17 Days Of Uganda wildlife & Gorilla Adventure
17 Days Of Uganda wildlife & Gorilla Adventure

17 Days Of Uganda wildlife & Gorilla Adventure

Safari  overview

17 Days of Uganda wildlife & gorilla adventure. The 17-day Uganda Safari adventure offers a great experience of the true African wilderness. This safari takes you to  Kidepo Valley National Park. The major safari activities include game viewing, Boat trips, primate trekking, Gorilla tracking, white-water rafting, cultural walks, Forest walks, excellent bird watching, Mountain hikes, photography, and so on. This tour starts and ends at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

Day Activity
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda (Entebbe International Airport)
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja – Source of the River Nile
Day 3: From Jinja To Mountain Elgon National Park
Day 4: Connect to Kidepo Valley National Park
Day 5: Game drive in Kidepo Valley Park
Day 6: Connect to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 7: Spend a full day in Murchison Falls wilderness
Day 8: Murchison Falls – Albertine Rift Valley To Kibale Forest
Day 9: Primates tracking and Bird watching
Day 10: Depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 11: Wildlife Exploration in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 12: Chimpanzee Trekking – Transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park
Day 13: Gorilla Tracking Bwindi – Local Community Tours
Day 14: Transfer to the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi
Day 15: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Day 16: Canoe Ride on Lake Mburo – Return to Kampala
Day 17: Transfer to Ngamba – Departure

Detailed  itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda (Entebbe International Airport)

Upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, meet your driver/tour guide and transfer to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. Relax and wait for dinner, then overnight.

Day 2: Transfer to Jinja – Source of the River Nile

Breakfast at the Hotel and then drive Eastwards to Jinja town on the shores of Lake Victoria and the source of the River Nile. The activities at the Nile include white water rafting, one of the most exciting and safest in the world, quad biking, boat trip, Bungee jumping, mountain bike cycling and horse riding.

  • Accommodation: Jinja Nile Resort
  • Meals: Dinner

Day 3: From Jinja To Mountain Elgon National Park

Have breakfast and continue to Mbale via Tirinyi Road. Proceed to Mt. Elgon National Park and trek through the Sipi Falls, characterised by spectacular falls along the river Sipi, flowing down the Mountain Elgon. The area is particularly panoramic, offering views of the Karamoja valley. Ensure you take a packed lunch from the hotel. The activity will take you through the daily life of a typical African village.

  • Accommodation: Rafik Lodge
  • Meals: Dinner.

Day 4: Connect to Kidepo Valley National Park

Have an early breakfast and proceed Northwards with a packed lunch via Kitgum to one of the most unspoilt, pure wild places remaining in Africa; Kidepo Valley National Park. It is a very long journey and takes you through the dirt roads of Karamoja.

  • Accommodation: Apoka Safari Lodge
  • Meals: Dinner.

Day 5: Game drive in Kidepo Valley Park

Wake up early for a cup of tea /coffee and embark on a photographic game drive along the trails of the National Park to catch up with early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. Expect to explore the Narus River valley and localised carnivores such as the bat-eared fox, striped hyena, aardwolf, caracal, and cheetah. Other carnivores found here include lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and black-backed and side-striped jackals. Others include Chandler’s Mountain reedbuck, the greater and lesser kudu, klipspringer and Guenther’s dikdik. Other large ungulates include elephant, Bohor reedbuck, Rothschild’s giraffe, Defassa waterbuck, Burchell’s zebra, Cape buffalo, bush pig, warthog, eland, bushbuck, Jackson’s hartebeest, bush duiker and Oribi. Birdlife is prolific, with about 465 species.

Day 6: Connect to Murchison Falls National Park

Morning breakfast will be followed by a connection to Murchison Falls National Park (7-8 hours drive), arriving by lunchtime. Murchison Falls is the largest park in the country, with a large population of animals and birds, and beautiful Savannah and forest landscapes.

  • Accommodation: Bakers Lodge
  • Meals: Dinner

Day 7: Spend a full day in Murchison Falls wilderness

Set out after some tea or coffee and embark on an exciting 3-4 hour early morning game drive to explore the Savannah in the Northern bank of the Nile. Expect to see herds of buffalo, elephants, lions, giraffes, waterbucks, Oribis, bushbucks, spotted hyenas and leopards. Return to the lodge for a late breakfast and relax as we wait for lunch. In the afternoon, embark on a boat cruise to the base of the falls for excellent views of the falls and various animals, such as Hippos, Huge Nile crocodiles, and buffalo basking along the shores. Return for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8: Murchison Falls – Albertine Rift Valley To Kibale Forest

Have breakfast and drive for 6-8 hours through Lake Albert and the Rift Valley escarpment, with breathtaking panoramic scenery, to Fort Portal, the capital town of the Tooro kingdom, which lies in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains.

  • Accommodation: Ndali Lodge
  • Meals: Dinner.

