10 Days Uganda Safari – Best of Uganda tours

10 Days | Uganda Safari

This 10 Days Uganda Safari with Gorilla trekking experiencetakes you to experience amazing wildlife in Murchison falls, cruise up the river nile, look for iconic shoebill in mash, come face to face with Chimpanzee in Budongo forest.  More primates around Kibale forest, impressive 13 primates species. 10 Days Uganda Safari Experience like locals in a community swamp walk viewing Rwenzori Mountains. Check off amazing birds, animals on a boat cruise across the rift valley on Kazinga channel. Head further south, look up to find Ishasha’s lions resting in the fig trees.

Complete your Uganda journey to the Bwindi impenetrable national park, with magical hour with mountain gorillas. Uganda is much more than gorillas; enjoy optional insightful community walks. Opt to look for rare golden monkeys in Mgahinga Gorilla Park viewing the majestic volcanoes. Relax by lake Bunyonyi as you wind up your Uganda holiday.

The tour will start and ends in Kampala/ Entebbe Airport or at any meeting point in Entebbe.

TIP: We can customize any tour and can start any date.

Detailed Itinerary – 10 Days Uganda Safari

Day 1: Kampala – Murchison falls

Today early morning, our guide will pick you from your Hotel or other residence in Kampala/Entebbe to start off your 10 Days Uganda Safari. Along the way to Murchison falls national park, you will stopover at ziwa rhino sanctuary located at Nakitoma village. Tracking and viewing the rhinos usually involves a short drive followed by 1 hour walking and viewing with a ranger. Closed shoes, long trousers and insect repellent are strongly recommended.

You’ll be guided on foot by a ranger to visit Uganda’s most endangered creature – the Southern White Rhino. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, home to 30 southern white rhinos is the only place in Uganda where they still survive and breed with the hopes of one day being reintroduced back into one of the savannah parks. After check into your lodge for dinner and overnight:

Driving time: 7 hours

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 2: In Murchison Falls

Today we head out early (6.30 am) for morning game drive to the northern side in the open savannah. Enjoy a 3 hour game safari, keep an eye out for the elephants, leopards, lions, warthogs and giraffes as well as large herds of antelopes; oribi, Hartebeets, Kobs. Please note – some wild animals like leopards, lions can be elusive! – our guides will maximize chances of these cat sightings! You’ll stop for your lunch by the river Nile. 10 Days Uganda Safari

At 2:00PM, we depart for a 3 hour boat cruise along the Victoria Nile to the bottom of Murchison falls. Along the way, you’ll be passing large numbers of giant Nile crocodiles, schools of hippos, vast range of birdlife. Enjoy this breathtaking scenery.

Optional activity: Hike to view Top-of-the falls. 1 hour

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3: Murchison falls to Budongo Forest – Chimpanzee tracking to Hoima City

After early breakfast, your guide will transfer you to south of Murchison falls to Budongo forest on time for chimpanzee tracking walk at 8AM. Although the forest is home to a big population of chimpanzees, Budongo is also the biggest tropical rainforest, with an abundance of large East African mahogany trees (some more than 80m tall, with a 20m circumference. Chimpanzee walking takes between 2 to 4 hours.  It can be quite exhausting, so take good shoes and possibly a poncho. After viewing chimpanzees for an hour, your ranger will guide you back to the trail head, where you will meet your driver/guide who will then transfer you for 2 hours to Hoima town – The future Oil City.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4    Hoima City to Kibale Forest National Park

The is a very beautiful journey with stunning diverse landscapes and the hills and mountains you will drive through will become greener and greener until you come to the tea plantations of Fort Portal!

