Duration
12-Day
Mabamba Swamp, Uganda
Uganda is known for its friendly people and incredible diversity of landscapes and activities. On this 12-day journey, we will show you the best that Uganda has to offer, from wildlife safaris on the savannah plains of Murchison Falls | Queen Elizabeth National Park to intimate meetings with the chimpanzees in Kibale Forest and mountain gorilla encounters along the canopy-covered trails of the Bwindi Forest. Arriving in a new and foreign place can be overwhelming, but it turns out to be home.
Plan snapshot
Duration
12-Day
Route
Entebbe to Entebbe
Via Mabamba Swamp, Ziwa Rhino Ranch, Murchison Falls NP
Country & park
Uganda / Mabamba Swamp
Style
Mid-range shared safari
Group size
1-12 travelers
Starts
Any day if available
Minimum age
15 years
Activities
game drives, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, walking safaris (with an armed guide) & boat trip
Accommodation
ViaVia Entebbe Guesthouse - Budget hostel in Entebbe (City) – Breakfast Included
Meals
Breakfast Included; All Meals Included
Pickup
Airport transfer included
Booking
Request quote
Currency
USD
Solo travelers
Can join this group tour
Rates
USD
Before booking
Quote flow
This mid-range tour uses lodges.
On this shared tour, you will join a group of other travelers. Max 8 people per vehicle.
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
The contents of this tour cannot be changed.
Single travelers can join this group tour, but it requires a minimum of 2 people to run.
The minimum age for this tour is 15 years.
Day 1
Budget hostel in Entebbe (City) – Breakfast Included
Breakfast Included
Day 2
Mid-range lodge near Mabamba Swamp – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 3-4
Mid-range lodge just outside Murchison Falls NP – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 5
Mid-range lodge just outside Kibale NP (Chimps) – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 6
Mid-range lodge inside Queen Elizabeth NP – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 7
Mid-range lodge bordering Queen Elizabeth NP without fences – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 8
Mid-range lodge at Lake Mulehe – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 9
Mid-range lodge less than 1hr drive from Bwindi Impenetrable NP (Gorillas) – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 10
Mid-range lodge at Lake Bunyonyi – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 11
Mid-range lodge just outside Lake Mburo NP – All Meals Included
All Meals Included
Day 12
(No accommodation)
All Meals Included
Tour step
You'll be collected from the airport. Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.
Day 1
Upon arrival at the Airport, Gorilla Sights Journeys will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel in Entebbe. After checking in, you embark to Lake Victoria looking for the Kingfisher Ruff, Wood, Common, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Green Shank, Long-tailed and Great Cormorants, Madagascar Bee-eater, Green Crombec, Orange weaver, Entebbe Weaver (an endemic to Uganda that was recorded at the site only once), and White-spotted fluftail. Beyond these, our lens may capture the iconic Shoebill at nearby Mabamba Swamp or the vibrant Great Blue Turaco in the lush canopy of the Entebbe Botanical Garden. As the golden hour approaches, the shoreline teems with African Fish Eagles, Pied Kingfishers, and the rare Papyrus Gonolek. This introductory session provides the perfect light for action shots of waterbirds diving into the fresh waters of Lake Victoria, setting a magnificent tone for your 12-day journey. We ensure you have ample time to adjust your settings for the unique, rare birds. Budget hostel located in Entebbe (City) Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included) Drinks not included
Day 2
After breakfast, you transfer to Mabamba in search of the Shoebill using a boat cruise. A variety of species for your eyes to catch sight of include the elusive Shoebill Papyrus Gonolek, the White-faced Whistling-duck, the Fulvous Whistling Duck, the Goliath Heron, the Purple Heron, the Common Squacco Heron, the Long-toed Plover, the African Water Rail, Grey and Black-headed Herons, the Striated Heron, the Pygmy Goose, the Yellow-billed Duck, the Black Crake, the Swamp Moorhen, Allen’s Gallinule, the African Jacana, the Rufous-naped Lark, the Flappet Lark, the Mosque Swallow (monteiri race), the Weyn’s Weaver, the White-shouldered Tit, the Sand Martin, the Brown Snake-Eagle, the Eurasian Hobby, the Tropical Boubou, the Striped Kingfisher, the Common Stonechat, the Little Bee-eater, the Red-chested Cuckoo, Klass’s Cuckoo, the Diedrick Cuckoo, White-browed and the Senegal Coucals, the Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Yellow White-eye, common and many more others. Mid-range lodge located near Mabamba Swamp All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 3
