9-day uganda safari – shoebill, big five, chimps, gorillas, crater lakes

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, meet your safari guide and transfer to your lodge for refreshments. Later in the afternoon, depart for Mabamba Swamp, a Ramsar site famous for the rare shoebill stork. Glide through narrow channels on a wooden canoe while spotting sitatunga antelope, papyrus endemics, kingfishers, and swamp harriers.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Siena Beach Resort
Meal Plan: Bed & Breakfast

After breakfast, travel north through Nakasongola to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided walking safari to the rhinos. Rangers lead you safely through the bush as you observe white rhinos grazing, interacting, and resting.
After lunch, continue to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest park. Cross the river (if staying north) and check in to the lodge.

Accommodation: Murchison Bamboo Village
Meal Plan: Full Board

Start the day early with a game drive on the northern savanna, one of Africa’s richest wildlife viewing regions. Expect to see:

• Elephants, buffalo, Jackson’s hartebeest
• Nubian giraffes
• Lions, leopards (occasionally)
• Oribi, Uganda kob
• Hyenas and giant forest hog

Return for lunch, then board the Nile boat cruise heading upstream. Watch as hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and waterbirds line the riverbanks. The boat stops at the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile explodes through a 7-meter gap.

Optional: Hike to the top of the falls to meet your driver.
Return to the lodge for relaxation.

Accommodation: Murchison Bamboo Village
Meal Plan: Full Board

Visit the Top of the Falls, where you’ll feel the power of the entire Nile squeezing through the narrow gorge. Take photos and enjoy short walking trails.

Begin the scenic drive south to Fort Portal, passing tea plantations, lush rolling hills, and small traditional villages. Arrive in Kibale in the evening.

Accommodation: Isunga Lodge – Kibale
Meal Plan: Full Board

Morning: Chimpanzee Trekking
Report to the park headquarters for briefing. Venture into the dense Kibale Forest—home to over 1,500 chimpanzees. Spend time observing them feeding, grooming, vocalizing, and living in family groups.

Midday: Crater Lakes Exploration
Drive through the Ndali–Kasenda Crater Lakes, a chain of dramatic volcanic crater lakes formed centuries ago. Highlights include:

• Lake Nyinambuga viewpoint
• Lake Nkuruba forest reserve
• Panoramic ridges and terraced farms
• Lake Kifuruka and the “Top of the World” viewpoint

Short optional activities: walking trails, local fruit tasting, crater viewpoint stops.

Afternoon: Bigodi Community Tour
Visit the Bigodi Wetland & Community where you engage with local guides and families. Activities may include:

• Traditional coffee experience
• Local women’s craft groups
• Cultural storytelling
• Birdlife viewing in Bigodi swamp

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park later in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Buffalo Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

Begin with a sunrise game drive in the Kasenyi Plains, known for lions hunting Uganda kob. Other sightings often include elephants, buffalo herds, warthogs, hyenas, and countless savanna birds.

In the afternoon, board the stunning Kazinga Channel boat cruise—one of the most wildlife-concentrated waterways in Africa. Expect large pods of hippos, crocodiles, elephants bathing, buffalo at the water’s edge, plus African fish eagles and kingfishers.

Accommodation: Buffalo Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

Leave Queen Elizabeth NP and head through the Ishasha sector, famous for tree-climbing lions lounging in fig trees. Continue south into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

In the evening, join the Batwa Community Trail, where Batwa elders share their history as former forest dwellers. Activities include cultural dances, storytelling, fire-making, and traditional hunting demonstrations.

Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge / Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board

Early breakfast followed by a briefing at the Bwindi park office. Enter the forest with rangers to track a mountain gorilla family. Depending on the group you’re assigned, trekking may take 2–6 hours. Once found, spend up to 1 hour in close contact with one of the world’s most endangered primates.

After the trek, transfer to the scenic Lake Bunyonyi, one of Africa’s most beautiful lakes dotted with 29 islands. Relax, canoe, swim, or enjoy the cool highland breeze.

Accommodation: Birdnest Resort – Lake Bunyonyi
Meal Plan: Full Board

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Entebbe with a lunch stop in Mbarara or Masaka. Drop-off at Entebbe Airport for your flight to Kenya.

Meal Plan: Breakfast