18 Days Uganda Budget Tour | 18 Days Uganda Safaris

18 Days Uganda Budget Tour is an amazing tour of Uganda where one gets to traverse the Pearl of Africa as the explore different national parks and engage in some famous tourist activities like Gorilla Trekking, Wildlife Game Viewing, Chimpanzee Trekking among others. This 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour is a long safari but one will surely get the best out of it.

Day 1: Arrival and Hotel drop off

Arrival: On Day one of the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will arrive at the Entebbe International Airport where you will be met by our company representative and your tour guide. They will give you a warm welcome and you will be transferred to your hotel where you will spend the night in Kampala the Capital City of Uganda. You will be served dinner and there you shall spend your night as you await the fun-packed day 2. You will be accommodated in Fairway Hotel and Spa for mid-range/Sheraton for luxury/Forest Cottages for Budget includes: Half Board Meal

Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Trekking and Transfer to Gulu

Rhino Trekking: The transfer to Gulu tends to be very long and about 11 hours and therefore, it requires that you be picked up as early as 7:00 am. En route, you will have a stopover that the famous Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will engage in Rhino Trekking for about 2-3 hours.
Transfer to Gulu: Since the journey to Kidepo National park is again longer because it is placed – northeast of Uganda, bordering Kenya to the east and South Sudan to the North, you will have to stop over in Gulu town and continue the journey to Kidepo early the next day. On your way to Gulu, you will stopover for some snacks and fruits and on arriving in Gulu town, you will be transferred directly to your hotel (Church Hill Hotel), where you will have dinner and an overnight stay as we wait for Day 3.

Day 3: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park, Game Drive

Transfer to Kidepo: On day 3 of this 18 Days Uganda Uganda Budget Tour, you will embark on the journey to Kidepo National Park after having a hot cup of tea for breakfast. The journey will take you about 3 hours and you will arrive in Kidepo National Park.
Game Drive in Kidepo: On arrival at Kidepo National Park, you will be taken to do the Game Drive. On this game drive in Kidepo, you expect to see animals like herds of buffalos, zebras, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, and cheetahs among others. This game drive is done in a slow drive so that you have enough time to capture moments of the animals as they move about their habitat. They will give you stops so that you are able to capture the amazing wildlife moments in the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour.
Return to Lodge: After the amazing Game Drive, you will return to the Lodge and spend your evening having a look at the spectacular wilderness. You will be served dinner at Kidepo Savannah lodge for mid-range/ Apoka lodge for luxury for Budget.

Day 4: Morning Game Drive and Hot Springs visit in Kidepo Valley

Morning Game Drive: You will wake up early morning and take your breakfast as you organize yourself for the thrilling morning game drive in Kidepo National Park. On this game drive, you will enjoy the fascinating morning sunshine that hits over the hills of Lomej, the Lotukei Mountains and the Morungole range. You will be able to catch a glimpse of different wild animals strolling from their habitats as they head out to catch their prey and look for food.
Return to Lodge: After the morning game drive in Kidepo Valley National Park, you will return to your lodge where you will enjoy lunch served by professional chefs and you will refreshen before you embark on a journey to the Kidepo Valley close to the South Sudan border.
Hotsprings Visit & Ostrich Encounter: After lunch at the lodge, you will head to Kidepo Valley where you will visit the amazing hot springs. Later you will drive around as you encounter the endangered ostrich species within that region. These ostriches are endangered because of poaching and their numbers have drastically reduced over time.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge after the visit to Kidepo Valley.

Day 5: Drive to Murchison Falls national park (Full day drive)

Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park: You will wake up early morning and have breakfast after which you will embark on your journey for a Murchison Falls National Park Safaris tour. This is a full-day transfer as you drive for long hours and you will enter the park through one of the gates of Murchison. You will be transferred directly to the Lodge for Dinner and an overnight stay. Some of the lodges that you might be taken to include: Pakuba safari lodge for mid-range/Heritage Safari lodge for budget/Paraa Safari Lodge for luxury

Day 6: Boat cruise and hike top of the falls

Before you explore Murchison falls, you need to know that Murchison Falls National Park is the largest National Park in Uganda and is one of the oldest national Parks in Uganda with a vast range of wildlife species having about 4 of the Big 5 African Animals. The rhinos in Ziwa sum up the total to make the Big 5.

Boat Cruise: On day 6 of the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will wake up early morning and have breakfast, after which, you will drive to the shores where the Boat Cruise Starts. The boat cruise starts at 9 am and will lead you to the Bottom of the Murchison Falls. On reaching the bottom of the falls, you will embark on the famous hike to the top of the falls. The hike is a tuff one and once you complete it, you will be fascinated by the breeze that will hit you at the top of the falls. You will spend some time at the top of the falls as you enjoy the breeze and the amazing rainbow as you take pictures.
Return to the lodge: Later you will be met by the driver-guide who will drive you back to cross the ferry in time to return to the lodge. On arriving at the lodge, lunch will be served and you will relax as you enjoy that meal.
Evening Game Drive: After some time at the lodge relaxing and enjoying lunch, you will be transfered to the park to engage in the evening game drive where you will enjoy viewing different animals returning to their habitats and the nocturnals coming out of the habitats to find their prey. You will later return to your lodge before the nightfall where you will enjoy your dinner and spend the night.

Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park

Transfer to Kibale National Park: You will wake up early morning and after and enjoy a well-prepared breakfast. After that, embark on the journey to Kibale National Park which is a long drive. Kibale National Park is an amazing national Park with about 13 primate species which are plenty in number. Some of these primates include the chimpanzees, red colobus, and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more. As you approach Kibale, you will make a stopover in Kagadi where you will have your lunch. After Lunch proceed to Kibale Forest National Park. On arrival at Kibale, you will relax, refreshen and have Dinner and enjoy your overnight stay at Chimpanzee Forest Guest House in the main house or cottage/Kyaninga Lodge for Luxury

Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Swamp Walk

Chimpanzee Trekking: On Day 8 of this 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will wake up early and have breakfast. After breakfast, you will head to the park headquarters where you will be briefed about the Chimpanzee trekking activity. At the headquarters, you will find a ranger who will lead you to the forest tracks where the chimpanzee trekking activity is done. As you trek the chimpanzees you will enjoy the vast wildlife and plant species that kibale forest has to offer. You will be able to see different primate species like chimpanzees, monkeys, and others like the bush pigs and duiker, warthogs, reptiles, and amphibians as well as a colorful variety of butterflies. When you meet the chimpanzees you will be given a chance to take photos and explore the different behaviors of these species. Later you will return to the Lodge for lunch.
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary/Nature Walk: After enjoying your lunch, you will be led by a ranger guide for a nature walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Here you will be able to view different bird species that live in these swamps. There are over 335 species of birds and therefore Kibale National Park was nicknamed, “The Birders Paradise” because here, you will find the rarest bird species. After the walk, you will then return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 9: Hot Springs visit and night game drive at Semiliki national park

Transfer to Semuliki National Park: Early Morning before dawn, you will wake up and quickly prepare yourself and have breakfast. You will then transfer to Semuliki National Park through the Albertine area. Semuliki National Park located in the basin of the western rift valley is one of the parks endowed with many habitats ranging from rain forests, Riparian forests to short and high grass Savannah.
Visit the Sempaya Hotsprings: You will enter the Semuliki National Park and then head out to visit the Sempaya hot springs which are quite amazing to look at water from the ground that can be used to boil a cup of tea or even eggs and food. After the visit to the hot springs, you will drive to your lodge for rest and dinner.
Night Game Drives: At choice, you could also do night game drives on which you will be able to view different nocturnal animals like the white tailed mongoose and the slender mongoose, the standard and pennant winged nightjars, cats, hyenas, leopards, among others. This park offers surprises because you can never tell what to find and it is also the only park in Uganda that offers a spotlit night drive. Dinner and overnight at Semiliki Safari lodge for luxury/Ntorongo lodge for mid-range

Day 10: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park: On day 10 of the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will wake up early and have breakfast after which you will be transfered to Queen Elizabeth National Park the Home of Tree Climbing Lions in Uganda. Given that there is enough time, you can stopover at the Equator, take pictures and then enter the park.
Visiting the Explosion Crater Lakes: Upon entering the park for your Queen Elizabeth National Park Safaris Tour, you will connect to the explosion crater lakes in the park after which you will proceed to your lodge for Dinner and overnight stay at Parkview Safari lodge for mid-range/Pumba Safari lodge for budget/Kyambura Gorge lodge for luxury.

Day 11: Game drive and Launch cruise

Morning Game Drive: Wake up early morning on the 11th day of the long 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour and enjoy your early morning Breakfast served by professional chefs after which you will set out to the park for the game drive in the Kasenyi areas. You will have a chance to catch the early risers who get up early to set out in search for their prey or to look for food. Queen Elizabeth National Park has a diverse eco-system of grassy plains, rivers, crater lakes, forests, swamps, and lakes. These are home to various types of wildlife and a game drive in Queen Elizabeth will reward you with views of animals such as lions, antelopes, buffalos, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob and other types of antelopes.

Tree Climbing Lions of Queen Elizabeth National Park

Boat Cruise/Launch Cruise on Kazinga Channel: After the morning game drive, you will go for lunch at your lodge and later embark on a 3 hours launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers a good platform for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight as above.