Today, you make your way northwards via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary (approx. 4 hours), a successful conservation project in Uganda that has seen southern white rhinos return to the wild. After your lunch, you will be accompanied by a knowledgeable guide for a nature walk, including rhino tracking, with chances to see the rhino at very close range. There is so much to learn about nature, and the successes of your visit contribute a lot to the conservation of rhinos at the ranch. Afterward, you continue to Murchison Falls, Uganda’s largest national park with prolific wildlife. Its vast savannah grassland is home to four of the big five of the African Animal Kingdom. The park is beautifully bisected by the legendary River Nile and home to the world’s powerful Murchison Falls. You arrive at your lodge with a spectacular view of the Nile and a friendly and cool natural environment. You enjoy the sundowner as you drive to your lodge, a lot of animals, including some the Big Five. Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 4
Your day starts with a game drive on the northern sector of the park while animals are most active. While on a game drive in this savannah park, expect to see elephants, buffalo, hartebeest, hyena, antelopes, and tropical birds, and keep your eyes peeled for lions and leopards, not forgetting seeing how the Nile River enters Lake Albert on the Delta point. These are highlights of the game drive that you will be looking at, not forgetting Hyenas, wild cast Foxes, and so many entilopes, giraffes, buffalos, elephants. Being the biggest national park in Uganda, it has got as well the Small 5, Never miss on these, including Bitos, & mangoose. In the afternoon, it’s the time to go for the boat ride along the Nile, and the boat ride takes 2 hours, and then back to the lodge. A lot of the crocodiles on the Nile Hippos and so many birds. After the game drive, we return for your lunch and boat cruise in the afternoon where you focus on crocodiles, hippos, lizards, and many others. Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 5
After breakfast, you leave in the early morning for the Kibale Forest Park, which takes about 6 hours. The park is home to 13 species of primates, including the red colobus, chimpanzee, and L’Hoest’s monkey, as well as 70 mammal species. In the late afternoon, you arrive at the lodge. You will be able to rest and have a good night's sleep, in preparation for the chimpanzee tracking the next day. Heading to Kibale Forest National Park, you will drive through a scenic, lush green countryside. On arrival at Kibale forest, you will enter a completely different world some serious monkey business! Although you are here specifically to track Chimps, the forest also has some other mammals like mongoose, elephants, and birding paraides. The forest is home to prolific eves like Great Blue Turaco. From Green Tea, which the park has found as one of the projects that helps in conservation of the park, to the communities of Bigodi, this is another area that you need to visit to learn about culture. Mid-range lodge located just outside Kibale NP (Chimps) All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 6
After a briefing, you will embark on the chimp tracking in the Kibale Forest National Park, which takes about 2-3 hours. During the trek, you can see other primates such as grey-cheeked mangabeys, along with red-tailed and blue monkeys. Expert guides share the secrets of the forest’s flora and fauna, ensuring that the hike is both informative and enjoyable. Kibale Forest has the highest number of primate species in the world, including our delightful cousins— the chimpanzees. At this moment, in Uganda, there are approximately 4,950 chimps left in the wild, most of them are found in Kibale Forest. This forest houses the most chimpanzees in Africa and is thus the perfect and best place to spot chimpanzees. Here, you’ll also be able to do bird watching/bird count, go for half a day, or we can decide to go for a community visit or Crater Lakes Tour for the best views of Kibale National Park. After trekking, we'll transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for an evening safari. Mid-range lodge located inside Queen Elizabeth NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 7
Today, you will have an early morning game drive, then a midday boat ride on the Kazinga Channel. Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world, from the open savannah to rainforest, dense papyrus swamps, and Crater Lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s vistas include dozens of craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalos and elephants. You'll take a boat cruise along the Kazinga Natural Channel in search of water. The channel connects the mighty two lakes, Lake Gorge, which is located in Uganda, and Lake Edward, which is 70% in DR Congo and 30% in Uganda. The Channel is 40km long, it's the best place for elephants in the afternoon hours, and herds of elephants move from the plains to come and take water. Mid-range lodge bordering Queen Elizabeth NP without fences All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 8
