10-Day Uganda Wildlife and Primate Safari 

Safari Overview

This 10-day safari is the most comprehensive wildlife and primate experience in Uganda. You will walk among zebras in Lake Mburo, trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi, track endangered golden monkeys in Mgahinga, cruise the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, search for chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, and finish with the prehistoric shoebill stork at Mabamba Wetland. The trip blends savannah, forest, wetland, and cultural experiences into one seamless journey.

Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
Route: Entebbe → Kampala → Lake Mburo → Bwindi → Mgahinga → Queen Elizabeth → Kibale → Kampala → Mabamba → Entebbe
Travel Style: Budget, Midrange, or Luxury

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport, transfer to Kampala, safari briefing
• Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, afternoon boat cruise
• Day 3: Walking safari in Lake Mburo, transfer to Bwindi
• Day 4: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural visit
• Day 5: Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga, transfer to Queen Elizabeth, night game drive
• Day 6: Morning relaxation, Kazinga Channel boat cruise
• Day 7: Morning game drive, transfer to Kibale Forest
• Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking, transfer to Kampala
• Day 9: Kampala city tour and relaxation
• Day 10: Mabamba Shoebill experience, airport transfer and departure

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe Airport then Transfer to Kampala

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by your professional driver-guide and transferred to your hotel in Kampala. Depending on your arrival time, you may relax at the hotel or take a short drive around the city. Your guide will brief you about the safari, the destinations you will visit, and the activities planned for the coming days. Dinner and overnight stay in Kampala.

Meals: Dinner included (subject to arrival time).

Accommodation

• Budget: Forest Cottages
• Midrange: Fairway Hotel
• Luxury: Protea Hotel by Marriott

Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park then Boat Cruise

Driving Distance: Approximately 240 km, 4–5 hours

After breakfast, leave Kampala and travel southwest towards Lake Mburo National Park. Along the way, stop at the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe for photographs, souvenir shopping, and an optional equator demonstration. The Equator Monument is the most iconic stopover on the Kampala–Masaka highway, with interactive water demonstrations and a chance to stand with one foot in each hemisphere.

Continue to the park and check in at your lodge before having lunch. Lake Mburo is Uganda’s smallest savannah national park, located in Kiruhura District and the closest savannah park to Kampala . Despite its size, the park holds over 69 mammal species and 332 bird species .

In the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Mburo. Look out for hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, and numerous waterbirds along the shoreline. After the boat cruise, return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Eagles Nest
• Midrange: Mpogo Lodge
• Luxury: Mihingo Safari Lodge

Day 3: Walking Safari in Lake Mburo then Transfer to Bwindi

Driving Distance: Approximately 300 km, 6–7 hours

Begin the day with a guided walking safari through Lake Mburo National Park. Lake Mburo holds a unique distinction among Uganda’s protected areas: it is the only savannah park in the country where guided walking safaris are conducted on a regular basis . This is possible because the park does not have lions or elephants, the animals most responsible for human fatalities during walking safaris .

Accompanied by an experienced armed ranger, explore the park on foot while looking for zebras, giraffes, impalas, elands, warthogs, and buffaloes. The walk typically lasts two to three hours, departing around 7:00 AM, the optimal time for wildlife activity . Your ranger will also help you identify animal tracks, plants, birds, and some of the park’s smaller wildlife. Walking safaris allow you to experience the bush using all your senses: you hear bird calls clearly, notice animal tracks on the ground, and observe small details that vehicles often pass by .

After the walking safari, return to the lodge, check out, and begin the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Have lunch along the way and continue through the beautiful hills of southwestern Uganda. Arrive at your lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Buhoma Community Lodge
• Midrange: Buhoma Haven Lodge
• Luxury: Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Cultural Visit

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for registration and a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. You will then enter Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family. Bwindi is home to roughly half the world’s mountain gorilla population and is divided into four trekking sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. The trek may take several hours, depending on the location and movement of the gorillas, and typically lasts between two and seven hours .

Once you locate the gorillas, you will spend one unforgettable hour observing them feeding, resting, playing, and interacting with one another. After returning from the forest, enjoy lunch before joining the Batwa community for a cultural experience.

During the visit, the Batwa will share stories about their traditional forest life and demonstrate ancient hunting techniques, medicinal plants, fire-making skills, music, and dance. Afterwards, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Buhoma Community Lodge
• Midrange: Buhoma Haven Lodge
• Luxury: Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Day 5: Golden Monkey Trekking then Transfer to Queen Elizabeth and Night Game Drive

Driving Distance: Approximately 200 km, 4–5 hours

After an early breakfast, transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for golden monkey trekking. Mgahinga is Uganda’s smallest park at 53.7 square kilometers, protecting the Ugandan slopes of the Virunga volcanoes . Following a briefing at the park headquarters, enter the bamboo forest with an experienced ranger to search for the endangered golden monkeys.

Golden monkeys are found only in the bamboo forests of the Virungas and are classified as endangered, with an estimated population of 2,000 to 4,000 individuals . They have bright coloured fur with long golden hair mixed with orange and live in troops of about 100 led by an alpha male . These active and colourful primates are usually seen jumping between bamboo trees, feeding, and interacting in large groups. Tracking is limited to one hour, similar to gorilla trekking .

