Itinerary Highlights
- Enjoy awe-inspiring encounters with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat
- Track chimpanzees and see rare birds in the beautiful, equatorial Kibale Forest
- Spot lions, elephants, buffalo and other wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Explore the Kazinga Channel by boat and enjoy a guided bush walk in Lake Mburo
What's Included
- Flights
- Accommodation Throughout
- Travel Guide
- Transfers
Nikki Lynas
Travel Specialist
Traverse diverse habitats – from equatorial forests to savannah plains – encountering some of Africa’s rarest and most endangered species along the way on this ten-night holiday to Uganda.
For your first visit to Uganda, this private, fully guided tour offers a spectacular introduction to the country’s rich wildlife and varied landscapes.
You’ll begin in Kibale Forest National Park, tracking chimpanzees and spotting smaller primates and rare birds in their tropical rainforest home. Then, journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park, exploring the Mweya and Ishasha sectors for elephants, buffalo and the famous tree-climbing lions. A launch on the Kazinga Channel offers close-up views of hippos, crocodiles and abundant birdlife.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is the highlight for many. Spend a day with habituated mountain gorillas, witnessing the critically endangered primates in their natural environment—an experience both moving and memorable. You’ll also visit Lake Mburo National Park for a guided bush walk and game drive, seeking zebras, impalas and other plains species in this less-visited park's serenity.
A professional, knowledgeable driver-guide will offer you insights into the wildlife, landscapes and local cultures throughout the trip. Accommodation will be in comfortable lodges and well-located safari camps, ensuring you can relax and soak up your surroundings after each day’s adventure.
We advise booking early, as demand for gorilla permits is high in peak season (July–September).
Please note, this is an example tour. To create your own tailor-made itinerary, speak with our Travel Specialists by calling us today.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Fly UK to Uganda
Welcome to Uganda!
Take a daytime flight (we recommend KLM) from London Heathrow or selected other UK airports (if you're travelling from the UK), arriving in Entebbe this evening.
Upon arrival, you'll be welcomed and transferred to the comfortable and well-located Boma Hotel to stay the night, with breakfast included.
Day 2 | Entebbe to Kibale Forest National Park
An approximate six-hour drive on good roads in your private, customised four-wheel drive vehicle will take you via the town of Fort Portal to the beautiful Kibale Forest National Park.
Here, you'll stay for two nights at the very well-located Primate Kibale Lodge in an en suite cottage, with all meals included.
Your dedicated driver-guide will take you to Bigodi Wetland this afternoon, where, among various species of monkey, you have the chance to seek grey-cheeked mangabey.
Day 3 | Chimpanzee Tracking, Kibale Forest National Park
Spend half a day tracking wild chimpanzees in Kibale Forest - a superb opportunity to follow our closest relatives and observe their daily activities, accompanying the reserve researchers and rangers.
This is an early start to watch the chimps wake up and search for food. Spend the whole day enjoying their behaviour without interfering or changing their natural environment.
We can also arrange a full-day habituation experience if you're keen to do so - call us for details.
Day 4 | Kibale to Mweya Sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Depart for the Queen Elizabeth National Park, which will take about three hours. Stay for two nights at the Elephant Plains Lodge, which is well located for game drives in Mweya/Kasenyi Plains, as well as launch cruises on the Kazinga Channel.
Mweya/Kasenyi Plains offers very rewarding game viewing, with sightings including African elephant, Cape buffalo and African lion. The boat rides along the Kazinga Channel, linking lakes George and Edward, and affording plenty of opportunities to see some of Africa’s highest densities of hippos and plenty of enormous Nile crocodiles. Of course, birdlife here is abundant, too.
Day 5 | Mweya Sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6 | Mweya to Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Take a game drive southwards through Mweya to the Ishasha sector of the national park. It's this area where lions are noted for their tree climbing propensities.
You continue to the beautifully located Ishasha Wilderness Camp on the banks of the Ntungwe River for an overnight stay, with all meals included.
Day 7 | Ishasha to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Experience a game drive out of Ishasha, during which one of the targets you'll be seeking is the tree-climbing lion.
Continue southwards to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The drive time today is about three-to-four hours, depending on stops taken for sightseeing.
Stay two nights at the very comfortable Buhoma Lodge, with elevated views over the tropical rainforest. All meals are included.
Time allowing, we recommend a nature walk, especially for keen birders wanting to see some of the 'AREs' (Albertine Rift Endemic species), which are resident here.
Day 8 | Gorilla Tracking, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
The lodge is a five-minute walk to the park HQ, where you'll gather early in the morning for a briefing on conduct during gorilla tracking. Then, with trackers and scouts, you'll head out in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family.
Once reached (this can take anything from 40 minutes to three or four hours), enjoy that golden hour among these critically endangered primates, which form the backbone of Uganda's flourishing wildlife tourism industry.
Day 9 | Bwindi to Lake Mburo National Park
After a leisurely breakfast, drive along the Kigezi Highlands to scenic Lake Mburo National Park. This will take approximately six-to-seven hours.
Your journey ends at the charming Mihingo Lodge, a quiet retreat overlooking a waterhole. Enjoy a one-night stay in a thatched-roof walk-in tent on a raised wooden platform, with all meals included.
You'll be taken for a game drive in the national park in the late afternoon.
A treat here is the presence of some greater galagos (bushbabies), which the staff may be able to show you at night. Birders can seek, among others, the Acacia-specialist red-faced barbet.
Day 10 | Lake Mburo to Entebbe & Departure
After breakfast, enjoy a guided bush walk in Lake Mburo National Park.
A final five-hour road journey will take you to Entebbe via the equator marker. You'll have the use of a day/evening room in Papyrus Guest House.
You'll be transferred to Entebbe Airport in the evening to check in for your late-night flight back to the UK.
Nikki Lynas
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
Nikki Lynas
Travel Specialist
Price Includes
- Return International Flights as per the itinerary
- All airport taxes and security charges
- Accommodation and meals as specified
- Transfers as specified
- Activities and excursions as specified
- All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
Pricing Notes
Why Choose Us?
Passionate travel experts
- We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
- Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
- We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences
Personal & tailor-made
- You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
- We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
- Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love
Responsible by nature
- We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
- For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
- We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
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