Morning Photographic safari in Ishasha part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the morning. The chances of seeing the Climbing Lions is 70 %. You head to the home of the mountain gorillas after a photographic safari. You drive through the Kigezi hills as you traverse them and meet the most beautiful trains of the area. Through the drive, you reach a point where Dr Churchill named Uganda the pearl of Africa. You'll spend our 2 next two nights. This epic journey through the rolling, mist-covered, terraced hills offers spectacular sweeping views of the Kigezi highlands. As you traverse this breathtaking landscape. You will encounter unique local communities and vibrant green valleys. Your destination leads you closer to the dramatic Mountain ranges, home to rare primates and volcanic peaks. Here we prepare for the ultimate gorilla tracking experiences, deeply immersed in the untamed African tropical forests of Bwindi, the World Heritage Centre. Mid-range lodge located at Lake Mulehe All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 9
Prepare yourself for an encounter with one of Bwindi’s gentle giants: the rare mountain gorilla. For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda. You will be required to wake up early in the morning, then be led to the visitor’s reception center for a briefing about the park. You are allocated guides before heading into the forest in search of Mountain Gorillas. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest boasts around half of the mountain gorillas. There are also some Communities of Chimpanzees which are living in the park, making it the only forest in Africa that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also hosts five other species of primate, 113 species of mammal, over 200 butterflies, and 360 birds. Gorillas that you track belong to one of the habituated family groups that can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo before you reach gentle gorillas. Mid-range lodge located less than 1hr drive from Bwindi Impenetrable NP (Gorillas) All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 10
After an early morning breakfast, you transfer to our unforgettable day in Mgahinga. You head straight to the lush bamboo Mountain of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to track the rare, endangered golden monkeys. These striking, energetic primates are endemic to the high-altitude Virunga volcanic region. We watch them leap skillfully through the canopy, feeding on bamboo shoots and grooming in the morning light. Capturing their vibrant orange-gold coats on camera requires quick reflexes and a steady lens, offering a thrilling photographic challenge. After this exhilarating trek, we transfer to the serene shores of Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest lake in Uganda, Africa's second-deepest lake. At around 900mm deep, this is worth visiting. The scenic drive snakes through terraced hills, delivering panoramic vistas of the 29 scattered islands below. Arriving at our lodge, the peaceful atmosphere provides a reward after the active morning hike. You unwind by water, rolling green places in the west. Mid-range lodge located at Lake Bunyonyi All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 11
This morning, you will drive to the ‘Batwa’ (pygmies) Cultural Trail in Kabale. Doing this trail will enable you to interact and learn about the lifestyle of Uganda’s unique pygmies. The Batwa Trail is unique in a way that it showcases the authentic culture of the inhabitants of the Bwindi forest, whose lives mainly depended on the natural habitat transfer to Lake Mburo National Park, one of Uganda’s smallest parks, but certainly not to be underestimated. Lake Mburo is the only Ugandan national park (besides Kidepo valley NP) which is home to zebra, eland and impala as well as an abundance of other wildlife like giraffes, bush bucks, warthogs, Uganda kob, oribi, topi, buffaloes, waterbucks, baboons, monkeys and 250 bird species in the papyrus swamp land — not to mention the lake itself, which is teeming with hippos and crocodiles. It is also the only park in Uganda that offers one of the rare activities, a night game drive, where you have a chance to meet animals like leopards. Mid-range lodge located just outside Lake Mburo NP All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 12
In the morning, you will indulge in a nature walk in the park. Lake Mburo NP is one of the parks in Uganda where it’s possible to go for a walking safari with an experienced ranger. This opportunity should not be missed. From footprints and animal droppings, the ranger will be able to tell you which animal has left and how long ago. It is exciting to approach wildlife at such close range. Note: You can either opt for a walking Safari or a mountain bike safari. $ 15 pp (1 hour), horseback safari-$ 60pp (1 hour). As the sun goes down, embark on a night Game drive. A night drive experience is completely different from a day safari - a whole new world of animal species (nocturnal) awaits you. It gives you a different perspective of the park and wildlife. See how the guides find the smallest of creatures, from chameleons to the elusive Leopard. The night sky and the slight unknown get your heart pounding. A spotlight on an open safari vehicle ensures great views and lots of animals. All meals included Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Tour step
Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost. You'll be dropped off at the airport.
