10 Days Uganda Tour
This 10 Days Uganda Tour is exactly what you need to spend quality time in the wild with friends and family. The 10 day long Uganda safari takes you to some of the most exotic and tropical getaway destinations in the country. You will get to see lots of savannah wildlife animals on guided game drives, sail the Nile on a sunset boat cruise in Murchison falls national park, trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi, and also get to interact with the local people in the various destinations that you will visit. Here is a detailed itinerary for the 10 days Uganda Tour;
Day 1: Pickup from Entebbe & Transfer to Kampala.
Pickup & Transfer to Kampala: Upon your arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your guide from Explore Rwanda Tours. After a brief meet and greet session with your guide, you will be transferred to Kampala city, which is the capital of Uganda. It will take you about 1⅟₂ hours to get to Kampala from Entebbe.
Kampala City Tour: Upon your arrival in Kampala, you will drive to your hotel, check in and have lunch. After you lunch, you will embark on a short tour of Kampala city where you will visit interesting places like; the Uganda Museum, Shopping malls, Buganda King’s Palace in Mengo, Craft village, Ndeere Center, Kasubi Tombs and so many more. After your city tour, drive back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Hotel African/ Sheraton Hotel/ Kampala Serena Hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls & Evening Game Drive.
Transfer to Murchison Falls: Wake early in the morning and have breakfast at your hotel. Check out of your hotel and proceed with your transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. The park is located in the northern part of Uganda and covers the districts of Nwoya, Masindi, Buliisa and Kiryandogo. The national park covers a total surface area of 3,840 square kilometers, making it the largest national park in Uganda. It takes approximately 7 hours driving from Kampala to the national park. You will have lunch in Masindi town.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary: After your lunch, proceed to Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Sanctuary which is located in Masindi. The sanctuary is the only destination where visitors can get to see rhinos in the natural habitat. Aside from rhinos, you will get to see other wildlife animals such as zebras, warthogs, antelopes and many more. Later proceed with your drive to Murchison falls national park and check into your lodge for dinner and accommodation at Heritage Safari Lodge/Pakuba Safari Lodge/Paraa Safari Lodge.
Day 3: Hot Air Balloon Safari and Sunset Boat Cruise.
Hot Air Balloon: Wake up early in the morning and head out for an early morning hot air balloon ride in the park. The sunrise hot air balloon tours in Murchison falls national park start at exactly 5am in the morning till 9:30am. It offers you one hour of wildlife viewing from the sky and climaxes with a heart-warming bush breakfast and a complimentary bottle of Champaign. Enjoy your delicious African breakfast while soaking in the beautiful scenery at the park.
Hike to Top of the Falls: After having your exquisite bush breakfast, you will head out for a guided hiking expedition to the Top of the falls. Trails around the top of the falls will lead you up to the water’s edge, where you will get an opportunity to get close to the narrow gorge through which the river plunges. This hiking expedition can take about 2 to 3 hours depending on your pace. Later meet up with your guide and drive back to your lodge for lunch and relax for a while.
Sunset Boat Cruise: Later in the afternoon, drive to the Paara dock for a boat cruise on the Albert Nile. Boat cruises in Murchison Falls commence at exactly 2pm in the afternoon. You will take a boat trip to the Delta where you will get a panoramic view of the majestic and mighty Murchison falls. Spend quality time (about four to five hours) marveling at nature’s beautiful gifts while sipping a cold beer or cocktail drink of your choice and watch the sunset over the horizon. You will also enjoy seeing crocodiles, hippos and various bird species such as the Kingfisher, cormorants, and the Rare Shoebill Stork among others.
Later head back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Morning Game drive and Transfer to Kibale National Park.
Morning Game Drive: After an early breakfast, head out for a morning game drive on the northern bank of River Nile. Enjoy 3-5 hours of exclusive wildlife viewing in the park. While on the game drive, you will have a chance to sight wildlife species like Elephants, the Rothschild giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, Hartebeests, Uganda Kobs, Waterbucks, Oribis, Impala and so many others.
Transfer to Kibale: After your game drive in the park, proceed with your transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. The park is located in the western region of Uganda, and it will take your about 7-10 hours to get to the park from Murchison falls national park. This national park is home to 70 species of mammals, 375 bird species and 13 primate species, including over 1500 chimpanzees. You will have lunch enroute to the park. After having a hearty meal, we shall proceed with the journey to Kibale national park. Upon your arrival at the park, check into your lodge, have dinner and an overnight stay at the Chimpanzee Guesthouse/Primate Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest and Bigodi Swamp Walk.
Chimpanzee Trekking: Wake up to an early morning breakfast and proceed to Kanyanchu Visitors Center in Kibale Forest National Park. You will be welcomed by the head ranger at the park, sign in and then have a short briefing before you begin tracking chimpanzees. Kibale Forest National Park is home to over 1500 chimpanzees, thus making the park a haven for all chimp trekking tours in Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking activities in this park will begin at exactly 8am in the morning, and last between 2-5 hours. Once you have located the chimps, you will be given exactly an hour to spend with the chimps; so make sure you have your camera ready with you. After your chimpanzee trekking activity, you will head back to your lodge to freshen up, have lunch and relax.
