21 Day Grand Uganda Safari – Gorillas, Wildlife & Culture

Welcome to Uganda.

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, meet your safari representative and transfer to your hotel.

Depending on your arrival time, travel to the Mabamba wetlands for a guided boat excursion in search of the shoebill. Explore the papyrus channels with a local guide while also looking for other wetland birds.

Return to Entebbe afterwards for your first overnight.

After breakfast, leave Entebbe and travel east towards Jinja.

Arrive and settle into your accommodation before heading out later in the day for a visit to the Source of the Nile.

Spend time around the river and learn about Jinja’s relationship with the Nile before returning to your lodge for the evening.

Additional activities around Jinja can be arranged separately depending on your interests and available time.

After breakfast, leave Jinja and travel northeast towards Sipi Falls.

Arrive around midday, check in and have lunch before beginning an afternoon guided walk.

Explore the Sipi area on foot and visit selected waterfalls with a local guide. The terrain can involve hills, natural paths and potentially slippery sections, so suitable walking footwear is recommended.

The programme also includes a local coffee experience, providing an introduction to coffee growing, processing and its importance to communities in the surrounding region.

Return to your lodge after the day’s activities.

Leave Sipi after breakfast and continue north towards Moroto.

Today marks the transition into Uganda’s Karamoja region, with changing landscapes and a noticeably different environment from the greener areas visited earlier in the journey.

Rather than treating communities along the route as attractions, the drive should be presented as an opportunity to understand more of northeastern Uganda through the landscapes, towns, markets and communities encountered along the way.

Arrive in Moroto later in the day and check in for the night.

After breakfast, continue towards Kidepo Valley National Park.

Travel through the open landscapes of northeastern Uganda before entering the park.

After arrival and check in, head out for an evening game drive around the Narus Valley or another wildlife area recommended by your guide.

Look for elephants, buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeests and other wildlife, while your guide will also search for predators such as lions.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Begin early with a game drive through Kidepo Valley National Park.

Depending on road conditions and the day’s wildlife activity, your guide may explore the Narus Valley, Kidepo Valley or other sections of the park.

Look for buffaloes, elephants, antelopes, ostriches and predators while enjoying the park’s open landscapes and mountain backdrop.

After returning for lunch, take part in a guided cultural experience with community hosts in the Karamoja region.

The visit provides an opportunity to learn about aspects of local community life, cattle traditions, homestead design, food preparation and other cultural practices through respectful interaction with hosts.

Return to the lodge after the experience.

After breakfast, leave Kidepo and begin the journey south towards Murchison Falls National Park.

Travel through northern Uganda, passing through the Gulu region and surrounding countryside.

This is primarily a transfer day, so appropriate stops will be made for meals, refreshments and comfort breaks.

Arrive in the Murchison Falls area later in the day and check in at your lodge.

Start early for a morning game drive through Murchison Falls National Park.

Explore the savannah with your driver guide, searching for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes and other wildlife. Lions may also be encountered, while other predator sightings depend on the day.

After lunch, head to the Nile for an afternoon boat safari towards the base of Murchison Falls.

Look for hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants and a variety of waterbirds along the riverbanks.

The boat journey also provides views towards the falls from river level before returning to your lodge for the evening.

After breakfast, visit the Top of Murchison Falls.

Walk to viewpoints overlooking the Nile as it narrows dramatically through the rocky gorge before continuing downstream.

After the visit, leave the park and travel towards Masindi for lunch before continuing to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

On arrival at Ziwa, meet your ranger guide for a guided rhino tracking experience on foot. Follow the ranger’s instructions while observing white rhinos from the required distance.

Transfer to your accommodation after the activity.

After breakfast, begin the long journey west towards the Kibale region.

This is one of the longest transfer days of the safari, so stops will be made along the route for lunch, refreshments and comfort breaks.

Continue towards Fort Portal and the greener countryside surrounding Kibale National Park.

Arrive later in the afternoon and check into your lodge.

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

Enter Kibale’s tropical forest with ranger guides in search of a habituated chimpanzee community.

Listen for calls and watch for movement through the canopy as your guides follow signs of the chimpanzees’ location. Other primates and forest birds may also be encountered during the trek.

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

After returning from the forest, have lunch and some time to rest.

Later, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a guided walk. Look for monkeys, birds, butterflies and wetland vegetation while also learning about the community run conservation initiative.

Return to your lodge after the activity.

Enjoy breakfast before leaving the Kibale region and travelling south towards Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Arrive around midday, check in and have lunch before heading to the Kazinga Channel for an afternoon boat safari.

The channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and attracts a wide range of wildlife.

Look for hippos, Nile crocodiles and numerous waterbirds. Elephants, buffaloes and other animals may also be seen approaching the shoreline.

Return to your lodge after the cruise for dinner and overnight.

Begin with an early morning game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Explore the savannah with your guide, looking for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs and other wildlife while also searching for predators.

Return to your lodge for lunch and some time to rest.

Later in the afternoon, take part in a guided excursion around one of the crater landscapes in the Queen Elizabeth region, subject to the exact route and activity being confirmed by the operations team.

The walk provides an opportunity to experience the area on foot and learn more about its landscape and geology.

Return to your lodge after the activity.

After breakfast, travel south through Queen Elizabeth National Park towards the Ishasha sector.

Arrive around midday and have lunch before heading out for an afternoon game drive.

Ishasha is particularly known for lions that sometimes rest in large trees. Your guide will search suitable areas while also looking for topis, elephants, buffaloes and other wildlife.

Tree-climbing-lion sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Return to your lodge in the evening.

Start the day with another game drive through Ishasha, providing a second opportunity to search for its tree climbing lions and other wildlife.

After the game drive, return for lunch before continuing towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The scenery changes as you leave the savannah and approach the forested highlands surrounding Bwindi.

Arrive at your lodge later in the afternoon and spend the evening preparing for the following day’s gorilla trek.

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

Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the trekking procedures and guidelines before you enter the forest with your ranger team.

Trekking duration and difficulty vary according to the gorillas’ location and forest conditions.

Once your assigned habituated gorilla family is located, observe the gorillas for the regulated viewing period while following your ranger’s instructions.

After completing the trek, return from the forest.

Subject to trekking finish time and road conditions, continue towards Kisoro for your overnight stay near Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

After breakfast, travel towards Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for a guided Batwa cultural experience.

Led by appropriate community hosts and guides, learn about aspects of Batwa heritage, forest knowledge, traditional skills and the community’s historical relationship with the surrounding landscape.

The experience should be presented as cultural exchange with a contemporary community rather than as an encounter with people from the past.

After returning for lunch, spend some time relaxing.

Later, where appropriate, take a guided walk around Kisoro town or market to see everyday commercial life in the region.

After an early breakfast, travel to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for golden monkey tracking.

Following a briefing, enter the forest with ranger guides in search of a habituated golden monkey group.

The trek takes you through Mgahinga’s mountain forest and bamboo habitats, with viewing conducted according to the regulations applying to the activity.

After completing the trek, return for lunch before continuing towards Lake Bunyonyi.

Check in at your accommodation and spend the remainder of the evening relaxing.

Today has intentionally been left free after more than two weeks of travelling and wildlife activities.

Enjoy breakfast and spend the day at your own pace beside Lake Bunyonyi.

Optional activities may include canoeing, birdwatching, guided walks, island visits or community experiences, depending on availability and traveller interests.

Alternatively, simply remain at the lodge and enjoy a quiet day overlooking the lake and surrounding hills.

Optional activities should be quoted separately unless specifically included in the confirmed safari package.

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

Arrive and have lunch before heading out for an afternoon game drive.

Lake Mburo offers another distinctive wildlife environment, with opportunities to see zebras, impalas, giraffes, buffaloes, warthogs and other species. Your guide will also watch for less frequently encountered wildlife such as leopards, although sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Return to your lodge after the game drive for your final night on safari.

Begin the final morning with a guided walking safari.

Accompanied by an authorized ranger, explore part of Lake Mburo National Park on foot and look for zebras, antelopes, birds and other wildlife while experiencing the park from a different perspective.

Return to the lodge for breakfast before beginning the journey to Entebbe.

Your driver guide will drop you at your hotel or Entebbe International Airport.