Park fees (For non-residents)
Gorilla permits(One per person, non-resident)
Chimp permits(One per person, non-resident)
All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
A professional driver/guide
All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
All Taxes/VAT
Roundtrip airport transfer
Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
Drinks (As specified in the day-by-day section)
International flights (From/to home)
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Offered by
Gorilla Sights Journeys is a fully licensed boutique Tour Operator with operational Head Offices in Kampala, Uganda. We specialised in crafting and tailoring elite photography, wildlife, and adventure expeditions. Our presence is deeply rooted in the regions and backed by the prestige of AUTO, UTB, and UWA, and strengthened by our trusted partnerships within Italian and Belgian travel associations. We are experts in creating Be-Spoken Journeys suited for you. Join our meticulously expeditions.
Office In
Uganda
Size
10-20 employees (Founded in 2018)
Member Of
AUTO, UTB, ESTOA, AFNI & ABTO
Tour Types
Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
Destinations
Rwanda, Uganda
Traveler feedback
Overall
5.0/5Communication
5.0/5Accuracy
5.0/5Value
5.0/5Safety clarity
5.0/5Cultural value
5.0/5In December 2020, I went on a gorilla trekking and safari in Queen Elizabeth national Park with Gerald from Gorilla Safaris. Seeing these majestic animals was enchanting. An experience I would do again in a heartbeat. But what made my trip unforgettable, was the assistance, flexibility and endless knowledge of Gerald. The level of professionalism and patience with my fickle travel companion was impressive. I would very much recommend Gerald and Gorilla Safaris to everyone!
Marthe · Belgium
We booked a safari with Visit Gorilla Safaris 4 Month ago, we were welcomed very well and the safari was conducted smartly, They replied to all questions we could ask through our emails. It was so amazing for us to have choose this tour agent in Uganda. Gerald the CEO made sure that the is handled very well, we highly recommend this tour agent for the agents wishing to travel to Uganda and East Africa in General. We saw all kind of Animals including the Mountain Gorillas on our Panaroma safari. Thank very much Visit Gorilla Safaris, Hope to come back with other groups next year
Robert · Italy
excellent at all times we feel the commitment of all members to make the stay incredible from the moment we arrive until our departure
Rebeca · Mexico
Our trip to Uganda with "Visit Gorillas Safaris" was fantastic, everything were well, the organization of de tour, the hotels that were very clean, the car was confortable and so on. We visited different places where we discovered how people live. Thanks our guide, Gerald, we could see hundreds of diferent animals, incredible landscape and the most special, the Gorillas, I will never forget this trip. Thanks.
JAVIER GONZÁLEZ · Spain
Practical answers
Rates are per person and exclude the international flight from/to your home country.
This tour is offered in US dollars (USD).
This tour accepts children who are 15 years and older.
If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.
The contents of this tour cannot be changed.
ViaVia Entebbe Guesthouse - Budget hostel in Entebbe (City) – Breakfast Included. Meals: Breakfast Included
This tour starts and ends in Entebbe
A transfer from and back to the airport is included
Operator policy
This tour is offered by Gorilla Sights Journeys, not SafariBookings.
This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
This group tour requires a minimum of 2 people to run.
The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
Gorilla tracking permits are subject to availability.
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