18 Days Uganda Safari
This 18 Days Uganda Safari itinerary is the fullest version of Uganda’s national circuit, covering nine parks and reserves across the country’s north, west, and southwest. It opens with the long push to Kidepo Valley, Uganda’s most remote park, before working steadily south and west through Murchison Falls, Kibale, Semuliki, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, and Mgahinga, and closing with two genuinely restful final stops at Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo, a deliberate wind-down after two weeks of trekking and game driving.
Every headline Uganda experience features somewhere in these eighteen days: rhino tracking, Kidepo’s wilderness game drives, Murchison’s Nile cruise, chimpanzee trekking, mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, a Batwa cultural encounter, and both a walking safari and boat cruise on Lake Mburo to close things out.
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 and Spa for mid-range travelers, Sheraton for luxury, or Forest Cottages for budget, 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, with a stop en route at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for two to three hours of rhino trekking. 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. 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 roughly three-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 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 Kidepo Savannah Lodge for mid-range and budget, or Apoka Lodge for luxury.
Day 4: Morning Game Drive and Hot Springs Visit
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.
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.
Day 5: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
Very early after breakfast, depart Kidepo via Gulu district, with lunch along the way, before continuing on to Murchison Falls National Park. This is a full day on the road, entering the park through one of its gates. Dinner and an overnight stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge for mid-range travelers, Heritage Safari Lodge for budget, or Paraa Safari Lodge for luxury.
Day 6: Top of the Falls Visit, Boat Cruise, Evening Game Drive
After breakfast, head to the top of Murchison Falls, crossing via the 9am ferry, for a genuinely striking view of the falls from above, taking in the different vantage points along the top before meeting your driver and returning for lunch.
In the afternoon, board a boat cruise along the Nile for a dramatic, close-up view of Murchison Falls from the water below. Along the way, expect crocodile, hippo, and strong birdlife lining the riverbanks, kingfisher, cormorant, and bee-eater among them. Return to the lodge with a further game drive along the way. Dinner and a second overnight stay.
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale National Park
After an early breakfast, depart the lodge for the long drive to Kibale Forest National Park, home to roughly 13 primate species, including red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey among many others. Stop for lunch in Kagadi before continuing on. Dinner and an overnight stay at Isunga Lodge for budget travelers, Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse for mid-range, or Kyaninga Lodge for luxury.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
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. Return to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, 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. Return to the lodge for dinner and a second overnight stay.
Day 9: Hot Springs Visit and Night Game Drive at Semuliki National Park
Before dawn, have breakfast and depart for Semuliki National Park 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. Visit the hot springs before checking in to your lodge, then head out for an afternoon or evening game drive. This is a park of genuine surprises, unlike anywhere else in Uganda’s protected area network. Dinner and an overnight stay at Semuliki Safari Lodge for luxury or Ntoroko Lodge for mid-range.
Day 10: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After a morning coffee, depart the park for Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to the tree-climbing lions, with a stop for lunch and 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 Parkview Safari Lodge for mid-range travelers, Pumba Safari Lodge for budget, or Kyambura Gorge Lodge for luxury.
Day 11: Lion Tracking, Game Drive, and Launch Cruise
Early after breakfast, join a lion-tracking experience alongside a game drive through the Kasenyi area, 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. The cruise also offers strong conditions for photography and birdwatching. Dinner and a second overnight stay.
Day 12: 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. 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 Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge or Rushaga Gorilla Camp for budget, or Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range.
Day 13: 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 14: Golden Monkey Tracking, Community Tour
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.
Afterward, visit the Batwa Pygmy community for cultural performances and a genuine window into their traditional way of life. Dinner and an overnight stay at Mulehe Lodge for mid-range travelers, Travellers’ Rest Hotel for budget, or Gahinga Lodge for luxury.
Day 15: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, among the deepest lakes in Africa, holding some 32 islands, and a genuinely welcome stopover for relaxation after the trekking-heavy days behind you. On arrival, take a boat ride out to visit several of the islands, many named for the specific bird species found there, and one, the notoriously small Punishment Island, named for its historical use by the Bakiga people to abandon young women who became pregnant outside of marriage. After the boat ride, return to the lodge to relax and watch the sunset. Dinner and an overnight stay at Bunyonyi Overland Resort for budget, Bunyonyi BirdNest Lodge for luxury, or Bunyonyi Arcadia Lodge for mid-range.
Day 16: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After an early breakfast, transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, reaching Mbarara town in time for lunch before entering the park with a game drive along the way, delivering clear views of zebra, buffalo, and eland. On arrival at the park headquarters, register before heading out on an evening nature walk along the Kigambara Loop, a genuinely rewarding guided walk alongside the lake. Dinner and an overnight stay at Mihingo Lodge for luxury, Arcadia Lodge Lake Mburo for mid-range, or Eagle’s Nest Lodge for budget.
Day 17: Walking Safari and Boat Ride on Lake Mburo
Early after breakfast, meet your ranger guide for a walking safari, genuinely similar to a game drive except that you’ll be on foot in search of the resident wildlife. Return to the lodge for refreshments and lunch, then head out in the afternoon for a boat ride on Lake Mburo, bringing you genuinely close to crocodile and hippo along the shoreline. Return to the lodge for dinner and a second overnight stay.
Day 18: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe, Departure
Early after breakfast, head out for a final en-route game drive, catching the park’s early risers and any wildlife missed on previous drives, before beginning the journey back to Kampala. Stop for lunch and 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, bringing your eighteen-day Uganda safari to a close.
Safari Includes
- Pick-up and drop-off at Entebbe Airport
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee permits
- All park entry fees and boat cruises
- All accommodation as per the itinerary
- 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and fuel
- Full-time English-speaking driver/guide
- All meals as indicated, including lunches en route during transfers
- Vehicle entrance fees to the park
- Bottled mineral water while on safari
- All activities as indicated
Safari Excludes
- Tipping
- Visa fees and air tickets
- Optional activities of your choice
- All items of a personal nature, such as laundry, phone calls, and beer
- Anything else not included in the itinerary
