20 Days Uganda Grand Safari
The 20 days Uganda Grand Safari is a typical example of a comprehensive adventure. A lifetime opportunity for you to immerse yourself in the wilderness. It takes you around Uganda, covering all regions, guaranteeing epic adventures. From East to West, North to South, expect to be part of experiences of a lifetime, such as white water rafting and boat cruises. Hiking to the triple Sipi Falls, game drives, gorilla trekking, and chimpanzee trekking. Cultural experiences, and many others. Get ready to witness a variety of wildlife, from the big five to a diverse range of bird species, each offering a unique and thrilling experience.
The main destinations to visit on our comprehensive Uganda safari include the Source of the Nile, Sipi Falls, Kidepo Valley National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. Below is the detailed 20-day Uganda Grand Safari itinerary.
Day 1: From Entebbe Airport (EBB) to the hotel
You will embark on a safe and comfortable journey from your home country to Uganda on day one. You can meet your experienced driver guide at Entebbe Airport (EBB) for a briefing about your trip and then transfer to the hotel for evening relaxation, knowing that you are in good hands.
Entebbe Airport lies near Lake Victoria, and early arrivals can undertake a city tour in and around Entebbe. The most accessible tourist sites from Entebbe Airport (EBB) worth visiting on the Entebbe city tour include Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Reptile Village, Lake Victoria with a range of beautiful sand beaches, and more.
Day 2: Source of the Nile tour
After a leisurely breakfast, set off from Entebbe to Jinja to visit the Source of the Nile River. This is found on the Eastern side of Uganda. About a 1-2 hour drive, and en route, you drive through the calm Mabira Forest. A natural forest that is separated by the Kampala-Gulu highway. When you arrive at Jinja, relax, and then you gather for a briefing about the guidelines for the white water rafting experience. Start your adrenaline adventure. Later on, go through the Source of the Nile River water. Other activities that Jinja is popular for include quad biking, horseback riding, sundowner cruise, bungee jumping, mountain biking, kayaking, and others.
Day 3: Jinja-Sipi Falls
Enjoy a hefty breakfast and drive to the foothills of Mount Elgon for the Sipi Falls expedition. You will have a relaxed afternoon or engage in other activities like abseiling and community visits, and then get back to the lodge for an overnight stay.
Day 4: Sipi waterfalls hike & transfer to Moroto
A hefty breakfast early in the morning, after which, get out of the lodge and set off for a guided hike to Triple Sipi Falls. These waterfalls are at the foothills of Mt. Elgon and form a series of falls, varying depending on the altitude. The trekking adventure to the Sipi Falls takes about 3 hours, and you will navigate the local communities. These falls vary, with the longest dropping at a height of 100m, 75m, and 85m.
After you visit these charming natural wonders, return to the lodge near the Sipi Falls, and you will have lunch. Check out and drive to Moroto to check in at the hotel, awaiting the next day’s activities, including a cultural experience from the Karamojong community.
Day 5: Guided nature walk & cultural visit
After a leisurely breakfast in the early morning, leave your accommodation for a day walk to Mount Moroto (3085m), the highest point in Karamoja. This ancient volcano, comprising many peaks, offers great adventure. The Karamojong community visit will be done after the hike to the top of Mount Moroto. This will be in the afternoon, and you’ll have a deep insight into the Karamojong people’s daily lifestyle, traditions, cultures, dances, music performances, and more. The Karamojong share much with the Masai in Kenya, making it a unique and respectful cultural experience.
Day 6: Moroto-Kidepo National Park
Leave Moroto for Kidepo Valley National Park, a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. This park, located in the extreme Northeast, is rugged and semi-arid, offering refuge to 4 of the big five game: lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, antelopes, giraffes, zebras, 475 bird species, and more. During the afternoon game drive, you’ll have the chance to encounter most of these wild animals, making it a thrilling experience for wildlife lovers.
Day 7: Game drive – full day in Kidepo
You can have breakfast, and after, meet your driver guide, who is fully prepared for a full-day game drive. You will explore the park’s diverse wildlife. They include: the big game, antelopes, giraffes, warthogs, birds, caracals, aardwolves, cheetahs, and more. In the morning, you will leave with a packed lunch to enjoy in the wilderness while seeing more wildlife species—an exceptional day on your 20-Day Uganda Grand Safari.
Day 8: Kidepo-Murchison Falls National Park
Transfer from Kidepo to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s only park, in the country’s north. You will be transferred in a customized safari Land Cruiser for a comfortable and safe journey. Murchison Falls National Park is one of Uganda’s most popular parks and is home to one of the world’s mightiest falls. Murchison National Park shelters diverse wildlife, including buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, antelopes, crocodiles, hippos, and bird species.
Day 9: Game drive, launch cruise -full day experiences at Murchison Falls National Park
An early morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park will start before sunrise, and you will visit the northern tracks. The long game drive takes 2-3 hours, and in a 4×4 tourist vehicle, you will see wildlife such as lions, giraffes, leopards, buffalo, birds, warthogs, and elephants.
After lunch and relaxation, afternoon activities begin. You will take a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, which is expected to last 2-3 hours. Navigating the Victoria Nile is an excellent opportunity to watch crocodiles, hippos, aquatic birds, buffalo, and other wildlife. If the water levels are low, a hike to the top of the falls will also be enjoyed.
