7-Day Uganda Wildlife & Primates Mid-Range Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Entebbe / Kampala → Kibale → Queen Elizabeth → Bwindi → Entebbe

1. Day 1

   Entebbe / Kampala to Kibale

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Entebbe / Kampala bound for Kibale, crossing western Uganda's tea estates and crater-lake country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through moist tropical forest running along the Albertine Rift, one of Africa's richest primate habitats. This is good country in which to look for chimpanzees, red colobus, L'Hoest's monkey and a long list of forest birds. Chimpanzee tracking at Kibale is a permit-dependent activity arranged through the park authority, and places must be confirmed in advance. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Kibale.

2. Day 2

   Kibale to Queen Elizabeth

   The day opens in Kibale with a morning departure for Queen Elizabeth, crossing the equator and descending into the western Rift Valley. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into savanna, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward and Lake George. Look for elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob and, in the Ishasha sector, lions sometimes seen in fig trees as the light softens through the afternoon. A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel gives close views of hippo pods, buffalo and one of the densest concentrations of water birds in the region. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Queen Elizabeth.

3. Day 3

   Kibale to Queen Elizabeth

   After breakfast you leave Kibale and travel on toward Queen Elizabeth, crossing the equator and descending into the western Rift Valley. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into savanna, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward and Lake George. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob and, in the Ishasha sector, lions sometimes seen in fig trees, depending on movement and conditions on the day. A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel gives close views of hippo pods, buffalo and one of the densest concentrations of water birds in the region. The evening is spent at your Queen Elizabeth accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

4. Day 4

   Bwindi to Entebbe

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Bwindi for the drive to Entebbe, following the lakeshore road from Kampala. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into the lakeside town on the Lake Victoria shore that serves Uganda's international airport. Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is the standard entry and exit point for Ugandan itineraries. Dinner is served at your Entebbe camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

5. Day 5

   Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi

   The day opens in Queen Elizabeth with a morning departure for Bwindi, travelling the winding roads of the south-western highlands through terraced farmland. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into steep Afromontane rainforest ridges and valleys in south-western Uganda. Look for mountain gorillas, forest elephant, many primate species and numerous Albertine Rift endemics as the light softens through the afternoon. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is a permit-dependent activity, and a permit must be confirmed in advance for every trekker. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Bwindi.

6. Day 6

   Full-Day Entebbe Safari

   You have a complete day in Entebbe, starting early while the air is still cool and animals are active. You travel through the lakeside town on the Lake Victoria shore that serves Uganda's international airport, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is the standard entry and exit point for Ugandan itineraries. You return to your camp or lodge for dinner and a second night at Entebbe.

7. Day 7

   Bwindi to Entebbe

   The morning starts in Bwindi, from where you continue overland to Entebbe, following the lakeshore road from Kampala. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into the lakeside town on the Lake Victoria shore that serves Uganda's international airport. Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is the standard entry and exit point for Ugandan itineraries. You are dropped at your Nairobi hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.