The 18-day Uganda tour offers an extensive exploration of Uganda’s diverse natural beauty and wildlife.
This safari allows you to witness Uganda’s big game and get up close to Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Enjoy the stunning scenery and warm weather during this extended tour.
Detailed 18-Day Uganda Luxury Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park from Kampala
After breakfast, begin your journey to Lake Mburo, one of Uganda’s smallest savannah national parks.
It boasts a surprising diversity of plants and animals. Lake Mburo is unique as it’s the only park in Uganda containing an entire lake.
Stop at the equator for photos in both hemispheres.
Have lunch at the lodge and spend the evening enjoying the park’s magnificent landscape.
Day 2: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Enjoy breakfast and embark on a 3-hour game drive in the savannah part of the park to spot various wildlife species, including zebras, antelopes, elephants, buffaloes, and more.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, go for a boat cruise on Lake Mburo.
This boat trip offers a chance to see hippos, crocodiles, birds, and other wildlife up close.
Some animals may also be spotted along the lake’s shorelines.
Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi and Boat Cruise
After breakfast, travel to Lake Bunyonyi, the second deepest lake in Africa.
The lake is known for its variety of small birds, explaining its name “Bunyonyi,” which means “place of little birds.”
Have lunch at the lodge and in the afternoon, take a relaxing boat cruise around the lake.
This boat ride offers fantastic views and opportunities to spot various bird species like eaglets and kingfishers. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to the endangered mountain gorillas, diverse bird species, primates, and unique flora.
The journey offers magnificent landscapes.
Have lunch at the lodge and spend the evening on the edge of the impenetrable forest, savoring the beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking and Community Walk
After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a briefing by the park rangers.
You will be assigned to a specific gorilla family to track, and then enter the forest to start your gorilla trekking adventure guided by the rangers.
Meeting the gentle mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is an incredible experience.
Gorilla trekking can take 2 to 8 hours depending on the gorilla group’s location and movement.
Visitors are allowed only one hour with the gorillas, so make the most of your time.
Afterward, return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.
In the evening, go for a community walk around the Batwa community, where you’ll learn about their unique culture and history.
Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Ishasha region, offering a chance to spot the famous tree-climbing lions, unique to Uganda and Tanzania.
The journey rewards you with stunning scenic views of the Virunga ranges and Mount Rwenzori ranges.
Check-in at the lodge and spend the evening at leisure.
Day 7: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Begin your day with an early cup of coffee before heading for a morning game drive along Queen’s Mile, Kasenyi Trail, and the Crater Lake area.
A morning game drive allows you to see abundant wildlife, including elephants, waterbucks, lions, buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, warthogs, and various bird species.
Return to the lodge after the game drive for relaxation and lunch.
In the afternoon, head to the Kazinga Channel jetty for an afternoon boat cruise.
This leisurely boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel offers sightings of buffaloes, elephants, hippos, Kobs, and numerous other animals.
You can also spot a variety of unique bird species rarely seen elsewhere in Uganda.
Day 8: Morning Game Drive and Nature/Community Walk along Lake George
After a hearty breakfast at the lodge, embark on an early morning game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park’s undulating savannah plains.
Explore the park’s unique scenery, which includes lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, jackals, and various bird species.
The game drive usually lasts 3-4 hours before returning to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.
In the evening, visit Hamukungu fishing village for a community walk, where you can learn about the local culture and economic activities along Lake George.
Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 9: Transfer to Kibale National Park and Visit the Crater Lakes
After breakfast, transfer to Fort Portal, a journey that takes you through picturesque countryside landscapes and local communities.
Have lunch and go for a hike to explore the scenic Crater Lakes in the area.
Additionally, visit the Amabere Ga’nyinamwiru Caves, where the Nyakasura River forms an incredible waterfall.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 10: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Visit
Start your day with an early breakfast and head to the park headquarters for a briefing before embarking on a chimpanzee tracking adventure in Kibale National Park.
Known as the primate capital of the world, Kibale is famous for chimpanzee tracking.
The trek may last a few hours, and you’ll have the opportunity to observe these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat.
Return to the lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon, explore the Bigodi Wetland for a nature walk, where you can encounter various bird species.
Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 11: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, enjoying scenic drives through savannah grasslands.
Have lunch en-route in Hoima/Masindi and continue your journey to the lodge, where you’ll arrive in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 12: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Begin your day with an early breakfast and head for a morning game drive to spot the big five, including lions, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, and rhinos.
The morning game drive provides an opportunity to see nocturnal animals and early risers.
Return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.
In the afternoon, go for a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile, where you can observe hippos, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and other wildlife.
This boat cruise will take you to the base of Murchison Falls, offering a spectacular view of one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls.
You can choose to hike to the top of the falls or return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 13: Chimpanzee Tracking and Nature Walk in Budongo Forest
After a hearty morning cup of coffee, embark on a chimpanzee tracking adventure in Budongo Forest.
Spend 2-4 hours in the forest as you search for these primates and observe them in their natural habitat.
Budongo Forest is home to chimpanzees and offers a chance to track them.
Return to the lodge for lunch, relax, and in the evening, take a leisurely walk accompanied by an armed ranger guide in Budongo Forest.
Enjoy sights of lush flora, various primates, and some of East Africa’s oldest Mahogany trees. Spend the night at the lodge.
Day 14: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park, a journey that takes you through savannah grasslands.
Have lunch en-route in Gulu and continue your journey to the lodge, where you’ll arrive in the evening.
Check-in, have dinner, and spend the night at the lodge.
Day 15: Game Drive and Cultural Encounter
Enjoy breakfast and embark on an early morning game drive along Kidepo trails.
Kidepo National Park is known for its diverse wildlife, including elusive carnivores like cheetahs, caracals, hunting dogs, and more. You may also spot elephants, zebras, bush pigs, warthogs, giraffes, Cape buffaloes, elands, waterbucks, and other wildlife.
Return to the lodge for refreshments and lunch.
In the afternoon, experience a cultural encounter with the local Karamajong people living around the park.
This activity includes traditional dances such as the Emuya of the Naporre and Apiti dances of the Acholi, among others.
Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 16: Transfer to Pian-Upe Game Reserve
After breakfast, drive to the Sipi Area in eastern Uganda, near Mount Elgon.
Enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the Karamoja Plains and make a game drive in the virgin Pian-Upe Game Reserve.
This reserve is home to numerous wildlife species, including jackals, civets, hyenas, serval cats, leopards, wildcats, vervet monkeys, Patas monkeys, olive baboons, Topi, Cape buffalo, eland, duiker, dik-dik, klipspringer, waterbuck, Ugandan Kob, Bohor reedbuck, and mountain reedbuck, among others.
Day 17: Hike the Sipi Falls
After breakfast, transfer to Sipi Falls, enjoying impressive views of the landscapes, waterfalls, and farmlands of the Bugishu region.
Hike to Sipi Falls, exploring the stunning waterfalls in the Elgon region and enjoying scenic landscapes.
Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Day 18: Transfer to Kampala
After breakfast, transfer to Kampala.
The drive will take you through small towns like Mukono, where you can visit the Sezibwa Falls, a famous Buganda heritage site.
Make another stop at Mabira Forest to explore the only forest reserve in Uganda with over 300 bird species, primates, and butterflies.
Have lunch in Kampala, and then you can be dropped off at your hotel or the airport for your onward flight.
