10 Day Ultimate Uganda Safari

Your safari begins with a meet-and-greet at Entebbe International Airport or your Kampala hotel. After a short briefing on the route ahead, transfer to a lakeside hotel on the shores of Lake Victoria — a gentle start before the long driving days that follow.

Depending on arrival time, you may stroll the Entebbe botanical gardens for colobus monkeys and hornbills, or simply unwind by the pool. Your guide confirms tomorrow’s early departure for Ziwa and Murchison.

Depart early north on the Gulu highway to Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch in Nakasongola (approx. 3 hours from Kampala). On foot with armed rangers, track southern white rhinos to within safe viewing distance — Uganda’s only place to see rhinos in the wild after local extinction in the 1980s.

Safari activity | Ziwa rhino tracking on foot

Walk with armed rangers to within safe viewing distance of southern white rhinos — Uganda’s only wild rhino experience and a highlight of the northern circuit before Murchison Falls.

After lunch, continue to Murchison Falls National Park. Enter via the southern gate and visit the top of the falls viewpoint where the Nile squeezes through a 7-metre gorge and plunges 43 metres into the Devil’s Cauldron. Check in at your Paraa-area lodge for dinner overlooking the river.

Pre-dawn tea, then a morning game drive on the northern bank Buligi circuit — Rothschild’s giraffe, elephant herds, buffalo, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi and Uganda kob are common; lion and leopard are possible at first light. Return for breakfast at the lodge.

Safari activity | Nile boat cruise to Murchison Falls (safari murchison falls national park)

Afternoon launch on the Victoria Nile toward the base of the falls — hippos, crocodiles, elephant at the water’s edge, and classic birdlife along the papyrus banks.

After lunch, board the afternoon launch cruise on the Victoria Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls. Hippos yawning at close range, Nile crocodiles on the banks, and elephant coming to drink make this one of Uganda’s classic boat safaris. African fish eagles and Goliath herons patrol the papyrus edges.

After breakfast, begin the long drive southwest (approx. 7–8 hours) through Masindi, Hoima and Fort Portal. The landscape shifts from northern savannah to tea plantations and crater lakes as you approach the Albertine Rift.

Stop for lunch en route — often in Fort Portal with views of the Rwenzori foothills on clear days. Arrive at your Kibale National Park lodge by late afternoon. Evening at leisure; optional nocturnal walk near the lodge if offered.

Early briefing at Kanyanchu Visitor Centre, then join UWA rangers for a chimpanzee trek through Kibale’s mature rainforest. The park holds 13 primate species; your target is a habituated chimp community, usually located within 2–4 hours of walking. Once found, you spend one hour observing grooming, feeding and social calls — often surprisingly loud.

Safari activity | Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale

Track a habituated chimp community through mature rainforest with UWA rangers — one hour with the group once located, with excellent chances of loud pant-hoots and close-up social behaviour.

Afternoon optional Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary walk (community-run) for red colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey and great blue turaco, or rest at the lodge before tomorrow’s transfer to Queen Elizabeth.

Morning drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park (approx. 2–3 hours) via Kasese, skirting the Rwenzori range. Check in near Mweya or Katwe, with lunch at the lodge.

Safari activity | Kazinga Channel boat safari

Two-hour boat cruise on the channel linking Lakes George and Edward — dense hippo pods, elephant and buffalo on the banks, and outstanding birding including skimmers and kingfishers.

Afternoon 2-hour boat safari on the Kazinga Channel — the natural waterway linking Lakes George and Edward. This is one of Africa’s densest hippo populations; buffalo and elephant herds drink at the banks, and the birdlist exceeds 600 species including African skimmer and malachite kingfisher.

Dawn game drive on the Kasenyi Plains — Queen Elizabeth’s prime predator territory. Lion prides stalk Uganda kob at first light; leopard, spotted hyena, elephant and warthog are regular. Return for breakfast, then check out.

Drive south through the Ishasha sector (approx. 2 hours from Mweya) scanning fig trees for tree-climbing lions — a behaviour seen in only two places in Africa. Continue into the Kigezi highlands toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (another 3–4 hours), arriving at your sector lodge by evening. Tomorrow is gorilla day.

Early breakfast and transfer to park headquarters for briefing. With UWA rangers and trackers, begin your mountain gorilla trek into Bwindi’s montane forest — trekking can take 2–8 hours depending on the assigned family’s location. Sector (Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija or Nkuringo) follows your permit allocation.

Safari activity | Mountain gorilla trekking

Track a habituated gorilla family through Bwindi’s montane forest with UWA rangers — one hour with the group on contact, then your gorilla trekking certificate on return.

On contact, spend one magical hour with the habituated gorilla family — silverback displays, juveniles tumbling through vegetation, mothers nursing infants. Return for your gorilla trekking certificate. Afternoon rest at the lodge; trekking is physically demanding and porters are recommended on steep, muddy trails.

Relaxed morning drive to Lake Bunyonyi (approx. 1–2 hours) — 29 islands, terraced hillsides and cool highland air without malaria-risk mosquitoes. Check in at a lakeside lodge or cottage.

Safari activity | Dugout canoe on Lake Bunyonyi

Afternoon paddle among the islands — Uganda’s classic post-gorilla recovery stop with terraced hillsides, birdlife, and optional community visits.

Afternoon dugout canoe excursion among the islands, optional visit to a Batwa or Bakiga community, or simply recover from gorilla trekking with views across the lake. Bunyonyi is Uganda’s classic post-trek decompression stop.

Breakfast overlooking the lake, then begin the return journey to Entebbe (approx. 8–9 hours) via Mbarara and the Equator at Kayabwe for photos and lunch. Alternatively, exit through Kigali (3–4 hours via Katuna or Cyanika border) if your international flight departs from Rwanda.

Airport drop-off in Entebbe or Kigali for evening flights, or overnight in Entebbe if you prefer not to drive after a long transfer day.