15 Day Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Wildlife Safari

Arrival in Entebbe and Welcome to Uganda

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where your professional safari driver guide will welcome you after immigration and customs. After a short introduction to your journey, transfer to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala.

This is a relaxed arrival day, giving you time to freshen up, enjoy the hotel surroundings and recover from your flight. Your guide will explain the route through Uganda, confirm the early departure for Murchison Falls and answer any questions about the wildlife and trekking experiences ahead.

Enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel, depending on your arrival time, followed by overnight accommodation.

Rhino Tracking at Ziwa and Transfer to Murchison Falls

After an early breakfast, leave Kampala or Entebbe and travel north to Murchison Falls National Park . Your first stop is Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where an experienced ranger will lead you on foot to search for southern white rhinos. You will observe these powerful animals at a safe distance while learning about their behaviour and conservation.

After the guided tracking experience, enjoy lunch and continue north to the park. If travel time and daylight allow, visit the Top of Murchison Falls. Here, the Victoria Nile pushes through a narrow rocky gorge about 7 metres wide before dropping into the river below.

Continue to your lodge for check-in and dinner. This is a full travel day with several stops, so the waterfall viewpoint will be arranged around your actual arrival time.

Murchison Falls Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise

Wake early for a game drive through the northern savannah of Murchison Falls National Park. Explore grassland and woodland tracks in search of elephants, Rothschild's giraffes, Cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, lions and other wildlife. Leopards also occur here, although sightings are less predictable.

Return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before heading to the Victoria Nile for an afternoon boat cruise towards the base of Murchison Falls. Look for hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants and birds along the riverbanks. African fish eagles, kingfishers and herons are among the species you may see.

As the boat approaches the falls, enjoy views of the powerful water rushing through the gorge. The park is also an important birding destination , although specialised shoebill viewing is better planned around suitable Nile Delta habitats rather than promised on the standard waterfall cruise.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Murchison Falls to Kibale Forest via Fort Portal

After breakfast, check out and begin the long journey southwest to Kibale National Park . The drive takes you through western Uganda's towns, farming communities and changing countryside as you leave Murchison Falls behind.

Stop in Fort Portal for lunch at a local restaurant and enjoy a brief introduction to the town and surrounding highland scenery. The final approach to Kibale passes green countryside and tea plantations before you reach the forest region.

Arrive at your lodge, check in and enjoy dinner. Your guide will confirm the following morning's chimpanzee trekking arrangements and forest briefing time.

Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Walk

After an early breakfast, travel to the Kibale Forest briefing point for your chimpanzee tracking experience . Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the forest rules before leading your group through the rainforest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community.

Listen for their calls and watch the canopy for movement as you follow the forest trails. Once the chimpanzees are located, spend up to one hour observing them feeding, grooming, playing and interacting. The tracking duration depends on where the animals have moved.

After lunch, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a community-guided walk around the Magombe Swamp. Look for wetland and forest birds, including the great blue turaco, and watch for monkeys along the forest edge. The visit also supports conservation and community initiatives around Kibale.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth and Evening Game Drive

After breakfast, leave Kibale Forest and travel south to Queen Elizabeth National Park . The drive takes you through the landscapes of western Uganda, with cultivated hills, villages and views towards the Albertine Rift Valley.

Arrive at your lodge and enjoy lunch before setting out for an evening game drive across the Kasenyi Plains. The grasslands are home to Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs and other wildlife. Your guide will also search for lions, which frequently hunt around the kob herds.

Return to the lodge as the afternoon light fades, followed by dinner and overnight.

Queen Elizabeth Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Cruise

Begin the day with another early game drive through the Kasenyi Plains. Your driver guide will search for lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and other animals, following productive tracks while the morning air remains cool.

Return to the lodge for lunch before travelling to the Mweya area for an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. This natural waterway extends for approximately 40 kilometres between Lake George and Lake Edward.

Along the shoreline, look for pods of hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants and buffaloes. Birdlife is particularly rewarding, with African skimmers, pink-backed pelicans, goliath herons and African fish eagles among the species associated with the channel.

The boat trip offers an excellent contrast to the morning game drive, allowing you to watch wildlife at the water's edge. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey south to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park . The road leads through southwestern Uganda's countryside, with increasingly green hills, terraced farms and forested slopes.

Continue to Buhoma, the northern trekking sector of Bwindi. This area lies beside one of Africa's most important mountain gorilla habitats and offers a beautiful mountain forest setting for your next wildlife encounter.

