10 Days Uganda East Africa Safari : 10 Days Uganda Safari package is ideal for those who are interested in spending a longer exploring Uganda including the mountain gorillas trekking, chimpanzee trekking and a general wildlife safari. The package also includes visiting the Batwa pygmies, relaxing by the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi, visiting the Bigodi Wetlands sanctuary and boat cruises. By the end of the trip, you would have visited the best wildlife reserves in Western Uganda including Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale Forest. The tour starts from Kampala or Entebbe in Uganda.
Safari Highlights
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Top of the falls visit
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – boat cruise and evening game drive
Day 7: Lion tracking/ game viewing – transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience – Batwa community tour
Day 9: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe/Kampala – Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel
Upon arrival at Entebbe international airport, meet your driver who will drive you to your reserved hotel. Early check-in at 4 am. Spend your day resting at the hotel. All meals and overnight stay at Papyrus Guesthouse for budget/Best Western Garden Hotel for mid-range/ Protea Hotel for luxury
Day 2: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Transfer to Murchison falls national park – Top of the falls visit
After early breakfast, you will be picked up as early as 7 am and transfer to Ziwa rhino sanctuary which is about 3 hours’ drive in Entebbe/Kampala. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, you will connect for a briefing about the rhinos in Uganda, rhino tracking takes about 2-3 hours and after meeting and spending time with the rhinos, have en-route lunch and proceed on a 4 hours’ drive to Murchison falls national park.
Connect to the top of the Murchison falls, before you connect to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Parkside Safari Lodge for budget option/Pakuba Safari Lodge for mid-range/Nile Safari Lodge for mid-luxury option
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Early morning breakfast and then go for a game drive where you will spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, lions, Uganda kobs among others. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the park’s main tourist attraction the unique Murchison Falls as well as the River Nile with its streaming hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight as above
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
You will have breakfast early and then drive to Kibale forest national park with lunch en route in Fort portal town. It is a 7-8 hours’ drive from Murchison falls national. Late afternoon, proceed to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Isunga Lodge for budget/Chimpanzee forest Lodge for mid-range/Chimpundu Lodge for luxury
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Have early morning breakfast and go for briefing and start Chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Kibale’s 795km2 National Park contains one of the most beautiful and with the most varying tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda. This is the place to a number of forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primate coupled with chimpanzees.
After trekking, you will have lunch and then visit Bigodi wetland where you will experience a lot of birdlife and unspoiled nature. Dinner and overnight at lodge as above.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – boat cruise and evening game drive
You will have breakfast and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park which is about 3 hours’ drive. Upon arrival, check-in at your lodge for lunch.
Later afternoon, go for a launch cruise where you will spot various water animals like Hippos and crocodiles, the cruise will also enrich you with various water birds. Connect for an evening game drive in the Kasenyi area for animals like the elephants, buffaloes and on a lucky day, you may encounter the lions and leopards. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Pumba Safari Cottages for budget/Elephant Hub Lodge – Mid-range option/Elephant Plains Lodge for luxury
Day 7: Lion tracking/ game viewing – transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
In the morning after breakfast, connect for the lion tracking experience where you are guaranteed to view the lions, enjoy en-route game drive at Kisenyi area where you will spot a good number of wildlife including Elephants, Buffaloes and all species of antelopes.
Thereafter, with en-route lunch, embark on your journey to Bwindi national park. It’s 5-7 hours depending on your trekking sector. You will have lunch en-route, arriving in Bwindi in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget/Buhoma Haven Lodge for mid-range/Mahogany Springs Lodge for luxury option
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience – Batwa community tour
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for a briefing by the ranger guides before entering the forest in your trekking gears including trekking sticks, good hiking shoes and stocking for tacking-in, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and a raincoat or jacket to mention but a few. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is no different from other trekking parks that is trekking takes 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas as they roam the park freely and there is no way of telling where they will be for a particular day however the rangers will be able to find them as they tracked daily. On finding them, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour as you view and take photos of these gentle primates before you descend back.
After trekking, meet your safari guide and return to the lodge to prepare for an afternoon Batwa community tour, these are the indigenous people of Bwindi who lived in the park before it was gazetted as a national park, you will learn a lot about the Batwa people and their culture and also be entertained by these lovely people. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 9: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi which means “place of little birds” and the lake is made of steep hills covered with lush green vegetation showing from the water edges. It is a 2-3 hours’ drive from Bwindi national park. Lake Bunyonyi is the best place a relaxation after gorilla trekking. Connect to your lodge with views of the rolling hills,
Later afternoon, connect for a canoe ride to visit some of the islands on the lake and also sight different bird species. You will also enjoy doing other excursions of your choice. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Eco-lodge for budget option/Bunyonyi BirdNest Lodge for mid-range/Bunyonyi Arcadia Cottages for mid-luxury
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe/Kampala – Departure
You will have breakfast then drive out of the park to connect to drive back to Kampala with en-route lunch and visit of the Equator. Proceed to Kampala/Entebbe and the driver will drop you off at a location you advise or at Entebbe airport for your onward flight back home marking the end of the 10 Days Uganda Safari
