This 18 Days Uganda Safari tour is well designed with mixed activities ranging from Primate viewing safaris, wildlife safaris, boat cruise safaris and many more. 10 Days Uganda safari starts and ends in Entebbe – Uganda visiting the major tourist destinations in Uganda including; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Kidepo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and Lake Bunyonyi.
Highlights of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour
- Day 1: Arrival and hotel drop-off
- Day 2: Ziwa Rhino trekking and Transfer to Gulu
- Day 3: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park – community tour and night game drive
- Day 4: Full-day game drive in Narus Valley or Kidepo Valley
- Day 5: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 6: Morning game drive and Boat cruise along the Nile – Top of the Falls visit
- Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Bigodi swamp nature walk
- Day 8: Uganda Chimpanzee tracking experience
- Day 9: Hot Springs visit in Semiliki National Park – transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 10: Morning game drive and Launch cruise along the Kazinga channel
- Day 11: Ishasha game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 12: Uganda Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 13: Batwa community tour – transfer to Kisoro (Mgahinga National Park)
- Day 14: Golden monkey tracking or Volcano climbing – transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 15: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 16: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park – Night game drive
- Day 17: Walking safari
- Day 18: Transfer to Entebbe – Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and hotel drop-off
On day 1 of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour, following your arrival at Entebbe airport, our company representative together with the guide will be waiting to welcome you and transfer you to Kampala city where you will spend a night. Dinner and overnight stay at Fairway Hotel and Spa for mid-range/Forest Cottages for budget.
Meal: Half Board
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino trekking and Transfer to Gulu
On the 2nd day of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour, considering the journey requires about 11 hours; pick up will be at 7:00 am, and make an early start on your journey to Gulu. En route to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino trekking for 2 -3 hours’ Kidepo National Park is far placed – northeast of Uganda, bordering Kenya to the east and South Sudan to the North. The journey can be very exhausting to drive directly to the park thus making it necessary to break the journey in Gulu and proceed the next day!
You will have stopovers along the way to enjoy fruit or snacks and stretch out. Lunch and arrive at Gulu late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Church Hill Hotel
Day 3: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park – community tour and night game drive
On the 3rd day of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour, wake up early, have breakfast, and continue with your journey to Kidepo National Park, in Gulu, you will have covered half of the journey to Kidepo, it is 4-5 hour drive to Kidepo National Park where you will arrive in the park at a good time for your lunch at your lodge.
In the afternoon, head out for a cultural tour of the Karamojong people for a truly unique experience. The Karamojong culture is still pure and totally unique from most other tribes in Uganda; they have rejected civilization and still live like in ancient times. The Karamojong are predominantly pastoralists and live purposely to fight for their cattle as it is in their belief that every cattle in the world belongs to them. As such, fierce cattle raids still occur in the region and at times stretch to neighboring Kenya! They are a very interesting group of people with a very unique culture visible in their way of dressing, cooking, dancing, and other daily life activities. A visit to the Karamojong is a truly rewarding experience you should look forward to.
Thereafter, connect to your booked lodge for check-in, and dinner. Thereafter, connect for a night game drive in Narus Valley. Overnight at Kidepo Savannah Lodge for midrange/Zebra Safari Lodge for budget
Day 4: Full-day game drive in Narus Valley or Kidepo Valley
On the 4th day of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour, wake up early, have breakfast, and connect for a game drive in Narus Valley in anticipation of seeing herds of buffalos, zebras, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, and cheetahs. You will enjoy a slow drive and you can be sure to seize picture moments while on your game drive and you can have stops at any moment you please. Return for lunch at the lodge.
Optional Kidepo Valley – After breakfast, drive to Kidepo Valley as you admire the true wilderness and an out-of-the-world experience! Kidepo Valley game drive is rewarding through the open savannah, rocky outcrops, forests, and rings of mountains. Drive back to the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 5: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
On the 5th day of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour, very early after breakfast, depart Kidepo National Park to embark on your journey to your next destination – Murchison Falls National Park, which is about a 7-8 hours drive with an en-route lunch stop in Gulu town. Proceed to Murchison Falls National Park and connect to your booked lodge for check-in, dinner, and overnight stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge for mid-range/Tilenga Safari Lodge for budget
Day 6: Morning game drive and Boat cruise along the Nile – Top of the Falls visit
On the 6th day of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour, after an early breakfast at the lodge, you will go for a morning game drive. The activity takes about 3-5 hours depending on the animals available, and you will find animals including elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, Hartebeest, Uganda Kobs, Oribis, and waterbucks.
