Overview
This 20 days Uganda safari takes you to enjoy the wonders of the pearl of Africa including the rare tree-climbing lions, Murchison Falls, the source of the Nile, the mountain gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi the second deepest lake in Africa, unique cultures like the Batwa pygmies, Bakiga and more.
All you need is your camera and binoculars on this safari and begin creating memories as you visit most of the parts in Uganda including touring around Entebbe town.
Detailed Itinerary
Day1. Arrival in Entebbe, city tour and transfer to the hotel
The driver guide will pick you up from the airport in Entebbe and transfer to to the two where you get a chance to tour notable sites like the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Center, Uganda Reptile Village and more.
Head to the hotel in Entebbe for your first night.
Day2. Drive to Jinja, visit the source of the Nile
Wake up early and have your breakfast which will be followed by a drive to Jinja. Pass through tea and sugar plantations including the forests like Mabira forest.
Stop at one of the roadside markets where you get to encounter the locals selling fresh fruits, roasted bananas chicken and more.
You can buy some to enjoy the roadside delicacy of the Pearl of Africa. Arrive and head for a boat cruise to the source of the Nile. Witness where the longest river begins its journey to the Mediterranean Sea. After head to the hotel for leisure and dinner.
Day3. Head to hike Sipi Falls
Leave your hotel and drive to Kapchorwa to be able to hike Sipi Falls.
Arrive and take a hike of these 3 falls at different stages, hiking to the summit will depend on your strength and interests.
Pass through the local community which is covered with Arabic coffee. This means that you will also learn about coffee growing and coffee processing if you are a coffee lover. Head to the lodge for your dinner and night stay.
Day4. Head to Kidepo Valley National Park
Leave the Sipi Falls areas and head to Kidepo Valley National Park in far northwestern Uganda. This park is home to large herds of buffalos that are accompanied by the beautiful Virgin scenery of the savannahs. Arrive and head to the lodge booked.
Day5. Full-day game drives
Have a full-day game drive in the park premises while searching for different attractions like the lions, elephants, buffalos, zebras, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, warthogs, different antelopes like Jackson hartebeests, bushbucks, waterbucks and more. There is a chase of spotting birds like ground hornbills, ostriches, ibis and many more others. Head to the lodge after a great time in the plains of Kidepo.
Day6. Game drive and community tour
Another game drive will commence the day which will last for about 4 hours. After a lunch break at the lodge, head to visit the Karamajongs through a community walk.
This unique culture will take you through traditional music and dances on, a village tour as you learn about their ways of life through living in Manyattas.
Head back to the lodge for dinner and prepare for the next day’s departure to Murchison Falls National Park.
Day7. Head to Murchison Falls NP
Leave Kidepo and head to Murchison Falls National Park the largest national park known for being home to the world’s most powerful waterfall.
This will be almost the whole day of travel as you pass through the different homestays of the Acholi people. Arrive and be welcomed with different animals like elephants, buffalos, giraffes and more.
Day8. Game drive and boat cruise
Take a morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise where you expect to meet animals like buffaloes, elephants, leopards, lions, Rothschild giraffes, bushbucks, Jackson hartebeests, crocodiles, hippos, birds like Shoebill, Swamp flycatcher, papyrus Gonolek, Goliath Heron, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Northern red bishop and many more others. Have a view of the falls from the bottom hence giving a chance to take photos.
Day9. Optional activity (top of falls view, sport fishing, hot air ballooning)
Have different optional activities such as Hiking to the top of the falls, hot air ballooning, sport fishing and more on this day.
Day10. Head to Kibale National Park, Crater Lakes explorations with Isunga Cultural Community experiences
Take a drive to the home of 13 primates and this is Kibale National Park in western Uganda as you pass through the tea plantations, forest, local markets towns and more.
Apart from the primates, this park is home to different bird species, plants and other big mammals. Arrive and take an afternoon crater lakes tour after lunch where you visit different Lakes with a guide from Isunga Cultural Community Experiences. Learn about their formations, activities, and the cultural stories about these lakes.