Day 12: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Ishasha Sector Game Drive: On day 12 of the 18 Days Uganda Tour, you will wake up early have breakfast and set out for a game drive in the Ishasha Sector where you expect to see the tree-climbing lions. The lions can be seen upon the fig trees resting and preparing to sight their prey. However, it’s not a guarantee that the lions will be seen. Sometimes it depends on the luck and time of reaching the area.
After the game drive in the amazing ishasha sector, you will proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where you will be doing the gorilla trekking activity. On arrival in the famous Bwindi National Park, you will have dinner and overnight stay at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range/Rushaga Gorilla Camp for budget

Day 13: Gorilla trek in Bwindi forest Park

Gorilla Trekking: Day 13 of the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour is quite an amazing long-awaited day of the whole Uganda safari tour. You will wake up early morning on this day of the tour and have breakfast after which you will head out to the park headquaters for a briefing by the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) Officials. After the briefing, you will set out on the forest tracks to engage in the Gorilla Trekking activity. The ranger guide who is armed will lead you into the thick forest and start your search for the endangered Mountain Gorillas in Uganda. You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about 1hour. The activity can take 2 -7 hours since the gorillas move up and down and do not remain in one place. This is an awesome and exciting moment. En-route, there are other types of primates such as monkeys, birds and more which you be able to explore. On finding the gorilla species, you are allowed to spend only one hour as you observe them and study their behavior. During this time, you are meant to observe and take photos that will keep the memory young. After this hour you will return for dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.

Day 14: Golden Monkey tracking – community tour

Golden Monkey Trekking: On Day 14 which marks 2 weeks on this amazing 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will wake up to an early morning breakfast after which you will transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and immediately go for briefing about the Golden monkey Trekking with your packed food and water. Later enter the forest to search for the Golden monkeys. On finding them you will spend an hour viewing them while taking pictures and videos.
Batwa Pygmies Cultural Tour: Later visit the Batwa Pygmies and Participate in the cultural performances and so on. After this Cultural Tour in Uganda‘s Mgahinga, you will return for dinner and overnight at Mulehe lodge for mid-range/Travelers’ Rest hotel for budget/Gahinga lodge for luxury

Day 15: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Visiting Lake Bunyonyi: On day 15, you wake up early and have breakfast after which, you will transfer to Lake Bunyonyi which is one of the deepest lakes in Africa. Lake Bunyonyi has almost 32 Islands and the Lake is a good stopover for relaxation for people who are coming from trekking Mountain Gorillas.
Boat Ride On Lake Bunyonyi: Upon arrival, you will go on a boat ride. This will enable you to visit most of the islands on the Lake which hold a strong cultural background related to the communities and the people surrounding and living on them. Each Island is named according to the bird species found on the Island and some were named because of their purposes, for example, the Punishment Island which is the smallest and was used by the Bakiga people to drop their girls who got pregnant before marriage. After the boat ride, return back to the Lodge for relaxation while you watch the beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Overland Resort/Bunyonyi Birdnest lodge – Luxury/Bunyonyi Arcadia lodge for mid-range

Day 16: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park: On day 16 which is close to the end of the 18 Day Uganda Budget Tour, you will start off the day will a soothing breakfast prepared by professional Chefs. After breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park which happens to be the smallest national park in Uganda. You will reach Mbarara town where you will have lunch and head to the park.
Game Drive in Lake Mburo: After entering the park, you will engage in a game drive en-route which will give you clear views of animals such as Zebras, Buffaloes, and elands as you proceed to the park headquaters.
Nature Walk: Upon reaching the park headquarters, you will Register and later go for the evening nature walk along the Kigambara loop. This loop offers interesting guided walks alongside the Lake Mburo. Later you will head to the lodge for Dinner and an overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge for luxury/Arcadia Lodge Lake Mburo for mid-range/Eagles Nest lodge for budget

Day 17: Walking safari and Boat ride on Lake Mburo

Walking Safari: On the Second Last day of the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will wake up to an early morning breakfast after which you will set out to meet your ranger guides for the walking safari tour in Lake Mburo National Park. This tour is no different from a game drive except that here you will walk on foot to find the animals.
Boat Ride: After the walking safaris, you will then head to the Lodge for refreshments, Lunch and in the afternoon go for a boat ride on Lake Mburo which will get you quite close to Crocodiles and Hippos. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 18: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe/Departure

Morning Game Drive: To wrap up the 18 Days Uganda Budget Tour, you will have to wake up early morning and have breakfast and engage in an en-route Morning Gane Drive Safari for those who missed seeing animals in the previous game drives of walking safaris. On this Morning Game Drive tour, you will be able to view the early birders in the Uganda wildlife territories of Lake Mburo.
Journey Back To Kampala: After the Game Drive, you will continue directly to exit the park premises and head back to Kampala. En route, you will have lunch at the Equator and have some refreshments and take photographs. You can also visit the Royal drum Village at Mpambire for souvenirs. Proceed to Kampala and drop-off at Entebbe airport for your flight back home.

Inclusions

Gorilla trekking permit
Chimpanzee permits
all accommodation as per itinerary
4X4 safari vehicle with popup roof
Fuel
Full-time English speaking driver/ guide
All meals as indicated including lunches en-route during transfers
Park entrance fees
Ferry crossing fees
Boat cruises
Vehicle entrance fees
Bottled mineral water while on safari
All activities as indicated

Excludes;

Tips
Visa fees and Air tickets
All items of personal nature like laundry, phone calls, beer, e.t.c
Anything else not included in the itinerary.