Bigodi Swamp Walk: Later in the Afternoon, you will proceed to Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary which is just adjacent to the national park. Here, you will embark on a guided nature walk in the Swamp; where you will get to sight a number of bird species like; the Yellow-spotted Barbet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Superb Sunbird, Black Bishop bird and the rare Shoe Bill Stock to mention but a few. There are about 138 bird species in Bigodi Swamp alone. Later head back to your lodge for dinner and accommodation.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth and Lion Tracking Experience.
Transfer to Queen: Have breakfast from your lodge early in the morning and check out of your lodge. Meet up with your guide and proceed with your transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is located in the western part of Uganda, in Kasese district. It is the second largest savannah national park in Uganda, covering approximately 1,978 square kilometers. The national park is located about three hours away from Kibale national park by road.
Lion Tracking Experience: Once you arrive in Queen Elizabeth national park, you will drive to your designated lodge for lunch. After having lunch, you will embark on a lion tracking experience. You will be accompanied by a team of researchers and park ranger on a guided game drive in the park, where you will have an opportunity to see the tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of the park. This activity will take about 1-3 hours or more depending on how fast you are able to locate a pride of lions.
Later check drive to your lodge for dinner and accommodation at Pumba Safari Cottages (Budget)/Park View Safari Lodge (Mid-Range)/Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury).
Day 7: Morning Game drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise.
Morning Game Drive: Have an early morning breakfast and proceed on a morning game drive in the park which begins at 6am. This morning game drive will give you a great chance to view the stunning wildlife in the park like; African savannah elephants, hyenas, Uganda Kobs, heart beasts, giraffes, zebras and many more. Queen Elizabeth National Park is blessed with over 612 bird species thus making it a great destination for birding activities. While on your game drive, you may spot birds like the African skimmer, Chapin’s flycatcher, Shoebill stock, the great flamingos and Pink- backed pelicans. Game drives in the park usually take between 2-5 hours. Later drive back to your lodge lunch.
Afternoon Boat Cruise: Head out for an evening boat cruise on Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The boat cruise starts at exactly 2pm and can take approximately 2 hours. During your boat cruise, you may sight lots of wildlife such as hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, waterbucks and some species of birds like the great flamingos, Shoebill stock, Ibis and so many others.
Later retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi National Park.
Transfer to Bwindi: After having a breakfast at your lodge early in the morning, meet up with your guide outside your lodge and proceed with your transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It takes about five to seven hours of driving to get to Bwindi national park (depending on which sector of the park you will be travelling to). You will have lunch enroute to the park. Once you get to Bwindi national park, check into your lodge for dinner and accommodation at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/Buhoma Haven Lodge/Silverback Lodge.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest & Batwa Trail Experience.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi: Bwindi Impenetrable national park has a total of 459 habituated gorillas which can be tracked by visitors in groups of not more than 8 members per group. There are 18 habituated gorilla groups in Uganda of which 15 are available for tourists to track.
Have breakfast very early at you lodge as your guide will pick you up at 6am. You will embark on a short journey to the Parks headquarters in Buhoma. You are supposed to be at Buhoma at exactly 7am for a briefing by the park’s head ranger which will begin at 8am and then you will be put in groups of 8 individuals per group depending on the gorilla group you are going to track. Tracking begins at exactly 8:30 am hence endeavor to always keep time.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 15 habituated gorilla groups that are tracked from four trailheads. Of these 15 habituated gorilla groups, 3 are found in Buhoma area in the northwest part of the park; while 4 gorilla groups are situated in Ruhija in the eastern part of Bwindi and 8 gorilla groups in Nkuringo and Rushaga respectively, located south of Bwindi.
Each tracking group consists of strictly eight individuals with each group having a park guide and ranger. Tracking can take about 1- 6 hours depending how easily and quick the gorillas are spotted. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be give exactly an hour with them; hence you should maximize your time well and don’t forget to take lots of pictures without using your camera’s flash. The tracking trails can be very wet, steep and slippery thus you should wear a good pair of hiking boots.
Batwa Trail Experience: After your gorilla trekking experience, you will embark on the Batwa Trail Experience in the forest. You will be guided by local Batwa guides who have vast knowledge and experience of the forest. You will be taught some of their hunting techniques, making of traditional herbal medicines and so much more.
Later head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Transfer Back to Kampala and Departure.
Transfer back to Kampala: Have a relaxed breakfast and then check out of your Lodge. Proceed on you return journey back to Kampala. You will have lunch at Igongo Cultural Center near Mbarara town. You will also have a stopover at the equator monuments in Kayabwe, where you can take a few pictures and also visit the nearby craft shops to grab yourself some souvenirs. You will then proceed with your drive back to Kampala. This day marks the end of your 10 days Uganda tour and your guide will either drop you off at your preferred hotel in Kampala or directly at Entebbe International Airport in time to board your flight back home. End of Tour.
