15 Day Uganda Safari, Gorillas, Chimps, and Wildlife Circuit
This 15-day Uganda safari is a complete overland circuit designed for travellers who want primates, classic savannah wildlife, and time to slow down between regions. You begin with rhino tracking on foot at Ziwa before continuing to Murchison Falls for game drives and a boat cruise on the Nile. From there, the route moves into western Uganda for chimp trekking in Kibale and wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth, including a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel.
The trip then focuses on primates in the southwest, with a mountain gorilla trek in Bwindi and the option to add a volcano hike or golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga. After a rest day on Lake Bunyonyi, you finish with a walking safari in Lake Mburo and a final visit to Ngamba Island for a chimpanzee feeding experience before departure. Accommodation is offered in budget lodges as standard, with midrange and luxury upgrades available on request.
Safari highlights
Best for travellers who want the full Uganda loop
Start and end, Entebbe Airport
Core parks and experiences, Ziwa, Murchison, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, Mgahinga, Bunyonyi, Lake Mburo, Ngamba
Murchison Falls National Park – Rhino trekking and top of the falls (5-6 hours)
Game drive and launch cruise – Murchison Falls
Drive to Kibale National Park (7-8 hours)
Chimpanzee trekking experience
Visit Bigodi wetland – Queen Elizabeth national park
Game drive – boat cruise in the Kazinga channel
- Gorilla trekking
- Volcano climbing/Golden monkeys – Mgahinga national park
- Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park – walking safari
- Ngamba Island and Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Entebbe, transfer to the hotel
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will meet our company representative/guide, who will be waiting to receive you and transfer you to Kampala, which is 37km away. You will be transferred to your hotel to check in and rest from the long flight. In the evening, dinner will be served and spend a comfortable night at the hotel. Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Forest cottages
- Mid-range option: Skys Hotel Naguru
- Luxury option: Sheraton hotel
Day 2 Ziwa rhinos, transfer to Murchison Falls
On the 2nd day, enjoy morning breakfast and drive to Murchison Falls National Park. En route to the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking, have lunch in Masindi town. Proceed to the park, entering through the Kichumbanyobo gate. You will visit the top of the falls and then proceed to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Heritage Safari lodge
- Mid-range option: Pakuba Safari lodge
- Luxury option: Paraa Safari lodge for luxury
Day 3 Murchison game drive, Nile boat cruise
Early morning breakfast and then go for a game drive where you will spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, lions, Uganda kobs, among others. Return for lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the park’s main tourist attraction, the unique Murchison Falls, as well as the River Nile with its streaming hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight at Lodge as above
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest
After an early breakfast, meet your driver guide and cross on the morning ferry before beginning the journey west toward Kibale Forest National Park. This is a full-day transfer with scenic countryside views, roadside markets, and rolling farmland as you move toward the forested crater lake region. Arrive in the late afternoon and settle into your lodge near the park boundary. The rest of the evening is at leisure, allowing time to relax, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the following day’s chimpanzee tracking experience. Your guide will confirm the park briefing time and what to carry for the forest walk.
Overnight options
Budget, Isunga Lodge
Midrange, Chimpanzee Forest Guest House
Luxury, Kyaninga Lodge, full board
Day 5: Chimp trekking in Kibale
After an early morning breakfast at the lodge, connect to Kibale forest for your chimpanzee habituation experience with your packed snacks and water. You will first report to the park headquarters for a briefing before entering the forest for the activity. This is a full-day activity, so expect to see a lot of primate species like chimpanzees, monkeys, and other animals like the forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pig and duiker, warthogs, reptiles as well as a colorful variety of butterflies. On finding the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour with them. Return to the Lodge as above.
Day 6 Bigodi wetland walk, transfer to Queen Elizabeth
On this day, after your breakfast, the driver will take you for a nature walk at Bigodi wetland, where you will enjoy the silence but only the whispers and sounds of birds, Bigodi wetland is where you will experience a lot of bird life and unspoiled nature and if you are good at birding, this is a great place to spot various bird species. Return to have your lunch. In the afternoon, embark on your 3-4 hours’ drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route, stop at the equator for pictures and the Katwe salt mine. Enter the park late afternoon and connect to your lodge to rest. Dinner will be served and spend a night.
Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Pumba safari cottages
- Mid-range option: Parkview Safari lodge
- Luxury option: Elephant Plains lodge
Day 7 Queen Elizabeth game drive, Kazinga Channel cruise
After your breakfast, you will set off on an early morning game drive. where you will encounter animals like the lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, and other types of antelopes. Then go back for lunch. Afternoon, go for a 3-hour Kazinga Channel boat cruise on Lake Edward. This cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos, and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers a good platform for photography, bird watching, and games. Dinner and overnight stay at the above
Day 8 Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast, depart for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, driving south through the scenic highlands of western Uganda. The route passes tea estates, terraced hillsides, and small rural communities, with an en route lunch stop in Kabale or along the way, depending on timing. As you approach Bwindi, the landscape becomes steeper and more forested, marking your arrival in one of Africa’s most biologically rich montane forests. Check in at your lodge in the early afternoon, with time to rest and prepare for the mountain gorilla trek scheduled for the following morning. Your guide will review permit details and trekking procedures to ensure you are fully briefed.
