20 Days Best of Uganda Safari
20 Days Best of Uganda Safari is one of the best adventure safari experiences in Uganda, combining adventure and relaxation. These 20-days cover all of Uganda’s major attractions in all of the country’s regions, including the Western, Southern Western, Northern, Eastern, and Central regions. You can learn about Uganda by simply visiting its main tourist attractions in 20 days.
The journey includes Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, Queen Elizabeth National Park – home to tree climbing lions, Kibale National Park – home to chimps and other 12 primates, Murchison Falls National Park – Uganda’s largest national park and famous for the great Murchison Falls, the world’s strongest falls, Kidepo National Park – Uganda’s renowned wildlife park for big cats and where we can only.
Other experiences to enjoy while on this trip are boat cruising giving you an endless encounter of birds and animals, nature walks, and community encounters.
Highlights of the 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari
- Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport – Hotel
- Day 2: Transfer to Jinja City
- Day 3: Adventure on the Nile
- Day 4: Transfer to Sipi falls – Hike Sipi falls
- Day 5: Transfer to Kidepo national park
- Day 6: Narus valley morning game drive and cultural village tour
- Day 7: Kidepo valley tour and visit Kanangorok Hot springs
- Day 8: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
- Day 9: Game drive and River Nile boat cruise
- Day 10: Delta boat trip and top of the falls visit
- Day 11: Transfer to Kibale national park
- Day 12: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland visit
- Day 13: Lion tracking and Kazinga boat trip – Queen Elizabeth national park
- Day 14: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable national park
- Day 15: Gorilla trekking experience
- Day 16: Batwa community tour and transfer to Mgainga national park
- Day 17: Hike Mount Sabinyo
- Day 18: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 19: Relaxation and canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 20: Transfer to Entebbe airport and departure
20 Days Best of Uganda Safaris Detailed itnerary
Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe airport – Hotel
On the first day of your 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari, you will meet our company representative, who will also serve as your safari guide for the duration of the adventure. Meet and greet at the arrival area, then proceed to parking and board the safari vehicle for the drive to your booked hotel in Entebbe.
Entebbe is home to Uganda’s only international airport, the president’s residence, the Zoo, the reptile village, the botanical gardens, and beaches due to its proximity to Lake Victoria. If you arrive during the day, you may visit some of these locations of your choice. Upon locating your hotel, proceed to check-in for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja City
Check out of your hotel after breakfast and transfer to Jinja City. It is a three-hour drive through beautiful landscapes of tea plantations, sugar plantations, Mabira forest, Lake Victoria, and the friendly people of Eastern Uganda. After arriving in Jinja via the beautiful bridge, have lunch and then visit the Nile’s source, where you will be shown the point where the Nile separates from Lake Victoria.
Other activities available include horseback riding, quad biking, bungee jumping, and mountain biking. Later that evening, connect to your pre-arranged lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: The Nile Adventure
After a delicious breakfast, embark on an exciting journey down the Nile. Report to the Nalubage rafting offices for a briefing and to obtain the necessary rafting equipment, such as a life jacket, before connecting to the rafting experience’s starting point. Rafting is done on an 18-kilometer stretch of the Nile. Local guides will accompany you on all grades of rapids. Rafting is a full-day activity. After rafting, you will be driven back to your lodge for relaxation, and if you still want to participate in any activities, you will be able to do so. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge as described above.
Day 4: Transfer to Sipi Falls - Sipi Falls Hike
After breakfast on day 4 of the 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari, check out of your hotel and depart for Kapchowra district, where we will find the Sipi falls on the slopes of Mount Elgon. It’s a long drive, so start early if you want to arrive before nightfall. It takes about 5 hours from Jinja town to Sipi falls, with a lunch break en route.
Connect to the Sipi Falls starting point with your hiking gear and meet your local guide who will lead you through the hike. Depending on your ability, this activity could take up to 2-3 hours. Sipi Falls has three levels, with the highest at 100 meters, the second at 85 meters, and the third at 75 meters. You can visit all of the falls or just one or two. After that, proceed to your booked accommodation for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Kidepo National Park
After breakfast, begin your long journey to Kidepo Valley National Park, which is located in the far north eastern part of Uganda in the semi-arid Karamoja region. It’s an 8-hour drive through the beautiful scenery of that area. After arriving in Kidepo National Park late in the afternoon, proceed to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay Apoka Safari lodge/Adere Safari lodge.
