This comprehensive 12-day safari is a perfect blend of adventure, wildlife, and cultural immersion, all designed to be a relaxed and affordable journey. The tour takes you deep into the heart of Uganda, combining thrilling gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with spectacular game viewing in the country’s leading national parks. You’ll also track rhinos on foot, search for the famous tree-climbing lions, and enjoy a day of tranquility and culture at the stunning Lake Bunyonyi. This safari is the ultimate way to experience the best of the “Pearl of Africa.”
Tour Highlights
Your 12-day Uganda safari begins upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport (EBB). You will be met by a friendly guide and comfortably transferred to a nearby hotel in Entebbe for relaxation, dinner, and overnight. Entebbe is a peaceful town on the shores of Lake Victoria. If your flight arrives early, you may choose to explore local attractions like the Botanical Gardens or the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (at your own expense).
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Dinner
After an early breakfast, your tour begins with a scenic drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Along the way, you will stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided on-foot rhino tracking adventure. Ziwa is the only place in Uganda to see these magnificent creatures in the wild. After your rhino experience and a delicious lunch, you will continue to Murchison Falls, passing through lovely savannah grassland and arriving in the late afternoon.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
You’ll wake up early for a morning game drive in the northern savannah plains of the park. This area is home to giraffes, buffalos, elephants, hyenas, and various antelopes. You have a good chance of spotting lions and leopards as well. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch and some rest. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a leisurely boat cruise on the Nile, spotting huge numbers of hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds as you make your way to the base of the mighty Murchison Falls.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will visit the Top of Murchison Falls to experience its awesome power firsthand. From this viewpoint, you can witness the 50-meter-wide Nile River forcefully crashing through an 8-meter gap. Afterward, you will embark on a scenic drive south to Kibale Forest National Park. The journey takes you through charming rural villages and past beautiful tea plantations, arriving at your accommodation near the forest in the afternoon.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After an early breakfast, you will head to the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for a briefing before your chimpanzee trekking adventure. Led by a knowledgeable ranger, you will enter the forest to track and observe a community of chimpanzees. The trek can take a few hours, and you will get to spend one full hour with these intelligent primates. In the afternoon, you will take a guided cultural walk in Bigodi Village, where you can learn about local traditions and the daily life of the community.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most popular game park. This scenic drive takes approximately 2-3 hours and offers a fantastic variety of scenery. On arrival, you will enjoy lunch before embarking on an evening game drive in search of the park’s diverse wildlife, including elephants, buffalos, and various antelopes.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7 begins with an early morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains at sunrise. You will drive through the stunning crater lakes area, searching for lions, hyenas, elephants, and more. After returning to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation, you will embark on a two-hour boat tour on the Kazinga Channel. This channel is home to one of Africa’s densest concentrations of hippos, as well as crocodiles, buffalos, and a wide variety of waterbirds.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will journey to the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park to search for the famous tree-climbing lions. After a game drive and lunch, you will proceed to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. This journey takes you through beautiful terraced hillsides, and you will arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon, ready for your gorilla trekking adventure.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today is the main highlight of your safari: gorilla trekking! After an early breakfast, you will be briefed by park rangers and then enter the dense jungle to search for a habituated gorilla family. The trek can be strenuous but is ultimately rewarding with a one-hour sighting of these incredible apes. After your trek, you will receive a certificate and then drive to the nearby and beautiful Lake Bunyonyi for a well-deserved evening of relaxation.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Bunyonyi, meaning a “place of many little birds,” is a magical location for a day of relaxation. This lovely lake, surrounded by terraced hills and dotted with 29 islands, offers a variety of optional activities. You can choose to go canoeing, hiking, zip-lining, or take a boat cruise to explore the islands. You can also opt for a cultural hike to learn about the legends and customs of the local Bakiga and Batwa people.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will embark on a drive northeast to Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda’s smallest savannah park. The journey offers beautiful views of rolling hills and rural life. You will stop for lunch at the Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara town before proceeding to the park. Upon arrival, you will have a rest before an evening game drive to spot zebras, impalas, elands, and other plains game.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today, you will enjoy a unique walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park with a local ranger. Since there are no lions or elephants, it’s a safe and exciting way to get up close to zebras, giraffes, impalas, and other wildlife. After your walk, you will begin the drive back to Entebbe. A final stop will be at the Uganda Equator for a photo opportunity and souvenir shopping before you are dropped off at the airport for your departure flight.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
This comprehensive 12-day safari is a perfect blend of adventure, wildlife, and cultural immersion, all designed to be a relaxed and affordable journey. The tour takes you deep into the heart of Uganda, combining thrilling gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with spectacular game viewing in the country’s leading national parks. You’ll also track rhinos on foot, search for the famous tree-climbing lions, and enjoy a day of tranquility and culture at the stunning Lake Bunyonyi. This safari is the ultimate way to experience the best of the “Pearl of Africa.”