Accommodation options
Budget, Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Midrange, Buhoma Haven Lodge
Luxury, Gorilla Heights Lodge
Day 9 Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Today is the highlight of your Uganda safari. After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for registration and a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. You will be assigned to a habituated gorilla family based on fitness level and group size. Your guide will assist with porter arrangements if required, which is strongly recommended for comfort on steep terrain. The trek can take anywhere from one to several hours, depending on the movement of the gorilla family. Trails pass through dense rainforest, vines, and uneven slopes, making this a genuine forest hike rather than a simple walk. Rangers track the family at dawn and communicate their location to your group. Once the gorillas are located, you are allowed one hour in their presence. Watching a silverback move through the undergrowth, juveniles playing nearby, and mothers caring for infants is a powerful and intimate wildlife experience. Photography is permitted without flash, and your guide will help position you respectfully for clear viewing. After the trek, return to the lodge for a well-earned rest. The afternoon is at leisure, with optional community visits or simply time to relax and reflect on the experience. Dinner and overnight at your selected lodge.
Day 10: Bwindi community and forest options, transfer toward Kisoro
You will have breakfast and embark on one of the many optional adventures in Bwindi, including the Batwa experience, guided forest walk, or a tour of the villages around the Park. Have lunch and in the evening, drive to an accommodation near Kisoro to spend a night, bringing you closer to Mgahinga National Park, and also have your dinner.
Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Mucha Lodge
- Mid-range Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge
- Luxury option: Lake Mutanda Resort
Day 11 Mgahinga volcano hike or golden monkey tracking
On the 11th day, wake up early and drive to Mgahinga National Park for a briefing from your ranger guides about the hike. The park is located on Mount Gahinga, one of the 8 Virunga mountains with the 
lowest height of about 3,474m. The hike is between 6 and 8 hours, depending on your fitness. You will hike through the bamboo cover. If luck is on your side, you may encounter the golden monkeys and the gorillas. Reaching the top is so fulfilling and interesting as you enjoy the cool air and the breeze from the giant lobelia in the Carter Swamp. You will then return to your starting point to meet your driver and go back to your lodge to rest. Alternatively, you can do the golden monkey trekking activity on the same mountain. The activity takes 2-6 hours, depending on the location of the golden monkeys. On finding them, spend an hour with the monkeys before you return to meet your driver to drive back to the lodge.
Day 12 Lake Bunyonyi rest day and boat trip
On this day, after you have enjoyed your breakfast, you will set off to Lake Bunyonyi to chill and relax. This is a 2-hour drive arriving at Bunyonyi late morning. The lake is located between Kisoro and Kabale in southwestern Uganda, close to the border with Rwanda. It’s believed to be the second deepest lake in Africa, with a depth between 44m and 900m, and it’s about 7 to 25 km wide. Take a boat trip to some of the fascinating islands on the lake – Kyahugye Island, where you will find some wildlife, including the Zebras, waterbucks, impalas, and Kobs. Visit Akampeine Island (a punishment island), where pregnant, unmarried girls were dumped to die, the Bwama and Njuyeera Islands, where missionary Dr. Leonard Sharp founded a leper colony. Return in the evening to the lodge to relax and chill. Dinner and overnight stay
Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Bunyonyi Overland resort
- Mid-range option: Arcadia cottages
- Luxury option: Bunyonyi BirdNest Lodge
Day 13 Transfer to Lake Mburo, walking safari
After breakfast, meet your driver and be transferred to Lake Mburo National Park. Enter the park and connect to your lodge for lunch, relax, then later go for a walking safari with a ranger guide. This activity is not different from a game drive except that you will be viewing animals on foot. Expect to see animals like the Zebras, Elands, Impalas, Topis, and buffalo. Spend the rest of your evening relaxing at the lodge.
Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Eagles Nest Lodge
- Mid-range option: Rwakobo Rock lodge
- Luxury option: Mihingo lodge
Day 14: Lake Mburo game drive or boat cruise, transfer to Entebbe
After breakfast, depending on how you want to explore the park, you will either go for a morning game drive or do a boat trip on Lake Mburo. Later set off to Kampala/Entebbe, en route lunch in Masaka town and the Equator. Proceed to Kampala, then to your hotel in Entebbe.
Accommodation and meals:
- Budget option: Via Via Guesthouse
- Mid-range option: Best Western Garden Hotel/2 Friends Guesthouse
- Luxury option: Entebbe Protea Hotel
Day 15 Ngamba Island chimpanzee feeding, departure
On the 15th day of your tour, after breakfast, meet your driver guide who will drive you to the connecting boat to Ngamba Island for the Chimpanzee feeding experience. Upon arrival at the 
sanctuary, you will be directed to the visitor’s center, where you will be given an introduction to the project, its history, residents, and their plight. You will receive an educational orientation by a chimpanzee caregiver and view a feeding of the chimpanzees from the visitors’ raised platform area along the edge of the sanctuary fence. Enjoy lunch and other afternoon activities. Other optional activities include the Ngamba Trail, Chimpanzee feeding, and visiting the fishing villages. Later, get on the boat back to the landing, where your driver will be waiting to transfer you back to the hotel. Later evening, connect for your ongoing flight at Entebbe airport. End of Uganda trip
What Is Included
Airport pickup and drop off in Entebbe
Private 4×4 safari vehicle with fuel and an experienced English-speaking driver guide
All park entry fees for the listed national parks and reserves
Gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi, one per person
Chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale, one per person
Golden monkey tracking permit if selected
Rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Boat cruises in Murchison Falls, Kazinga Channel, Lake Mburo
Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary visit
Accommodation for 14 nights at a selected lodge category
Meals as specified in the itinerary, typically breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle during transfers
All government taxes and statutory fees
What Is Not Included
International flights to and from Uganda
Uganda visa fees or East African Tourist Visa
Travel insurance is strongly recommended
Porter fees during gorilla or chimp trekking
Tips and gratuities for guides, rangers, lodge staff
Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages at lodges
Laundry services
Personal expenses such as souvenirs and additional activities not listed
Optional activities not specified in the confirmed itinerary
