North to south across Uganda: rhinos on foot at Ziwa, the mighty Murchison Falls, chimpanzees in Kibale, Queen Elizabeth’s boat cruise and mountain gorillas in Bwindi.
This is a true Uganda grand tour, travelling from the dry north to the misty south-west. It starts with rhino tracking at Ziwa, the only place in Uganda to see rhinos, continues to Murchison Falls for the Nile and big game, and then heads south along the Albertine Rift to Kibale’s chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth’s savannah and Bwindi’s gorillas.
Two nights in each main park give you time for morning and afternoon activities without long days on the road, and each stop adds something new: rhinos, giraffes, the falls, chimps, the Kazinga Channel, tree-climbing lions and finally mountain gorillas.
Leave early and drive north to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, about three hours from Kampala. After a briefing, track southern white rhinos on foot with a ranger, approaching to a safe distance as they graze. After lunch, continue to Murchison Falls National Park, arriving in the late afternoon. Read about rhino tracking at Ziwa.
Cross the Nile at Paraa early for a morning game drive on the Buligi tracks north of the river. This is the best area in the park for lions, Rothschild’s giraffe, elephants, buffalo, Uganda kob and Jackson’s hartebeest, with the Albert Nile and the Congo hills as a backdrop.
In the afternoon, take the three-hour launch trip from Paraa up the Victoria Nile to the foot of Murchison Falls. You pass pods of hippos, large crocodiles, elephants and buffalo on the banks and countless birds, before the boat stops below the thundering falls. On the way back, stop at the top of the falls if time and light allow.
Drive to the top of Murchison Falls, where the entire Nile forces itself through a gorge just seven metres wide and plunges 43 metres with a roar you feel underfoot. Walk the short trail to the viewpoints for the full force of the water.
Then drive south through Masindi and Hoima and along the Albertine escarpment to Fort Portal and Kibale, arriving in the evening.
Arrive at the Kanyanchu visitor centre for the 8:00am briefing, then set off into the forest in a group of up to eight with a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger. Kibale’s habituated chimpanzees are usually found within one to three hours, often calling loudly or feeding in fig trees. You spend one hour with them, watching grooming, squabbles and youngsters at play, while red colobus and grey-cheeked mangabeys move through the canopy around you.
In the afternoon, walk the boardwalk and trails of the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary with a local guide. It is one of the best places in Uganda to see the great blue turaco, and you may also find red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and a wealth of swamp birds. Fees support the local community’s schools and health projects.
After breakfast, drive south past the crater lakes and tea estates and down the Rift Valley escarpment into Queen Elizabeth National Park, crossing the equator near Kikorongo. Check in at your lodge in time for lunch.
In the afternoon, board the two-hour launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel from Mweya. The channel links Lakes George and Edward and its banks hold one of Africa’s highest concentrations of hippos, along with buffalo, elephants coming down to drink, Nile crocodiles and huge numbers of waterbirds such as pelicans, African skimmers and pied kingfishers.
Set out at dawn for a game drive on the Kasenyi plains, where thousands of Uganda kob gather on their breeding grounds and the lions of Kasenyi hunt in the early light. Look also for buffalo, waterbuck, warthog and elephants, and for leopards along the Channel Track.
In the afternoon, explore the crater lakes around Katwe and the salt lake, or add an optional chimpanzee walk in Kyambura Gorge.
Drive south through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where lions often rest in the branches of large fig trees. Your guide checks their favourite trees as you look for topi, buffalo and elephants on the open plains, then you continue through the hills to Bwindi.
After an early breakfast you report to the park office for the 7:30–8:00am briefing, where Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers explain the rules and assign each visitor to a gorilla family; no more than eight people visit a family each day.
You then follow your ranger guide into the forest while trackers radio the family’s position. Treks take anywhere from one to six hours over steep, muddy ground. When you reach the gorillas you leave bags and sticks with the porters, put on a face mask and spend one hour watching them feed, groom and play from at least 10 metres away, before walking back out and receiving your trekking certificate.
After breakfast, leave Bwindi and drive east through Ntungamo, Mbarara and Masaka, with a lunch stop on the way and a final photo stop at the equator. You arrive in Kampala or Entebbe in the evening, in time for a hotel night or a late international flight. A scheduled flight from Kihihi or Kisoro can replace the drive.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
It covers the main highlights from north to south: rhinos, Murchison Falls, chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth and gorillas. Kidepo and the Rwenzori Mountains need extra time.
Several days include 5–7 hours of driving, broken by game viewing and stops. The final drive from Bwindi can be replaced by a flight.
Lions, elephants, buffalo and rhinos (at Ziwa) are very likely; leopards are possible in Murchison and Queen Elizabeth.
Both: Murchison has the falls, the Nile and giraffes; Queen Elizabeth has the Kazinga Channel, tree-climbing lions and crater lakes.
Yes. Add the Murchison delta cruise or a morning at Mabamba near Entebbe.
Wildlife 7 daysTwo of Uganda’s greatest wildernesses in one journey: the thundering Nile at Murchison Falls, then the wide, wild plains of Kidepo Valley in the far north-east.
Short break 4 daysRhinos on foot, chimpanzees in a mahogany forest, the most powerful waterfall on the Nile and the big game of Uganda’s largest park, in four unhurried days from Kampala.
Honeymoon 12 daysAdventure and romance: fly in to trek gorillas in Bwindi, see tree-climbing lions and the Kazinga Channel, then fly to Zanzibar for Stone Town and six nights on the beach.
Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
