Itinerary
- Day 1
Entebbe
You'll get picked up at Entebbe International Airport and driven to your guesthouse for check-in. After settling in, the rest of the day and evening are yours to relax and adjust to being in Uganda. Your host can point you toward good places to eat and things to see if you want to venture out.
Optional Activities
- Explore dining options in Entebbe
- Day 2
Mabamba Swamp
An early departure means a 1.5 hour drive to Lake Victoria's shore where you'll catch a boat to Mabamba Swamp near Kasanje. From there, you'll spend around 3 hours on a small wooden boat (fits 5-6 people) birding with a specialist guide. You're hoping to see the Shoebill Stork along with African and Lesser Jacannas, Pygmy Geese, and Blue Breasted Bee Eaters. Back this afternoon, you'll head to the Gorilla Conservation Cafe for a talk by Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, who founded this social enterprise.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Boat tour in Mabamba Swamp with birding guide (approximately 3 hours)
- Visit to Gorilla Conservation Cafe with talk from Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka
Landmarks/POIs Lake Victoria Mabamba Swamp 
- Day 3
Entebbe to Murchison Falls National Park
You'll leave Entebbe heading toward Murchison Falls National Park. On the way there's a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you'll track and observe Uganda's only wild rhinos with a guide. Lunch happens at the sanctuary, then you continue to Murchison Falls National Park and see the falls themselves this afternoon. Your accommodation is at an Eco Safari Lodge in Budongo Forest, which is East Africa's largest natural rainforest and one of the top spots for tracking chimps.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary), Dinner
Included Activities
- Rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary with guide
- Visit to Murchison Falls
Landmarks/POIs Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Murchison Falls Budongo Forest 
- Day 4
Budongo Forest
Early in the morning you'll walk into Budongo Forest with a wildlife guide from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to track chimpanzees. The chimp area is managed by the Jane Goodall Institute with strict permits. Once you spot the chimps, you'll have an hour watching them groom, play, feed, and care for their young in their natural setting. On the return trip back to your accommodation, you'll stop to visit the top of Murchison Falls.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest with Uganda Wildlife Authority guide
- Visit to top of Murchison Falls
Landmarks/POIs Budongo Forest Murchison Falls - Day 5
Murchison Falls National Park
An early game drive gets you out spotting Rothschild Giraffes, elephants, lions, Jackson Hartebeests, Oribis, Waterbucks, and if you're lucky, leopards, plus savannah birds. After lunch, you'll take a Nile launch cruise heading to the bottom of Murchison Falls for close-up wildlife viewing from the water. Then you'll walk up to the top of the falls for views of the Nile that really show why this place is worth the trip.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
- Nile launch cruise to bottom of Murchison Falls
- Walk to top of Murchison Falls
Landmarks/POIs Murchison Falls National Park Murchison Falls - Day 6
Murchison Falls to Fort Portal
Today's a longer travel day, covering 441 kilometers from Murchison Falls toward Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in about 7-8 hours of driving. You'll break things up with a forest walk in Bugoma Forest along Kaboya Wildlife Reserve to stretch and move around. You'll stay overnight in Fort Portal, a city situated near the 'Mountains of the Moon' and known for its tea plantations.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Forest walk in Bugoma Forest along Kaboya Wildlife Reserve
Landmarks/POIs Bugoma Forest Kaboya Wildlife Reserve 
- Day 7
Fort Portal to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
You'll continue south, driving roughly 380 kilometers through Queen Elizabeth National Park over about 5 hours to reach Bwindi National Park, home to Mountain Gorillas. You'll arrive by lunch and check into Gorilla Conservation Camp, run by the Conservation Through Public Health NGO. After you've settled and rested, take a walk through the nearby village to meet some of the local community members.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Village walk to meet local community members
Landmarks/POIs Queen Elizabeth National Park Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - Day 8
Gorilla Tracking
