8-Day Uganda Safari

Entebbe is the perfect introduction to Uganda’s beauty. After meeting your safari guide, you’ll be transferred to Mabamba Swamp for an early morning canoe trip to track the prehistoric shoebill (popular with our visitors) and a variety of other bird species including malachite kingfishers, African jacanas, and papyrus gonoleks.

You can also visit the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, the Ngamba Island Sanctuary (home to 52 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees), go on market walks, shop, or take a sunset cruise on Lake Victoria.

After a hefty early breakfast, embark on a scenic road trip to Western Uganda across rolling hills, business centres, vast cultivated plains, banana plantations, and cattle farms. You will have a brief stop at Mpambire to watch the making of traditional and local artifacts, and another stop at the equator for photography, and then proceed to Lake Mburo National Park.

After settling, you will embark on an exciting game drive to spot resident favourites like buffalos, impalas, zebras, elands, warthogs, and bushbucks, and enjoy a one-hour boat safari on the lake to spot crocodiles, hippos, and plenty of water birds.

Bwindi Forest is home to more than half of the world’s remaining population of the critically endangered mountain gorillas as well as several endangered species of birds within their limited ranges.

After an early morning game drive, you’ll travel across rolling hills, tea plantations, and tropical rainforest towards the Virunga Volcanoe’s majestic chain before heading onto the 32-km countryside dirt road that leads to Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. It sits on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and offers breath-taking views of the rugged Tuscany-like landscapes.

After settling in your lodge, you will take a community walk to encounter local cultures and meeting the native Batwa pygmies.

Embarking on a gorilla trekking adventure through the mist-covered rainforest of Bwindi is nothing short of transformative. Coming face-to-face with a Partriachal silverback in its natural habitat is an encounter that resonates deeply.

After an early breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for a safety briefing and be led into the forest to find a family of habituated mountain gorillas. Once found, spend one uninterrupted hour observing them playing, grooming and feeding.

After this life-changing encounter, you will visit the top of the world in the evening to have a 360-degree experience of the jungle. On a clear day, you will see a line of the five Volcano Mountains, including the Rwenzori Mountains, in the far distance. Enjoy the stunning views and then return to your lodge.

After a delightful breakfast, begin the hike on the ancient walking trails through the mystic Bwindi Forest from the Nkuringo south side to the Buhoma visitor centre in the north. At the gates of the forest, you will be blown away by the majestic beauty of this ancient jungle.

Led by an expert guide, you’ll walk through the forest for about 4-5 hours, sharing ancient tales and incredible forest knowledge. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet some incredible forest inhabitants including chimps, forest elephants, duikers and forest buffalo.

At the other end of the walking trail, your driver will be ready to whisk you away through the Ishasha savannah plains, where he’ll lazily drive so you can spot the tree-climbing lions.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s premier park and second largest. The iconic savannah reserve is popular for its diverse landscapes and rich wildlife.

Begin your day with an early morning game drive on the Kasenyi tracks to spot early risers or nocturnal animals retreating to their dens. Search around the Kasenyi tracks for the elusive leopard. Another highlight of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the Kazinga Channel boat cruise, where you’ll glide past super pods of hippos, basking crocodiles, and elephants drinking at the water’s edge.

After the boat launch, you’ll travel north to Kibale National Park on a scenic road trip with the Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop. Check in at the lodge for dinner and a great night.

Known as the primate capital, Kibale National Park is one of the best places for wild chimpanzee trekking with over 1,500 individuals in the dense tropical rainforest. You have a rare opportunity to observe these gentle giants up close, with the forest echoing in drumming calls and vocal chatter. This park is also a favorite stop for birders with more than 375 bird species to look out for.

Your primary goal is to find a troop of human-habituated chimpanzees. Guided by an expert tracker, you’ll head into the jungle, looking out for telltale signs of the chimps’ direction and listening for loud calls. Once found, you’ll be allowed a maximum of one hour to observe their antics, and playful nature. Enjoy the moment and take as many pictures as you can and then return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.

In the late afternoon, you’ll take a guided nature walk around the Bigodi swamp (a community-based project) to spot other primates, several species of birds and butterflies, marking the end of your lovely day.

After breakfast, you can lazily pack up and begin your journey back through the gorgeous Fort Portal town, with the fading Rwenzori Mountains escorting you out of western Uganda to Kampala or Entebbe.