This 12-day Uganda safari offers a complete adventure of wildlife, primates, birds, nature, and relaxation. You will visit some of the country’s top national parks, with the highlight being gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
12-Day Uganda Safari Highlights
- Visit Uganda’s top national parks including Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, and Lake Mburo
- Track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest and mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Enjoy game drives in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Ishasha, and Lake Mburo National Parks
- Take boat cruises on the Nile River, Kazinga Channel, and Lake Mburo
- Visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to see white rhinos up close
- Explore Bigodi Wetland and Maramagambo Forest for birds, monkeys, and nature walks
- See the top of Murchison Falls, where the Nile forces through a narrow gorge
- Meet the Batwa community and learn about their culture and traditions
- Stop at the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe for lunch and photos
- Experience 12 days of wildlife, primates, birds, and scenic landscapes across Uganda
Brief 12-Day Uganda Safari Itinerary
- Day 1: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 2: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
- Day 3: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
- Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Visit
- Day 5: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel
- Day 7: Nature Walk and Game Drive in Ishasha Sector
- Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest
- Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
- Day 11: Game Drive and Boat Cruise on Lake Mburo
- Day 12: Return to Kampala
Detailed 12-Day Uganda Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast at your hotel in Kampala, start your journey to Murchison Falls National Park through Luwero town. You may stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to track the endangered southern white rhinos. This sanctuary was established to protect rhinos from poaching after they became extinct in Uganda in the 1980s.
Have lunch in Masindi, then continue to Murchison Falls National Park. Visit the top of the falls to see the Nile River, the world’s longest river, force its way through a narrow 7-meter gap and drop 43 meters below. Enjoy the view and continue to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
After breakfast, go for a morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest park covering 3,840 square kilometers. Look out for animals like elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, giraffes, and warthogs. You may also see birds such as the shoebill stork, forest robin, and blue-throated roller.
Return for lunch, then take an afternoon boat cruise along the Nile River. Watch hippos, crocodiles, and water birds like kingfishers and bee-eaters. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, depart from Murchison Falls and drive through the Albertine Rift escarpments, enjoying beautiful scenery and views of traditional villages. Stop in Hoima for lunch before continuing to Fort Portal, which lies at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains.
Enjoy views of tea plantations and crater lakes before proceeding to Kibale Forest National Park, home to 13 species of primates including chimpanzees. On arrival, check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Visit
After breakfast, go to Kanyanchu Ranger Station for a briefing before starting your chimpanzee trek. Kibale Forest is home to many primates such as L’Hoest’s monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, colobus monkeys, and bush babies. You may also spot birds like the green-breasted pitta and crowned eagle.
After observing the chimpanzees, return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a nature walk where you can see more primates, birds, and animals like bush pigs and otters. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a short walk around the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains before driving to Queen Elizabeth National Park, about three hours away. The park lies between Lake Edward and Lake George and is famous for its wide variety of wildlife.
On arrival, check in and go for an evening game drive. Expect to see elephants, buffaloes, lions, Uganda kobs, and many birds. Visit Baboon Cliff for scenic views of the Rwenzori Mountains and crater lakes. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel
Wake up early for a morning game drive to see elephants, lions, buffaloes, and antelopes. Return for lunch and rest. In the afternoon, take a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lakes Edward and George. You will see hippos, crocodiles, water birds, and other animals near the shore. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Nature Walk and Game Drive in Ishasha Sector
After breakfast, take a guided nature walk through Maramagambo Forest, one of Uganda’s largest tropical forests. It is home to bats, birds, butterflies, and primates. Visit volcanic caves that house thousands of bats and pythons, and see the blue Lake Kimeranjo, which locals say swallowed an elephant.
In the afternoon, drive to the Ishasha sector for a game drive to look for tree-climbing lions and other animals such as buffaloes, elephants, and monkeys. Overnight stay in Ishasha sector.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Pass through the scenic Kigezi region and arrive in Bwindi for lunch. Later, enjoy a guided walk to the nearby Batwa community or relax at your lodge surrounded by nature.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest
After an early breakfast, go for a briefing at the park offices before starting your gorilla trek. The walk can take 1 to 8 hours depending on the gorillas’ location. When you find them, spend one hour observing and taking photos.
You may also see monkeys, butterflies, and birds during the trek. After lunch, take a nature walk or visit the Batwa community if you did not do so the previous day. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After breakfast, drive to Lake Mburo National Park, one of Uganda’s smallest savannah parks. The park covers 371 square kilometers and is home to zebras, impalas, buffaloes, and more than 300 bird species.
Check in at your lodge and later take a guided nature walk through the park before dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Game Drive and Boat Cruise on Lake Mburo
After breakfast, go for a morning game drive to see zebras, impalas, elands, and buffaloes. Return for lunch, then take an afternoon boat ride on Lake Mburo to see hippos, crocodiles, and birds along the shore. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Return to Kampala
After breakfast, take a short morning game drive or nature walk before starting your journey back to Kampala. Stop at the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe for lunch and photos. Continue to Kampala or Entebbe, arriving in the evening.
End of 12 Days Travel Vacation and Adventurous Getaway in Uganda.