13 Day Uganda Ultimate Adventure Safari
From $3050.22 per person
Uganda: “The Pearl of Africa”, offers a unique diversity of wildlife, natural beauty, and friendly inhabitants that all combine to make this country one of Africa’s hidden gems. This tour includes the obvious attractions of trekking in indigenous forests to see wild gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as exploring vast water-ways, mystical villages hidden in mist, and the lesser-known sights of Tree Climbing Lions, huge pods of hippopotamus, and of course, the endless variety of plains animals.
This tour endeavors to explore the scenic beauty of Uganda, its people, and its wildlife. We will cover approximately 2000km, some of it on extremely bad roads, but the rewards are unequalled.
Weather, roads, and other local conditions will influence the route chosen on each tour and we may run the tour in reverse if required, clients should be flexible in this regard.
Clients should be equipped with an open mind and a spontaneous disposition in order to best enjoy the superb offerings of Uganda.
Clients fly into / out of Entebbe airport. Transfers and pre / post tour nights can be booked through Discovery Slayers for the Imperial Heights Hotel near Entebbe or any other place. Meals are available.
Please Note: Due to the high demand for Gorilla Permits, the Discovery Slayers office can only confirm your tour departure once the permit has been secured. This permit must be paid for in advance by you, the guest, directly to our on-the-ground partner, Sense of Africa Uganda. The Discovery Slayers office will gladly assist in facilitating this direct payment. Kindly note that Gorilla Permits are non-refundable and date changes cannot be made, once issued.
Itinerary
Discovery Slayers Uganda also offer our guests the option of an accommodation upgrade on the Uganda tour. This service can be booked in advance insuring more comfort for guest during the tour.
DAY 1: ENTEBBE – LAKE MBURO
Our adventure begins at 08h00, when we depart from our hotel in Entebbe to head south west through verdant green hills and countless villages. We will stop frequently at local markets, including a drum market, and at the equator we’ll experiment to see which way water really drains from a bath. We have lunch at the equator (own expense).
We arrive at our camp in the late afternoon. An upgrade to accommodation is possible, but to ensure availability this should be pre-booked.
Meals
Dinner (Lunch own expense)
Accommodation
Leopard Rest Campsite or similar
Highlights
- Drum market
- Equator
DAY 2: LAKE MBURO - LAKE BUNYONYI
This morning we enter Lake Mburo National Park early for a game drive. Lake Mburo is just one of a group lakes scattered like jewels between the hills, and the park is well known for its herds of plains game, and especially for the numerous hippos in the lakes.
Leaving Lake Mburo, we travel through a lush tropical landscape of rolling green hills covered with a patchwork of banana plantations and market gardens. Look out for the impressive, long-horned Ankole cattle. The roads are rough as we pass remote villages, often shrouded in mist, we there for head toward the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for check-in at the lodge or we camp.
We set up camp for the night at the edge of the forest and prepare for the gorilla trek the following day.
*NOTE: Flexible itinerary, rate is dependent on the allocation of the gorilla permits
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation
Lake Bunyonyi Camp or similar
Highlights
- Game Drive in Mburo National Park
- Scenic drive to Bwindi
DAY 3-4: LAKE BUNYONYI - BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST
The gorilla trek is undoubtedly the highlight of the entire tour. The mountains and tropical forests are spectacular in their own right, but spending time with a group of Mountain Gorillas is an experience that really defies any description. Many people are moved by the obvious kinship we share with these magnificent animals. We split into small groups and trek up into the forest, each group led by a local guide, in search of a different family of gorillas. The going can be quite tough, and you should come prepared for a hike through dense forest, up steep, muddy paths over uneven terrain.
The gorilla permits are limited, with strict rules to minimize the impact on the gorillas, so we allow two days for trekking to ensure everyone gets their chance. You must be prepared to be flexible with the timing and the location of your trek. On occasions when permits are only available for Day 4, we will visit Lake Bunyonyi on Day 3, but where permits are spread over Day 3 and 4, those not trekking have the option to visit a local village, led by a local guide. The forest also offers fantastic birding.
