Uganda · Safari

12-Day Uganda Safari through Jinja, Bwindi and Major National Parks

12 Days Round trip from 14 Kitaasa Rd Moderate pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Pass through Mabira Forest and spot its rich birdlife
  • 02 Track habituated chimpanzees in Kibale National Park
  • 03 Meet the Bigodi community and learn about local culture
  • 04 Enjoy white-water rafting and a boat trip to the source of the Nile in Jinja
  • 05 Track rhinos on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
  • 06 Marvel at the majestic Murchison Falls
  • 07 Look out for tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector
  • 08 Take a scenic boat ride on the Kazinga Channel
  • 09 Go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Go on a thrilling 12-day adventure through Uganda's major national parks and forests, from Ssezibwa Falls and white-water rafting in Jinja to rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and the majestic Murchison Falls. Meet chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, enjoy a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and look out for tree-climbing lions in Ishasha. The journey continues with gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and wildlife viewing in Lake Mburo National Park before returning to Entebbe.

Go on a thrilling 12-day adventure through Uganda's major national parks and forests, from Ssezibwa Falls and white-water rafting in Jinja to rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and the majestic Murchison Falls.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 12 Days
Tour type Private
Activity level Moderate
Accommodation Included · Standard
Transport Included
Wheelchair access No
Cities Kampala, Entebbe, Jinja, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kibale National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Sezibwa Falls, Lake Victoria, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Arrive in Entebbe

  • Upon your arrival in Entebbe, meet your tour guide at the airport and transfer to your Entebbe or Kampala hotel for an overnight stay. 
2
Day 02

Jinja

  • After early morning breakfast, your guide will pick you up from your Entebbe hotel, and your journey to Eastern Uganda (Jinja) begins. 
  • Stop at the Ssezibwa falls, a unique Buganda cultural site located along the Jinja-Kampala highway. 
  • After exploring the falls, proceed to Jinja, passing through the Mabira forest. This is Uganda’s biggest natural forest with quite a good number of bird species, primates & trees. Check-in and have lunch at the lodge.
  • In the late afternoon, you will embark on 2-hour horseback riding along the banks of the mighty river Nile.
3
Day 03

Boat trip in Nile

  • This morning after breakfast, your safari guide will pick you up from your hotel and take you for a half-day white water rafting on the mighty river Nile in Nalubale - Jinja. 
  • Have a delicious buffet lunch on a private island in the middle of the Nile will be served.
  • After successful rafting, embark on a boat trip to explore the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river. Also, you will visit the Mahatma Gandhi Monument then return to your lodge. If time permits, you will go for a tour in Jinja city.
4
Day 04

Murchison Falls National Park

  • Today's journey will take you to Murchison Falls National Park. En route, you will visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for one-hour guided rhino tracking on foot with an experienced ranger. 
  • After successful tracking, you will have lunch. Then, proceed to Murchison Falls National Park. 
5
Day 05

Murchison Falls National Park

  • After an early breakfast, you will go on a game drive to explore the northern part of the park. You will be eye-to-eye with the African animals.
  • In the afternoon, you will take a shared boat safari upstream the calm Nile to the base of the falls stopping just 10 metres away from the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’. You will watch crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, monkeys, etc.
6
Day 06

Kibale Forest

  • Today, you will begin your early morning journey to Kibale Forest. The long drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda.  
  • You will have lunch en route, arriving in the evening in Kibale. 
  • In the evening, you will go for a 2-3-hour guided Bigodi community walk. The walk will take you through the local communities, and learn about their traditional culture, and norms, you will visit some of their homesteads and learn their ways of life. The locals will greet you with enthusiastic waves. 
7
Day 07

Kibale National Park

  • After early morning breakfast, you will depart to Kanyancu, the visitor’s centre and report to the ranger station at 07:45 am in Kibale National Park to track the habituated Chimpanzees. The tour lasts between one to three hours and the tracking starts at 08:00 am daily. You are only allowed to spend a maximum of one hour around the chimpanzees.
  • In the afternoon, after lunch, you will go for a guided Bigodi swamp walk. The 2-3 hour walk will take you through grassland, small communities, and some beautiful scenery, where the locals will greet you with enthusiastic waves. It is usual to spot three to four different primate species during this walk.
8
Day 08

