10 Days Best of Uganda Safari

Kigali Departure & Arrival in Kampala

Your safari begins with an early morning collection from your Kigali hotel. Your professional driver-guide will transfer you across the Rwanda–Uganda border at Katuna / Gatuna with full border assistance on both sides — a process our team handles seamlessly. The border crossing takes approximately 1–2 hours, after which you continue to Uganda's vibrant capital city, Kampala.

Upon arrival in Kampala, enjoy a brief orientation drive through the city before checking in to your hotel for the night. Your guide will deliver an in-depth briefing on the days ahead, covering park regulations, permit details, and what to expect from each wildlife encounter.

• Border Crossing Assistance
• Kampala City Drive
• Safari Briefing

Journey North to Murchison Falls National Park

Depart Kampala early for the drive north to Murchison Falls National Park — Uganda's largest and most celebrated protected area. En route, pass through the verdant Luweero Triangle and the dramatic Karuma Falls bridge over the Nile. The drive takes approximately 4–5 hours, offering wonderful views of Uganda's changing landscapes.

Arrive at Murchison in time for a late afternoon game drive through the northern circuit. This vast savannah teems with elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, hartebeest, Uganda kob, and — if fortune favours — lions lazing in the golden afternoon light. Check in to your chosen lodge on the banks of the Victoria Nile as hippos call through the night.

• Scenic Drive North
• Afternoon Game Drive
• Nile-Side Lodge

Game Drive, Nile Cruise & The Falls

A full day immersed in one of Africa's great wildernesses. Begin with an early morning game drive through the park's northern bank — the prime time to witness predators on the move and large elephant herds gathering at waterholes. Lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas all call this park home.

After a lodge lunch, embark on the iconic Murchison Falls boat cruise — a 3-hour journey up the Victoria Nile to the base of the falls, where the entire force of the Nile squeezes through a mere 7-metre gorge with breathtaking power. The riverbanks are lined with crocodiles, Nile monitors, hippos, and an extraordinary array of water birds including the prehistoric-looking shoebill stork.

• Morning Game Drive
• Nile Boat Cruise
• Murchison Falls Viewing
• Shoebill Spotting

Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After a final morning game drive, depart Murchison Falls heading south towards Kibale Forest National Park — Uganda's premier primate destination. The drive of approximately 5–6 hours takes you through Fort Portal, a charming highland town set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains (the legendary "Mountains of the Moon").

Arrive at your forest lodge in the late afternoon. The sound of the forest at dusk — a symphony of insects, birds, and the distant hoots of chimpanzees — sets the tone for what lies ahead. Your guide will brief you thoroughly on tomorrow's chimpanzee trekking experience, including behavioural cues to watch for and how to move quietly through the forest.

• Game Drive Departure
• Fort Portal Stopover
• Rwenzori Mountain Views
• Chimpanzee Trek Briefing

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest

Rise before dawn for one of Africa's most exhilarating wildlife encounters. Kibale National Park is home to the highest density of primates anywhere on Earth — 13 species in total — and its habituated chimpanzee groups offer some of the most intimate encounters with our closest relatives in the wild. Expert trackers will guide you through the lush forest in search of the resident chimp communities.

Once found, you are granted one extraordinary hour in the presence of the chimpanzees — watching them feed, groom, play, and interact with a social complexity that never ceases to astonish. In the afternoon, explore the tranquil Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary on a guided nature walk, where rare birds, colobus monkeys, and a wealth of plant life await.

• Chimpanzee Trekking Permit
• Bigodi Wetland Walk
• 13 Primate Species
• Forest Birding

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Depart Kibale and travel south through the crater lake district — a dramatic volcanic landscape dotted with perfectly circular lakes of vivid green and cobalt blue, framed by rolling hills and tea plantations. A brief stop at one of these viewpoints is a highlight of the drive. Arrive at Queen Elizabeth National Park — Uganda's most visited park — and check in to your lodge overlooking the Kazinga Channel or the Rift Valley escarpment.