* NOTE: Flexible itinerary, rate is dependent on the allocation of the gorilla permits
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (x2)
Accommodation
Karungi Camp or similar
Highlights
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Gorilla trekking (Permit paid separately)
- Bwindi Forest
DAY 5-6: BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST - QUEEN ELIZABETH NP
Leaving the mountains and forests behind us, we descend to the grasslands of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Ishasha area is renowned for its huge tree climbing lions, but fantastic bird life, numerous species of primates, and abundant plains game, including the kob that the lion’s prey on, are reason enough to visit. We will spend two nights here and have a full day to game drive extensively, and especially to search the tall fig trees for lions.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (x2)
Accommodation
Ishasha Camp or similar
Highlights
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Full day game drive
- Tree climbing lions
- Massive hippo population
DAY 7: QUEEN ELIZABETH NP - FORT PORTAL
Today we travel the length of the park, looking for animals all the way, through the Maramagambo Forest and over the Kazinga Channel which links Lake Edward and Lake George, to exit the park in the north. We pass through the town of Kasese, before stopping at a viewpoint where we have lunch with the Rwenzori Mountains in front of us. The “Mountains of the Moon” rise over 5000m above sea level, with slopes covered in tropical forest and the highest peaks permanently snow-capped, a bewildering sight considering their proximity to the equator. Glaciers high up form one of the sources of the waters of the Nile River.
Tonight we camp amongst the tea plantations near Fort Portal.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation
Kluges Guest Farm Camping or similar
Highlights
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Drive through Maramogambo Forest
- Kazinga Channel
- Ruwenzori Mountain views
- Tea plantations
DAY 8: FORT PORTAL – MASINDI
We have a long drive today, over some rough roads, so we leave early this morning. We pass through the luminous green tea plantations surrounding Fort Portal before taking the long road, via Hoima, to Masindi, our stop for the night. Given the long drive and the state of the roads, we don’t camp tonight, staying at a local hotel or lodge.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation
Masindi Hotel or similar
Highlights
- Scenic drive
- Masindi
DAY 9-10: MASINDI - MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
This morning we enter Murchison Falls National Park, where we spend the next two nights. Here we will track chimpanzees on foot, game drive in the park, view Murchison Falls, and take a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile River. The program is flexible, depending on the season, road conditions and availability of bookings, but all these activities will be included.
The southern part of the park is heavily forested, great habitat for chimps, with the northern part, where we game drive, open savannah with abundant plains game, including the relatively rare Rothschild’s Giraffe. Getting to the northern part of the park means crossing the Nile using the ferry at Parra, an adventure all on its own.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation
Red Chili Camp or similar
Highlights
- Chimpanzee trek, permit included
- Murchison Falls
- Game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
- Victoria Nile boat cruise
DAY 11-12: MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK - KALAGALA FALLS
We leave the park early this morning to drive south towards Jinja, near the source of the White Nile where the water pours out of Lake Victoria in a wild torrent.
The area around Jinja is regarded as east Africa’s adventure capital, and we spend a full day here so you have time to participate in any of a number of adventure activities: white water rafting, bungee jumping over the source of the Nile, boat cruises, horse riding, visiting local community projects are all options (own expense).
Meals
Breakfast (x2), Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation
Kalagala Adrift Camp or similar
Highlights
- Drive through many villages
- Jinja Area (adventure capital of Uganda)
DAY 13: KALAGALA FALLS – ENTEBBE
Awaking on the last morning of our tour, the truck will depart after breakfast and make our way back to Entebbe to drop the guests off at the Imperial Heights Hotel or the airport gate.
The tour officially ends on arrival in Entebbe.
Alternatively, you can extend your stay in Kalagala Falls or participate in further optional activities and take a later transfer directly to Entebbe, all of which Drifters can arrange on your behalf.
Meals
Breakfasted
- Kampala
- Equator
- Lake Mburo National Park
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and surrounding villages
- Gorilla trek (Permit excluded)
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Tree Climbing Lions – Ishasha
- Village walks
- Birding walks
- Chimpanzee trek (permit included)
- Kazinga channel
- Rwenzori (Mountains of the Moon)
- Kaniyo-Pabidi
- Murchison Falls and Murchison Falls National Park
- Victoria Nile boat trip