Day 6: Morning game drive in Narus Valley and cultural village tour
After breakfast, meet your guide and drive to the Narus Valley on a game drive, where you will see most of the animals, including elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, lions, leopards, and Elands on a lucky day. This will take about 2-3 hours, depending on the animals’ availability.
Later in the afternoon, after relaxing, take a cultural village tour to one of the Karamojong communities, such as the Karenna or Kidepo communities, where you will learn more about the local community in the park, such as their nomadic lifestyle by visiting homesteads and cattle kraals, traditional spears, headdress, bows and arrows, jewelry, stools, and utensils made by the local natives. Take a sunset game drive later in the evening to explore more of Kidepo National Park. Dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 7: Kidepo Valley tour and Kanangorok Hot Springs visit
After breakfast, we will drive to Kidepo valley, which is closer to the Uganda-Sudan border, to visit the Kanangorok hot springs. While on a game drive, wild ostriches can be seen with other animals in this area of the park. You will eat lunch and then spend the rest of the evening at your leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at the above-mentioned lodge
Day 8: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Check out and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park after breakfast. This park is located in the North-Western part of Uganda and takes about 7 hours to drive from Kidepo National Park to Murchison Falls National Park, home of the most powerful falls in Africa, via Karuma forest. Enter the park through the Tangi gate and connect to your reserved park accommodation. The drive to the lodge will allow you to see some of the park’s residents, such as elephants, giraffes, and antelopes. Check in at your lodge and while you wait for dinner and overnight at Nile Safari lodge/Paraa Safari Lodge.
Day 9: Game drive and Nile River cruise
After breakfast, go on a game drive in the delta area, which is home to the majority of the animals. Murchison Falls National Park is the only park where you can see the majority of the park’s animals. This will take approximately 2-3 hours, depending on the availability of the animals, which will include elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, hartebeest, Uganda Kobs, oribis, and waterbucks.
Return to the lodge for lunch before departing at 2 p.m. for a boat cruise along the Nile, which will provide you with an exciting panoramic view at the bottom of the mighty Murchison Falls. During the cruise, you will see crocodiles, hippos, and birds on the river banks such as kingfishers, cormorants, and bee-eaters. After the cruise, return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay as described above.
Day 10: Delta boat trip and visit to the top of the falls
After breakfast, board a boat for a morning boat trip to the delta. This boat is unique in that it increases your chances of seeing shoebill stock and animals because most of them congregate at the delta for water. It’s a 3-4 hour adventure before returning to your lodge for lunch.
Later in the afternoon, connect to the top of Murchison Falls to get a close-up view of the falls. The park got its name from the mighty falls that exist within it and are extremely interesting to see how the narrow gorge forces water through, creating a strong force of water flow and sound that forms a rainbow. This is a must-see attraction in the Murchison Falls National Park. After exploring the top of the falls, drive to the landing site to connect to the northern bank of the Nile, where your accommodation for dinner and overnight stay is located.
Day 11: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Wake up early, eat breakfast, and then depart for Kibale National Park, which is home to chimps and 12 other species of primates. Kibale National Park is located in western Uganda, close to Fort Portal. It is a long drive with several stops for stretching and refreshing along Papidi road. Have a late afternoon lunch in Fort Portal before proceeding to your booked accommodation and checking in. Dinner and a night’s stay at Kyaninga lodge/Ndali lodge.
Day 12: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland visit
On this day of your 20 days Best of Uganda safari, enjoy breakfast, drive to the park and check in at the Kanyanchu park headquarters for your chimp trekking adventure. Trekking begins at 8 a.m., following a briefing before departing for the trekking experience led by park-armed ranger guides.
Depending on where the chimps are, the trek could last 2 to 5 hours. Kibale Forest National Park also has a variety of forest wildlife, including forest elephants, buffaloes, and various bird species. When you find the chimps, you will be allowed to spend an hour with them. You will return to meet your safari guide, who will be waiting to take you to your booked accommodation for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 13: Lion tracking and a boat trip on the Kazinga River in Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is approximately 3 hours’ drive from Kibale National Park. Connect to the Kasenyi area for an approximately 2-hour lion experience. Given the difficulties encountered during game drives, seeing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a guaranteed experience for visitors. This activity is only available in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will also enjoy an en-route game drive for animals such as elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, Uganda Kobs, and leopards on a lucky day as you drive back to your lodge for lunch.
