15 Days Uganda Safari | From the Karamoja Wilderness of Kidepo to Golden Monkeys in the Virunga Foothills
This 15 Days Uganda Safari is built for travelers who want to see the full breadth of Uganda’s protected areas in a single trip, rather than sampling a handful of highlights. It opens with rhino tracking at Ziwa before pushing north to Kidepo Valley, Uganda’s wildest and most remote park, then loops back south through Murchison Falls, Semuliki’s hot springs, Kibale’s chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth’s tree-climbing lions, and finally Bwindi and Mgahinga for mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, and a genuine Batwa community encounter.
Given the genuine distances involved, particularly the long haul north to Kidepo, the itinerary deliberately breaks up the longest drives with an overnight stop in Gulu, and closes with the option to fly from Kisoro back to Entebbe rather than retracing the full drive south.
Day 1: Arrival, Hotel Drop-off
On arrival at Entebbe Airport, your guide meets you and transfers you to Kampala for the night. Dinner and an overnight stay at Fairway Hotel for mid-range travelers, Forest Cottages for budget, or Skyz Hotel for luxury, all on half board.
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Trekking, Transfer to Gulu
Given the roughly eleven-hour total journey ahead to Kidepo, pick-up is early, at 7am. Kidepo Valley National Park sits in Uganda’s far northeast, bordering Kenya to the east and South Sudan to the north, and the distance genuinely warrants breaking the journey in two, with an overnight stop in Gulu before continuing on the following day.
Along the way, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for two to three hours of rhino trekking, tracking the sanctuary’s rhinos on foot for a genuinely close encounter. Continue on with stops for snacks and to stretch, arriving in Gulu in the late afternoon. Dinner and an overnight stay at Church Hill Hotel.
Day 3: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park, Game Drive
Wake to a hot coffee or tea before the three-to-four-hour drive to Kidepo Valley National Park. On arrival, head straight into a game drive through the valley, watching for buffalo, zebra, elephant, giraffe, hyena, and, on a fortunate day, cheetah. The pace is genuinely relaxed, with stops for photographs whenever the moment calls for it. Return to the lodge to spend the evening at leisure, taking in the wilderness. Dinner and an overnight stay at Apoka Lodge for luxury, or Kidepo Savannah Lodge for mid-range and budget.
Day 4: Full-Day Game Viewing, Kidepo and Narus Valley
After breakfast, head back out for a further game drive across Kidepo’s vast savanna, dotted with borassus palm and rising scenic hills. The morning light over the Lomej hills, the Lotukei Mountains toward the South Sudan border, and the Morungole range along Kidepo’s southern boundary makes for a genuinely striking start to the day, as the sun strikes down into the valleys below.
Return to the lodge for lunch before heading out again toward Kidepo Valley itself, close to the South Sudanese border, to visit the Kanangorok hot springs. Ostrich are sometimes spotted in this region too, though their numbers remain under real pressure from poaching across the border. Dinner and a second overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 5: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park (7-8 Hours)
Early after breakfast, enjoy a further game drive through Narus Valley before departing Kidepo via Gulu, with lunch along the way, and continue on to Murchison Falls National Park. This is a full day on the road, entering the park through one of its gates before connecting to your lodge for the night. Dinner and an overnight stay at Paraa Safari Lodge for luxury, Pakuba Safari Lodge for mid-range, or Parkside Safari Lodge for budget.
Day 6: Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
After breakfast, head out on a roughly two-hour game drive in search of Murchison’s resident wildlife before returning to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, head to the landing site for a 2pm boat cruise to the base of Murchison Falls, a genuinely dramatic, close-up view of the Nile forced through its narrow gorge. Return to the lodge with a further game drive along the way, relaxing for the evening.
Day 7: Transfer to Semuliki National Park, Evening Game Drive
After breakfast, transfer to Semuliki National Park via Fort Portal, through the eastern Albertine region. Positioned in the basin of the western Rift Valley, Semuliki holds a genuinely unusual mix of habitats, rainforest, riparian forest, and short and tall grass savanna, within a single reserve. On arrival, an optional evening game drive rounds out the day. Dinner and an overnight stay at Semuliki Safari Lodge.
