16 Day Uganda Culture, Gorillas & Wildlife Safari

Welcome to Uganda.

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your safari representative and transferred to your hotel.

After check in, the remainder of the day is at leisure. Depending on your arrival time and energy levels, you may take a short walk around the hotel surroundings or simply rest after your international journey.

Your guide will also brief you on the days ahead and confirm the following morning’s arrangements.

After breakfast, travel to Kampala for a guided introduction to Uganda’s capital and some of its most significant cultural and historical sites.

Begin with the Kasubi Tombs, an important site associated with the Buganda Kingdom and its royal heritage. Continue to the Kabaka’s Palace, where your guide can provide historical context on the kingdom as well as difficult periods in Uganda’s political history.

The itinerary also includes a visit to the Uganda Martyrs Shrine at Namugongo, an important Christian pilgrimage site, before continuing to selected craft markets or artisan centres.

The day should be approached as a cultural and historical experience rather than simply a sightseeing circuit, with time for context and questions at each stop.

Return to your accommodation later in the day.

After breakfast, leave Kampala and travel east towards Jinja.

Stop at Ssezibwa Falls, a site with cultural and spiritual significance within Buganda tradition. Your local guide will explain the stories, beliefs and cultural meaning associated with the site without presenting those traditions as spectacle.

Continue to Jinja and visit the Source of the Nile.

Depending on the final programme, the afternoon may also include time around Jinja to learn about the town’s history, riverfront communities and colonial era architecture.

Check in at your lodge and spend the evening at leisure.

After breakfast, leave Jinja and begin the journey towards Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

Travel through central Uganda, passing agricultural areas and towns along the route. Arrive around midday and stop for lunch.

Later, meet your ranger guide for a rhino tracking experience on foot. After a safety briefing, walk through the sanctuary in search of white rhinos while maintaining the required distance and following the ranger’s instructions.

The activity also offers an opportunity to learn about rhino conservation and Uganda’s efforts to restore the species.

After the trek, transfer to your lodge and spend the evening at leisure.

After breakfast, continue north towards Murchison Falls National Park.

On arrival, visit the Top of the Falls, where the Nile narrows dramatically as it passes through a rocky gorge before continuing downstream.

Take time at the viewpoints before proceeding to your lodge.

The rest of the afternoon can be kept relatively relaxed after the transfer, allowing you to settle in and prepare for the following morning’s game drive.

Begin the day with an early morning game drive.

Explore the savannah areas of Murchison Falls National Park with your driver guide, searching for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes and other wildlife. Lions may also be encountered, although sightings are never guaranteed.

Return for breakfast and some time to rest.

In the afternoon, head to the Nile for a boat safari towards the base of Murchison Falls.

Watch the riverbanks for hippos, Nile crocodiles, waterbirds and other wildlife. Elephants and buffaloes may also be seen approaching the water.

Return to your lodge after the cruise.

After breakfast, leave Murchison Falls and begin the long journey southwest towards the Fort Portal and Kibale region.

This is one of the longer road transfer days of the itinerary. Travel through western Uganda, with stops for lunch, refreshments and comfort breaks along the way.

As you approach Fort Portal, the landscape becomes greener and increasingly hilly, with tea growing areas and crater-lake scenery depending on the chosen route.

Arrive at your lodge later in the day and spend the evening at leisure.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the designated chimpanzee tracking briefing point.

Meet your ranger guides and receive an introduction to the tracking procedures before entering Kibale’s tropical forest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community.

Listen for chimpanzee calls and watch for movement through the forest as your guides follow signs of the group’s location.

Once the chimpanzees are located, observe their behaviour during the regulated viewing period while following your ranger’s instructions.

Other primates, birds and forest wildlife may also be encountered during the trek.

Return to the lodge afterwards and spend the remainder of the day resting.

Begin the day with a guided walk at Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.

This community run conservation area offers opportunities to see birds, monkeys, butterflies and wetland vegetation while also learning about the role local communities play in tourism and conservation around Kibale.

After completing the walk, continue south towards Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Arrive later in the day and check in at your lodge.

Spend the remainder of the afternoon relaxing ahead of the following morning’s game drive.

Start early for a morning game drive across the Kasenyi Plains and surrounding wildlife areas.

Look for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and other savannah species, while your guide will also search for predators such as lions.

Return for lunch before heading to the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon.

During the boat safari, look for hippos, Nile crocodiles and numerous waterbirds. Elephants, buffaloes and other wildlife may also be seen along the shoreline.

Return to your lodge after the cruise.

After breakfast, leave the central sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park and travel south through Ishasha.

Explore the sector with your driver guide, searching for the tree climbing lions for which the area is particularly known. They may sometimes be found resting in large trees, although sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Other wildlife may include elephants, buffaloes, topis and additional savannah species.

Continue towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the highlands of southwestern Uganda.

Arrive later in the day and check in at your lodge.

After an early breakfast, transfer to your designated gorilla trekking briefing point.

Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the trekking procedures, safety guidelines and appropriate behaviour around the gorillas before you enter the forest.

Accompanied by ranger guides and trackers, begin your trek in search of your assigned habituated mountain gorilla family.

The duration and difficulty vary according to the gorillas’ location and forest conditions. Trekkers should be prepared for hills, thick vegetation and potentially muddy or uneven terrain.

Once the gorillas are located, you will have the opportunity to observe the family for the regulated viewing period while following the instructions of your ranger guides.

Return to your lodge afterwards and spend the remainder of the day resting.

Today is dedicated to a guided Batwa cultural experience.

Rather than fitting the visit hurriedly after gorilla trekking, this itinerary gives it a full day, which is one of the strongest aspects of the product.

Depending on the programme arranged, community hosts may share aspects of Batwa heritage, forest knowledge, traditional practices, music, storytelling and contemporary community life.

The experience should be presented as an exchange with community hosts rather than as a performance staged purely for visitors.

It can also provide context on how conservation policies and changes in access to forest landscapes have affected Batwa communities.

Return to your lodge after the experience.

After breakfast, leave Bwindi and travel towards Lake Bunyonyi.

Arrive and check in at your accommodation before spending the remainder of the day at a relaxed pace.

Depending on the programme and traveller preferences, optional activities can include canoeing, village walks or simply enjoying the lake and surrounding hills.

After several wildlife intensive days, Lake Bunyonyi provides a welcome change of pace before the final stages of the journey.

After breakfast, leave Lake Bunyonyi and travel towards Lake Mburo National Park.

The source itinerary includes a stop at the Igongo Cultural Centre to learn about Ankole history and cattle culture.

Where this visit is confirmed in the final programme, take time to learn about the cultural history of the region and the significance of cattle within Ankole society.

Continue to Lake Mburo National Park and check in at your lodge.

The remainder of the evening is at leisure, with an optional nature activity where available and included.

Begin the final day with a guided walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park.

Accompanied by an authorized ranger, explore part of the park on foot and look for zebras, impalas and other wildlife from a different perspective than a traditional game drive.

After completing the walk and breakfast, begin the journey back to Entebbe.

Your driver guide will transfer you to your hotel or Entebbe International Airport.