14 Days Best of Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari

The panoramic drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle and Masindi Town to arrive in Murchison Falls National Park will captivate you first. A picnic lunch at the spectacularly situated site located at the top of Murchison Falls will ignite your curiosity even more.

Here is your chance to see the beauty of the Nile perfected! Marvel at the immensely powerful falls, caused by the 50m-wide Nile being funnelled into a 7 metres cleft in the rocks. Dropping 4o metres with a thunderous roar, the falls create a beautiful rainbow and an impressive plume of spray-they were once described as the most spectacular thing to happen to the Nile along its 6700-kilometre length.

Enjoy the superb comfort and service of Paraa Safari Lodge or Nile Safari Camp.

Begin the day by crossing the placid Victoria Nile to enjoy a game drive on the northern side of the river. A guide will help you to spot elephant, lion, African buffalo, Rothschild's giraffe, hartebeest, waterbuck, oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena and, for the lucky ones, leopard.

After a packed lunch picnic, climb aboard for a boat safari up the Victoria Nile to the base of the falls, stopping just tens of metres from the "Devil's Cauldron". On the 17km route up the river, marvel at the toothsome hippos and the fearsome crocodiles while looking out for other animals along the banks of the river such as elephant, waterbuck and Uganda kob.

This area is also a zone for many bird species including Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork.

After taking shots of photogenic Murchison Falls, return to Paraa Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Spend the day driving south, via Hoima, through verdant countryside, passing by traditional homesteads and farms to arrive in Fort Portal.

Fort Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Kibale Tented Camp located on the edge of the Kibale Forest.

Spend a full day searching for chimpanzees and 10 other primate species, including l' Hoest’s, red colobus, blue, and red-tailed monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys. The walk is both informative and enjoyable with a guide providing detailed explanations on the primates, as well as other forest fauna and flora.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Kibale Tented Camp.

Proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, following the mystical Rwenzori Mountain range for much of the journey. A game drive en-route may be rewarded with views of lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, hyena and a variety of antelope species.

After lunch, enjoy the unique 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing while passing through one of the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. As well, many animals may be seen drinking at the water's edge, including buffalo and elephants. The prolific bird life is colourful and stupendous with well over 550 resident species.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge or Jacana Safari Lodge.

This day will include two game drives, offering the chance to view Queen Elizabeth National Park's diverse eco-systems of grassy plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes and volcanic craters, which provide a home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.

Game drives in this park, with the massive Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop, provide an excellent opportunity to see lion, leopard, giant forest hog, African buffalo, elephants, defassa waterbuck, Uganda kob, topi and bushbuck. Combined with the boat trip up the Kazinga Channel, these two game drives are memorable methods of discovering a vast array of wildlife.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge or Jacana Safari Lodge.

Drive through the terraced hillsides and winding roads of the Kigezi Highlands, an area also known as the "Switzerland of Africa", to Kisoro or Bwindi.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Bwindi Tented Camp.

This day begins with an early morning entry into the gorilla sanctuary-a dramatic, steeply forested landscape. The spectacular and incredibly dense rainforest is accessed by numerous animal trails that criss-cross through the forest. Mammals that live here include the endangered Mountain gorilla, rare golden monkey, buffalo, elephant, black-fronted duiker, bushbuck, leopard, giant forest hog, among others.

This park is best known for its fascinating gorillas. The time is taken to find the gorillas and the terrain covered will vary according to the movements of these marvellous primates. Observing these shy and peaceful animals is a rare, moving, and exciting adventure.

Dinner and an overnight stay at Bwindi Tented Camp

Drive from Bwindi to Kisoro where you will rest and prepare to see the gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Gorilla tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Dinner and an overnight stay at Travelers Rest Camp.

Travel to Lake Bunyonyi, a mountain tarn surrounded by terraced hills. Enjoy swimming, canoeing, sunbathing, hilly walks or mountain bike riding and cray fishing.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Bushara Island Camp.

After an early breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park, entering the park through the Nshara Gate. Enjoy an afternoon game drive along the Lakeshore track. The "Kigambara Loop", with its own system of game trails and cleared walkways, offers interesting guided lakeside walks. Here you may find herds of zebra, African buffalo and eland as well as oribi and topi.

In addition to a game drive, many visitors enjoy a boat trip on Lake Mburo. Self-guided nature trails are also available. Birdwatchers can enjoy the more than 250 species of birds found in Lake Mburo, including papyrus gonolek, brown-faced lapwing, Carruthers cisticola, the extraordinary white-winged warbler and bare-faced go-away bird.

Return to Lake Mburo Tented Camp for candlelit dinners and first-class service, all under canvas in the heart of the African bush, under the starry African sky.

After breakfast, proceed for a game drive or a safari walk under the escort of an armed ranger (this is the only park where you are not entirely imprisoned in a vehicle). The Kopjes are particularly interesting and camouflage klipspringers and topis.

There is cattle herding in the area and it is amusing to see zebra peaceably grazing alongside the long-horned Ankore cattle. Return for a leisurely lunch while enjoying the view of the lakes in this park. A boat ride on Lake Mburo allows the visitor to get quite close to crocodiles and hippos.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at Lake Mburo Tented Camp.

After breakfast, head off for one more game drive. After lunch, drive back to Kampala. En route, stop at the Mpigi Royal Drum Makers. Here you will able to watch ceremonial drums being crafted using methods that have been passed down through generations. There will also be time to stop at the equator for photographs. You will arrive in Kampala in the early evening.