Rhinos • Big Game • Chimpanzees • Tree-Climbing Lions • Gorillas • Boat Safaris • Culture
This is Uganda at its most unforgettable. From the mighty Murchison Falls in the north to the primaterich forests of Kibale, the wildlife plains and waterways of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the legendary tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, the ancient rainforest of Bwindi, and the wildlife rich plains of Lake Mburo, every stage of this adventure offers something completely different.
This safari is ideal for travelers seeking a once in a lifetime combination of wildlife, primates, adventure, culture, and breathtaking scenery, all delivered as a carefully planned private experience by Zamunda Travels Uganda.
Safari Highlights
- Track white rhinos on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Search for lions, leopards, and other predators in Murchison Falls
- Experience Uganda’s magnificent elephants and savannah wildlife
- Cruise the Nile to the base of Murchison Falls
- Track wild chimpanzees in Kibale Forest
- Explore the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
- Cruise the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel
- Discover traditional salt mining at Lake Katwe
- Search for Ishasha’s famous tree-climbing lions
- Experience mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi
- Discover zebras and antelopes in Lake Mburo
- Enjoy guided nature and forest experiences
- Stand on the Equator at Kayabwe
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: Entebbe/Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park
The Adventure Begins
Your Ugandan adventure begins in the morning with a warm welcome from your professional Zamunda Travels safari guide at your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe.
- Set off toward Murchison Falls National Park, passing through changing landscapes, rural communities, and beautiful countryside
- Breakfast stop en route, then continue toward Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Leave the vehicle behind for a guided rhino tracking experience on foot, accompanied by conservation guides who explain Uganda’s rhino conservation programme
- After lunch, continue toward Murchison Falls National Park as the scenery opens into vast savannah
- Arrive at your lodge in the evening, check in, dinner, relax
Overnight: Murchison Falls National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 2: Murchison Falls Game Drive & Nile Boat Safari
The Mighty Nile Meets the African Savannah
- Early sunrise game drive one of the best times to see wildlife active across the savannah
- Search for lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, Uganda kob, Jackson’s hartebeest, warthogs, and hyenas (leopards possible but elusive)
- Return to the lodge for breakfast and relaxation
- Afternoon boat cruise on the Victoria Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls
- Riverbanks offer excellent wildlife viewing — hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, and buffaloes
- The boat continues to the dramatic gorge where the Nile is forced through to create Murchison Falls a top photography moment
- Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Overnight: Murchison Falls National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Murchison Falls to Kibale Forest
From Savannah to Uganda’s Primate Capital
- After breakfast, depart the wilderness of Murchison Falls, heading south toward Kibale Forest National Park
- Landscape shifts from open savannah to rolling hills, tea plantations, and traditional villages
- Lunch en route
- Arrive at your lodge in the evening — check in and relax ahead of tomorrow’s forest adventure
Overnight: Kibale Forest area Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Wetland Experience
Into the Forest in Search of Our Closest Relatives
- Early breakfast, then travel to park headquarters for a ranger briefing on responsible chimpanzee viewing and forest safety
- Chimpanzee trekking through forest trails, listening for chimp calls and observing feeding, grooming, and social behavior
- Also look for red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, and a wide range of forest birds
- Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation
- Afternoon visit to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary with a community guide covering biodiversity, local culture, and conservation
- Return to the lodge for dinner
Overnight: Kibale Forest area Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Crater Landscapes & the Wildlife-Rich Kazinga Channel
- After breakfast, depart Kibale through western Uganda’s rolling countryside and crater-lake region
- Arrive at Queen Elizabeth National Park, lunch, then prepare for the afternoon’s highlight
- Kazinga Channel boat safari — connecting Lake Edward and Lake George, known for exceptional wildlife concentration
- Watch hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and buffaloes along the water’s edge, with hundreds of bird species overhead
- Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight
Overnight: Queen Elizabeth National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Kasenyi Game Drive & Lake Katwe Cultural Experience
Predators, Savannah Wildlife & Traditional Salt Mining
- Early game drive through the Kasenyi Plains — prime wildlife country in the cool morning hours
- Search for lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, warthogs, hyenas, and antelope
- Return to the lodge for breakfast and lunch
- Afternoon visit to the Lake Katwe salt-mining community to see traditional salt extraction and its role in local life
- Optional evening game drive, conditions permitting, as golden light falls across the plains
Overnight: Queen Elizabeth National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Morning Game Drive & Transfer to Ishasha
One Last Northern Game Drive, Then South in Search of Tree-Climbing Lions
- After breakfast, an extra morning game drive on the Kasenyi Plains
- Drive through the Maramagambo Forest, known for its bat caves and occasional sightings of African rock pythons
- Continue to the Ishasha sector, famous for tree-climbing lions resting in fig and acacia branches
- Game drive in search of these lions, plus elephants, buffaloes, topi, Uganda kob, monkeys, and birdlife
Overnight: Ishasha Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: Ishasha to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Journey into the Land of Mountain Gorillas
- Further wildlife viewing through Ishasha after breakfast, before leaving the savannah behind
- Climb into southwestern Uganda’s highlands — terraced hills, banana plantations, tea gardens, and dense green valleys
- Arrive at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, sanctuary of the mountain gorillas
- Check in, relax, and receive your guide’s briefing for tomorrow’s gorilla trek
Overnight: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
The Moment You Have Been Waiting For
The emotional heart of your Uganda safari.
- Early breakfast, then travel to park headquarters for your gorilla trekking briefing
- Ranger-led trek through Bwindi’s dense rainforest — duration varies with the gorilla family’s location and terrain
- Encounter a habituated mountain gorilla family: feeding, resting, grooming, playing, caring for young
- Observe and photograph responsibly during your allocated viewing time
- Return to the lodge to relax and reflect
Overnight: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Bwindi to Lake Mburo National Park
From the Mountain Forests to the Savannah
- After breakfast, travel through the Kigezi highlands — terraced hills, farms, banana plantations, and local communities
- Continue via Mbarara, lunch en route
- Arrive at Lake Mburo National Park, known for its intimate wildlife experience — zebras, impalas, eland, Uganda kob, buffaloes, and varied birdlife
- Check in and relax
Overnight: Lake Mburo National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 11: Lake Mburo Game Drive & Boat Safari
Zebras, Antelopes & Wildlife by the Water
- Early morning walking safari as the sun rises over the savannah — zebras, impalas, Uganda kob, eland, buffaloes, warthogs
- Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation
- Afternoon boat safari on Lake Mburo — hippos, crocodiles, and wildlife coming to drink at the water’s edge
- Enjoy the tranquility of the lake as the sun sets on your final night in the wilderness
Overnight: Lake Mburo National Park Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 12: Lake Mburo to Entebbe via the Equator
One Last Safari & Farewell to Uganda
- Early morning game drive — a final opportunity to photograph Uganda’s wildlife
- After breakfast, journey toward Entebbe
- Stop at the Equator crossing in Kayabwe for photos and local craft shopping
- Transfer to Entebbe International Airport for your scheduled departure flight
The End of an Extraordinary Ugandan Journey
You leave Uganda carrying memories of: rhinos tracked on foot, lions roaming the savannah, chimpanzees calling from the forest, hippos filling the Nile and Kazinga Channel, tree-climbing lions resting above Ishasha, mountain gorillas emerging from Bwindi’s ancient forest, zebras crossing the plains of Lake Mburo and the warmth of the people of Uganda.
Meals: Breakfast
