10 Days Uganda Safari
Overview
This 10 Days Uganda Safari is one of the most complete wildlife and primate adventures in Uganda. The journey takes you through the country’s most iconic national parks, including Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. Along the way, you will enjoy game drives, boat cruises, chimpanzee tracking, mountain gorilla trekking, and spectacular scenery.
From the powerful Murchison Falls and the chimpanzees of Kibale Forest to the tree climbing lions of Ishasha and the mountain gorillas of Bwindi, this safari showcases the very best of the Pearl of Africa.
Safari Highlights
- Chimpanzee trekking
- Gorilla trekking
- Rhino tracking
- Nature walks
- Game drive
- Boat cruise
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe and Transfer to Hotel
Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by your driver guide and transferred to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may relax at the hotel or explore the Entebbe area.
Accommodation: ViaVia Entebbe / Airport Guesthouse Entebbe / 2 Friends Beach Hotel
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
After breakfast, depart for Murchison Falls National Park. En route, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided rhino tracking experience on foot.
Continue to Murchison Falls National Park and visit the top of the falls if time allows before checking into your lodge.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge / Murchison River Lodge / Fort Murchison
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Morning Game Drive, Nile Boat Cruise and Top of the Falls Visit
Start the day with an early morning game drive across the northern sector of the park. Look for lions, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, and numerous bird species.
In the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise along the River Nile to the base of Murchison Falls where wildlife gathers along the riverbanks. Later visit the top of the falls for spectacular views.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge / Murchison River Lodge / Fort Murchison
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, travel south through the scenic Albertine Rift Valley towards Kibale Forest National Park. The journey offers beautiful views of tea plantations, crater lakes, and rural communities.
Arrive in the evening and check into your lodge.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge / Turaco Treetops / Kibale Forest Camp / Isunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi Wetland Walk
Following breakfast, proceed for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park. Spend time observing chimpanzees in their natural habitat as they feed, communicate, and move through the forest.
After lunch, enjoy a guided walk through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, famous for birds and primates.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge / Turaco Treetops / Kibale Forest Camp / Isunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Evening Game Drive
After breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival, enjoy an evening game drive through the park’s wildlife-rich plains.
Look out for elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, and predators.
Accommodation: Buffalo Safari Lodge / Twin Lakes Safari Lodge / Elephant Hab Lodge / Enganzi Game Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Morning Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
Begin the day with a game drive in the Kasenyi Plains. Search for lions, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, and other wildlife.
In the afternoon, enjoy a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel where large numbers of hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and water birds can be seen.
Accommodation: Buffalo Safari Lodge / Twin Lakes Safari Lodge / Elephant Hab Lodge / Enganzi Game Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha Sector
Travel through the Ishasha Sector, famous for its tree climbing lions. Enjoy a game drive before continuing to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Arrive in the evening and check into your lodge.
Accommodation: Buhoma Community Haven Lodge / Bakiga Lodge / Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge / Gorilla Mist Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking Experience and Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing before entering the forest in search of mountain gorillas.
After spending one hour with the gorillas, return for lunch and transfer to Lake Mburo National Park for your overnight stay.
Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock / Mburo Safari Lodge / Kigambira Safari Lodge / Eagles Nest Lake Mburo
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: Morning Nature Walk and Return to Entebbe or Kampala
Enjoy an early guided nature walk in Lake Mburo National Park where you may encounter zebras, giraffes, impalas, and other wildlife on foot.
After breakfast, begin your return journey to Entebbe or Kampala with a stop at the Equator for photographs, lunch, and souvenir shopping.
Accommodation: No Overnight Accommodation
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch
Optional Activities
Murchison Falls National Park
- Hot Air Balloon Safari
- Delta Boat Cruise
- Sport Fishing on the Nile
- Bird Watching Excursion
- Community Cultural Visit
Kibale Forest National Park
- Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
- Crater Lakes Tour
- Coffee Experience
- Bird Watching Safari
- Community Walk
Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Lion Tracking Experience
- Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge
- Maramagambo Forest Walk
- Katwe Salt Lake Tour
- Bird Watching Excursion
- Sundowner Experience
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Batwa Cultural Experience
- Gorilla Habituation Experience
- Guided Forest Walk
- Waterfall Trail Walk
- Community Visit
Lake Mburo National Park
- Horseback Safari
- Night Game Drive
- Cycling Safari
- Boat Cruise
- Bird Watching Tour
- Community Cultural Experience
Tour Includes(Uganda safaris)
- Travel in a 4×4 car
- Professional guide
- Park fees
- Accommodation
- Meals
- All Activities In Itinerary
Tour Excludes
- Alcoholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tips
- Shopping
- Insurance
- Anything not included per itinerary
A Flexible Uganda Safari Framework
This itinerary is built around Uganda’s core safari highlights, gorilla trekking in Bwindi, savannah wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and, depending on the specific version booked, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest, giving a well-rounded introduction to the country’s primate and wildlife experiences.
Because Uganda’s southwestern circuit connects these destinations with manageable driving distances, this itinerary balances genuine time at each stop with reasonable travel days, avoiding the rushed feel that can come with trying to cover too much ground too quickly.
Practical Notes
A Uganda e-visa or East Africa Tourist Visa, arranged before travel, is required for most nationalities, along with a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of transmission. Travel insurance covering trekking or wildlife activities and medical evacuation is strongly recommended, and malaria prevention is worth discussing with a travel health clinic ahead of your trip.
US dollars printed after 2009 are widely accepted for park fees, permits and lodge bills across all destinations on this itinerary, while local currency is more practical for tips and smaller day-to-day purchases. Mobile network coverage is generally reliable at lodges and along main routes but becomes patchy inside the parks themselves.
