8 Day Uganda safari Tour Overview

8 Day Uganda safari tour-Explore the highlights Uganda has to offer in 8 Days. Queen Elizabeth National Park features a grassland savannah teeming with wildlife and Bwindi Forest is full of interesting endemic flora and fauna. All of this is on top of all main highlights like gorilla tracking, chimpanzee tracking and the boat safari on the Kazinga Channel. This 8 Day Uganda safari tour through Uganda is the perfect combination of nature, culture, animals & fun!

What to Expect

• Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
• Day 2: Travel to Kibale forest
• Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi wetland sanctually
• Day 4: Travel to Queen Elizabeth National park
• Day 5: Game drive and boat safari Kazinga Channel
• Day 6: To Lake Bunyonyi
• Day 7: Gorilla Tracking
• Day 8: Travel back to Entebbe

8 Day Uganda safari tour Itinerary

DAY 1 WELCOME TO UGANDA!

Your guide will pick you up from Entebbe airport and transfer you to ViaVia Guesthouse, only a 10-minute drive. This is where your Laba Africa guide will find you tomorrow morning for the start of your tour after a good breakfast.
Depending on the time of your arrival, you might be able to explore the area. There are many options in Entebbe and easily organized. For example a visit to the Botanical gardens or the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).

ViaVia Entebbe is a very cosy accommodation in Entebbe, only 10 minutes away from the airport. All the rooms are self-contained and have a private terrace overlooking the dazzling garden. Relax in one of the hammocks while the resident monkeys play around in the trees, you can bathe in your hot tub, enjoy a romantic sunset and sit aside the campfire at night. The restaurant serves you fresh and healthy food, spiced with world flavours for a well-balanced international and local menu. ViaVia will give you a truly heartwarming experience that’s very hard to beat!
Accomodation : Via Via Guest house
Journey time : 10 minutes
Meal plan: No meals inclusive

DAY 2 KIBALE FOREST

Today on your 8 Day Uganda safari tour, you will undertake the journey to green Kibale Forest. The drive is incredibly scenic, passing through tea plantations and the lush green countryside which characterizes so much of Uganda. On arrival at the forest, you will enter a completely different world… some serious monkey business!

Kibale Forest National Park lies just outside the colonial town of Fort Portal and is made up of dense tropical rain forest. This park is considered one of the big highlights of Uganda due to some serious monkey business going on here. A big number of primates residing can be found here and particularly a visit to one of the habituated chimpanzee groups is a very memorable experience. The rare red colobus as well as the black and white colobus, red tailed monkey, olive baboon, the blue Monkey and l’hoest’s monkeys are also regularly seen here. Where would you find a better spot to experience encounters with nature; smelling the forest and listening to the many sounds. Your safari tent or cottage is surrounded by lush green diversity filled with countless bird species and butterflies
At your Lodge you will have a unique jungle experience at the border of Kibale Forest National Park with the most stunning view over the forest canopy and the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains. You will stay at a modern at quiet locations in the forest. In the restaurant and lounge areas you’ll be welcome to try tasty meals meanwhile you have high chances of spotting the Red Colobus and Grey Cheeked Mangabey monkeys on the premises.
Journey time: 6 hours
Accomodation : Chimpanzee guest house
Meal plan : Break Fast and dinner

DAY 3 CHIMPANZEE TREKKING

Chimpanzees share 98% of human genes making them our closest living relatives. They are found in 21 countries throughout Africa, but are most easily sighted in Uganda due to their dense populations. Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 5,000 chimpanzees left in the wild. The Chimpanzee Trekking experience here is done on several well maintained walking trails. There is also a wonderfully diverse concentration of other primates, more than any other forest in East Africa, in fact. Besides our delightful cousins, the chimpanzees, you can find red colobus, red-tailed guenon, white-nosed monkey, gray-cheeked mangabey, blue monkey, L’Hoest’s monkey, and the black and white colobus monkey. In addition, you may see olive baboons, bush babies and nocturnal pottos.

The aim for your trekking through the jungle under the care of professional guide, is 1 hour of eye to eye contact with the chimpanzees. We can however cannot guarantee 100% for you to see them as they are still wild animals, nevertheless your chances are very good. Your next activity will take you to the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary which features 8 primate species, over 200 bird species and many reptiles. During the walk – which takes 2 to 3 hours – you have a chance to many animals but the highlight is catching a glimpse of a famous bird; the Great Blue Turaco. The income from the walk is used for community development projects such as schools and hospitals.
Accomodation: Chimpanzee guest house
Meal plan : Breakfast and dinner

DAY 4: TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

On day 4 of this 8 Day Uganda safari tour explore the Scenic Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is located in south western Uganda and is most often included in visitors’ itineraries. It is the second largest park in the country and located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori Mountain range, next to Lake Edward and Lake George which are joined by the Kazinga channel. Few reserves in the world have such a high biodiversity with landscapes including savannah, bushland, wetlands and lush forests. On your first game drive, it is time to explore the Queen Elizabeth National Park with her 200 kilometers of well-maintained game viewing tracks. We advise for you to be alert and pro-active on your game drive to help the ranger spot as many animals Bush lodge is set in a unique location and has been designed fitted by artisans from the local community. This lodge offers private safari tents on raised wooden floors with canvas walls, which can be rolled up. You can sit comfortably when watching the savannah plains with breath taking views across the park, the Rwenzori- and Virunga Mountains. With an en-suit open-air shower, you can experience an African sunrise properly or shower in the moonlight under the stars. Enjoy your delicious meals (made with fresh and local produce) on the restaurant veranda or next to the campfire. There is a new swimming pool which really invites for a refreshing dip in between game drives on a sunny day in this beautiful setting.

Journey time : 4 hours
Accomodation: Bush lodge
Meal Plan: Dinner and Breakfast

DAY 5 PARK GAME DRIVE & BOAT SAFARI

After your breakfast, you will set off to an early lion tracking experience where you are guaranteed to encounter lions before a game drive. You will also encounter other animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, and other types of antelopes. Then go back for lunch.

Afternoon, go for a 3 hours launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward, this cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers a good platform for photography, bird watching, and games. Dinner and overnight stay at as above

DAY 6: TO LAKE BUNYONYI

On this day of this 8 Day Uganda safari tour, you drive to Kisoro in the south-western part of Uganda; close to the borders with Rwanda and Congo. You cross a beautiful part of the country often referred to as ‘the Switzerland of Africa’. You will see a great country-side, bamboo forest and have great views over the Virunga Mountains. For lunch you will stop at a local restaurant on the road (lunch is not inclusive). Lake Bunyonyi means “lake of many little birds”. This lake contains 29 islands, many of which are inhabited and terraced for agriculture. The lake is surrounded by steep terraced hillsides. It is a magical place to wake up in, especially with a morning mist hanging over the lake. That is when you will find the school children paddling dug-out canoes to school and market products are being transported this way. Activities include swimming, walking, bird watching, as well as canoe and motorboat rides on the lake. Bunyoni is bilharzia, croc and hippo free, and so its crystal-clear waters are all yours to swim in Cultural and historical tours of nearby villages are also very popular. Lake Bunyonyi is also the perfect place for relaxation! Only the countless birds provide a lot of friendly chatter in this scenery.
At Hawks eye lodge you find a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the spectacular landscape, especially at the small dock right on the lake you will enjoy a very serene environment with plenty to look at.
Journey time : 6 hours
Accomodation : Hawks Eye lodge
Meal plan : Dinner

DAY 7: GORILLA TRACKING AND LAKE BUNYONYI

This is the highlight of this 8 Day Uganda safari tour. Today is a very exciting day…. Prepare yourself for an encounter with one of Bwindi’s gentle giants: the rare Mountain Gorilla. For most people this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a highlight for many visitors as this is where they will be visiting the home of the gentle giants. The park lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests lies on the mist-covered hillsides. This magnificent forest dates back over 25,000 years, even surviving the last Ice Age (most forests disappeared). Bwindi forest has an incredible diversity of flora and fauna and is the only forest in Africa which can make claim to host both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. In fact, half the worlds’ population of gorillas live here divided over nine habituated family groups. Also 5 other primate species, 120 species of mammal, over 220 butterflies and 360 birds species call Bwindi home. This it THE place to see the critically endangered mountain gorillas up close for your very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ moment. This is the most thrilling moment of your 8 Day Uganda safari tour.
Your trek will be an exciting (for some also challenging) journey along forested (sometimes slippery) slopes, entwined vines, bushes and bamboo before you eventually reach the gentle giants. En-route, your guide will point out signs of previous gorilla activity. Think of dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots. The time to complete the gorilla trekking can be as little as 2 hours to as much as 7 hours! Once the the family of gorillas has been located, you will be allowed a maximum of one hour observing them. Coming face-to-face with the mountain gorillas is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic part of your tour you will definitely remember for the rest of your life.
Journey Time : 1 ½ hours
Accomodation: Hawks eye lodge
Meal plan : Breakfast, lunch and dinner

DAY 8 BACK TO KAMPALA/ENTEBBE

This is the last day of this 8 Day Uganda safari tour. After breakfast the time has come to head back to Kampala or Entebbe (Airport). Of course you stop at the equator, the best place for your souvenir shopping. Your driver/guide will take you to your accommodation in Kampala/Entebbe or to Entebbe Airport (this is only possible if your departure flight leaves at 10 pm or later). Accommodation for tonight is not inclusive in the program. In case you wish us to include one (or more) nights in Kampala and/or Entebbe, please let us know. This will mark the end of your 8 Day Uganda safari tour.
Journey time : 10 hours
Accomodation: Not included
Meal plan: Break fast