8 Days Best Uganda Safari

8 Days Best Uganda Safari is an interesting and extraordinary adventure that starts and ends in Kampala. The safari will take you to Murchison falls national park in northwestern Uganda where you will be able to view abundant wild animals like elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Jacksons hartebeest, giraffes, waterbucks among others. From Murchison falls national park you will connect to Kibale national park where you will be able to spend time with chimpanzees in their environment and later transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park for an interesting game drive and boat cruise which reward you will great wildlife views. You will wrap up your 8 days Uganda safari with a gorilla trekking activity where you will have a face to face interaction with the endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park.

Highlights of the 8 days Uganda safari

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Murchison falls national park
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale national park
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 5: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 8: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Murchison falls national park, depending on your location on day 1 of the 8 days Uganda safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Murchison falls national park. Murchison falls national park is the largest national park located in northwestern Uganda and the journey takes about 5 to 6 hours drive with a stopover at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking. After rhino tracking you will proceed the journey to Masindi town for lunch where after you will continue to Murchison falls national park. Upon arrival you will drive to the top of the falls where you will have great views of the waterfall, beautiful scenery, bird species among others. You will later drive to the lodge for an evening dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 2 of the 8 days Uganda safari your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive where you will be able to see animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, elephants, Jacksons hartebeest, giraffes, waterbucks among others grazing in the open savannah plains, view predators like lions, leopards, hyenas before they go back to their hiding areas, view different birds among others. After the game drive you will return back to the lodge for lunch.

Afternoon boat cruise, after lunch you will drive to Paraa jetty landing site for an exciting boat cruise to the bottom of the falls. During the boat ride which takes about 2 hours you will have spectacular views of the beautiful scenery, hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes along the shores, water birds like kingfishers, bee-eaters, cormorants, fish eagles among others. The boat will continue to the bottom of the falls where you will either return back to the starting point or hike to the top of the falls. It’s an adventurous hike which takes about 45 minutes to reach on top though strenuous therefore requires visitors to be physically fit. During hiking you will be able to enjoy water splashes, scenic views and when you reach on top you will meet your driver guide and drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale national park

After breakfast on day 3 of the 8 days Uganda safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kibale national park in western Uganda. It’s a whole day journey and on the way you will have en-route lunch and stunning views of the traditional homesteads, local people, beautiful scenery, views of the Rwenzori Mountains, crater lakes, tea plantations among others. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on day 4 of the 8 days Uganda safari you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will be grouped into 6 people, allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who will lead you into the forest during trekking. Chimpanzee trekking is an interesting activity that starts at 8:00am and takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food especially during the dry season. During trekking you will be able to see other primates like red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, view some bird species, mammals, plants species among others. Once the chimpanzees are found you will be able spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, play, fight, hunt, mate, take photos and record the moments.

After the one hour with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide and start the journey to Queen Elizabeth national park. The journey takes about 3 hours drive and one the way you will have en-route lunch in Fort Portal, after lunch you will proceed to the park where you will engage in an evening game drive upon arrival. During the game drive you will have stunning views of the sundowner, animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs among other going back to their resting places. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 5 of the 8 days Uganda safari your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will have great views of animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, giant forest hog, elephants, bushbucks, lions, leopards, hyenas, views of different bird species among others. After the fascinating game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch.

Afternoon boat cruise, after lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise which is carried out on Kazinga channel a 40km long water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake Gorge. The boat ride starts at around 2:00 pm and rewards you will breathtaking views of large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles in water, views of elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes along the shores, water birds like kingfishers, fish eagles, hornbills, cormorants, bee-eaters among others. After the boat cruise which takes about 2 hours you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

After breakfast on day 6 of the 8 days Uganda safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park in south western Uganda. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and on the way you will have a stopover at Ishasha sectors in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park for a game drive. Ishasha sector is known for harboring the famous tree climbing lions which will be seen lying up in fig tree branches. You will also be able to see other animals like Uganda kobs, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, elephants among others. After the game drive you will have en-route lunch and after continue the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park which harbors half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on day 7 of the 8 days Uganda safari you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people, allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is knowledgeable about the mountain gorillas and also conversant with trails in the jungle. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park starts at around 8:00am and takes about 30 minutes to 8 hours depending on where the gorillas slept the previous night. During trekking you will have views of bird species, other primates like chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, different plant and tree species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their environment where you will be able to watch them feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, play, observe their behaviors, take photos and record the breathtaking moments. After the face to face encounter with the mountain gorillas you will trek back to the starting point where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide to return back to the lodge for late lunch.

After lunch you will go for an optional cultural tour where you will visit the Bakiga and Batwa people in the surrounding community. The Batwa/pygmies are the old people who used to live in the forest before it was gazetted into a national park. During the cultural tour you will be able to learn about their culture, history, way of living, learn how to cook their traditional dishes, listen to their ancient stories, enjoy their traditional entertainments among others. After the cultural tour you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

After a relaxed breakfast on day 8 of the 8 days Uganda safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On the way you will have great views of the Kigezi hills, terraced farmlands, traditional homesteads and en-route lunch in Mbarara town. After lunch you will proceed the journey to Kampala with another stopover at the Equator in Kayabwe to take photos and buy souvenirs. Upon arrival in Kampala your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of convenience.

End of 8 days Uganda safari

8 days Uganda safari includes

Gorilla trekking tour
Chimpanzee trekking permit
Rhino tracking permit
Park entrance fees
Boat cruise fees
Cultural tour
Professional English speaking driver guide
Full board accommodation
Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
Vehicle and fuel
Bottled water

8 days Uganda safari excludes

International air flight tickets
Visas
Optional activities not included on the itinerary
Life insurance
Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.