Day 8: Sempaya Hot Springs, Transfer to Kibale National Park, Bigodi Swamp Walk
Early after breakfast, visit the Sempaya hot springs, home to both the male and female springs and among the largest such formations in Uganda. Afterward, drive back to Fort Portal for lunch before continuing on to Kibale Forest National Park, home to roughly 13 primate species, including red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey among many others.
After lunch, take a nature walk through the Bigodi swamp area, watching for the reserve’s rich concentration of water-loving bird species, part of the park’s overall list of roughly 335 recorded species, a genuine draw for birders. Dinner and an overnight stay at Crater Safari Lodge for luxury, Chimpanzee Guesthouse for mid-range, or Isunga Lodge for budget.
Day 9: Chimpanzee Tracking, Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, set out into Kibale Forest for chimpanzee tracking. Along the way, expect a genuine variety of further wildlife: additional primate species, forest elephant, bush pig, duiker, warthog, reptiles, amphibians, and a striking range of butterflies.
Afterward, begin the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to the tree-climbing lions, with lunch and a stop at the Equator for photographs along the way. On arrival, explore the park’s crater lakes before settling in to your lodge. Dinner and an overnight stay at Elephant Plains Lodge for luxury, Elephant Hub Lodge for mid-range, or Pumba Safari Cottages for budget.
Day 10: Game Drive and Launch Cruise
Early after breakfast, head out into the Kasenyi area for a morning game drive, timed to catch the park’s early risers. Queen Elizabeth’s genuinely diverse ecosystem, grassy plains, rivers, crater lakes, forest, swamp, and lake, supports a correspondingly varied wildlife population: lion, antelope, buffalo, elephant, waterbuck, and Uganda kob among them.
Return to the lodge for lunch before boarding a three-hour launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward, passing through one of the highest concentrations of hippo found anywhere in the region, with further wildlife regularly gathered at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers strong conditions for photography and birdwatching. Dinner and a second overnight stay.
Day 11: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Set out on a game drive through the Ishasha area, with a genuine, if unguaranteed, chance of spotting Uganda’s tree-climbing lions resting in the branches of the region’s fig trees, sightings that depend considerably on luck and timing. Have lunch in the Ishasha sector before continuing on to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, arriving in preparation for the following day’s gorilla trek. Dinner and an overnight stay at Buhoma Lodge for luxury, Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range, or Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget.
Day 12: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi Forest
After breakfast and a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority officials, set off into the forest for gorilla tracking, a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience. Your ranger guides lead you through thick, often steep terrain in search of the endangered mountain gorillas, and once found, you’ll spend roughly an hour in their presence, watching them feed, rest, and interact. The trek can take anywhere from two to seven hours given the gorillas’ unpredictable movement, and along the way you may encounter further primates, monkeys, and rich birdlife. Return to your lodge for dinner and a second overnight stay.
Day 13: Batwa Community Tour, Transfer to Kisoro
After breakfast, join a Batwa community tour before continuing on to Kisoro district, taking in a boat trip on Lake Mutanda with lunch along the way. Dinner and an overnight stay at Travellers’ Rest Hotel for budget travelers, Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge for mid-range, or Gahinga Lodge for luxury.
Day 14: Golden Monkey Tracking
After breakfast, transfer to Mgahinga National Park for a briefing on golden monkey trekking, packed lunch and water in hand. Enter the forest in search of the troop, and once found, spend a genuine hour observing and photographing them. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and a second overnight stay.
Day 15: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe, Departure
After an early breakfast, begin the journey back to Kampala, with lunch along the way and a stop at the Equator for photographs and the classic water demonstration, followed by a visit to the Royal Drum Village at Mpambire for souvenirs. Continue on to Kampala and Entebbe Airport for your flight home. Travelers wanting to shorten the return journey can instead fly from Kisoro to Entebbe, a two-hour flight, in place of the final overland leg.
Safari Includes
- Pick-up and drop-off in Entebbe
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee permits
- All accommodation as per the itinerary
- 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and fuel
- English-speaking driver/guide
- All meals as indicated, including lunches en route during transfers
- Park entrance fees
- Ferry crossing fees
- Boat cruises
- Vehicle entrance fees
- Bottled mineral water while on safari
- All activities as indicated
Safari Excludes
- Tips
- Visa fees and air tickets
- All items of a personal nature, such as laundry, phone calls, and beer
- Anything else not included in the itinerary
