12-day Uganda Exploration by Road

Arrival in Entebbe & Optional Mabamba Swamp Tour

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and meet your representative from Nkuringo Safaris for a transfer to Papyrus Guest House. You’ll have the rest of the day at leisure.
Optional: In the afternoon, take a boat and canoe ride through Mabamba Swamp, one of Uganda’s best spots for viewing the rare shoebill stork and other birdlife. End with a serene sundowner on Lake Victoria.

• Accommodation: Papyrus Guest House
• Meals: Bed & Breakfast

Travel to Lake Mburo National Park

After breakfast, drive westwards through Uganda’s picturesque countryside, stopping at Mpambire drum makers and the Equator monument for photos.
Continue to Lake Mburo National Park, arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive to spot zebra, impala, buffalo, and eland.
Optional: Choose a boat safari on the lake, a cycling tour, or a guided nature walk for a more active afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock Lodge

Drive to Bwindi via the Highlands

Start your day with an early morning game drive as you exit Lake Mburo. The journey to Bwindi takes you through scenic hills, tea plantations, and volcanic landscapes.
Arrive at Nkuringo on the southern edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the afternoon.
You can relax at the lodge or join optional community activities such as visiting a local herbalist, blacksmith, or birdwatching in Nombe Forest.

• Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Begin your gorilla adventure with a 7:45 AM briefing at the park headquarters. You’ll then trek through the dense rainforest in search of one of Bwindi’s habituated gorilla families.
The trek can last 2–6 hours depending on gorilla movement. Watching them up close in their natural habitat is a humbling, unforgettable experience.
Afterward, return to the lodge and unwind. Optional: take a sunset stroll to the "Top of the World" viewpoint for panoramic views of the forest.

• Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Nkuringo Optional Adventures

Enjoy a relaxing day at the lodge or choose from a variety of optional cultural or nature-based excursions.
Visit the Batwa pygmy community, enjoy a nature walk in Buninga Forest, or hike and canoe across Lake Mutanda—a peaceful experience with beautiful landscapes.
More adventurous guests can opt for golden monkey tracking or volcano trekking in Mgahinga National Park. Treks to Mt. Gahinga, Sabinyo, or Muhavura are challenging but incredibly rewarding.

• Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth NP via Ishasha Sector

Depart Bwindi in the morning for Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route, you’ll pass through Ishasha, famous for its rare tree-climbing lions.
You may spot buffaloes, elephants, and antelope along the way.
Optional: Instead of driving, guests can hike 13 km through Bwindi Forest from Nkuringo to Buhoma with rangers and a guide ($155 pp).

• Accommodation: Katara Safari Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Queen Elizabeth Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Safari

Enjoy a morning game drive through the Kasenyi Plains in search of elephants, lions, and Uganda kob.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a 36 km waterway teeming with hippos, crocodiles, and numerous water birds.
This park is one of the most biodiverse in Uganda, boasting 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.

• Accommodation: Katara Safari Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel to Kibale & ‘Top of the World’ Hike

After a relaxed breakfast, drive north toward Fort Portal and Kibale National Park.
Kibale is famous for its forests, crater lakes, and primate-rich habitats.
Optional: In the late afternoon, take a short hike to the “Top of the World” for panoramic views of the Rwenzori Mountains and tea plantations.

• Accommodation: Turaco Treetops
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Chimpanzee Tracking & Bigodi Wetland (Optional)

Spend the morning tracking chimpanzees in Kibale, home to the highest density of primates in Africa. You may also see red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and more.
Optional: Visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary ($25) for a guided nature walk with a strong community conservation model and great birding.

• Accommodation: Turaco Treetops
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drive North to Murchison Falls National Park

Enjoy a scenic full-day drive to Murchison Falls, Uganda’s largest and oldest national park.
Located along the Victoria Nile, the park is known for its wide savannahs, dramatic waterfalls, and large wildlife populations.
Relax at your lodge on the riverbank in the evening.

• Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Safari & Waterfall Hike in Murchison Falls NP

Start with a morning game drive on the northern bank in search of lions, giraffes, elephants, and hartebeest.
Later, take a boat cruise up the Nile to the base of Murchison Falls—an incredible sight where the river explodes through a narrow gorge.
Optional: Hike to the top of the falls for dramatic views of the powerful cascade.

• Accommodation: Murchison River Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary & Return to Entebbe

On your final day, visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to track Uganda’s only wild white rhinos—part of a successful reintroduction project.
Continue your drive to Entebbe, arriving around 5 PM. Transfer to the airport for your international flight or overnight stay.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch