Visit iconic destinations in 25 days grand Uganda holiday. Uganda, the Pearl of Africa is practically the best destination to explore, gifted by nature and located in East Africa. Marvel at excellent accommodation facilities, friendly people, exciting geographical features, wonderful climate, and rewarding routes.
Let your imaginations and thoughts be translated into reality as you step your feet to Uganda for the 25 days Uganda holiday. Be it discovering the treasures hidden in Kampala city, hiking the different mountains and rocks etc. Also, spot the shoebill at Murchison Falls National Park, chimpanzees at Kibale forest, tree-climbing lions at the Ishasha sector, and mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Do not waste the 25 days without encountering the golden monkeys at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and the mysterious Sempaya Hot springs at Semuliki National Park. There are also scenic savanna grasslands of Kidepo Valley National Park and three-horned chameleons in the snow-capped Rwenzori mountains. Experience the exciting cultures of the Batwa pygmies, and the powerful Murchison Falls for a perfectly unforgettable period of time.
Detailed safari
Day 1: Pickup and city tour
As you arrive at Entebbe international airport, our expert company representative will be glad to meet and welcome you. He will brief you on whatever thing you should know concerning the trip and the country as you sip a glass of juice. The guide will drive you around the city, showing you some of the historical, physical and natural wonders, not forgetting exchanging your money into Ugandan currency.
Go to the Independent monument to know how Uganda attained its independence, Uganda Museum to witness ethnological and historical symbols of the country. Head to Baha’i temple which is the central prayer point in Africa. Visit the local markets to buy some of the items you need for the trip before going for some refreshment. Follow these with dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Drive to Jinja and Visit the Source of River Nile
In the morning, you will start your day with a cup of coffee before packing all your belongings and checking out of the hotel. For 2-3 hours, drive to Jinja, home to the source of R. Nile which doubles as the longest river on earth. This runs for three months to pour its water in the Mediterranean Sea, after crossing several countries including Egypt.
The Journey passes through a smooth tarmac road that gives you a scenic view of Mabira forest. Pause at a place the locals sell roasted chicken and bananas (Gonjja) that you are free to purchase because they are very tasty. You will be amazed at the magical Jinja Bridge, suspended above the water using poles, though no one is allowed to take photos.
Arrive at River Nile during lunch time to enjoy a mouth-watering meal before boarding a boat. The motorboat will take you to the point that is believed to be the source of the Nile. This is where it starts its three months’ voyage to the Mediterranean Sea. Have photo moments at the green gardens and with the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi before you drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Visit Itanda Falls and transfer to Mbale
After breakfast, you will drive to Itanda falls, to watch or participate in white water rafting that lasts for a proximately 1-2 hours. See the young boys try their best to face and beat the water rapids. You might scream on top of your voice as the boat moves down as though capsizing yet it is very steady. It looks so horrifying but upon leaving the water, the story you derive from this is very real and unforgettable.
Return for an early lunch after which you will check out of the lodge and embark on a 3-4-hour scenic drive to Mount Elgon National Park. Meanwhile, you will drive past sugarcane, tea and rice plantations. There are also lots of hills full of vegetations before arriving at your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Hike Mount Elgon National Park and Sipi Falls tour
With the second largest caldera in East Africa, Mount Elgon National Park is a place not to miss out. It gives you an opportunity of hiking the mountain and the three waterfalls situated at its base in Sipi. The hike follows a heavy breakfast meal and a briefing session at the park’s headquarters. This is by the experts who will tell you what it takes to hike the mountain.
Thereafter, kick-start the 4-5 hour walk that gives you an opportunity of spotting numerous things. Like some coffee plantations, caves, local homesteads, primates, and unique bird species in and around the park. Have a lunch stopover before proceeding to watch the thundering three waterfalls of Sipi. An ideal destination for photography, relaxation and scenic viewing.
Day 5: Morning game drive and depart Mount Elgon National Park for Pian-Upe Game Reserve
Start your day with a cup of coffee followed by a rewarding 3-4-hour morning game drive. An enthralling experience like this exposes you to not so many but few mammals such as elephants, antelopes, and buffalos etc. Plus, there are also several birds, and tree species to see. Return to the lodge and checkout for the 6-7-hour drive with a 30 minutes’ stopover at Nyero rock painting.
