7-Day Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Big Game Safari

Your driver-guide will pick you up from Entebbe International Airport, or your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, and transfer you to Murchison Falls National Park. En route, you'll stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking, spending about an hour observing rhinos in the wild. You'll then have lunch at Kabalega Diner before continuing the journey to the park.

Once inside Murchison Falls National Park, you'll have the chance to spot lions, giraffes, hartebeests, buffaloes, and elephants, along with the falls themselves — one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world. The park is also a birder's paradise, boasting over 450 species, including the elusive shoebill stork, dwarf kingfisher, white-thighed hornbill, and goliath heron.

You'll check in at your accommodations and take the evening to relax in preparation for the next day.

Have an early breakfast, then set out for a game drive in the northern section of Murchison, known for its high concentration of wildlife. Enjoy game viewing and photography of elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda kobs, lions, and leopards, along with a variety of bird species. Return to your accommodations for lunch as you prepare for a three-hour boat trip to the base of the falls — often considered the highlight of a Murchison Falls safari, offering up-close views of wildlife along the water. Cruise past huge hippo pods, basking crocodiles, and numerous aquatic birds lining the riverbanks on the way to the mighty falls.

You may also take an optional hike to the top of the falls. The hike is strenuous, but the thrill of reaching the summit makes it unforgettable. Return to your accommodations for dinner and an overnight stay.

The transfer south from Murchison Falls to Queen Elizabeth National Park covers approximately 350 kilometers. This scenic journey offers a glimpse into rural Ugandan life as you pass through diverse landscapes, including grasslands and volcanic crater lakes. An evening game drive on arrival provides the opportunity to spot a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat.

Today you will go on an early morning chimpanzee trek in Kalinzu Forest, following the chimps through the dense forest as you observe their behavior and interactions. In the afternoon, a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel offers another wildlife viewing opportunity, with hippos, elephants, buffaloes, and various bird species along the banks. Afterward, return to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.

Have breakfast, then set off for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its resident tree-climbing lions — you have about a 70% chance of spotting them.

Bwindi shelters roughly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, spread across several habituated groups available for tracking. Its mist-covered hillsides hold one of Uganda's oldest and most biodiverse rainforests, dating back over 25,000 years, with nearly 400 plant species. Take it easy upon arrival, checking in and relaxing ahead of tomorrow's gorilla trekking.

After an early breakfast and a briefing from your ranger guide, you'll enter the impenetrable Bwindi Forest. The rainforest's beauty is spectacular — a dramatic, steeply forested landscape, incredibly dense yet threaded with criss-crossing animal trails that make it accessible to trekkers. The time and terrain involved vary with the movements of these great primates. Once you locate a gorilla group, you'll spend one magical hour in their presence — an unforgettable experience observing these gentle, endangered giants up close.

Afterward, return to your lodge for lunch before checking out and transferring to Lake Bunyonyi. The lake is framed by lush, green terraced hills rising to 2,200–2,478 meters, but it's the 29 islands of varying shapes and sizes scattered across its waters that make it most remarkable. At around 900 meters deep, it's considered the third-deepest lake in Africa.

Have an early breakfast, then set off on your return journey to Entebbe Airport. You'll stop en route for lunch and a visit to the Equator line, before continuing on to arrive for your late afternoon/evening airport drop-off marking the end of your amazing Ugandan safari.