Day 9: Primates tracking and Bird watching

Assemble at the Kanyanchu Tourist Centre for a briefing on Chimpanzee tracking. Expect to encounter other primates, such as black-and-white colobus, vervet, and red-tailed monkeys, as well as over 350 bird species, including the rare shoebill. After lunch, go for a nature walk at the Bigodi Ecotourism Project near Kibale Forest. Expect to visit a typical/traditional homestead, hear storytellers, meet the local healer, and get a sense of the traditional cultures of the Batoro and Bakiga. Return for dinner and overnight as on DAY 8.

Day 10: Depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park

We shall have breakfast and start off a 2-3hrs drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, with lots of game viewing en route. Expect to find early risers and predators returning to the hideouts; relax as we wait for lunch at Mweya Safari Lodge. In the afternoon, embark on the boat cruise after lunch from Mweya peninsula along Kazinga channel, famous for the highest concentration of Hippos in Africa, with huge Nile crocodiles, Buffaloes and Elephants along the shores and about 611 bird species. The boat provides a clear platform for photographing.

  • Accommodation: Mweya Safari Lodge
  • Meals: Dinner.

Day 11: Wildlife Exploration in Queen Elizabeth National Park

After a cup of coffee, go for a game drive along the tracks of Queen Elizabeth, on the Northern side towards Lake George and Kasenyi village. Expect encounters with animals such as the African lion, spotted hyenas, herds of elephants, Ugandan kob, buffaloes, waterbucks, and rare leopards. In the afternoon, go to explore the Ishasha sector, the southern part of Queen Elizabeth N.P. The game drive here rewards you with tree-climbing lions, which are seen during the hot hours of the day, as they lie resting on top of Figs trees. Also expect herds of buffalo, elephants, topi antelopes and more. Return for dinner and overnight.

Day 12: Chimpanzee Trekking – Transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park

Wake up early and drive to Kyambura Gorge for chimpanzee tracking. Expect other primates like Vervet monkeys, Black-and-white Colobus, red-tailed monkeys, Giant forest hogs, Galagos, and Mangabeys, along with many bird species. Later, proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a home to half of the remaining world population of the endangered Mountain Gorillas.

  • Accommodation: Mahogany Springs Lodge
  • Meals: Dinner

Day 13:  Gorilla Tracking Bwindi – Local Community Tours

After an early breakfast, proceed to the park headquarters with a packed lunch for a briefing on the Dos and Don’ts for gorilla encounters. Tracking can take 2-6 hours, depending on their movements. You will stay with these Giant apes for 1 hour for observation and photography. In the evening, you can relax at the lodge or take a cultural walk to nearby Batwa communities and learn about their cultures. Dinner and overnight stay as on Day 12.

Day 14: Transfer to the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi with wonderful scenery en route. Enjoy one of the most extraordinary wildlife and birding experiences by boat as you cross Lake Bunyonyi. The forested green islands on the lake are home to various endemic bird species, which the guide will help you spot.

  • Accommodation: Arcadia Cottages
  • Meals: Dinner

Day 15: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Breakfast, visit the Bakiga Cultural Museum, and later connect to Lake Mburo National Park, the smallest of Uganda’s national parks. Take an evening game drive before sunset in search of the beautiful impalas, elands, topi and many antelopes, buffaloes, and zebras, among others.

  • Accommodation: Arcadia Cottages
  • Meals: Dinner

Day 16: Canoe Ride on Lake Mburo – Return to Kampala

After breakfast, take a boat ride on Lake Mburo for excellent birding, including the rare shoe-bill. Other animals include hippos and huge crocodiles. Later, proceed to Kampala, stopping at the equator for photographs, and arrive in the afternoon.

  • Accommodation: Serena Hotel
  • Meals: Dinner

Day 17: Transfer to Ngamba – Departure

Depending on your flight schedule, relax at your hotel, or transfer to Ngamba Island (Chimpanzee Sanctuary) and later transfer to the airport.

End Of The Safari

Includes;

  • Airport transfers
  • Full board Accommodation
  • Park entrance fees
  • Gorilla permits
  • Chimpanzee trekking permits
  • All activities mentioned
  • Guiding fees
  • A 4×4 comfortable safari vehicles are suitable for game viewing and photographing.
  • Professional fulltime English speaking Driver Guide.

But excludes;

  • International flights, visas (where applicable), laundry, drinks, tips and other personal expenses.

Why Choose Amakula African Safaris?

Amakula African Safaris specializes in Kenya Safaris, Kenya Wildlife Safaris, Kenya Cultural Safaris, Kenya Birding Safaris, Tanzania Safaris, Tanzania Wildlife Safaris, Tanzania Great Migration tours, and Uganda Gorilla Trekking.

For travelers interested in hiking and camping, the team can help determine whether camping, tented accommodation, or lodges are most suitable for the chosen destination and itinerary.

Top Selling Africa Safari Holidays in 2027/2028