17 Day Best of Uganda: Big 5, Birding, Wildlife, Primates & Culture Safari

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, where you will be warmly welcomed by your safari guide. Transfer to your hotel for relaxation and an overnight rest after your journey. If time allows, enjoy an optional evening walk along the shores of Lake Victoria, where you may spot birds such as the Pied Kingfisher, Grey Heron, African Fish Eagle, and Malachite Kingfisher.

• Accommodation: Lake Victoria Hotel / ViaVia Guest House
• Meals: Dinner

Begin your morning with a transfer to Mabamba Swamp on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, a paradise for birdwatchers. Embark on a guided canoe excursion through papyrus channels, searching for species like the Shoebill Stork, African Jacana, Papyrus Gonolek, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, and Long-toed Lapwing among dense reeds and water lilies.

In the afternoon, transfer to Kampala for a cultural city tour. Visit the Kasubi Tombs (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the Uganda Museum, Nakasero Market, and Craft Villages. Experience Buganda’s cultural heritage through music, drum-making, and storytelling.

• Accommodation: Fairway Hotel, Kampala
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast, drive to Jinja, known as the adventure capital of East Africa. Celebrate your arrival with a boat cruise to the Source of the Nile, the starting point of the world’s longest river. For thrill-seekers, optional activities like white-water rafting or quad biking are available. Explore Jinja’s craft markets and enjoy scenic views along the Nile. Wildlife and birdlife to look out for include the African Fish Eagle, Goliath Heron, Crowned Hornbill, and Monitor Lizards.

• Accommodation: Nile Explorers Camp / Haven Lodge Jinja
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drive through Mbale to reach the foothills of Mount Elgon National Park. In the afternoon, join a Sipi Coffee Tour with local farmers, learning about coffee planting, roasting, and tasting. Later, hike to the beautiful Sipi Falls, a series of three cascading waterfalls. Encounter special birds such as the Tacazze Sunbird, African Blue Flycatcher, and Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater as you traverse lush montane forests, banana plantations, and Arabica coffee fields.

• Accommodation: Sipi Valley Resort

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Journey from the highlands of Sipi for a morning safari in Pian Upe, Uganda’s second-largest protected area. Look for wildlife including cheetahs (a rare sight), elands, Grant’s gazelles, zebras, hartebeests, and ostriches. Bird enthusiasts may spot species like the Crested Francolin, Secretary Bird, and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.

In the afternoon, drive to Moroto, the center of Karamoja. Experience the Karamojong culture by visiting a Manyatta homestead to learn about their nomadic cattle traditions, beadwork, dances, and warrior heritage.

• Accommodation: Kara-Tunga Safari Camp
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel through the Matheniko–Bokora Wildlife Reserve and Kotido. Stop at a Karamojong community village near Kotido to immerse yourself in traditional songs, dances, and storytelling. Arrive at Kidepo Valley National Park in the late afternoon and enjoy an evening of relaxation at your lodge overlooking the Narus Valley plains.

• Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Embark on early morning and afternoon game drives in the Narus and Kidepo Valleys. Encounter a wealth of wildlife including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, elands, and cheetahs. The park is home to unique savannah and woodland birds such as ostriches, Kori Bustard, Red-billed Hornbill, and Abyssinian Roller. The landscape features savannah grasslands dotted with Borassus palms. In the evening, enjoy a Karamojong dance performance at the lodge.

• Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart Kidepo Valley National Park for a scenic drive south through Gulu to Murchison Falls National Park. Upon arrival, take part in a night game drive in the park’s northern sector, where you may spot leopards, civets, spotted hyenas, and bush babies.

• Accommodation: Albert Delta UWA Campsite
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Start your day with a morning game drive in search of lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hartebeests, and oribis. Observe birds such as the Secretary Bird, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill as you traverse open savannah woodland and riverine forests. In the afternoon, embark on a boat cruise along the Nile to the base of Murchison Falls. Watch hippos, Nile crocodiles, African Fish Eagles, and bee-eaters along the riverbanks.

• Accommodation: Sambiya River Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit the top of Murchison Falls in the morning and savor breakfast with breathtaking views. Travel to Kibale Forest National Park via Hoima and Fort Portal. In the evening, visit the Bigodi community and meet local herbalists, basket weavers, and storytellers in Bigodi village. Keep an eye out for birds like the Great Blue Turaco, African Pitta, and Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill.

• Accommodation: Kibale Forest Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, proceed to the Kanyachu UWA visitor briefing offices for a ranger-led trek to track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, home to over 13 primate species. Encounters may also include L’Hoest’s Monkeys, Red-tailed Monkeys, and Colobus Monkeys in the dense tropical rainforest. In the afternoon, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Enjoy an evening boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, connecting Lakes George and Edward, with opportunities to spot hippos, elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles, and birds like the African Skimmer, pelicans, and kingfishers.

• Accommodation: Acacia Wilderness Safari Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Embark on a morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains, known for its abundance of wildlife, including lions, Uganda kobs, warthogs, leopards, and hyenas. Explore the acacia savannah and open plains. In the evening, take a scenic Crater Lake Walk with views of explosion craters and the Rwenzori Mountains.

• Accommodation: Acacia Wilderness Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drive through the Ishasha Sector, renowned for its tree-climbing lions. Other wildlife sightings may include topis, buffaloes, elephants, and waterbucks. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, passing through the highland villages of Kanungu-Kihihi. Arrive in Bwindi’s misty forest and check into your lodge in preparation for the next day’s gorilla trekking adventure.

• Accommodation: Gorilla Leisure Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Begin the day with a gorilla trekking expedition through the rainforest to observe a gorilla family in their natural habitat. Along the way, you might spot blue monkeys and duikers, as well as birds like the Rwenzori Turaco and African Emerald Cuckoo. In the afternoon, visit the Batwa community to learn about their traditional hunting methods, music, dance, and storytelling. Afterward, transfer to Lake Mulehe lodge.

• Accommodation: Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for a golden monkey tracking hike through bamboo forests, searching for these lively primates. Bird species to look for include the White-starred Robin, Dusky Turtle Dove, and Rwenzori Batis. Later, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for an evening of relaxation and a canoe experience on the lake.

• Accommodation: Arcadia Cottages
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast overlooking Lake Bunyonyi, then drive to Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda’s smallest yet most enchanting savanna park. In the evening, set out on a game drive to see zebras, impalas, elands, giraffes, and buffaloes.

• Accommodation: Kigarama Wilderness Safari Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Take a guided nature walk with a ranger through the rolling hills of Lake Mburo — a unique opportunity to walk safely among wildlife. Afterward, proceed to Entebbe with a lunch stop at the Equator crossing, perfect for photos and souvenir shopping. Arrive in Entebbe in time for your evening flight, marking the end of your unforgettable 18-day birding, wildlife, culture, and primates photography adventure safari.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch