12-Day Uganda Wildlife & Birding Safari

Arrival in Entebbe

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by your professional Africa Exquisite Tours driver-guide and transferred to your hotel. Settle in, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the adventure ahead.

Birding at Mabamba Swamp

After an early breakfast, travel to Mabamba Swamp, a renowned wetland near Entebbe and one of Africa’s best places to search for the shoebill stork. Board a canoe with a local guide and glide quietly through papyrus channels, looking for shoebills, papyrus gonoleks, grey herons, jacanas, purple and Allen’s gallinules, and other wetland birds. With luck, you may also spot the swamp-dwelling sitatunga antelope.

Enjoy a picnic lunch before returning to Entebbe for dinner and overnight.

Second Mabamba Birding Session & Transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Begin with an early breakfast and return to Mabamba for another opportunity to photograph the shoebill and other birdlife. Later, drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for an afternoon rhino tracking experience on foot, accompanied by trained sanctuary guides. Overnight at the sanctuary.

Rhino Tracking & Transfer to Semuliki National Park

Enjoy a morning rhino trek for closer views and photographs of these impressive white rhinos. Afterwards, begin the scenic journey west to Semuliki National Park, travelling through rural Uganda, the Hoima escarpment, and the dramatic landscapes of the Western Rift Valley.

Arrive in the Semuliki or Fort Portal area in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Sunrise Boat Cruise on Lake Albert & Evening Birding

Set out at sunrise for a peaceful boat cruise on Lake Albert, where the waters meet the northern end of the Albertine Rift. Enjoy the early-morning light, lakeside scenery, and opportunities to observe waterbirds and local fishing communities.

After lunch and time to relax, return for an evening birding excursion and a short game drive, with chances to see species such as the great hornbill. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Morning Birding & Game Drive, Transfer to Kibale National Park

After breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive and birding session in the Semuliki area, looking for antelopes, other mammals, and wetland and forest bird species.

Later, transfer to Kibale National Park, one of Africa’s leading destinations for chimpanzee trekking and forest birdwatching. Arrive in time for dinner and overnight.

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale & Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, report to the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. Trek through Kibale’s rich tropical forest with experienced guides in search of a habituated chimpanzee community. Along the way, enjoy the forest’s birds, plants, butterflies, and other primates, including black-and-white colobus monkeys. Once the chimpanzees are located, spend one memorable hour observing them before returning for lunch.

In the afternoon, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for dinner and overnight.

Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Safari

Enjoy an early-morning game drive across the Kasenyi plains, where elephants, buffalo, waterbuck, Uganda kob, lions, leopards, and jackals may be seen against a backdrop of rolling savannah.

After lunch, take an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. This waterway is famous for its large hippo populations, Nile crocodiles, elephants, and abundant birdlife. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Ishasha Tree-Climbing Lions & Transfer to Bwindi’s Ruhija Sector

After breakfast, travel south through Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha sector, pausing for a morning game drive in search of its well-known tree-climbing lions.

Continue through scenic countryside to the Ruhija area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, with birding opportunities along the way. Arrive in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Full-Day Birding in Ruhija

Spend a full day exploring the Ruhija sector, one of Bwindi’s most rewarding birding areas. With your guide, search for sought-after forest species, including the African broadbill, African green broadbill, handsome francolin, and other Albertine Rift specialties.

Return to the lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

After breakfast, gather at the Ruhija park headquarters for a pre-trek briefing on gorilla trekking guidelines and conservation etiquette. Accompanied by trained rangers, trek through Bwindi’s dense montane forest in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family. The trek can take between two and eight hours, depending on the location of the gorillas, and includes one hour in their presence once found.

Observe these gentle, endangered primates respectfully and quietly, following your guide’s instructions. Photography is welcome without flash. Return to the lodge afterwards to relax and share the day’s experiences over dinner. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is carefully managed to protect the gorillas and their forest habitat.

Return to Kampala or Entebbe

Enjoy a final breakfast before departing Bwindi for Kampala or Entebbe. The journey covers approximately 437 km and takes around seven hours, passing rural homesteads, banana plantations, cattle farms, and lively roadside towns.

Stop for lunch at the Igongo Cultural Centre and visit the Uganda Equator crossing at Kayabwe for photographs and the well-known equator water demonstration. Arrive in Entebbe in the evening for your onward flight, bringing your 12-day Uganda wildlife and birding safari to a close.