11 Day Uganda Great Apes, Wildlife and Cultural Adventure

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where your professional driver-guide will meet you and welcome you to Uganda.

Depending on your arrival time, enjoy a relaxed visit to the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, take a short walk around the shores of Lake Victoria, or simply settle into your accommodation and rest after your journey.

After breakfast, travel to Kampala for an introduction to Uganda’s capital and its history.

Visit Gaddafi National Mosque, one of the city’s most prominent landmarks, and learn about its history while taking in views across Kampala from the mosque’s elevated position.

Continue to the Kabaka’s Palace, the historic residence of the King of Buganda. Here, learn about the history and traditions of the Buganda Kingdom and its important place in Uganda’s story.

Later, explore Nakasero Market, where you can experience one of Kampala’s lively local markets and see the everyday trade in fresh produce and other goods.

Enjoy a relaxed morning exploring Jinja, one of Uganda’s most historic towns and a place closely connected to the River Nile.

Visit the Source of the Nile and take time to appreciate the meeting of river, lake and history that has made Jinja such an important destination.

Continue with a short tour around Jinja town, discovering its historic streets and old colonial-era architecture. There will also be time for some local shopping, whether for crafts, souvenirs or other items from the region.

Later, visit the Jinja Railway Museum, where exhibits and railway heritage provide another perspective on Uganda’s history and the development of the country’s transport links.

In the evening, enjoy a relaxed cycling experience along the Nile, taking in the river and surrounding countryside at an easy pace. Alternatively, spend the evening relaxing at your safari lodge.

After breakfast, leave Jinja and travel north towards Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda’s dedicated rhino conservation area.

On arrival, join sanctuary rangers for a guided rhino trekking experience. Walk through the reserve in search of white rhinos while learning about their behaviour, habitat and the conservation work that has helped restore rhinos to Uganda.

After the trek, settle into your accommodation within the sanctuary.

Staying overnight inside Ziwa allows you to experience the reserve beyond a daytime visit, with wildlife and the sounds of the bush surrounding the lodge as evening settles over the sanctuary.

Rise early and continue towards Budongo Forest, part of the greater Murchison Falls conservation landscape.

Enter the forest with experienced guides for an early-morning chimpanzee trekking experience. Listen for their calls as you move through the forest and, once located, observe them as they feed, communicate, groom and move through the trees.

After the trek, continue into Murchison Falls National Park and head towards the Top of the Falls.

Take a nature walk around Murchison Falls, following the trails around the falls and viewpoints to experience the force of the Nile as it is squeezed through a narrow gorge before plunging downstream.

Continue to your lodge for a relaxed evening.

Spend the day exploring Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest national park.

Begin with an early morning game drive across the northern sector, where open savannah and woodland provide habitat for elephants, lions, giraffes, buffaloes, Uganda kob, hartebeest, oribi and a variety of bird species.

Return to the lodge for breakfast and some time to relax before lunch.

In the afternoon, board a boat safari along the Nile towards the base of Murchison Falls. Watch for hippos and Nile crocodiles along the water while elephants, buffaloes and other wildlife gather on the riverbanks.

Start the day with another early morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park, taking advantage of the cooler hours when wildlife is often active.

Continue south towards Queen Elizabeth National Park, travelling through rural communities and changing landscapes as you make your way towards western Uganda.

Begin the morning with a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, exploring the Kasenyi plains and surrounding areas in search of elephants, buffaloes, lions, Uganda kob, antelope and other wildlife.

Later in the morning, head to the Kazinga Channel for a boat safari. The channel is known for its concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles, while elephants, buffaloes and numerous waterbirds can often be seen along the shoreline. After the boat safari, continue south towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Arrive at your lodge and enjoy a relaxed evening ahead of tomorrow’s gorilla trek.

After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters for your gorilla trekking briefing.

Once assigned to a gorilla family, enter the forest with your ranger guides and begin the trek. The time and distance involved depend on the location and movements of the gorillas, and some sections of the forest can be steep and challenging.

When the family is located, spend the permitted time observing them in their natural environment. Watch their movements, interactions and daily behaviour while maintaining the required distance and following the guidance of your trackers and rangers. After the trek, return to your lodge to rest and reflect on the experience.

After breakfast, depart the Bwindi region and travel towards Lake Mburo National Park.

The journey takes you through the changing landscapes of southwestern Uganda, from the highlands around Bwindi towards the drier savannah country of Ankole.

Arrive in the Lake Mburo area and, later in the day, head out for an evening game drive.

Explore the park in search of zebras, impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes and other wildlife as the day begins to cool.