15 Day Ultimate Uganda Highlights Safari

This 15 Day Ultimate Uganda Highlights Safari itinerary offers our most comprehensive safari package in Uganda. Over the course of the 14 nights your own private guide will drive you to all of Uganda’s greatest parks and regions, all the way through Murchison Falls to Bwindi.

Highlights

Kigali – Rwanda’s historical capital – city tour including the Memorial Centre (Genocide Museum)
Volanoes National Park – home to the endangered mountain gorilla.
Ruhengeri – gateway to the Volcanoes National Park

Overview

Trip Overview

The Ultimate Uganda Highlights Safari adventures into the Peal of Africa and reveals the hidden experiences. Uganda is a welcome splash of green in a predominantly arid continent. Its dense forests give shelter to some of the last remaining mountain gorillas on Earth. You’ll spend an hour in the presence of the mesmerising mountain gorillas, watching them graze, groom, sleep and play. Our safari specialists, having experienced the country beyond its prized wildlife attraction, will arrange your gorilla encounter and recommend how to spend your holiday in Uganda before or after.

You’ll also be taking a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, giving you a chance to see the Big Five, including tree-climbing lion. On boat trips along the Ishasha River, you can look for water-dwelling birdlife, hippo pods and elephant herds lining the banks. Trek with a guide through Kibale Forest National Park for a chance to see its 13 species of primate, including chimpanzees, red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

For a more detailed itinerary with great ideas on what to do and where to stay, please get in touch with our experts.

Trip Summery

Day 1: Arrival
Day 2: Entebbe – Murchison Falls National Park
Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park
Day 4: Murchison Falls National Park
Day 5: Murchison Falls National Park – Kibale Forest
Day 6: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest Reserve
Day 7: Kibale Forest – Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 8: Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 9: Ishasha Sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 10: Tree Lion Safari in Ishasha Sector
Day 11: Isasha – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 12: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 13: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 14: Bwindi – Entebbe
Day 15: Return Flight Back Home

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Full Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at Entebbe and overnight at Papyrus Guest House – Bed and Breakfast

Day 2: Entebbe – Murchison Falls National Park

Meet your driver/guide at the airport and set off, with a picnic lunch, for the Murchison Falls National Park. The journey will take you through rural scenery and colourful villages. This is a full day’s drive, and a great introduction to the varying landscapes of Uganda. Settle into your room at the Nile Safari Camp and relax for the rest of the afternoon.

Accommodation at Bakers Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge or Sambiya Lodge – Full Board

Day 3: Murchison Falls National Park

You can spend today enjoying game-drives in the national park, searching for elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe and more. In the afternoon you will go on a boat cruise on the river, getting up close to the falls themselves.

You’ll be staying at Bakers Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge or Sambiya Lodge – Full Board

Day 4: Murchison Falls National Park

Today you will go on a hike to the top of the Murchison Falls to enjoy the waterfall from a different perspective. After lunch, head off on an afternoon game-drive to enjoy more wildlife in this pretty national park.

You’ll be staying at Bakers Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge or Sambiya Lodge – Full Board

Day 5: Murchison Falls National Park – Kibale Forest

Depart south for the Kibale Forest, a full day’s drive, taking picnic lunches with you. On the right hand side you should enjoy views of the Rwenzori Mountains in the distance, known as the Mountains of the Moon.

You’ll be staying at Primate Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge or Ndali Lodge – Full Board

Day 6: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest Reserve

Spend the morning tracking chimpanzees in the Kibale Forest – one of the best places in Africa to see these lively primates. In the afternoon you will visit the nearby Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a haven for birdlife and butterflies.

You’ll be staying at Primate Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge or Ndali Lodge – Full Board

Day 7: Kibale Forest – Queen Elizabeth National Park

Set off further south today for Queen Elizabeth National Park, a journey of around three to four hours. Settle into your room at Mweya Safari Lodge, which overlooks the park and in the afternoon go out on a game-drive to explore the surrounding area.

You’ll be staying at Mweya Safari Lodge or Katara LodgeKatara Lodge – Full Board

Day 8: Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park

This morning you can go on a game-drive on the Kasenyi Track, an area which is one of the best places to look for big cats, as well as herds of elephants and solitary buffalos, and of course the fairly common Ugandan kob. This afternoon you will do a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, which is a lovely change of scene from being in a vehicle, and is best in the afternoons when animals such as elephant and waterbuck come to the water to drink. Birdlife along the shore is equally impressive, including malachite kingfishers, saddle-billed stork and pink-backed pelicans.

You’ll be staying at Mweya Safari Lodge or Katara LodgeKatara Lodge – Full Board

Day 9: Ishasha Sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park

You will game-drive through the national park today to reach the southern Ishasha sector – famed for its tree-climbing lions. There are also good populations of elephant, buffalo and hippo here, and with only one camp in the area, you can really enjoy the wildlife to yourselves.

You’ll be staying at Ishasha Wilderness Camp – Full Board

Day 10: Tree Lion Safari in Ishasha Sector

The Ishasha Plains in the southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park are incredibly beautiful, with driving trails weaving between lantana bushes and looping around sycamore fig trees. The area is famous for tree-climbing lions, but they aren’t the only animals to see here! The area is filled with buffaloes, elephants, Ugandan kobs and unusually large herds of topi along with a huge variety of bird life and black and white colobus monkeys.

You’ll be staying at Ishasha Wilderness Camp – Full Board

Day 11: Isasha – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Depart the national park today and head into the rolling hills of south-western Uganda. It will take around four to five hours to reach the Buhoma area of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where you will search for the gorillas tomorrow.

You’ll be staying at Mahogany Springs or Bwindi Lodge – Full Board

Day 12: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla tracking day! You will have a briefing at the park headquarters nearby before being driven to the trailhead for your trek. The walk will take between one and three hours to find the gorillas and you can spend an hour with them once they’ve been located, watching them groom, eat and play. You will then trek out of the forest and be driven back to your lodge for a well earned hot shower and hearty dinner.

You’ll be staying at Mahogany Springs or Bwindi Lodge – Full Board

Day 13: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

On the edge of Bwindi is a village called Buhoma, home to a large community of people. You will spend a few hours learning how to weave baskets with the women while you enjoy a cup of tea and snacks. The women use basket weaving as a social activity and often to start a career. This is a great opportunity to interact and experience everyday life for women in this area.

You’ll be staying at Mahogany Springs or Bwindi Lodge – Full Board

Day 14: Bwindi – Entebbe

You’ll be taken to the local airstrip, where you’ll board a light aircraft plane bound for Entebbe. Say goodbye to forested Bwindi and enjoy your last night in Uganda with a relaxing meal set in the pretty gardens at The Boma Guesthouse.

You’ll be staying at The Boma Guesthouse or Papyrus Guest House – Bed and Breakfast