18 Days Prime Uganda Tour is a Uganda safari tour that takes travellers to the prime tourist destinations in the country. This 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour allows you to explore a range of Ugandan tourist sites in great detail. This tour has you combining adventure, culture, nature, great wildlife and primates that will leave you mesmerised with the Pearl of Africa. In this 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour, you will get to visit River Nile which is the longest river in world for white water rafting, bungee jumping and visiting the source; Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for the Rhino trek on foot; Murchison Falls National Park for wild game viewing, launch cruise and the waterfall hike; Kibale National Park for chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Swamp visit; Queen Elizabeth National Park for the famous tree-climbing lions, wild game viewing and launch cruise on the Kazinga channel; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking that has you seeing the near-human and endangered mountain gorillas and the Batwa cultural experience, Lake Bunyonyi canoe trip; and then Lake Mburo National Park where you will see Zebras that you will lose count of. The 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour starts and ends in Entebbe, but it can be adjusted.
Tour Summary of the 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour
Day 1: Arrival, Transfer to hotel in Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Enroute
Day 3: Game Drive, Boat Cruise and waterfall hike
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 5: Chimp Tracking and Bigodi Swamp visit
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Evening Game drive
Day 7: Game Drive, Kazinga Boat cruise and Crater Lake Drive
Day 8: Transfer to Ishasha sector for tree-climbing lions
Day 9: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 10: Gorilla Trekking
Day 11: Batwa cultural experience, Lake Bunyonyi canoe trip
Day 12: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, Boat cruise and evening game drive
Day 13: Morning game walk or Horse Riding, Transfer to Kampala
Day 14: Drive to Jinja, White-water rafting
Day 15: Bungee jumping, source of River Nile visit, Return to Kampala
Day 16: Kampala City tour, Ndere culture centre
Day 17: Leisure day at the Lodge
Day 18: Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival, Transfer to hotel in Entebbe
On you first day of your much anticipated 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour, you will be picked up by our driver-guide upon your arrival at the Entebbe International Airport. Your driver-guide, who will be with you for the entire time during your long Uganda safari, will welcome you and then brief you about your 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour.
Thereafter, you will be transferred to your hotel of stay in Entebbe. Depending on your time of arrival though, you might opt for a UWEC zoo visit where you will see a number of caged animals, reptiles and birds. You can even do a behind the scenes where you get to experience feeding the animals like the giraffes, clean them and the like.
Dinner and an overnight stay will be at the hotel in Entebbe.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Enroute, evening game drive
This second day of your 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour, you will wake up early, have a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel and thereafter check out and proceed for a transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. The drive is approximately 5 hours via Masindi. Enroute, though, you will visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you will have a white Rhino trekking experience. You will be able to see the white rhinos not only up-close but also on foot! Lunch will be had at Rhino sanctuary.
After your lunch, you will proceed with your drive to the park arriving late afternoon. Check in at your lodge, and thereafter go for an evening game drive that will have you viewing a variety of game that includes among others the Rothschild giraffes, African elephants, the forgetful Jackson’s hartebeests and buffaloes.
After your evening game drive, return to the lodge where you will have dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Game Drive, Boat Cruise and waterfall hike
After your breakfast at the lodge, you will go for a morning game drive in the vast savannah landscapes of Murchison falls National Park where you will yet again enjoy a game viewing experience of a number of wildlife including the nocturnal that are returning from the night’s hunt. After, you will return to the lodge where you will spend the rest of the morning relaxing at the lodge.
You will enjoy your lunch at the lodge and thereafter go for an afternoon boat cruise along the Nile River. The boat cruise is a rewarding one that will have you sighting many hippos, Nile crocodiles, shoebills among so many other water animals and birds. At the shoreline, you will see wildlife coming for an afternoon drink of the fresh water. Once at the bottom of the falls, you will get to take part in a waterfall hike which will be a great time for photography.
Dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
After your breakfast at the lodge, check out and enjoy another game viewing experience as you leave Murchison Falls National Park for a transfer to Kibale National Park. The drive is approximately 7 hours long. Enjoy the countryside and the beautiful scenic beauty of the vast plantations as you drive to Kibale. You will make a lunch stopover at a selected restaurant Enroute. Once at the lodge, check in and take time to rest and relax as you await dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Chimp Tracking and Bigodi Swamp visit
This 5th day of your 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour has you waking up early, have breakfast and then go to the park headquarters for a briefing by the park officials for your chimpanzee tracking experience in Kibale forest. The park officials will also give you rules and guidelines to be followed while chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park. After, you will set off for the search of the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Chimpanzees are referred to as cousins to humans dye to their resemblance to humans in regards to the DNA. They are known to be very active, playful and very mobile. Their noisy tendencies as they jump from one tree branch to another playfully or in search of food makes them very easy to find. Given their very active nature, however, they are tiresome to keep up with as they are always on the move that even pictures are hard to take. Their lively chatter however is very heart-warming. You only get to spend one hour with the chimpanzees and after it is elapsed, you will trek back to the starting point. Your driver guide will be ready to take you for your lunch.
After lunch, you will go for a Bigodi Swamp visit where you will get to enjoy an eco-walk. You will also get to see the communities around and take part in some of the activities like cultivating. Thereafter, return to the lodge from where you will have a dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Evening Game drive
Your 6th day of the amazing 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour will see you having a mouth-watering breakfast at the lodge and thereafter proceed for a transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The transfer is about 5 hours long, and along the way you will see locals going about their daily life. The drive gives you an opportunity to learn and know of the countryside. You will arrive at the park and then proceed to your lodge from where you will have an enjoyable lunch.
Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure by reading a nice book, taking a cool bath, or simply listen to some nice music. Later in the evening, you will go for an evening game drive in the vast savannah planes of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will enjoy game viewing of the abundant wildlife of the park say African elephants, buffaloes, among so many others as they roam around for a last-minute bite before they go to their sleeping areas.
After the game drive, you will return for dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 7: Game Drive, Kazinga Boat cruise, and Crater Lake Drive
You will wake up very early to an early cup of tea or coffee before you go out for your early morning game drive. The morning game drive is an opportunity for you to see the returning nocturnal animals like lions, jackals, spotted hyenas, among others along with the early rising animals like elephants, topis, kobs, and others. You will return to the lodge before the sun comes out strongly, and have your late breakfast. After breakfast, spend the rest of the morning at leisure.
After, you will enjoy your lunch at the lodge and then head for a Kazinga channel boat cruise. The Kazinga channel links Lakes Edward to Lake George, and a boat cruise on it is rewarding as it gives you a chance to see a number of water animals like Nile crocodiles, hippos among others, and a number of birds. At the shores far off, you will see various wildlife coming for an afternoon drink. You can take as many pictures as you like. The launch cruise takes up to 2 hours only.
After the boat cruise on the amazing Kazinga channel, you will go for a crater lake drive, particularly the Katwe crater lake drive which encompasses the Kyemengo crater that is the most alluring. You will see plenty of wildlife along the drive say buffaloes, but the most amazing scenes will be the beauty of the crater lakes themselves. After, you will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 8: Transfer to Ishasha sector for tree-climbing lions
Your 8th day of the 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour has you having breakfast at the lodge leisurely, and thereafter transfer to the Ishasha sector for tree-climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will see other wild animals during the drive to the Ishasha sector, and plenty of tree-climbing lions once there. They will be spotted dangling their tails on the trees, and you may take pictures if you may. You will proceed to the lodge for lunch, and then have another game viewing opportunity of not only the lions but also other wildlife and birds. You will again return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 9: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After a leisurely breakfast at the lodge, you will transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via the Ishasha sector on an approximately 4 hours’ drive through very scenic areas, not forgetting the tree climbing lions and other wildlife in the area like buffaloes and African elephants that roam the area. You will arrive in Bwindi in time for your lunch which you will enjoy at the lodge. You have the rest of the afternoon to spend at leisure, preferably resting as you prep yourself for the gorilla trekking activity the next day.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a renowned UNESCO world heritage site for its conservation and protection of the endangered mountain gorillas and biodiversity. You will busk in the tranquillity and quiet of the park, greatly reliving you. Dinner and an overnight stay will be at the lodge.
Day 10: Gorilla Trekking
This 10th day of your already fulfilling 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour is a memorable day that you will forever behold as you will be having a gorilla trekking in Bwindi experience! The day will start with you waking up early, have breakfast and then head to the park headquarters from where you will meet other gorilla trekkers and park officials who will brief you about the gorilla trekking in Bwindi activity, give you rules and guidelines to follow while on the trek, and then place you in groups of 8 and allocated a gorilla group to track. You will then embark on the search of the mountain gorillas at around 8am in the morning, an activity that takes anything between 30 minutes to 6 hours or more depending on the location of the gorillas.
During gorilla trekking in Bwindi, look out for other forest animals like the forest elephants, bush pigs among so many others not forgetting the numerous birds and plant life that the park rangers can help you noting. Once you encounter the gorillas, you will have only one hour with them and you can spend your time with them taking pictures and videos as they go about their routine of feeding, napping, grooming, playing by the juveniles who try as much as possible to involve the adult gorillas including the silverback to play along with them. The very curious and inquisitive juvenile gorillas may come and play with you, you are to be very cautious though, as the dominant silverback as well as their mothers will be watching you intently.
After, you will trek back to the park headquarters making a stopover somewhere in the jungle to devour your well packed lunch. Once at the headquarters, you will receive your gorilla certificate from the park officials that you can showcase to your friends and family later. Your driver-guide will be waiting to take you back to the lodge where you will spend the rest of the day resting after gorilla trekking. Alternatively, you may go for a nature walk or community visit if you are up to it. Dinner and an overnight stay will be at the lodge.
Day 11: Batwa cultural experience, Lake Bunyonyi canoe trip
Today, you will go for a Batwa cultural experience after your breakfast at the lodge. The Batwa are the indigenous and ancient inhabitants of the forest who up until recently co-existed with the gorillas and depended on the forest for everything. They were hunter-gatherers who fed on fruits and plants from the forest, collected wild honey and used the forest plants as medicines. During the Batwa cultural experience, you will be taken through the life of the Batwa by the Batwa local guides themselves wo will demonstrate how they lived in the forest, collected wild honey, hunted, cooked locally, made fire with just a stick, used different plants for medicinal use among so many others. They will even dance and sing their traditional songs for you.
After, you will drive to Lake Bunyonyi where you will have your lunch before embarking on a Lake Bunyonyi canoe trip that will have you exploring the beautiful islands therein. The locals are also very eager to share with you their knowledge and you can take part in some of their activities like cooking, cultivating and the like.
Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 12: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, Boat cruise and evening game drive
After a sumptuous breakfast at the lodge, you will depart for a transfer to Lake Mburo National Park on a drive that is approximately 6 hours long. The drive is enjoyable with a number of scenic views that will have you relaxing as you drive along. You will reach in time for lunch at the lodge, and thereafter, go for an afternoon boat cruise on Lake Mburo which is home to over 200 bird species and a number of wildlife including the zebras that are abundant in the park.
After your boat cruise on Lake Mburo, you will go for an evening game drive in the park and get an opportunity to see a number wildlife returning to their sleeping area like zebras, kobs, topis among others, and a number of them going out for their nocturnal shift say the spotted hyenas, side-striped jackal, civet, jenet cat, porcupines, and if lucky lions and leopards among so many others.
You will return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 13: Morning game walk or Horse Riding, Transfer to Kampala
This 13th day of your 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour has you enjoying breakfast at the lodge and thereafter proceed for either a morning game walk or horse riding safari in the wild of Lake Mburo National Park. Either of them will give you a great experience of game viewing so up-close. Be sure to have a park ranger to protect you during the game walk or horse riding safari.
After, you will proceed to depart the park for a transfer to Kampala, making a lunch stopover at a selected restaurant. You will also make another stopover at the Equator in Kayabwe where you will have a polar water experiment to show the different hemispheres of the world, take pictures and also do some shopping at the crafts shops within for souvenirs. Proceed to Kampala arriving in the evening. You will check in at the hotel, have dinner and then an overnight stay.
Day 14: Drive to Jinja, White-water rafting
After an early breakfast at the lodge, drive to Jinja which is 2 hours away for a white water rafting experience on the Nile. On the way, you may have stops where you can purchase fresh fruits that you can enjoy on the drive, or street food in areas that many travellers stop for a buy say Namawojjolo and Najjembe. You can do this either on your way to Jinja or when returning to Kampala. White-water rafting is an incredibly thrilling activity that will not only leave your adrenaline high but also socked from head to toes. Lunch, dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 15: Bungee jumping, source of River Nile visit, Return to Kampala
Today, you will enjoy a number of River Nile activities that will fill your adventurous spirit. After your breakfast at the hotel, you will go for a bungee jumping experience on the Nile. Bungee jumping from a very high position down to the Nile is very thrilling. You will have pictures taken of you flying high like a bird till you dip into the Nile, the longest river in the world.
After bungee jumping, you will drive to the hub of River Nile where you will have a shopping spree of various African print clothes and also crafts. After, you will get onto a boat that will take you for a source of River Nile visit, the very starting point of the flow of the Nile that runs till Egypt. You may take pictures and make videos if you wish to.
You will return to the shore, have lunch in one of the restaurants within as you overlook the Nile and thereafter return to Kampala. The drive back is about 2 hours and you may fill yourself with the local delicacies on the streets. Once in Kampala, check in to the hotel, freshen up and have dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 16: Kampala City tour, Ndere culture centre
Your 16th day of the 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour has you having an early breakfast at the hotel and thereafter go for a Kampala city tour that will have you exploring the history and culture of Uganda and the people of Uganda as they go about their day to day life. Among the prominent places you will visit include the Uganda museum, the independence monument, the Kabaka’s palace, Amin’s torture chambers, Namugongo martyrs’ shrine, the Gadhafi mosque and also Nakasero market. Lunch will be had at one of the restaurants during the tour. After, you will return to the hotel where you will have the rest of the afternoon to relax.
In the evening, you will go to Ndere cultural centre where you get to enjoy cultural dances from all over the world performed by the Ndere troop. This activity brings together many travellers from different walks of life, be sure to meet and interact with new people. Dinner will be had at the Ndere cultural centre as you enjoy the performances.
After, you will return to hotel from where you will have an overnight stay.
Day 17: Leisure day at the Hotel
Today, you will have the day to yourself. Spend the day at leisure at the hotel. You may go shopping for souvenirs in the shops within, or maybe go for swimming, finish reading a book, or anything you might wish to do.
Day 18: Departure
Today is the last day of your long 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour. When the time is right, your driver guide will transfer you to Entebbe International Airport where you will catch your departure flight home.
End of 18 Days Prime Uganda Tour
Inclusions;
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee tracking permit
- Transportation to and from the airport and during the safari
- Service of a 4WD safari vehicle perfect for game viewing and photography
- Services of a professional English speaking driver-guide
- En-route lunches
- All park entrance fees and activities in the itinerary
- Full board accommodation
- Bottled drinking water in the tour vehicle
Exclusions:
- Air ticket
- Visas
- Beverages
- Tips and souvenirs
- Extra activities not included in the itinerary
- Personal expenses like laundry, telephone, cigarettes etc.