Arrive at your lodge for check-in and dinner. Your safari guide will review the gorilla trekking rules and confirm the following morning's briefing point. The booked gorilla permit should match the Buhoma sector and your accommodation arrangements.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Cultural Experience

After an early breakfast, travel to the designated Bwindi briefing point, where Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the trekking rules and assign you to a habituated gorilla family. Begin your gorilla trekking experience accompanied by experienced guides and trackers.

The trail may take you through steep, muddy and densely vegetated terrain. Trekking duration depends on where the gorillas are feeding and resting. Once you locate the family, spend the permitted one hour watching the silverback, mothers and younger gorillas interact in their natural forest habitat.

After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch or refreshments and some rest. If you return early enough, take part in a guided Batwa cultural experience near Buhoma, learning about traditional forest knowledge, medicinal plants and community history. The timing must be confirmed in advance because gorilla trekking can take much of the day.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi, Canoeing and Community Visit

After breakfast, leave Bwindi and continue through the Kigezi Highlands Lake Bunyonyi. The journey passes terraced hillsides, farms and mountain communities before descending towards the lake's beautiful shoreline.

Lake Bunyonyi is known for its numerous islands and the steep green hills surrounding the water. After checking in at your lakeside lodge, enjoy lunch and prepare for an afternoon excursion.

Join a local guide for a traditional dugout-canoe experience, exploring selected sections of the lake and learning about the islands. Continue with a guided community walk to meet local residents and learn about farming, traditional homesteads and life in the highlands.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight, enjoying the peaceful lake scenery after your time in Bwindi.

Lake Bunyonyi to Lake Mburo National Park

Enjoy breakfast overlooking Lake Bunyonyi, then check out and begin the journey east to Lake Mburo National Park . The drive takes you through southwestern Uganda's hills and into the Ankole region, known for its distinctive long-horned cattle.

As you travel, the landscape gradually changes from green highland farms to drier woodland and open grassland. Stop for lunch along the route before continuing towards the national park.

Arrive at your lodge, check in and spend the remainder of the day relaxing. Lake Mburo offers a quieter savannah setting, with woodland, wetlands and open grassland supporting zebras, impalas, buffaloes and many birds.

Dinner and overnight near the park.

Lake Mburo Walking Safari and Afternoon Boat Cruise

After an early breakfast, meet your ranger guide for a walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park . Accompanied by an armed ranger, explore the grassland and woodland on foot, observing animal tracks, vegetation and smaller details that are easily missed during a game drive.

Look for zebras, impalas, topis, warthogs, buffaloes and other wildlife while following your ranger's safety instructions. After the walk, return to the lodge for lunch and some rest.

In the afternoon, travel to Lake Mburo for a boat cruise. Watch for hippos, Nile crocodiles and birds along the shoreline, including African fish eagles, kingfishers and herons. The combination of walking and boating gives you two very different perspectives of the park.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Lake Mburo to Kampala

Enjoy breakfast before leaving Lake Mburo National Park and beginning the road journey to Kampala. The route passes through central Uganda's countryside, with farming communities, towns and roadside markets along the way.

Depending on travel time, you may stop at a local craft market or suitable viewpoint before continuing to your hotel. Allow approximately 3 to 4 hours or longer for the road transfer, particularly when traffic builds around Kampala.

Arrive in the early afternoon and spend the remainder of the day relaxing. You may enjoy the hotel facilities or dine at one of Kampala's restaurants before preparing for the following day's cultural tour.

Kampala Cultural Tour, Royal Heritage and City Landmarks

Spend the day exploring Kampala's cultural and historical attractions with your guide. Begin at the Kasubi Tombs, the royal burial grounds of the kings of Buganda and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Learn about the kingdom's heritage, royal traditions and the importance of the site to Buganda's cultural identity.

Continue to the Uganda National Mosque, commonly known as the Gaddafi Mosque. Subject to visitor arrangements, climb the minaret for broad views across Kampala's hills and surrounding neighbourhoods.

After lunch, visit the Uganda Museum, where collections introduce Uganda's archaeology, natural history, ethnography and cultural traditions. Finish at an art and craft market to browse locally made baskets, jewellery, woodcarvings, bark cloth and other handicrafts.

Return to your hotel for dinner and your final overnight in Uganda.

Departure from Entebbe International Airport

Enjoy your final breakfast in Uganda before checking out of your hotel. Depending on your flight schedule, there may be time for last-minute shopping or a short stop along the route.

Your driver guide will transfer you to Entebbe International Airport for your departure. Allow sufficient travelling time if leaving from Kampala, as traffic can affect the airport journey.

Your 15-day Uganda safari comes to an end after memorable encounters with mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, savannah wildlife, beautiful lakes and the country's cultural heritage.