The artistic skills possessed by the ancient people who designed the rock will amaze you. It will reach an extent that no one can explain what they see but to smile at it. Have dinner and proceed to the park, arriving late in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning and Evening Game Drives in Pian-Upe
Brighten up your morning with a cup of coffee before heading out for 3-4 morning game drive in Uganda’s second-largest game reserve. Its filled with a good selection of plants, bird species, and mammals such giraffes, antelopes, lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and warthogs. Everywhere you look, you will catch them roaming freely in the savannah grassland.
After enjoying lunch, you will refresh a bit then drive to the nearby community of the Karamojong people. These are herdsmen from time immemorial and have preserved their culture of depending on cattle for almost everything. But, they do not do this a lone, without being supplemented by small agriculture for decades. They engage visitors in local dances, showcasing local herding tools and telling you sweet stories before your return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Depart Pian-Upe Game Reserve for Kidepo Valley National Park and visit Kanangorok hot springs
Breakfast fast before checking out of the lodge and embarking on a 4-5-hour scenic drive to Kidepo forest national park, (true African wilderness) with 4 of the 5 big mammals roaming freely at the park.
You will get amazed by the Karamojong who are either naked or half-naked by the roadside, with their cattle or from fetching water/ firewood, or even playing, as you progress with the Journey, watching the scattered homesteads, the hilly rocks and fascinating rolling valleys spread across the roads.
You will have lunch upon reaching the park, then head out to watch Kanangorok hot springs, a few kilometers from Kidepo valley national park. Get excited by the beautiful views and take a few snaps before returning to the park for dinner and overnight
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon cultural encounter
Get your day started with breakfast before driving to Narus valley where a rewarding 4-hours’ game viewing experience will take place, an opportunity to grab the sight of prey and predators roaming around the charming savanna grassland and the uncommon tree species thriving in the wilderness.
Despite the Antelopes, buffaloes, elephants, zebras, warthogs and others, good luck can come your way and you spot lions, and leopards in an action of hunting or resting or even spotting an ostrich.
Drive back to the lodge for lunch after which you will go for a 2-hour cultural experience with the Karamojong people who will excite you with their cultural historical stories, architectures, dances and even some few souvenirs for you to take home, such as the seating stools, jewelry, and the dresses. Follow this with dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast, check out of the Lodge and let the 6-7-hour journey to Murchison Falls National Park begins, passing through the tarmac road with a very scenic view of plantations, homesteads and rolling hills. You will have a lunch stop, after which you proceed to the park, arriving late in the evening ready for dinner and overnight as you wait for the next day’s activities
Day 10: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Early in the morning, pack your binoculars for grabbing distant creatures. Have your umbrella to protect you from rain and scorching sun. Move with a camera for photography and breakfast. With all these, drive to the wilderness for a rewarding 3-4 hour game viewing opportunity in the northern sector. Views include amazing savanna grassland, rare tree species like whistling acacia, and unique bird species like the shoebill, crested cranes, Guinea fowls, etc. Mammals include lions and leopards if you are lucky to encounter any hunting or resting. Meanwhile, there is a sure deal of finding buffaloes, antelopes, giraffes, and warthogs roaming around the park.
Enjoy bush breakfast under a secure shade as you wait to have lunch followed by a boat cruise to the bottom of the waterfalls where you will listen to the thundering waterfalls as it rolls down to the Nile. Also, the unforgettable site of hippos, Nile crocodiles, Egyptian geese and many more will never fade as you to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Drive to top of the falls and Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Wake up in the morning, and start your day brightly with a cup of coffee before heading out to the exit of the park. You will have a morning drive to the top of Murchison falls where you will get the chance of coming closer to the most powerful waterfall on earth, take some memorable photos and move towards the rainbow thus enabling you to understand the real colors that a rainbow has.
Afterwards, start a drive that takes approximately 8-9 hours to Fort Portal. This is home to Kibale Forest National Park that harbors 13 unique primate species. You will have an enroute stopover for lunch before arriving at your lodge in the evening. Make sure that you are ready for dinner and overnight as you anxiously wait for the next day’s activities.
Day 12: Chimpanzee trekking and visit Bigodi wetland
Rise up and enjoy energy-giving breakfast before driving to the park’s headquarters for an early morning briefing. Experienced park rangers will tell you the benefit of tracking chimpanzees, the dos and don’ts. Also, this is where they will verify your tracking documents.