Queen Elizabeth National Park

  • After breakfast, your driver-guide will transfer you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, check-in at your lodge, and then have lunch.
  • At 2:00 pm, you will enjoy the slow 2-hour shared boat cruise in the Kazinga Channel, a natural canal that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. Large herds of elephants, buffaloes, and other animals come to the shores to quench their thirst. Also, you will see a wide array of colorful birds soaring near the water surface. 
  • After the boat trip, enjoy your evening game drive around the northern sector of the park called Kasenyi, better known as the “Kobs Mating Ground.” See the Hungrey lion, kobs, monitor lizards, hyena, lonely elephants, among others.
9
Day 09

Bwindi Impenetrable Park

  • After breakfast, you will depart to Bwindi Impenetrable Park with an en-route game drive, passing through Ishasha, the remote, southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park famous for its residents-the tree-climbing lions. 

Journey time from Ishasha; 2 hours, 68 km. 

10
Day 10

Bwindi Impenetrable Park

  • With your packed lunch & plenty of clean drinking water from the lodge, report to the ranger station at 07:45 am for registration and then a briefing by one of the rangers. At 08:00 am, gorilla trekking commences. 
  • In the afternoon depending on your trek, if you come back early and you have the energy you may go for an evening community walk. 
11
Day 11

Lake Mburo National Park

  • After early morning breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park and have lunch on the way. Its distance from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 310 km which makes it a perfect stop-over between Bwindi and Kampala. The drive will take about 6 hours & you will arrive at the lodge in the afternoon.
  • In the late afternoon, you will have a game drive around the park. Zebras, impala, Uganda kobs, buffalos, giraffes, and many others are some of the wildlife that will be seen during this game drive.
12
Day 12

Departure

  • After breakfast, you will head out for a morning nature walk and then you will drive back to Entebbe with an en-route brief stopover at the Uganda equator crossing sign at Kayabwe.
  • Later, you will be dropped off at Entebbe International Airport to connect with your outbound international flight.
Source of the Nile, Murchison Falls National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Where this trip takes you

Source of the Nile, Murchison Falls National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from 14 Kitaasa Rd 11 cities · 12 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • A 4x4 safari Land Cruiser vehicle and fuel
  • An English-speaking tourist driver-guide
  • One gorilla trekking permit at $700 per person
  • One chimp trekking permit at $200 per person
  • One rhino trekking permit at $50 per person
  • Bigodi community and nature walk
  • Lunch at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and other meals mentioned in the itinerary
  • All entry fees to the national park activities
  • Accommodation and meals as mentioned in the itinerary (Bed & Breakfast (B&B), Half Board (HB), or Full Board (FB))
  • Drinking water in the vehicle
  • Shared boat trips (bottom of the falls in Murchison and Kazinga Channel in Queen)
  • Nature walk in Lake Mburo National Park
  • Boat trip to the source of the Nile
  • Half-day white-water rafting on the River Nile in Nalubale, Jinja
  • Horseback riding
  • Ssezibwa Falls visit
  • Government taxes

What's Not Included

  • International flights
  • Uganda entry visa fees
  • Drinks/alcoholic drinks
  • Additional meals
  • Tips/gratuities
  • Activities not part of the described program
  • International travel insurance
  • PCR COVID-19 test fees

What to bring

Please observe our additional checklist for Gorilla & Chimpanzee trekking.

  • Long-sleeved shirts and trousers
  • Insect repellent and sunscreen
  • Hat and sunglasses (although once in the jungle you are in the shade)
  • Gardening gloves to protect your hands from thorns and vines
  • Good, comfortable, sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support
  • Long socks to tuck your trousers into
  • Rain jacket
  • Camera with a choice of lenses
  • Waterproof rucksack (or plastic bags inside your rucksack)
  • Plenty of water (your lodge will provide a packed lunch and lots of water)
  • For evenings at the camp, take a warm fleece, as evenings can be chilly
  • For the daytime, light, casual clothes generally suffice

Know before you go

  • Chimpanzee pre-trekking briefing.
  • Gorilla pre-trekking briefing.
  • Children under the ages of 12 and 15 are not allowed to track chimpanzees and gorillas respectively. They can only be allowed to track when written consent from the parents has been approved by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
Entebbe International Airport, Kitaasa Rd, Entebbe, Uganda
Tour start
14 Kitaasa Rd, Entebbe, Uganda
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 12 days finish where they began, in 14 Kitaasa Rd.

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