These soulful creatures and the remarkable landscape they inhabit are worth every second that you walk through the forest to find them.Â
Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After Gorilla trekking, transfer and chill out next to freshwater of Bunyonyi, one of the most beautiful lakes anywhere in East Africa with over 29 islands to visit.
Whether you want to chill out at the waterside swimming pool, paddle a free canoe out onto the lake, or relax in a contemporary-styled room with a unique cave-like bathroom, BirdNest Resort is the most prestigious hotel on Bunyonyi. Its breezy terrace restaurant has one of the most imaginative menus in Uganda.
Activities Day 5
Morning
Mountain Gorilla Trekking, Rushaga Sector
Afternoon
Regardless of your experience, you might just fall in love with birdwatching when we take you out birding in Lake Bunyonyi this afternoon
Day 6
Ishasha Sector
Transfer to Ishasha Sector
One of Africa’s few populations of tree-climbing lions is the  star attraction of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s remote Ishasha sector. Lions aside, this atmospheric tract of moist grassland supports several large herds of buffalo, a wide variety of antelope, healthy numbers of elephant, and iconic wetland birds such as grey crowned-crane and shoebill.
Accommodation | Day 6
Embogo Lodges
Embogo Lodges will be your base on this leg of your trip.
Activity Day 6
Evening
Tree climbing lions, Ishasha Sector.
Day 7
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
It’s safari time! Today you arrive at Queen Elizabeth National Park to look for some of the many marvelous
creatures that inhabit the East African savannah. Large numbers of hippo, elephant and buffalo are almost invariably seen on or around the Kazinga Channel, while grassy plains dotted with cactus-like Euphorbia trees are home to lions, leopards, hyenas and the various antelope on which they prey. Queen Elizabeth is also a fantastic birdwatching destination, thanks to a habitat diversity that allows it to support more than 600 bird species.
Early Morning Game Drive, Ishasha Sector
Imagine being out in the soft, early morning light, wrapped in a blanket, just as the animals emerge from their night’s rest or from the shadows of their nighttime adventures. The world feels fresh and new on an early morning game drive, the sun has yet to beat down upon the earth, and it may end up being your favorite time to be out on safari.
Evening Game Drive, Kasenyi Plains
Going on an evening game drive is one of the highlights of any safari. This is when temperatures cool, the light becomes softer and the wildlife begins to get active. Not only will you be out when the light is best for taking photos, but it’s also one of the best times of day for seeing the animals.
Situated in dense scrub alive with birdsong on the bank of the Kazinga Channel, the Bush Lodge is the perfect base for exploring Queen Elizabeth National Park. The canvasdominated bandas, set on stilted wooden platforms, combine good amenities with a back-to-nature feel. You can expect to see plenty of wildlife, including hippos, elephants and waterbuck.
Activity Day 7
Morning
Early Morning Game Drive, Ishasha Sector
Afternoon
Animals are out and about, the light is often perfect, and temperatures are cooler when you join us on our evening game drive in Kasenyi Plains.
Day 8
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Back in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you get the opportunity to look for some of the wildlife you missed first time around.
Early Morning Game Drive, Kasenyi Plains
Put on some warm clothes and enjoy an early morning game drive. This is the perfect time to experience the wildlife and the landscapes they inhabit. The light is soft and warm – perfect for photography – and most animals are out and about, and active. If you’re not an early riser, you’ll definitely want to make an exception here.
Boat Trip, Kazinga Channel
Boat trips on the Kazinga Channel are a wildlife-viewing highlight of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Cruise past pods of grunting hippos, watch elephants and buffalo come down to drink, enjoy flocks of pelican and other aquatic birds, catch a glimpse of the snow-capped Rwenzori peaks, and keep an eye open for the giant forest hog, a local especialty.
Accommodation
The Bush Lodge (Banda)
We return to the Bush Lodge, with its marvelous setting on the south bank of the Kazinga Channel opposite Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Activity Day 8
Early Morning
In Kasenyi Plains, your early morning game drive gets you close to the wildlife when they’re most active, and the landscapes are at their most beautiful..
Afternoon
Boat Trip, Kazinga Channel
Evening
Join us on an evening game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It’s one of the highlights of being on safari and a great time to see animals in the best light.
Day 9
Kibale National Park
Transfer to Kibale National Park
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Welcome to Kibale National Park, one of Uganda’s most extensive and atmospheric protected rainforests. The forest interior here is rattling with wildlife, most notably a habituated community of chimpanzees, but also a wide variety of monkeys and colorful birds, and a small but elusive elephant population. Ask your guide to show you some of the many forest-fringed crater lakes that further enhance the scenic beauty of the national park and its environs.
Accommodation
Kibale Forest Camp
Our base in Kibale National Park is Kibale Forest Camp, where you will be glamping in a simple tent set below a thatch shelter. Proper beds and bedding are provided, and the tent even has a charging point, but you’ll be using a common ablution block with hot showers and flush toilets. The camp lies in the depths of the forest, so you should see and hear plenty of monkeys, birds and other forest creatures.
Activity Day 9
Morning
This morning we explore some of the 30-odd gorgeous crater lakes that dot the lush countryside of Toro subregion.
Afternoon
Swamp walk in bigodi, Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
Day 10
Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park
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We are once again privileged to enjoy the rich forest biodiversity of Kibale National Park.Â
Chimp Trekking, Kibale National Park
The opportunity to see chimpanzees in the wild is one of the most memorable of all safari activities. Getting close to these creatures that share so much of our DNA is a once-ina- lifetime experience, and the excitement of walking through the forest and knowing that they are close will stay with you forever.
Activity Day 10
Morning
Chimp Trekking, Kibale National Park.
Afternoon
Community tours, Bigodi community
Day 11
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park
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Named after an explosive 43m-high waterfall created where the Nile erupts through a crack in the Rift Valley escarpment, Murchison Falls National Park is also one of East Africa’s most rewarding safari destinations. Here you’ll find golden-maned lions stalking the plains, large herds of Rothschild’s giraffe striding through palm-studded grassland, and hippos basking in the river shallows while elephants and buffaloes come to drink. A highlight of the park’s prolific aquatic birdlife is the swamp-dwelling shoebills that are regularly seen around the delta formed by the Nile as it flows into Lake Albert.
Accommodation
Lodge | Inside Murchison Falls National Park, Pakuba Safari Lodge
Our base in Murchison Falls is Pakuba Safari Lodge, which stands out for its isolated setting on the east bank of the Nile, 20km downstream from where it flows out of Lake Albert. No other lodge has a more convenient location for enjoying the wildlife action along the park’s legendary Delta Circuit.
Activity Day 11
Evening
Animals are out and about, the light is often perfect, and temperatures are cooler when you join us on our evening game drive in Murchison Falls National Park.
Day 12
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park
We once again find ourselves in the lovely surrounds of Murchison Falls National Park.Â
Accommodation
Pakuba Safari Lodge
We return to the northern plains of Murchison Falls National Park and Pakuba Safari Lodge
Activity Day 12
Early morning
Go on an early morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park, and you’ll soon discover why it’s the favorite activity of the day for many safarigoers.
Afternoon
This afternoon you will join a boat trip along the Nile to Murchison Falls. In addition to the tropical African riverine scenery, expect to see plenty of wildlife on the way.
Evening
We’ll take you out on an evening game drive in Murchison Falls National Park. It’s when temperatures cool, the light is golden, and predators set out to hunt.
Day 13
Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
The flagship for a rhino reintroduction project organized by Rhino Fund Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch is perfectly positioned for a stopover between Kampala and northern Uganda. More than 40 white rhinos now roam freely within the 7,000ha sanctuary, which is also home to other large mammals such as waterbuck, bushbuck and warthog.
Accommodation
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary will be your base on this leg of your trip.
Activity Day 13
Early morning
Top of the falls, Murchison Falls National Park
Afternoon
Go birdwatching in Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch this evening. The variety of birds you’ll see is a wonderful complement to all the mammals.
Day 14
Kampala
Transfer to Kampala city
The capital of Uganda, Kampala derives its name from a local phrase meaning Hill of Antelope. You won’t find any antelope here today, but rather a rapidly growing city whose high-rise center ranks among the most important economic hubs in East Africa, with a varied culinary scene and nightlife.
Rhino tracking, Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
Second only to elephants when it comes to bulk among African land mammals, white rhinos are intimidating creatures, as you’ll see for yourself when you track them in Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch. This admirable rhino breeding project is home to plenty of other wildlife too, but Uganda’s only population of rhinos does tend to steal the show, and it is a real thrill to encounter these peaceful grass-cropping giants on foot.
Our base in Kampala will be the hilltop Cassia Lodge, a 4-star hotel with dynamic Belgian management and compelling views across the city’s southern suburbs to Lake Victoria. Amenities include a swimming pool, a rooftop restaurant serving tasty international cuisine, and air-conditioned rooms with fitted nets, en-suite bathroom and private balcony.
Activity Day 14
Early morning
Rhino tracking, Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
Day 15
Entebbe International Airport
Kampala City tour and transfer to Entebbe International Airport
Kampala City Tour & Transfer to Entebbe International Airport
Enjoy a guided tour of Kampala, Uganda’s vibrant capital, exploring key highlights such as Kasubi Tombs, Gaddafi (Uganda National) Mosque, Kabaka’s Palace, Namirembe or Rubaga Cathedral, local markets, and panoramic city viewpoints. Experience the city’s rich history, culture, and daily life.
After the tour, relax on a scenic transfer to Entebbe International Airport (about 45–60 minutes, traffic permitting) via the Lake Victoria corridor, arriving in time for your onward flight.
We wish you could stay with us forever, but your safari in Uganda will now draw to a close. We have no doubt that we will have shown you the most incredible time here, and we look forward to seeing you again.
Tour Length
15 Days / 14 Nights
Included
All activities, unless indicated as optional, Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section), Taxes /VAT
Excluded
International flights, Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.), Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day), Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Breakdown of Costs
1x Adult.
$5,500.00
Payment Terms
A 30–50% deposit of the total safari cost is required to confirm a booking.
The balance must be paid at least 30 days before the start of the safari.
Bookings made within 30 days of departure must be paid in full at the time of confirmation.Â
Payments can be made via bank transfer, credit/debit card, or mobile money, as communicated by Kaije Safaris.
The route for our tour
