Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your professional safari guide and transferred to your hotel.
Optional activities (depending on arrival time):
- Visit Entebbe Botanical Gardens
- Uganda Wildlife Education Centre
- Ngamba Island (optional, at extra cost)
Drive Time: ~15 minutes
Accommodation:
- Budget: Via Via Guesthouse
- Midrange: Admas Hotel
- Luxury: Protea Hotel by Marriott / Hotel No.5
Meal Plan: Bed & Breakfast
Day 2: Mabamba Swamp – Shoebill Tracking
After an early breakfast, proceed to Mabamba Wetlands on Lake Victoria—one of the best places to spot the rare Shoebill Stork.
Explore the swamp by canoe through narrow channels while spotting species such as: Goliath Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Lesser Jacana, various weavers, and waterbirds.
Return to Entebbe in the evening.
Accommodation: Same as Day 1
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park (Birding En Route)
Depart for Lake Mburo National Park with birding stops at the Equator and Kaku Swamp.
Expect sightings of: Grey Crowned Crane, Saddle-billed Stork, African Paradise Flycatcher, and various wetland species.
Drive Time: 5–6 hours
Accommodation:
- Budget: Rwakobo Rock
- Midrange: Kigarama Wilderness Lodge
- Luxury: Mihingo Lodge / Kigambira Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Birding and Boat Cruise – Lake Mburo
Enjoy a morning game drive and birding session in this Important Bird Area (IBA), home to over 350 species.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on Lake Mburo to spot:
African Finfoot, Papyrus Gonolek, African Darter, and various waterbirds.
Accommodation: Same as Day 3
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi (Northern Sector – Ruhija)
Drive through the scenic highlands of southwestern Uganda with en-route birding and photography opportunities.
Drive Time: 6–7 hours
Accommodation:
- Budget: Ruhija Rest Camp
- Midrange: Bakiga Lodge
- Luxury: Kiho Gorilla Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking & Transfer to Ruhija
After an early breakfast, proceed for a briefing before embarking on your gorilla trekking experience.
Tracking can take between 1–7 hours depending on the gorillas’ location. You will spend one hour observing these incredible primates before returning.
Transfer to your lodge in Ruhija.
Accommodation: Same as Day 5
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Birding in Mubwindi Swamp
Spend a full day birding in Mubwindi Swamp, one of the best sites for Albertine Rift endemics.
Key species include: Grauer’s Broadbill, Regal Sunbird, Archer’s Robin-Chat, and Rwenzori Apalis.
Accommodation: Same as Day 5
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Packed Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: Birding to Buhoma via “The Neck”
Explore the forest corridor known as “The Neck,” rich in endemic bird species.
Continue to Buhoma sector.
Accommodation:
- Budget: Buhoma Community Rest Camp / Ride 4 a Woman
- Midrange: Buhoma Haven Lodge
- Luxury: Buhoma Lodge / Mahogany Springs / Bwindi Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Enjoy scenic views en route before an afternoon game drive in Kasenyi Plains.
Wildlife includes: Elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, lions, and diverse birdlife.
Drive Time: 4–5 hours
Accommodation:
- Budget: Bush Lodge
- Midrange: Buffalo Safari Lodge
- Luxury: Elephant Plains / Kyambura Gorge Lodge / Honey Bear Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Birding & Boat Cruise – Kazinga Channel
Morning game drive and birding in Kasenyi Plains, followed by a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel.
Expect excellent birdlife and large concentrations of wildlife.
Accommodation: Same as Day 9
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 11: Transfer to Kibale (via Maramagambo Forest)
Enjoy birding in Maramagambo Forest before continuing to Kibale National Park.
Accommodation:
- Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
- Midrange: Turaco Treetops
- Luxury: Primate Lodge / Kibale Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 12: Kibale Forest Birding & Bigodi Wetland
Morning birding in Kibale Forest followed by an afternoon walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.
Key species include:
Green-breasted Pitta, Great Blue Turaco, and various forest specialists.
Accommodation: Same as Day 11
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 13: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Drive north through scenic landscapes with en-route birding.
Drive Time: approximately 6 hours
Accommodation:
- Midrange: Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge / Nile Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 14: Game Drive & Birding – Nile Delta
Morning game drive and birding towards the Nile Delta.
Expect sightings of: Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Carmine Bee-eaters, and possibly the Shoebill.
Accommodation: Same as Day 13
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 15: Nile Boat Cruise & Murchison Falls
Enjoy a morning boat cruise towards the delta and an afternoon cruise to the base of Murchison Falls.
Expect both exceptional birdlife and large mammals including elephants, giraffes, lions, and hippos.
Accommodation: Same as Day 13
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 16: Budongo Forest Birding
Proceed to Budongo Forest for a guided nature walk at Kaniyo-Pabidi.
Look out for: Puvel’s Illadopsis, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, and African Crowned Eagle.
Accommodation: Same as Day 13
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 17: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary & Return to Entebbe
Transfer back to Entebbe with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking and birding.
Continue to Entebbe for your departure flight.
Drive Time: 5–6 hours
Meal Plan: Breakfast
End of Safari
