12 Day Luxury Uganda Safari – Into the Wild

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From $7449 per person for two sharing

Tour Overview

Located on the Equator, Uganda is a country of extraordinarily diverse landscapes, wildlife, and experiences. A trip here takes you from shimmering Lake Victoria and emerald green farmland cleaved by red-earth roads to mist-cloaked highlands, where tea is grown, and to the dense jungle of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to almost half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Beyond the wilderness, you will visit the hilly capital of Kampala and the lakeside town of Jinja, where visitors can immerse themselves in the warm atmosphere of contemporary Africa. This 12-day Uganda safari adventure captures it all, from culture-rich Kampala to up-close encounters with white rhinos, chimpanzees, and the famous Mountain Gorillas.

Highlights

  • Observe charismatic silverbacks, females, and their young while mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
  • Spend time with the Indigenous Batwa people, the original “Keepers of the Forest” in Bwindi
  • Explore the UNESCO-listed Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, the royal burial ground of four Buganda kings
  • Observe playful chimpanzees up close in Kibale rainforest
  • Track wild white rhinos on foot at Ziwa Rhino Ranch and learn about efforts to reintroduce them into the wild.
  • Cruise the placid waters of Lake Victoria with a sunset drink in hand
  • Have breakfast at the top of Murchison Falls, taking in 360-degree views while listening to the roar of the water
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Lemala-Wildwaters-Lodge
Room at Gorilla Forest Lodge
Chimpanzee Trekking in Uganda.webp
Elephants in Murchsion Falls National Park

Itinerary IN dETAIL

Discover your route below. This itinerary is the starting point, tailor your adventure with the specific experiences.

Day 1 | Arrival Entebbe Airport, Meet & Greet

Welcome to Uganda. Our private driver will meet you at Entebbe International Airport (EBB) and take you on a drive of about 1 hour to Kampala. 

Like Rome, the Uganda’s capital city, Kampala was built on seven hills, but today it occupies more than 20. This is a city of panoramic views, taxi parks, palaces, cathedrals, and mosques, as well as flea markets, and kafundas (roadside bars with plastic chairs and tables). Also, keep your eyes out for street foods like rolex, chapati wrapped around an onion, tomato, and cabbage omelet. 

You will stay at Latitude 0° Hotel for two nights. Set among trees laced with orchids on Makindye Hill, the hotel has 47 rooms. The rooms offer views of the city or Lake Victoria. They are filled with natural light, fine linens, and hand-beaded textiles, plus essentials like fresh Ugandan coffee. In the lobby, local artwork, antique carvings and vintage chestnut leather sofas create a boutique vibe. And the outdoor pool, gym, and spa provide opportunities to relax after your flight.

Accommodation: Latitude 0° Hotel Kampala

Meal Plan: Bed & Breakfast

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Latitude 0 standard room 2

After breakfast, start the day with a visit to Afriart Gallery, one of Kampala’s spaces for contemporary African art. Its collection of paintings, photography and other works brings together artists from across the continent and offers an introduction to the creativity and ideas shaping modern Africa. 

Then, head to Owino Market and stroll among its busy stalls. It is the largest market in Uganda, selling everything from second-hand clothes and shoes to traditional medicines and herbs. More than half the stallholders are women, many of whom drive a hard bargain. If you find something you like, try offering a quarter of the asking price and walking away if the offer is not accepted. If you have played your cards right, you may soon hear the seller calling you back.

After lunch, step back in time at the Kasubi Tombs, the royal burial grounds that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001. On the hilltop is the former palace of the Kabakas (kings) of Buganda Kingdom, the name of the homeland of the Baganda, the largest Bantu ethnic group in Uganda. Four tombs containing the remains of Buganda kings lie inside the circular main building, topped by a thatched dome called Muzibu Azaala Mpanga. After learning about Baganda traditions, cultures, and beliefs from your expert local guide, return to Latitude 0° for some relaxation before enjoying a delicious dinner.

Accommodation: Latitude 0° Hotel Kampala

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Kampala
Kasubi Tombs

About 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Kampala lies Jinja, a historic town on the banks of the Nile that began as a British settlement in 1901. Your accommodation for the next two nights is Lemala Wildwaters Lodge, set on a private island about 24 kilometres (15 miles) from Jinja and accessible only by boat. True to its name, the lodge sits on a granite outcrop in the middle of the Nile, surrounded by Grade 5 rapids.

The soothing sound of the Nile is constant, whether you are in your suite, at the spa, on the lunch deck, or or relaxing in the pool cantilevered over the river. Around the island, look out for different bird species, from turacos and cuckoos to eagles and hawks, and keep your eyes peeled for giant otters and monitor lizards.

In the afternoon, take a cruise on Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Enjoy a sundowner on the water before returning to the lodge for dinner, with the sound of the rushing river in the background.

Accommodation: Lemala Wildwaters Lodge

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Lemala-Wildwaters-Lodge
Jinja

Begin by kayaking a calmer stretch of River Nile with an expert instructor. Uganda is home to more than 1,080 bird species (about 10% of the world’s bird species can be found here), thanks to its varied habitats–rainforest, savannah, lakes, wetlands, and the Nile itself – making it an extraordinary birdwatching destination. 

Learn about them from your guide as you paddle. After lunch at the lodge, enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. If you wish, you may book a treatment at the Garden Spa or book one of the extra activities such as fishing, horse riding, or whitewater rafting.

Jinja Excursions – (optional)

From your accommodation, you can truly do anything! There is plenty of choice for both the adventurer and those who prefer to take things a little easier. Rafting is highly recommended for adventurers, as this is the ultimate spot for it due to all the rapids of the Nile near Jinja. Additionally, you can choose from tubing, mountain biking, bungee jumping, or quad biking. Those who prefer to take it easy might enjoy a beautiful horseback ride along the Nile or a walk through the village. 

Of course, you can also simply relax at the lodge with a view of the Nile!

Accommodation: Lemala Wildwaters Lodge

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Family rafting

Set out early from Jinja to Murchison Falls National Park, stopping at Ziwa Rhino Rach for a lesson in wildlife conservation. Comprising 70 square kilometers (27 square miles) of woodland, swamp, and savannah, Ziwa is the best place to see wild southern white rhinos—named not on account of their color but their wide (“wyd” in Afrikaans) lower lip, which distinguishes them from black rhinos. Here, the rhinos roam free but can be tracked on foot with a ranger. Watch them from a safe distance as you learn about their behavior and plans to reintroduce the species into Uganda’s national parks.

After a good lunch at the ranch, continue to Murchison Falls National Park. The waterfalls themselves are created in a place where the Nile is forced through an eight-meter gap in the Rift Valley escarpment. Check in at Nile Safari Lodge, an exclusive lodge with 8 thatched bandas on the southern bank of the Nile River, each with an en suite bathroom, indoor and outdoor showers, and a private viewing deck. Listen for the sound of birds like wading shoebills, whose huge bills are shaped like a Dutch clog.

Accommodation: Nile Safari Lodge

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Ziwa Rhino & Wildlife Ranch Tour
Nile Safari Lodge

Bisected by River Nile, Murchison Falls National Park is home to lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, giraffes, chimpanzees, hippos, and Uganda’s largest population of Nile crocodiles. The exceptional birdlife elevates the national park even further. More than 450 species have been seen and recorded here, from dwarf kingfishers to Goliath herons to shoebills, white-thighed hornbills, and great blue turacos. Wake up early for a game drive in the savannah plains along the northern bank of the Nile River. Keep an eye out for buffalo, Jackson hartebeest, hyenas, and lions (since 2005 Murchison Falls National Park has been designated as a Lion Conservation Unit). Later, see, hear, and feel the full force of Murchison Falls (the word’s strongest waterfall) as you explore its base by boat, hoping for a sighting of hippos and Nile crocodiles.

Accommodation: Nile Safari Lodge

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Uganda Safaris (7)
Boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park

Take in the 360-degree views with the top of Murchison Falls with your guide. Here, the 50-meter-wide Nile passes through an 8-meter-wide gap in the rocks before tumbling 43 meters and then flowing into Lake Albert. With its astonishing views and roaring soundtrack, the summit is a perfect breakfast spot.

After lunch at the lodge, head to the airstrip for the scenic flight to Kibale National Park, known primarily for its 13 species of primates. Its population of common chimpanzees is the highlight, but the park is also home to Uganda mangabeys, red and black-and-white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, and red-tailed monkeys.

After landing, check into one of the eight bandas at the newly opened Volcanoes Kibale Lodge. Designed and built by East African architects, engineers, designers and landscape gardeners, the lodge features furniture, textiles and artwork made by local artisans. Spend some time by the pool or in the spa before dinner. Later, gather around the fire for an in-depth talk on chimpanzee behaviour with leading primatologists and field researchers.

Accommodation: Volcanoes Kibale Lodge

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Murchison Falls National Park (2)
Accommodation in Kibale National Park

The Kibale rainforest will be eerily silent as you leave the lodge early in search of chimpanzees. Several communities of chimpanzees here have been habituated, meaning they are used to humans. Less sedentary than gorillas, chimpanzees move through the forest canopy or at ground level, and you follow their progress with trackers and a guide. Watching these intelligent animals swing through the trees, play, eat, and groom one another is a life-changing experience. Pause for a picnic lunch before moving on again.

Humans live near the forest too. Learn about their way of life on a community walk through the Bigodi Village. Visit a local coffee farmer and get to taste local coffee. You can also stop by a traditional healer or get a lesson in basket weaving before you retire to your banda.

Accommodation: Volcanoes Kibale Lodge

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Kibale
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Fly further south to Uganda’s mountain gorilla heartland. Remote, wild, and dense with foliage, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is remarkable in its beauty: a high-altitude realm of misty mountains, streams, steep ravines, and valleys carpeted with a tangle of trees, creepers, vines, and ferns. More than 500 mountain gorillas call it home.

One of the most luxurious places to stay in the national park, Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, has 10 architecturally striking suites scattered across a hillside, linked by stepped gravel paths through gardens where monkeys often roam. In 2024, the former tented camp that previously stood here was replaced with more spacious suites, each with a deck to sit and watch wildlife. No suite overlooks any other, so guests have total privacy.

After lunch, a guide will show you around Bwindi Village, where you will be able to engage with several projects supported by Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy (AKP). 

Meet local women who have been empowered to repair and sell bicycles within the community—with some proceeds going towards providing bicycles for nurses visiting outlying villages—and others who make beads from recycled paper and fashion everything from jewelry to the chandeliers for the suites at Gorilla Forest Lodge. 

Back at the lodge, meet the gorilla research team before dinner and learn about primate conservation—from habitat protection and the dynamics of the various family groups in Bwindi to what trackers must do to locate them every day.

Accommodation: Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest choose Uganda safaris
Room at Gorilla Forest Lodge

Set off early on a mountain gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Begin with a briefing from the rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), whose trackers will have already located 25 gorilla families and assigned one of them to your group.

Trek toward the apes along trails that cut through the dense forest, venturing within a few yards of them. Thanks to the trackers’ efforts, sightings are almost assured. Spend up to an hour with a family of gorillas, watching silverbacks feed on vegetation and youngsters tumble and climb trees, before embarking on the hike back through pristine forest. Because they are used to human presence, the gorillas will be relaxed as they go about their normal business. Afterward, return to Gorilla Forest Lodge for free time and dinner.

Accommodation: Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda (3)
Uganda Gorilla Trekking Holidays.webp

After meeting the giants of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, focus on the smaller things as you walk along forest trails to a scenic waterfall in the company of expert ranger guides. In addition to pointing out vivid butterflies, rare chameleons, dazzling forest birds, and insects found nowhere else on earth, they will talk about how local communities utilize the forest, including different medicinal plants. Be prepared for surprises: Forest elephants frequent these trails, and you may even spot another gorilla.

Head back to spend time with the Batwa—a tribe of hunter-gatherer people indigenous to East Africa. When Bwindi was created as a sanctuary for mountain gorillas in 1992, the Batwa were forced to leave their ancestral lands and live on the fringes of the park. But in 2001, the California physician Dr. Scott Kellerman and his wife, Carol, introduced new medical facilities and other support for the Batwa, work continued today by the Batwa Development Program. On a hike with a Batwa guide, stroll through villages and learn about their practices, including farming, food, spiritual beliefs, and traditions. Return to the lodge for time at leisure before a farewell dinner.

Accommodation: Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Bwindi waterfalls
Uganda's culture

After breakfast at the lodge, drive to the airstrip and board your bush plane for the flight to Entebbe. There, a dayroom has been reserved at No.5 Boutique Hotel, where you can spend time at leisure ahead of your journey home.

Accommodation: NO.5 Boutique Hotel Entebbe

Meals: breakfast

Luxury Uganda Safaris
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Tour Price

Number of People

Price per Person

1 Person

USD 10529

2 People

USD 7449

3 People

USD 6794

4 People

USD 6188

5 People

USD 6047

6 People

USD 5767

Inclusions

  • All park entrance fees
  • Transport in a safari-equipped off-road vehicle
  • Experienced English-speaking driver/guide
  • All meals as indicated in the itinerary
  • Game drives as indicated in the itinerary
  • Drinking water in the vehicle
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure
  • 1 night at The Boma Hotel Entebbe
  • 1 overnight stay at the Ziwa Rhino Ranch
  • 1 night at Hemingways Luxury Tented Camp
  • 2 nights at Tangi Elephant Camp
  • 2 nights at Bugoma Jungle Lodge
  • 2 nights at Turaco Treetops
  • 2 nights at Elephant Hab Lodge
  • 2 nights at Four Gorillas Lodge
  • 2 nights at Mihingo Lodge
  • Mabamba Shoebill Tour by dugout canoe
  • Visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary including a hike to see the rhinos
  • Boat trip at Murchison Falls
  • Waterfall hike Uhuru / Murchison
  • Night game drive in Murchison National Park
  • Bush Breakfast Murchison
  • Nature walk in Bugoma
  • Chimpanzee trekking in Bugoma (permit included)
  • Village Walk in Bugoma
  • Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale (permit included)
  • Bigodi Swamp hike
  • Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park (permit included)
  • Boat trip on the Kazinga Canal in Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Guided hike + night game drive in Lake Mburo National Park

Exclusions

  • International flights to/from Uganda
  • Optional excursions or activities not pre-booked
  • Uganda visa costs (USD 50)
  • Travel Insurance
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Drinks

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We founded Choose Uganda Safaris with a dream in hand: to organize the most beautiful trips for people who want to discover Uganda. Since then, we have built a passionate local team with one goal: to make your Uganda trip an unforgettable experience. 

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Crafted By Ssonko Rashidu

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12 Day Luxury Uganda Safari – Into the Wild