After this assembly, a professional park ranger will guide you to the park for roughly 1-6 hours. Search for the giant apes that are busy feeding, playing and the mothers nursing their young ones. The trek is simple and upon finding the creatures, you watch them for one hour. See how they carry on with the daily activities uninterrupted.
Drive to the lodge for lunch after which go to Bigodi swamp, one of the Ramsar sites in the country. Primates such as baboons and identifiable monkeys, plus birds are here. The locals who live here love activities such as farming among others. Dinner and overnight follow the entire experience.
Day 13: Transfer to Semuliki National Park and Night Game Drive
Semuliki is one of the most virgin destinations in Uganda, tiny but with several treasures that best suits every traveler, it is the most recommendable destination for a night game viewing safari in the country with various mammals, both small and big freely roaming in the dark.
As early as possible, get done with your breakfast meal and start a 4-5hour smooth drive to Semuliki national park where you will have an exciting and rewarding game viewing experience in the wilderness.
Arrival will be in the afternoon when you will get served with lunch then you relax a bit before going for a night game drive experience where you will have to a chance of spotting some mammals such as the mongoose, elephants, lions and hyenas among others. Let dinner and a nap follow the activity.
Day 14: Morning game drive in Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve and afternoon nature walk
You will start your day with a delicious breakfast, after which you will drive to Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve. In the wilderness have a rewarding game viewing experience. This is an open chance of watching your long-sought after mammal, bird and floral species in 2-3 hours.
The commonly sighted mammals, include the elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, giraffes, and warthogs among others, however, chance can come your way and you spot a lion, leopard, or hyena during the quest. Enjoy a mouth-watering picnic lunch after which you will rest a little before, having a guided nature walk to the Sempaya Hot springs.
The female magical hot spring that can boil an egg to the point of eating and is believed to be in a position of curing some illness, watch it as you take photos and later drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight
Day 15: Drive to Mount Rwenzori National Park for hiking adventure
Enjoy a heavy breakfast before checking out of the lodge for a 3-4-hour drive to Mount Rwenzori National Park. There will be a brief hiking experience here. A lot is there to watch during the drive such as the locals grazing their long-horned cattle, homesteads and backdrop of the mountain ranges.
Arrive in the afternoon, have lunch and head for a brief talk on hiking at the park’s headquarters. Start a 5-6-hour hike to the first campsite where you will have dinner and a nap. This walk comes with a lot to see such as the Bakonzo people and homesteads, the three-horned chameleon, some primates and bird species such as the Rwenzori Turaco
Day 16: Explore Mount Rwenzori National Park (Nature walks)
The rewarding moment never stops as it makes you compile memories after memories. Excitement is counted at every stage and step you make as you descend and ascend the mountain of the moon. Your local guide will not leave you bored. However, they will keep you soaked with interesting real and historical stories concerning the ice-capped mountain.
This day starts with breakfast then 5 hours of exploring the mountain as you see different water tributaries, the mountain peak and many more before having lunch then 3 hours with the Bakonzo people who will excite you with some of the thrilling stories you cannot find anywhere else.
Depending on the time that you will get done with the activities, choose to have dinner and overnight at the selected lodge.
Day 17: Depart Mount Rwenzori National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Breakfast first, and then depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, the most visited in Uganda with plenty of unlimited treasures hidden in all its corners. The drive leaves behind the fascinating snow-capped mountain and proceeds through a smooth drive accompanied by snacks and an amazing conversation with your driver-guide.
Arrive after approximately 4 hours later and check into your room for some refreshment, then lunch and choose to either relax from the hiking or have a brief guided nature walk in the evening before dinner and a nap.
Day 18: Morning game drive and boat cruise experience along Kazinga channel
As the sun rises, so do you but first with breakfast that will give you energy to carry on with the game drive activity in the wilderness, followed by the actual 3-4-hour game drive opportunity as you search for the different mammals such as hippos, elephants, leopards, giraffes, antelopes and many more not forgetting to glance at several tree and bird species roaming around the area as though they have a deadline to meet.
You will have a picnic lunch after which you will go for a boat cruise opportunity at Kazinga channel, home to huge schools of hippos and a large selection of crocodiles yarning and feeding by the lakeshore.
Together with mammals and birds having a rest and relaxing giving you an open chance of taking as many photos as possible.
Day 19: Depart Queen Elizabeth National Park for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Start your day with breakfast before embarking on a drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. A home to a half of the world surviving mountain gorillas living in a true jungle. The drive has an enroute stop at the Ishasha sector. Spot tree climbing lions either on the ground or resting on the tree branches, during or after a hunt.
Lunch will be at this point. After lunch, proceed with the journey to your lodge in Ruhija sector. This is where you will do your mountain gorilla trekking from. As such enjoy your drive while having clear views of vegetation and the rolling hills of the Virunga ranges. Arrival is in the late evening for dinner and overnight.
Day 20: Mountain gorilla trekking and nature walk to the Batwa villages
Very early in the morning, you will pack all the tracking documents, put good hiking boots and full tracking combat. Then head to the park for a pre-trekking briefing that starts at 8:00 am. When you join other colleagues in the same venture.
The briefing session lasts for approximately 30 minutes after which you are allocated a gorilla family and a park ranger. Ranger is to lead you to the jungle, where you will have either a lengthy or short tracking period. This depends on how far the apes have moved. It can be roughly 4 or more hours, with one separate hour given to you upon finding the creatures. Watch the giant silverback, mothers feeding their young ones, and the entire family play, fight and grumble with each other.
Thereafter, you will have lunch, and then you will visit the Ruhija Batwa community. There you will visit the native villages and many more interesting places in the community. You will also engage in different dances, traditional songs, etc. before getting back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 21: Depart to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for an encounter with the Batwa community
After breakfast drive to yet an interesting national park in Uganda, a prime habitat to the mountain gorillas. This time, though, you are not going to track these apes, but rather track the golden monkeys. The drive takes 2-3 hours with interesting views of the backdrop of the Virunga ranges. Plenty of flora and much more can be seen along the way.
Upon arriving at the park, enjoy lunch before going for an authentic and unforgettable cultural encounter with the Batwa pygmies. Entertainment is readily available through their traditional songs, show you different cave and tell several unique stories. Batwa were forest inhabitants who left a life of gathering and wandering, not until they were relocated. However, they have resisted modernity and kept the legacy of their forefathers. You will get back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 22: Golden monkey trekking and Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
As the birds sing to the glory of a new day, so will you rise, and take your tea. Drive to the park’s headquarters. A golden monkey pre-trek briefing by experts happens in your presence. After, these will guide you to the jungle for the quest for this very attractive creature. Their skin is dressed with a golden coat. Upon finding them, don’t be puzzled when the camera is not grabbing the best shot. Due to their body sizes and playful nature, they move swiftly. Golden monkeys are so unique, clever, and complex.
Return to the lodge for lunch and check out and drive to your last national park, Lake Mburo. The smallest of all the savannah national parks but very rewarding when it comes to adventure. Lunch will be served enroute while on the 5-6-hour drive. Fortunately, arrival will be in the evening for dinner and overnight.
Day 23: Morning Game Drive and Nature walk
Start with the first meal of the day, breakfast, followed by a rewarding 3-4-hour game drive experience. This offers little to no predators, but only preys. You will stand a chance of spotting the impalas, antelopes, giraffes, buffaloes and others roaming around the wild. Meet the biggest antelope on earth, the eland, as well as Impalas, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, reedbucks, etc.
Have lunch before an afternoon guided nature walk by a very knowledgeable guide. Follow him or her who will take you to a very scenic trail. View unique tree species, and other natural wonders, like a few harmless mammals. So many birds can be seen singing as they fly from one tree branch to another. Sum up the day with dinner and overnight
Day 24: Cycling experience and drive to Kampala. Visit the Kasubi tombs
After breakfast, you will join a group of young people on a cycling tour around the park. Stretch your legs on a bicycle until you are exhausted. After which you will return to the lodge and pack all your belongings. Make a smooth drive to Kasubi tombs, where some Buganda kings were buried. The drive lasts for approximately 3-4 hours, with a lunch stop before arriving at the tomb. A local guide will explain to you the history of Buganda, and its kings who have been buried there. Also, gain knowledge about them in the colonial era. Thereafter, you will proceed with your drive to the Hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 25: Reptile Village and Departure
Start your day with a delicious cup of coffee. Pack your luggage in case you have a flight at Entebbe international airport. The driver guide will take you to the Reptile Village. Have the opportunity of watching different rescued reptiles. Chameleons, snakes, tortoises, and many more are there in plenty. Head for lunch in Entebbe before saying goodbye to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa!
End of the safari.