Wake up early, have breakfast, then head to park offices where you'll get split into groups of 8. Each group gets assigned a Uganda Wildlife Authority tracking guide and a specific gorilla family to find. After a briefing about your family and health and safety rules, you'll hike into the jungle tracking the gorillas through uneven ground, potential mud, and steep terrain. Hikes usually run 2 to 8 hours depending on where the gorillas are that day. You'll spend an hour watching them behave naturally, then head back to camp for a shower and food.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Mountain Gorilla tracking with Uganda Wildlife Authority guide (2-8 hours hiking)
- Transfer to and from trailhead
Landmarks/POIs Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - Day 9
Bwindi to Lake Mulehe
Today you'll learn about the Echuya Batwa (Pygmies), an endangered community around Echuya Forest Reserve who were historically forest dwellers and hunter-gatherers with spiritual connections to Bwindi Forest. You'll join a Batwa guide on a tour showing traditional hunting techniques, honey gathering, medicinal plants, and how they make bamboo cups. Women from the community will perform traditional songs so you can understand their rich but fading culture. Afterward, you'll transfer to Lake Mulehe Lodge (about 1 hour away), which has individual cottages with en-suite bathrooms and lake views.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Guided tour with Batwa guide demonstrating hunting techniques, honey gathering, medicinal plants and bamboo cup-making
- Traditional song performance by Batwa women
Landmarks/POIs Echuya Forest Reserve 
- Day 10
Lake Mulehe to Mgahinga National Park
A 2 hour transfer takes you to Mgahinga National Park in the Virunga Mountains to track the golden monkey, an endemic and endangered species with only 2,000-4,000 individuals living in troops around 100 strong. You'll go out with a game ranger tracking these primates as they feed on bamboo shoots, seasonal fruits, flowers, leaves, and small invertebrates. Unlike gorillas, the habituated golden monkeys don't build new nests daily, which makes them somewhat easier to locate. Back at the lodge this evening you can relax and catch an African sunset.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga National Park with game ranger
Landmarks/POIs Mgahinga National Park Virunga Mountains 
- Day 11
Lake Chahafi/Mulehe to Lake Bunyoni
You have flexibility today: either stay at leisure or take a community walk through local villages to see how people live there. This afternoon, you'll drive to Lake Bunyoni near the Ugandan border with Rwanda. It's called 'place of many birds' and is one of Africa's best spots for seeing otters, also known as the 'Switzerland of Uganda'. The lake has 29 islands in different shapes and sizes, including Punishment Island with its difficult history. You'll stay at Bunyonyi Overland Resort in individual cottage rooms surrounded by lush terraced hills with lake views.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Community walk through local villages to learn about local way of life
Landmarks/POIs Lake Bunyoni Punishment Island - Day 12
Lake Bunyoni
No rush getting up for breakfast this morning, so take time to enjoy your surroundings and relax. In the morning you'll take a boat cruise on Lake Bunyoni, visiting the nearby islands including Punishment Island before returning to the resort for dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Boat cruise on Lake Bunyoni visiting nearby islands including Punishment Island
Landmarks/POIs Lake Bunyoni Punishment Island - Day 13
Lake Bunyoni to Lake Mburo National Park
You'll drive east from the lakeshore back toward Entebbe, stopping for lunch before entering Lake Mburo National Park. This afternoon you'll do a game drive spotting impala, warthog, zebra, buffalo, hippos, and African fish eagles. You're staying at Hyena Hill Lodge, an eco-friendly hotel on a scenic outcrop at the park's edge in Ankole ranch lands. Herbivores often gather at the water hole below the dining area during dinner, so wildlife watching continues right through the evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Afternoon game drive in Lake Mburo National Park
Landmarks/POIs Lake Mburo National Park - Day 14
Lake Mburo National Park to Entebbe
Your last full day starts with an early game drive to watch the savannah wake up as the sun rises. Later, you'll transfer to Entebbe with a stop at the equator for photos and picking up souvenirs. You'll arrive in Entebbe during the afternoon and check back into your familiar guesthouse, which is conveniently close to the airport for tomorrow's departure.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Early morning game drive in Lake Mburo National Park
- Stop at the equator for photos and souvenir shopping
Landmarks/POIs Equator - Day 15
Entebbe Departure
Depending on when your flight leaves, you'll have breakfast before heading to the airport for your flight home. Now's the time to start thinking about your next trip.
- Meals
- Breakfast