Tour Highlights
Your 12-day Uganda safari begins upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport (EBB). You will be met by a friendly guide and comfortably transferred to a nearby hotel in Entebbe for relaxation, dinner, and overnight. Entebbe is a peaceful town on the shores of Lake Victoria. If your flight arrives early, you may choose to explore local attractions like the Botanical Gardens or the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (at your own expense).
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Dinner
After an early breakfast, your tour begins with a scenic drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Along the way, you will stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided on-foot rhino tracking adventure. Ziwa is the only place in Uganda to see these magnificent creatures in the wild. After your rhino experience and a delicious lunch, you will continue to Murchison Falls, passing through lovely savannah grassland and arriving in the late afternoon.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
You’ll wake up early for a morning game drive in the northern savannah plains of the park. This area is home to giraffes, buffalos, elephants, hyenas, and various antelopes. You have a good chance of spotting lions and leopards as well. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch and some rest. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a leisurely boat cruise on the Nile, spotting huge numbers of hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds as you make your way to the base of the mighty Murchison Falls.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will visit the Top of Murchison Falls to experience its awesome power firsthand. From this viewpoint, you can witness the 50-meter-wide Nile River forcefully crashing through an 8-meter gap. Afterward, you will embark on a scenic drive south to Kibale Forest National Park. The journey takes you through charming rural villages and past beautiful tea plantations, arriving at your accommodation near the forest in the afternoon.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After an early breakfast, you will head to the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for a briefing before your chimpanzee trekking adventure. Led by a knowledgeable ranger, you will enter the forest to track and observe a community of chimpanzees. The trek can take a few hours, and you will get to spend one full hour with these intelligent primates. In the afternoon, you will take a guided cultural walk in Bigodi Village, where you can learn about local traditions and the daily life of the community.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s most popular game park. This scenic drive takes approximately 2-3 hours and offers a fantastic variety of scenery. On arrival, you will enjoy lunch before embarking on an evening game drive in search of the park’s diverse wildlife, including elephants, buffalos, and various antelopes.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7 begins with an early morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains at sunrise. You will drive through the stunning crater lakes area, searching for lions, hyenas, elephants, and more. After returning to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation, you will embark on a two-hour boat tour on the Kazinga Channel. This channel is home to one of Africa’s densest concentrations of hippos, as well as crocodiles, buffalos, and a wide variety of waterbirds.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will journey to the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park to search for the famous tree-climbing lions. After a game drive and lunch, you will proceed to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. This journey takes you through beautiful terraced hillsides, and you will arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon, ready for your gorilla trekking adventure.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today is the main highlight of your safari: gorilla trekking! After an early breakfast, you will be briefed by park rangers and then enter the dense jungle to search for a habituated gorilla family. The trek can be strenuous but is ultimately rewarding with a one-hour sighting of these incredible apes. After your trek, you will receive a certificate and then drive to the nearby and beautiful Lake Bunyonyi for a well-deserved evening of relaxation.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Bunyonyi, meaning a “place of many little birds,” is a magical location for a day of relaxation. This lovely lake, surrounded by terraced hills and dotted with 29 islands, offers a variety of optional activities. You can choose to go canoeing, hiking, zip-lining, or take a boat cruise to explore the islands. You can also opt for a cultural hike to learn about the legends and customs of the local Bakiga and Batwa people.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a relaxed breakfast, you will embark on a drive northeast to Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda’s smallest savannah park. The journey offers beautiful views of rolling hills and rural life. You will stop for lunch at the Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara town before proceeding to the park. Upon arrival, you will have a rest before an evening game drive to spot zebras, impalas, elands, and other plains game.
Accommodation Options:
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today, you will enjoy a unique walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park with a local ranger. Since there are no lions or elephants, it’s a safe and exciting way to get up close to zebras, giraffes, impalas, and other wildlife. After your walk, you will begin the drive back to Entebbe. A final stop will be at the Uganda Equator for a photo opportunity and souvenir shopping before you are dropped off at the airport for your departure flight.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
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