Day 10: Nile Delta boat cruise, Murchison Falls National Park
Wake up early in the morning, enjoy breakfast, and then set off for an exciting boat cruise, a recreational activity that takes you through the Nile Delta. It is at the Nile Delta where the Victoria Nile empties its water into Lake Albert. Many birds can be spotted at the river banks, including the shoebill stork, and the overall journey takes 2-4 hours. Other wildlife species include hippos, crocodiles, etc. When you return, lunch will be provided, and later, set off for an afternoon game drive -optional.
Day 11: Kibale National Park from Murchison Falls National Park
Exit Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) for Kibale Forest, home to 13 primate species, 1500 chimpanzees, reptiles, 375 bird species, butterflies, and flora. Lying in the Albertine area in Western Uganda, Kibale covers about 795 sq. km and offers the best chimpanzee tracking. Lunch will be en route to the hotel or a restaurant in Fort Portal, a tourist city.
Day 12: Kibale chimp trekking
Your morning will be dedicated to chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park, 2-4 hours with the park guide leading you through. A visit to see chimpanzees starts after a briefing about chimpanzee tracking rules at Kanyanchu. In Kibale alone, there are over 1500 chimpanzees. These apes share about 98% of their DNA with humans, making them our closest cousins in the wild.
In addition to chimpanzees, many other primates live here and can be spotted. They include red-tailed, gray-cheeked mangabeys, L’hoests, red colobus, bush babies, and black and white colobus monkeys. The park also supports up to 375 bird species, including the green-breasted pitta.
The afternoon is spared for the Bigodi wetland walk after you have had lunch. The swamp walk will expose you to more primates, including baboons, red colobus monkeys, L’hoest’s monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and birds like the Great blue turacos. What a day on your 20 Days Uganda Grand Safari!
Day 13: Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game viewing tour
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Later on, set off for Queen Elizabeth National Park and the route. Do not forget to capture pictures of the Crater Lakes. In the background, you will be viewing the Rwenzori Mountain ranges and at a distance, the sweeping plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is an extensive savanna protected area, and it is the 2nd biggest park in Uganda. Over 3840 sq. km is what this park covers and hosts a huge profusion of wildlife, including 620 bird species, about 100 mammal species, primates, reptiles, and others. Relax for a long day or enjoy sights of animals while at your lodge.
Day 14: Game drive, launch cruise – Queen Elizabeth National Park full-day experiences
I hope you enjoy breakfast early in the morning. After that, your day at Queen Elizabeth National Park is dedicated to a game drive and a boat cruise. A game drive starts early in the morning before the sun rises. You will be driven through Kasenyi, a long game track. It will offer an exceptional view of wildlife such as lions, buffalo, elephants, leopards, warthogs, and antelopes. The morning game drive session takes 2-3 hours, and you will get back for lunch.
The second activity is to be done in the afternoon. It will be a launch or boat cruise, which is expected to last 2-3 hours. Aquatic life expected to be spotted on the Kazinga boat cruise includes hippos, crocodiles, birds, elephants, and buffalo as they cool themselves along the shores.
Day 15: Transfer to Kyambura Gorge for chimpanzee tracking & Ishasha tour
Chimpanzee tracking tour in Queen Elizabeth N/Park involves transferring to Kyambura Gorge. This is a natural wonder of its own, also referred to as the Valley of Apes. This is a home to not only chimpanzee communities, but also other primates, and you will keep an eye on them while on a 2-4 hours’ chimpanzee tracking adventure. These include black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, etc.
Return from the Kyambura Gorge forest to meet your driver guide. From Kyambura Gorge, connect to the Ishasha sector. The sector is renowned for seeing the tree-climbing lions. These can be watched during a short game drive, and several other animal species will be encountered.
Day 16: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, gorilla trekking
Have the best African cup of tea or coffee and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP). The park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda. It is where 459 of the world’s 1063 mountain gorillas live. They share the same habitat with chimpanzees, forest elephants, colobus monkeys, 360 bird species, and butterflies.
Day 17: Day to enjoy gorilla trekking
This is one of the highlights of the 20 Days Uganda Grand Safari. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a long day adventure, and today, you will spend 2-6 hours. Four regions in Bwindi have fully habituated gorilla families, and 20 groups are open for tourism. You will be allocated to only one gorilla family and visit as a group of 8 people. Maximum, one hour will be spent face to face with gorillas, including taking photos, learning their daily behaviors, and carefully observing their body gestures. Return to the lodge afterwards for relaxation and lunch, and in the evening, add a Batwa cultural experience (optional).
Day 18: Lake Bunyonyi or Lake Mutanda
A hefty breakfast, after, exit Bwindi National Park for Lake Bunyonyi or Lake Mutanda for relaxation. Lake Bunyonyi is a beautiful natural water Lake. It has 29 islands and is one large Lake free of hippos and crocodiles, an ideal swimming spot. A range of activities is offered here. But the popular ones include a boat ride taking you to the different islands you choose—cultural or community visit, zip lining, birding, etc. After a boat ride, you may relax at the lodge or swim in the evening.
Day 19: Lake Mburo National Park for wildlife encounter
Visit Lake Mburo National Park to have another wildlife experience. The park lies in Western Uganda, a four-hour drive from Kampala. In the evening, you will have a boat cruise on Lake Mburo and keenly observe hippos, crocodiles, and aquatic birds. Alternatively, you can go horseback riding to see the diversity of wildlife, such as zebras, giraffes, and antelopes like topis.
Day 20: Transfer to Kampala – Departure
Wake up early in the morning, set off for a guided nature walk in Lake Mburo or a game drive to see more of the savanna and the grazers here. After getting back, you will check out of the accommodation. Transfer to Entebbe or Kampala, marking the end of 20 days Uganda grand safari.