The afternoon brings your first game drive through the Kasenyi Plains, where enormous elephant herds roam freely alongside buffalo, waterbuck, topi, warthog, and the endemic Uganda kob. Queen Elizabeth is also one of the last strongholds of the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector — a phenomenon unique to very few places on Earth.

• Crater Lake Scenic Drive
• Kasenyi Plains Game Drive
• Rift Valley Views

Kazinga Channel Cruise & Ishasha Tree-Climbing Lions

A full and extraordinary day in Queen Elizabeth. Begin with a morning game drive in the Kasenyi sector, then join the celebrated Kazinga Channel boat cruise — a 2-hour journey along one of Africa's most wildlife-rich waterways, connecting Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel banks host the continent's largest concentration of hippos, alongside thousands of Nile crocodiles, buffalo herds drinking at the water's edge, and over 600 bird species.

In the afternoon, drive south to the remote Ishasha sector — famed worldwide for its fig-tree-climbing lions, often spotted draped lazily across the spreading branches of ancient figs. The landscape here shifts to acacia woodland and open plains, creating a distinctly different and thoroughly captivating atmosphere.

• Kazinga Channel Cruise
• Ishasha Tree-Climbing Lions
• 600+ Bird Species
• Hippo & Croc Watching

Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After a final early morning drive through the Ishasha sector in hopes of one last lion sighting, depart southwards for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park — the crown jewel of any Uganda safari and home to nearly half of the world's remaining 1,100 mountain gorillas. The drive of approximately 3 hours traverses spectacular highland scenery, with the Virunga Volcanoes coming into view as you approach.

Arrive in Bwindi in time for lunch and check in to your forest lodge — many dramatically perched above the canopy with sweeping valley views. Your guide will hold a comprehensive gorilla trekking briefing in the evening, covering everything from permit regulations and photography etiquette to what to expect from the forest and how to conduct yourself in the presence of the gorilla family.

• Ishasha Morning Drive
• Virunga Volcano Views
• Bwindi Forest Lodge
• Gorilla Trek Briefing

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

The moment your entire journey has been building towards. After an early breakfast, set out with your gorilla trekking permit — one of the most sought-after wildlife experiences on the planet — and venture into the Impenetrable Forest. Armed rangers, expert trackers, and your guide lead the way through dense vegetation, negotiating steep slopes and narrow trails as the forest envelops you completely.

The trek can last anywhere from 1 to 6 hours depending on the gorilla family's movement. When you finally emerge into a clearing and find yourself metres from a 200-kilogram silverback gorilla — his calm, intelligent gaze meeting yours — the world changes. You are granted one precious hour in their presence. Fewer than 1,100 mountain gorillas remain on Earth. This is not just a safari activity — it is a profound encounter with one of our closest relatives in one of the last truly wild places on the planet.

Return to the lodge for a celebratory lunch. The afternoon is free to rest, reflect, or explore the forest edges on a leisurely nature walk. Contact our team well in advance — gorilla permits are limited and sell out months ahead.

• Gorilla Trekking Permit (USD $700)
• Expert Forest Trackers
• 1 Hour with Gorilla Family
• Optional Nature Walk

Final Morning & Return to Kigali

Savour your final morning in the forest — perhaps with a dawn walk along the forest edge, listening to the birdsong that fills Bwindi at first light. After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kigali via the Cyanika / Kisoro border crossing, with full assistance provided by our team on both the Ugandan and Rwandan sides.

The drive back through southwestern Uganda and across into Rwanda takes approximately 3–4 hours. Arrive in Kigali in the early evening with a collection of memories — gorillas at arm's reach, chimpanzees in the canopy, lions resting in fig trees, and the thunder of Murchison Falls — that will stay with you for a lifetime. Your driver-guide will transfer you directly to your Kigali hotel or the international airport.

• Forest Morning Walk
• Cyanika Border Crossing
• Kigali Hotel / Airport Drop-off