During your 12-day Uganda safari, keep your eyes open and your spirit ready for an unforgettable experience across Uganda’s top safari destinations.
From savannah game drives in places like Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, and Murchison Falls National Park to primate encounters in Bwindi Impenetrable and Kibale Forest National Parks.
Expect to experience the different cultures of Uganda, like the Karamojong and Batwa, which share stories from ancient times, along with bird watching at Mabamba. Enjoy all of this and more once you begin your 12-day Uganda safari, as your detailed itinerary shows below.
12-Day Uganda Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Pick up and Mabamba Wetland tour
- Day 2: Travel to Sipi Falls via Sezibwa Falls and the Source of the Nile
- Day 3: Hike to Sipi Falls and coffee tours
- Day 4: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park
- Day 5: Game drive and Karamojong cultural tour
- Day 6: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
- Day 7: Game drive and boat cruise
- Day 8: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park and Bigodi Wetland tour
- Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 10: Ishasha game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 11: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural experience
- Day 12: Departure
Detailed 12-Day Uganda Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and Mabamba Wetland tour
When you arrive in the country, our driver guide will pick you up from Entebbe International Airport or your hotel. He will explain how your trip will go before taking you to Mabamba Wetland. This wetland is part of Lake Victoria, the second biggest lake in the world. After a 45-minute boat ride from the Nakiwogo landing site, you will arrive at the wetland for bird watching.
The wetland is home to many birds, but the most special one is the shoebill stork. With its unique look and sound, the shoebill stork is one bird you should not miss. Locals call it “the bird from hell.” Return to your hotel in the afternoon for lunch. In the evening, relax at your hotel or take a walk around the city if you wish.
Day 2: Travel to Sipi Falls via Sezibwa Falls and the Source of the Nile
After breakfast, drive to Sipi Falls in Mbale, on the eastern side of Uganda. On the way, stop at Sezibwa Falls. A local guide will welcome you and take you around the area. Enjoy the views of the falls, the birds, and learn about the cultural meaning of the place. Continue to the River Nile in Jinja for a boat ride to the source of the Nile.
See where the Nile starts its long journey to the Mediterranean Sea. Have lunch while enjoying the view of the Nile, the longest river in the world. Then travel to Sipi Falls in Mbale district, check into your lodge, have dinner, and rest.
Explore other popular safari options, including our comprehensive 10-day Uganda safari, offering a slightly shorter yet equally immersive experience.
Day 3: Hike to Sipi Falls and coffee tours
Wake up early and enjoy a good breakfast with hot coffee, made from local beans. Head out for a hike to Sipi Falls, with views of green hills and white flowing water. The hike gives you views of coffee plantations and Mount Elgon. You will see the three waterfalls that make up Sipi Falls, often called romantic falls because of their peaceful setting.
Explore the caves behind the falls, hidden by the water. After your hike, return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, go on a coffee tour. See how coffee is planted, harvested, dried, and processed. Meet the farmers who grow Arabica coffee on this fertile land. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Transfer to Kidepo Valley National Park
After breakfast, check out of your lodge at Sipi Falls and travel to Kidepo Valley National Park. This long drive takes you through the countryside with different cultures and traditions along the way. Have lunch on the road and arrive at your lodge by evening for dinner and rest.
Day 5: Game drive and Karamojong cultural tour
Wake up to the sounds of birds and animals, and enjoy an early breakfast. Head out to the open plains of the park for a game drive. Kidepo is one of the best places for game drives in Uganda, with many animals to see. These include lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, cheetahs, ostriches, giraffes, hyenas, warthogs, elands, antelopes, and reedbucks.
Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Karamojong community for a cultural tour. See how their culture has stayed strong over time. Visit their Manyatta homes and learn about their beliefs, customs, and way of life. In the evening, go back to your lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 6: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Have an early breakfast and check out of the lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park. Travel southwest to Murchison Falls National Park. Enjoy the views on the way and have lunch on the road. Enter the park through the north gate, check into your lodge in the evening, have dinner, and rest.
Day 7: Game drive and boat cruise
After breakfast, go for a game drive in Murchison Falls National Park. This is a good way to see many animals while staying safe in your vehicle. Look out for lions, hyenas, leopards, antelopes, warthogs, waterbucks, elands, buffaloes, and elephants.
Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, go for a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile. See animals like hippos and crocodiles in the water, and elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes along the riverbank. You will also see Murchison Falls from below. In the evening, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park and Bigodi Wetland tour
After breakfast, check out of your lodge and drive to Kibale Forest National Park, known as the primate capital of the world. As you travel, you will notice the scenery change from savannah to forest. Arrive at your lodge and have lunch.
In the afternoon, go for a Bigodi Wetland tour with a local guide. Learn about the wetland and the animals and birds that live there. The walk is a good way to connect with nature. You may see monkeys like colobus, olive baboons, and vervet monkeys, as well as birds like black-crowned waxbill, white-spotted flufftail, blue-throated roller, and yellow-throated tinkerbird. As the sun sets, return to your lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, your driver will take you to the park office for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. You will be put into groups of 8 and guided by a ranger into Kibale Forest. The forest is full of sounds from birds and primates. After a short walk, you will meet the chimpanzees. Spend an hour watching them play, feed, and groom each other. Take photos, then return to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will arrive in the evening, check into your lodge, and rest.
Day 10: Ishasha game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, go for a game drive in the Ishasha sector. Look out for the famous tree-climbing lions. You may also see elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, and leopards. The lions are often found resting in fig and acacia trees. After the game drive, return to the lodge for lunch, then check out and travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Arrive in the evening, check into your lodge, have dinner, and rest.
Day 11: Gorilla trekking and Batwa cultural experience
After breakfast, enjoy the peaceful sounds of birds at your lodge. Then go to the park headquarters, where a ranger will group you with 7 others. You will be assigned a gorilla family to track. Enter the thick forest with a ranger who will lead you to the gorillas.
Once you find them, you will spend an hour watching them feed, play, and rest. After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the nearby Batwa community. They will show you how they lived in the forest and share their old ways of hunting and survival. In the evening, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Departure
After your last breakfast at the lodge in Bwindi, check out and start your journey back to the city. Have lunch on the way. In the evening, you will arrive at your hotel in Kampala or be dropped at Entebbe International Airport for your flight.
Visit Kibale National Park in Uganda with these recommended Uganda chimpanzee companies or inquire with us below to book your tour directly through this website.