Because this itinerary spans multiple countries and involves gorilla trekking permits, park fees and border logistics across each stop, we recommend booking at least four to six months in advance, particularly for travel during the June to September or December to February peak seasons.
Tipping is customary though not compulsory. Rangers and trackers typically receive a tip at the end of any trekking activity, scaled to group size, while your driver-guide, who accompanies you throughout the trip, is usually tipped separately at the end. We’re glad to advise on typical tipping ranges when you book.
A private 4×4 safari vehicle with an experienced English-speaking driver-guide accompanies you for the entire trip, handling both park game-viewing tracks and the border crossings and road transfers this multi-country itinerary involves.
Who This Itinerary Suits
This itinerary works well as a flexible starting point for travelers still deciding on the exact shape of their Uganda trip, since it can be adjusted in length and focus, more gorilla trekking, more savannah wildlife, or a broader combination, once we understand your priorities and travel dates.
Whether this becomes a focused four-day trip or a fuller two-week circuit, the same core team stays involved from initial planning through your return flight home, coordinating permits, accommodation and transport as a single, connected itinerary rather than a series of separate bookings.
Gorilla Trekking Sectors in Bwindi
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is divided into four trekking sectors — Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, and Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south — each with its own habituated gorilla families and its own character. Buhoma offers the gentlest terrain and is the most established sector, with lodges close to the park gate. Rushaga has the highest concentration of habituated families and is also where gorilla habituation experience permits are issued, allowing visitors extended time with a family that is still being acclimatised to human presence. Ruhija sits at higher altitude with cooler mornings, while Nkuringo is known for its steep ridgeline approach and rewarding views over the forest canopy. Your guide assigns you to a specific family the morning of the trek based on fitness level and permit allocation, and treks can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours of hiking through dense, humid rainforest before the encounter.
Tree-Climbing Lions of Ishasha
The Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for a rare behavioural trait: lions here regularly climb into the branches of the sector’s large fig trees, reportedly to escape biting insects and the heat of the savannah floor, and to get a better vantage point for spotting prey. Spotting a pride draped over the low branches of a fig tree is one of the more memorable sightings on a Uganda safari, though it requires patience since the behaviour is not guaranteed on any single game drive. Ishasha is quieter than the park’s main Kasenyi plains, seeing far fewer vehicles, which makes for a more private and unhurried game-viewing experience.
Top of the Falls and Boat Cruise
Murchison Falls, where the entire Victoria Nile forces itself through a gap in the rock only a few metres wide before plunging some 43 metres into the Devil’s Cauldron below, can be experienced from two very different vantage points. A launch cruise along the Nile from the base of the falls brings you close to pods of hippos, basking crocodiles and elephants drinking at the water’s edge, with the roar of the falls building as the boat approaches. A short hike to the top of the falls, meanwhile, puts you directly beside the point where the river is compressed into that narrow gorge, and the raw power of the water at close range is something photographs rarely capture accurately. Most itineraries through Murchison Falls National Park combine both perspectives.
Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest
Kibale Forest National Park protects one of the highest densities of primates in Africa, and its main draw is tracking habituated chimpanzee communities through the forest understory. Treks typically last one to three hours and reward visitors with close views of chimps feeding, grooming and moving through the canopy, along with their loud, distinctive pant-hoot calls echoing through the trees. Beyond chimpanzees, Kibale is home to eleven other primate species, including L’Hoest’s and red colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys and the elusive nocturnal potto, making it a rewarding stop even beyond the headline chimp trek. For visitors wanting a deeper experience, a full-day chimpanzee habituation permit allows several hours with a community from dawn, following researchers as they carry out their morning routine.
Get Your Tailored 10 Days Uganda safari
Uganda Safari Photos
Our Green Spot Campaign
Every safari with us supports our Green Spot Campaign — planting trees across Uganda’s communities. Learn more & get involved →
All in Africa Safaris arranges tours to Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania
3 Days Murchison Falls Safari
Discover the Wildlife in the Murchison Falls National Park with engagement with a boat cruise and game drives which lead to a nature walk on top of the falls
4 Days Gorillas & Queen Wildlife
Visit the magical national parks of Uganda known as Bwindi Forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park including gorilla trekking and wildlife views for travelers
5 Days Gorillas & Chimps Track
Explore the great Mgahinga National Park conserving and protecting the endangered Mountain gorillas & chimpanzees in the pearl of Africa
6 Days Uganda Safari
Visit the magical national parks of Uganda known as Bwindi Forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park which include the gorilla trekking and wildlife views
1 Day Bwindi Gorilla Tour from Kigali
A fast-paced day trip from Kigali into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for a single unforgettable hour with a mountain gorilla family
3 Days Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale
Track chimpanzees through Africa’s primate capital, Kibale Forest, alongside a community walk through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
4 Days Kidepo Valley Wildlife Safari
Venture into Uganda’s most remote wilderness for cheetahs, ostriches and dramatic mountain scenery few visitors ever see
7 Day Kidepo and Sipi Safari
Combine Kidepo Valley’s wild plains with waterfall hikes and coffee tours in the Sipi Falls region
10 Days Rwanda Uganda Safari
A complete circuit through Volcanoes, Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth and Kibale for gorillas, chimps and classic wildlife
12 Days Uganda Leisure Holidays
An unhurried two-week journey through Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Mburo
14 Days Uganda Northern Circuit
Explore Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Sipi Falls on this off-the-beaten-path northern adventure
15 Days Uganda Safari
Uganda’s full highlight reel across two relaxed weeks of gorillas, chimps, wildlife and scenic countryside