Today afternoon you will be to exploring Bigodi swamp & community in a village walk (2-3 hours). Search for other primates including: I’hoestes, red colobus, blues, red tailed and gray– cheeked mangabey, bird species like the Great blue Turaco, bees’ eaters and many more. Experience how primates and birds live with the community, amazing farm life experiences; basket weaving, farm life, Coffee tour. 10 Days Uganda Safari

Optional activities:

• Second Chimpanzee tracking walk after 2pm. Costs extra $150 per person)
• Night walk – (Subject to availability) – Approx 1.5-2 hours. Walk through the forest in search for nocturnal residents like bushbaby, potto, and night jar ($25 per person)

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Driving time: 4 hours

Day 5:   Kibale Forest –  Queen Elizabeth National Park

Today early morning transfer to Queen Elisabeth National Park. Check in at the lodge, in Queen Elizabeth NP viewing Rwenzori Mountains. At 2pm we will go for a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel (2 hours approx.). Look out for the hippos, great herds of bufallos, and lots of water birds by the channel side. Time permitting head out a 2 hour evening game drive; from 5pm to 7pm. look out for the lions, buffalos, elephants, and large numbers of Uganda Kobs and other antelopes. Check into your accomodation.

Driving time: 3.5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6:  In Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

In the morning we do a second game drive, on a look out for the lions, buffalos, elephants, and large numbers of Uganda Kobs and other antelopes. We transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park /Mgahinga national park for our Uganda Gorilla trekking experience.  You will drive via Ishasha (2 ½ hours approx.), which is in the southern sector of Queen Elisabeth National Park, Ishasha is famous for tree climbing lions. There are chances of finding lions in the trees by the roadside. Please note that there is no guarantee but our guide will maximize all regular hot spots to increase chances of sighting.

Depending on the park gate of gorilla permits available at time of booking, we will proceed to one of the following three sectors: Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Kisoro/Mgahinga gorilla gate.

Driving time to Bwindi: 3.5 to 7 hours, depending on location/gate of gorilla permit reserved at time of booking.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7:  Bwindi Impenetrable National Park/Mgahinga gorilla park

Breakfast and take a short transfer to Bwindi NP office, where you will meet up with excellent local rangers and trackers, who will give a talk on the etiquette of gorilla trekking. Thereafter, hike into the forest with your packed lunch. After this exciting experience, it’s time to relax at the lodge and view your photos.

In Bwindi NP (Uganda), there are 19 habituated gorilla families that can be viewed by tourists.

In Mgahinga NP (Uganda), there is 1 habituated gorilla family for tourist viewing.

Each of the families can be visited by a maximum of 8 people daily and the viewing lasts only 1 hour.

The trekking can take from 2 to 9 hours and climb to altitudes in excess of 7,500 feet.  After finding gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour viewing them. The terrain can get tough and at times muddy.  Although the hike is physically demanding the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthwhile. Once the gorillas are located all fatigue is forgotten, as the experience is often described as being the most profound natural history experience in the world. It can rain at a few minutes’ notice; hence waterproof clothing is a good essential including zip lock bags for cameras.  It is important to take plenty of water.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8    Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (South) –  Lake Bunyonyi

Today depending on the location of gorilla family that you trekked yesterday, you will transfer to Kisoro town.

There are optional activities starting from Kisoro/Mgahinga NPK

1. Golden monkey tracking. Costs $100 per person

Our guide will transfer you direct to mgahinga park gate on time for pre-tracking orientation at 8am. The golden monkeys are a rare primate species with colorful coats, playful ways. Photo tip; you may need to set your camera equipment on fast shutter speed as they move rather quickly.  Activity duration: 3 to 6 hours on 10 Days Uganda Safari

Later, our guide will transfer you for 2 ½ hours to Lake Bunyonyi, described by BBC media as ‘probably Africa’s most beautiful lake’.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9 Relaxation at Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi is a lava dammed lake, formed when a river was dammed by lava and valley filled up. This is one of Africa’s deepest and probably beautiful lakes at an elevation of 1960m (6400ft). Lake Bunyonyi is a known to be a place of so many little small birds. It’s possible to have an early morning guided bird watching at the lodge.

Optional activities at Lake Bunyonyi

1. Boat ride to punishment island – Look out for “akampene” – the punishment Island – where until 1940’s unmarried pregnant girls were dropped and left to die helplessly or starve to death, some drown trying to swim ashore; they were often saved my poor men who could not afford pride price. It was a taboo to pregnant before the recommended marriage age. Activity duration: 1 hour.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10: Lake Bunyonyi to Entebbe.

Today you will transfer to Entebbe town in which it will be the end of your Ugandan safari adventure.  We will stop at the Equator for lunch. This is an opportunity to have photo moment and do souvenir shopping.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

End of  10 Days Uganda Safari