Day11. Chimpanzee tracking and optional activity
Head to the Kanyanchu visitor center for Chimpanzee tracking after breakfast. The experience will take about 5 hours including an hour with the chimps following their movements.
During the briefing, be told about the proper dress code in the forest, learn about the rules and regulations to follow, be told about the materials needed to trek like the Binoculars and the cameras and more. After the trek, be rewarded with a chimpanzee tracking certificate and then head back to the lodge for a hot lunch. Head for optional activity with the Bigodi Swamp Walk or community tour.
Day12. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and game drive
Leave Kibale National Park and head to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the morning after a leisurely breakfast.
Pass through the Ndali-Kasenda craters where you get a chance to see the twin lakes of Nyinambuga and Kifuruka. Arrive in Queen Elizabeth National Park the most visited park in Uganda with diverse wildlife such as elephants, buffalos, Hyenas, lions and many others.
Arrive and embark on the game drive to spot more than what is listed.
Day13. Game drive and boat cruise
Take a morning game drive in the plains of the savannahs and then a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel.
Each activity will take about 3 hours but is very rewarding and memorable since there is a lot to see such as crocodiles, hippos, leopards, lions, elephants, buffalo, Hyenas, warthogs, ibis, hornbills, fish eagles, pelicans, egrets, vultures, hawks, fish eagles and more others. The day ends at the lodge.
Day14. Lion trekking and transfer to Bwindi National Park
Head to the Ishasha sector in the morning to track the rare tree-climbing lions for about 2 hours. They are gazing at prey or relaxing after hunting.
After the experience, proceed to Bwindi National Park the unique destination for homing the endangered mountain gorillas. Be welcomed by lush green vegetation, dense Forest and the Bakiga and Bafumbira people.
Day15. Gorilla trekking
Head for briefing at the park offices and this will be after breakfast at the lodge.
The park ranger will take you through the rules and regulations like feeding animals is prohibited, always keeping distance from the gorillas, not making noise, don’t throw rubbish in the park, and many more.
Trekking will begin with the help of the park ranger and meeting a family will create everlasting memories as they feed, search for food, and play while the Silverback practices its leadership skills. Return to the lodge after trekking for a leisurely evening.
Day16. Batwa community tour and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Take a Batwa community walk which involves meeting a group of cultural dancers, storytelling by the elderly people, taste the traditional food of these local people. The experience will create memories as you get to learn about this unique culture.
After, transferred to Lake Bunyonyi home to the Bakiga people and small birds where it gets its name. Arrive and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the surroundings.
Day17. Lake Bunyonyi exploration
Take a boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi after breakfast where you go on the history of the Lake and the surroundings as you visit the different islands this Lake has 29 different and beautiful islands including Punishment Island, Leprosy Island, Bucuranika Island, and many more others.
Have an optional hike to one of the surrounding hills to enjoy the beauty of this Lake with some islands. You can also opt to have a drive.
Day18. Head to Lake Mburo National Park
Head to Lake Mburo National Park where you have another wildlife adventure in this smallest savannah national park in Uganda.
This park has unique mammals such as zebras, impalas, elands, long-horned Ankole cattle, and more.
Lunch will be served at one of the local restaurants in Mbarara town. Arrive and head to the lodge booked with optional activities like visiting the local farm and learning how cows are milked using hands.
Day19. Adventure in Lake Mburo NP
Have different activities in the park where you will encounter different animals and birds such as impalas, zebras, topi, eland, bushbuck, buffalo, warthog, leopard, hyena jackal and more.
The birds such as belied heron, Wolly-Necked stork, Lilac-breasted roller, Brown Chested Plover, Buff Bellied Warbler, Green Capped Eremomela, Lesser Blue Eared Starling, Red Faced Barbet and more other. This will be by guided nature walks, game drives, boat cruises, cycling or horseback riding.
Day20. Head back to Kampala and Drop-off at the airport
Leave the lodge and head to Kampala with a stopover at the point where the equator crosses Uganda in the Kayabwe-Masaka district.
Take photos, have an experience showing the north and south poles and buy some souvenirs. Proceed to Kampala, be served with hot lunch followed by a drop off at the airport and this will be the end of the safari.