Later in the afternoon, take a launch cruise along the Kazinga channel to see various water animals such as hippos and crocodiles, as well as various water birds. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay after the boat ride at Mweya Safari lodge/Kyambura Gorge lodge.
Day 14: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, check out of your Queen Elizabeth National Park lodge and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you will connect to the Ruhija sector. The drive from Bwindi forest to Ishasha sector, where we find the tree climbing lions, takes about 6-7 hours, with an en route lunch. Lions and leopards climb trees to shed their fur and to avoid insect bites on the ground. Seeing them, however, is not guaranteed. Proceed to the Rujija sector, where you have a reservation for dinner and an overnight stay at the desired lodge.
Day 15: Gorilla trekking adventure
This is the highlight of this 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari. After an early breakfast, drive to the park headquarters at 7 a.m. for a briefing about the endangered mountain gorillas from the park warden before departing at 8 a.m. with your trekking gear, drinking water, and packed lunch. The driver will drop you off at the starting point to trek the gorillas with the ranger guides. Depending on how fast the gorillas move, this activity could last anywhere from 1 to 8 hours.
However, meeting them is extremely rewarding, and you will spend no more than an hour with them as you study them and take pictures and videos. After your gorilla trekking adventure, the driver will meet you at the starting point and drive you back to your hotel.
Day 16: Visit a Batwa community and then travel to Mgainga National Park.
After breakfast, go on a cultural tour and visit one of the Batwa people’s interesting communities on this day of you 20 days Best of Uganda safari. The Batwa were the indigenous people who lived in the Bwindi and Mgahinga forests before being asked to leave the park because it was being gazetted for conservation. You will enjoy their performances while also learning more about their culture. After lunch, drive to your pre-booked accommodation in Kisoro, close to Mgahinga National Park, to prepare for your next day mountain climbing adventure. Dinner and a night’s stay at Gahinga Lodge as a luxury lodge option.
Day 17: Hike Mount Sabinyo
Wake up early, eat a light breakfast, and then transfer to the Mgahinga national park headquarters for a briefing from park officials about your hike. After that, set off with your guides to begin the climb. Mount Sabinyo is surrounded by dense forest, providing excellent views of various bird species known as Albertine birds, which are only found in this area and include the rare Rwenzori Turaco.
If you’re lucky, you might be able to spot mountain gorillas and golden monkeys during your hike. When you reach the top, you will be rewarded with crater lakes and the ability to see all three countries of the Virunga Mountains, including Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. It takes 8 hours to climb and descend Mount Sabinyo. When you return, meet your guide who will take you to your lodge to rest after a long day. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge as described above
Day 18: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast on day 18 of the 20 days Best of Uganda Safari, drive to Lake Bunyonyi, Africa’s second deepest lake with over 20 islands, and one of the most beautiful and relaxing sites in Uganda’s southwestern region. Swimming is also considered safe because it is free of Bilharzia. It takes approximately 2-3 hours to drive from Kisoro town to Lake Bunyonyi, which features beautiful views of the Kigezi hilly region. Connect to your booked accommodation for lunch and spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge with beautiful views of the lake and several islands and other attractions. Dinner and a night’s stay at Bunyonyi BirdNest lodge.
Day 19: Lake Bunyonyi Relaxation and Canoeing
On this day of your 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari, you will spend the majority of your time relaxing from your long Uganda safari in order to avoid being exhausted the next day when you return to your home country. Lake Bunyonyi translates as “place of little birds,” and the lake is surrounded by steep hills covered in lush green vegetation that spills over the water’s edge. You will connect for a canoe ride to visit some of the lake’s islands and see various bird species. Alternatively, hike to the hilltop view point, go swimming, or return to the lodge as scheduled above.
Day 20: Transfer to Entebbe International Airport and departure
On this final day of your 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari , have breakfast and then transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe, depending on your travel plans. The drive back to Entebbe takes 8-9 hours. Your safari guide will drop you off at a location you specify or drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your return flight home. This will mark the end of your 20 Days Best of Uganda Safari.