After the drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch. Later afternoon at 2 pm, go for a launch cruise on the along the Nile which will give you an exciting panoramic view at the bottom of the mighty Murchison Falls. Along the cruise, you will encounter crocodiles, hippos, and birds on the river banks like kingfishers, cormorants, and bee-eaters. You will spend time viewing the falls at the bottom while taking pictures then later return to meet your driver and connect back to your lodge and have a relaxed evening. After viewing the bottom of the falls, sail back to meet your driver and connect to visit the top of the Murchison Falls before return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Bigodi swamp nature walk
Early morning after breakfast, depart the lodge Proceed for your long journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This Park is home to almost 13 primate species. It’s about 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route lunch. Upon arrival at the park, connect for a nature walk to Bigodi swamp, and look out for some primates like the red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more and also find most of the water-loving bird species. Connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Kibale Forest Lodge for budget/Chimpanzee Forest Lodge for mid-range/Chimpundu Lodge for luxury
Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking experience
After breakfast, you will set out for chimpanzee tracking within the Kibale Forest. During your search for the chimpanzees, expect to see a lot of primate species also including monkeys, and other animals like forest elephants, bush pigs, and duiker. The search can take about 2-5 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees and on finding them, you are allocated about 1 hour to stay with the chimpanzees. Return to the starting point to meet your driver and be awarded a certificate of tracking. Return to the Lodge for lunch. Spend your afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 9: Hot Springs visit in Semiliki National Park – transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, depart for Semuliki National Park through the eastern 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 and riparian forests to short and high grass Savannah, enter the park for an interesting experience of the male and female hot springs.
Thereafter, drive to Fort Portal Town for en-route lunch then proceed to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about 3 hours drive. Upon arrival with en-route game viewing and stop at the Uganda Equator, proceed to check-in at your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Aardvark Safari Lodge for mid-range/Kazinga Wilderness Camp for budget/Elephant Plains Lodge for luxury
Day 10: Morning game drive and Launch cruise along the Kazinga channel
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will set out for a morning game drive in search of early risers in the Kasenyi area. The park has a diverse ecosystem 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.
Return to your Lodge for lunch and after, go for a 3-hour 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 11: Ishasha game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
You will set out for the game drive in the Ishasha area and expect to see the rare tree-climbing lions. The lions can be seen in the fig trees. However, it’s not a guarantee that the lions will be seen. Sometimes it depends on the luck and time of reaching the area. You will have lunch in the Ishasha sector and after you will proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in preparation for your next day’s Gorilla trek. Dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget /Buhoma Haven lodge for mid-range/Mahogany Springs Lodge for luxury
Day 12: Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for a briefing by the ranger guides before entering the forest in your trekking gear including trekking sticks, good hiking shoes and stocking for tacking-in, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and a raincoat or jacket to mention but a few. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is no different from other trekking parks in that trekking takes 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas as they roam the park freely and there is no way of telling where they will be for a particular day however the rangers will be able to find them as they tracked daily. On finding them, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour as you view and take photos of these gentle primates before you descend back. After trekking, meet your safari guide and return to the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 13: Batwa community tour – transfer to Kisoro (Mgahinga National Park)
After breakfast, connect for a Batwa community experience where you will learn about the life and culture of the pygmies of Uganda who lived in the Bwindi forest before it was gazetted as a national park for conservation. Proceed to Kisoro with en-route lunch. Upon arrival late afternoon, connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Ichumbi Hotel for budget/Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge for mid-range
Day 14: Golden monkey tracking or Volcano climbing – transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Option 1 – Golden monkey tracking – After breakfast, you will transfer to Mgahinga National Park for a briefing about the Golden monkeys with your packed food and water. Enter the forest to search for the golden monkeys and on finding them, spend an hour viewing them while taking pictures and videos. Return to meet your driver to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi with en-route lunch.
Option 1 – Volcano climbing – After breakfast, drive back to the park headquarters for a briefing from your ranger guides about the hike. The park is located on Mount Gahinga one of the 8 Virunga mountains with the lowest height of about 3,474m. The hike is between 6-8 hours’ hike depending on your fitness. You will hike through the bamboo cover, if luck is on your side you may encounter the golden monkeys and the gorillas. Reaching the top is so fulfilling and interesting as you enjoy the cool air and the breeze from the giant lobelia in the Carter swamp. You will then return at your starting point to meet your driver and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, which is about 2 hours drive. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Overland Resort for budget/Bunyonyi Arcadia Lodge for mid-range
Day 15: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, explore Lake Bunyonyi, which is one of the deepest lakes in Africa. The Lake has almost 32 Islands. The Lake is a good stopover for relaxation for people from trekking. Upon arrival, you will go on a boat ride. This will enable you to visit most of the islands on the Lake.
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 stay at lodge as above
Day 16: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park – Night game drive
After breakfast, transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, which is about 5 hours drive to the park. Upon arrival, connect to your booked lodge for lunch. Later evening, connect for an evening game drive and a night game drive in Lake Mburo National Park. Dinner and overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge for luxury/Rwakoba Rock Lodge for mid-range/Eagles Nest Lodge for budget
Day 17: Walking safari
After breakfast, meet your ranger guides for your walking safari, this tour is no different from a game drive except that here you will walk on foot to find the animals. After your afternoon relax at the lodge with great views. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 18: Transfer to Entebbe – Departure
After breakfast, check out of the lodge and embark on your drive back to Entebbe, which is about a 4-5 hours drive with an en-route stop at the Uganda Equator. Upon arrival with en-route lunch, connect to Entebbe and depending on your departure flight schedule, the driver will drop you off at a place you advise or at Entebbe International Airport for your onward flight back home.
End of the 18 Days Uganda Safari tour.