After the trek, have lunch and begin the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival, check in at your lodge and prepare for a guided night game drive. Night drives in Queen Elizabeth run specifically through the Mweya Peninsula area, deliberately away from the busier Kasenyi Plains that see heavy daytime traffic . Using a spotlight and accompanied by a park ranger, search for nocturnal wildlife such as leopards, hyenas, genets, civets, and bush babies. Sightings regularly include lions and leopards on the move, hyenas working the edges of the plains, and hippos out of the water grazing on land. After the night game drive, return to the lodge for a late dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Songbird Lodge
• Midrange: Acacia Wilderness Lodge Mweya
• Luxury: Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 6: Morning Relaxation and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

After the previous day’s full program, enjoy a relaxed morning at the lodge. You may sleep longer, have a leisurely breakfast, and enjoy the surrounding views.

After lunch, take a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel is about 40 kilometers long and averages just one meter deep, creating ideal conditions for wildlife viewing. The boat ride lasts approximately two hours, with departures scheduled at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM from the jetty below Mweya Safari Lodge .

The channel is home to large numbers of hippos and attracts elephants, buffaloes, crocodiles, and numerous waterbirds. The boat cruise offers excellent wildlife-viewing and photography opportunities. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Songbird Lodge
• Midrange: Acacia Wilderness Lodge Mweya
• Luxury: Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 7: Morning Game Drive then Transfer to Kibale Forest

Driving Distance: Approximately 160 km, 3–4 hours

Begin the day with an early morning game drive through the Kasenyi Plains. The Kasenyi area is known as the best spot for spotting lions, often hunting Uganda kobs, and large herds of elephants . Morning drives between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM offer the best chance to spot predators returning from nighttime hunts.

Search for lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, leopards, and other savannah wildlife. Queen Elizabeth National Park holds 606 confirmed bird species, one of the highest counts of any national park in Africa.

After the game drive, return to the lodge, check out, and travel to Kibale Forest National Park. The journey passes through scenic crater lakes, tea plantations, and rural communities. Arrive at your lodge near Kibale in the afternoon and spend the remainder of the day relaxing. Dinner and overnight near Kibale Forest.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge
• Midrange: Kibale Canopy Lodge
• Luxury: Tabebuia Spa & Safari Lodge

Day 8: Chimpanzee Trekking then Transfer to Kampala

Driving Distance: Approximately 320 km, 5–6 hours

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a chimpanzee-trekking briefing. Guided chimpanzee tracking walks are conducted daily at 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 2:00 PM, starting from the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre . These treks typically last between two and five hours, depending on the chimpanzees’ movements and other factors such as weather and terrain .

Enter Kibale Forest with an experienced ranger and search for a habituated chimpanzee community. Each tracking group is limited to six participants, and all visitors must be at least 16 years old . The forest is also home to red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

Once you locate the chimpanzees, spend one hour watching them feed, groom, rest, and communicate. You must maintain a minimum distance of 8 meters from the chimpanzees at all times, and flash photography is not permitted .

After the trek, have lunch and begin the drive back to Kampala. Arrive in the evening, check in at your hotel, and relax after the journey.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Forest Cottages
• Midrange: Fairway Hotel
• Luxury: Protea Hotel by Marriott

Day 9: Kampala City Tour and Relaxation

After a relaxed breakfast, enjoy a guided tour of Kampala. Depending on your interests, the tour may include the Uganda Museum, Independence Monument, Gaddafi National Mosque, Kabaka’s Palace, and a local craft market.

After the city tour, check in at the hotel. Spend the night in or enjoy an optional Kampala nightlife experience.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Forest Cottages
• Midrange: Fairway Hotel
• Luxury: Protea Hotel by Marriott

Day 10: Mabamba Shoebill Experience then Airport Transfer and Departure

After an early breakfast, travel to Mabamba Wetland, one of Uganda’s best places to observe the rare and prehistoric-looking shoebill stork. Mabamba Wetland is a Ramsar Site of international importance, a scenic swamp with a wide array of bird species including the unique shoebill .

Upon arrival, join an experienced local bird guide and explore the wetland in a traditional motorized canoe. The boat tour takes about three hours from motorized traditional canoe boats used to move along the narrow channels of the wetland as you search for the endangered shoebill and other rare birds . Morning departures between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM consistently produce the highest shoebill activity, as the birds typically hunt in the early morning when they are most mobile .

Navigate through the papyrus channels while searching for the shoebill and other wetland birds, including African jacanas, malachite kingfishers, pied kingfishers, purple herons, and various egrets. The chances of seeing the shoebill are higher during the dry season from June to October and December to February when water levels are lower and mud pools attract lungfish, one of the shoebill’s primary food sources .

After the excursion, return to Entebbe for lunch and freshening up, depending on the flight schedule. Transfer to Entebbe International Airport for your departure.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

Safari Price Guide

Cost in USD per Person, based on accommodation category and group size: