18 Days Prime Uganda Tour
By taking the 18-day Prime Uganda Tour, tourists can experience the most popular destinations in Uganda. With this tour, you may explore a range of Ugandan tourist attractions in detail. This journey blends adventure, culture, nature, and incredible creatures and primates, leaving you captivated by the Pearl of Africa. Check out the world’s longest river, the Nile, for bungee jumping, white water rafting, and seeing the source; Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a foot rhino expedition;
Queen Elizabeth National Park offers lions, wild game, and a launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers gorilla trekking and the chance to see endangered and near-human mountain gorillas; Lake Bunyonyi offers a canoe trip; Kibale National Park offers chimpanzee tracking and a visit to the Bigodi Swamp; Murchison Falls National Park offers wild game viewing, a launch cruise, and a waterfall hike; Kibale National Park offers chimpanzee tracking and a visit to the Bigodi Swamp. The journey starts in Entebbe and ends there, though it can be altered.
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.
Your transfer to your accommodation in Entebbe will thereafter take place. To witness a variety of caged creatures, reptiles, and birds, you may choose to visit the UWEC zoo, depending on when you arrive. Additionally, you can participate in a behind-the-scenes tour where you can feed, clean, and interact with the animals, such as giraffes.
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.
Following your leisurely lunch at the lodge, you will take a boat ride along the Nile River in the afternoon. You will see several hippos, Nile crocodiles, and shoebills, among many other aquatic creatures and birds, on this enjoyable boat excursion. 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
On the fifth day of your 18-day Prime Uganda Tour, you will wake up early, have breakfast, and then be briefed by park officials on your experience tracking chimpanzees in Kibale forest. You will also receive instructions and regulations from park officials regarding how to track chimpanzees 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. You only get to spend an hour with the chimpanzees, and then you have to walk back to the beginning. Your driver’s guide will be prepared to take you to 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.
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 start your game drive with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. During the morning game drive, you can see early-rising creatures like elephants, topis, and kobs, as well as returning nocturnal species like spotted hyenas, jackals, and lions. To finish your late breakfast before the sun rises, you will return to the lodge. Spend the remainder of the morning off after eating breakfast. After lunch at the resort, you will see a variety of aquatic animals, such as hippos and Nile crocodiles, as well as birds during a fun boat ride down the Kazinga canal.
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
Following the boat trip on the magnificent Kazinga channel, you will have a crater lake drive, particularly the Katwe crater lake drive, which features the most alluring Kyemengo crater. Although you will witness a variety of wildlife, including buffaloes, during the tour, the crater lakes themselves will be the most spectacular sights. After that, you will stay in the lodge for dinner and the night.
Day 8: Tree Climbing Lions in Ishasha Sector
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 in the Ishasha Sector in the Southern part of the 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
You will get a gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi on this tenth day of your already rewarding 18-day Prime Uganda Tour, making it a day you will never forget! After an early morning and breakfast, you will meet other gorilla trekkers and park officials at the park headquarters. There, they will provide you with information about the gorilla trekking activity in Bwindi, as well as rules and guidelines to follow during the trek. You will then be divided into groups of eight and assigned a gorilla group to track. At around 8 a.m., you will start your hunt for the mountain gorillas, which could take anything from 30 minutes to 6 hours or longer, depending on where the gorillas are.
Bird watching
While gorilla trekking in Bwindi, the park rangers can assist you in identifying the various birds and plants, but you should also keep an eye out for other forest animals such as bush pigs and forest elephants. You will get the chance to video and photograph the gorillas during your brief interaction with them as they play, eat, sleep, and groom themselves.
Once you have finished your packed lunch, you will hike back to the park headquarters, stopping along the way to eat. Park officials will present you with your gorilla certificate at headquarters, which you may then show off to your loved ones. After your gorilla hike, your driver-guide will be ready to drop you off at the lodge, where you will rest for the remainder of the day. Alternatively, if you feel up to it, you may go on a community visit or a nature walk. The lodge will include dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 11: Batwa cultural experience, Lake Bunyonyi canoe trip
During the Batwa cultural experience, you will be taken through the life of the Batwa by the Batwa local guides themselves who 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.
You will go shopping for a variety of African-printed clothing and crafts at the River Nile center after bungee jumping. Afterward, you will board a boat to explore the source of the River Nile, which is the beginning of the Nile’s journey to Egypt. You can record videos and take photos if you want 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
On the sixteenth day of the 18-day Prime Uganda Tour, you will have an early breakfast at the hotel before embarking on a city tour of Kampala, where you will learn about Uganda’s history, culture, and people as they go about their daily lives. The Uganda Museum, the Independence Monument, Kabaka’s Palace, Amin’s torture dungeons, the shrine of the Namugongo martyrs, the Gadhafi Mosque, and Nakasero Market are among of the notable locations you will see. During the trip, lunch will be served at one of the eateries. You will then spend the remainder of the afternoon back at the hotel.
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.
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;
- Permit to Gorilla Trekking
- Permission to track chimpanzees
- Airport transportation, as well as transportation throughout the safari
- Maintenance of a 4WD safari car ideal for taking pictures and watching wildlife
- A professional driver-guide who speaks English
- Lunches on the Way
- Every park entrance charge and activity listed on the schedule
- Complete board lodging
- Bottled water for drinking in the tour car
Exclusions:
- Air ticket
- Visas
- Beverages
- Tips and souvenirs
- Extra activities not included in the itinerary
- Personal expenses like laundry, telephone, cigarettes etc.
