Your Uganda adventure begins the moment you land.
Your Uganda adventure begins the moment you land. Our team will be waiting for you at Entebbe International Airport with a warm welcome and a smooth transfer to No.5 Boutique Hotel in Entebbe, a ten-minute drive from the airport on the shores of Lake Victoria. Relax and settle in. The evening is free to unwind.
Overnight: No.5 Boutique Hotel, Entebbe
One of Africa's most sought-after species. And today you go looking for it.
One of Africa's most prehistoric-looking and sought-after species, the Shoebill has barely changed in millions of years. Today you go looking for it. Your guide will take you by traditional motorised canoe into the papyrus channels of Mabamba Swamp, gliding through tranquil waterways that feel entirely removed from the modern world.
The morning light is extraordinary here. Kingfishers, African Jacanas, Swamp Flycatchers and, if you are lucky, that unmistakable silhouette standing perfectly still among the reeds. You will be back at No.5 for the afternoon and dinner.
Overnight: No.5 Boutique Hotel, Entebbe
There is no easing in gently here.
An early start today as you transfer to Entebbe Airport for your scheduled flight to Kasese. Your guide meets you on arrival for the two-hour transfer to Turaco Treetops, your home for the next three nights, tucked into the edge of Kibale Forest with views of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains.
There is no easing in gently here. This afternoon you head into the forest for your first Chimpanzee tracking experience. Coming face to face with them in their natural habitat, watching them feed, play and call to one another through the trees, is one of those moments that stays with you long after you have left Uganda.
Overnight: Turaco Treetops, Kibale Forest
Up to four hours with a Chimpanzee group. This goes deeper.
Chimpanzee habituation is different from trekking. You will spend up to four hours with a Chimpanzee group, alongside researchers and rangers working to acclimatise them to human presence. The extended time means you witness behaviours that a one-hour trek simply cannot offer.
Complex social dynamics, mother and infant interactions, territorial displays, the chaos and tenderness of a Chimpanzee family going about its day. This is one of the most immersive wildlife encounters available anywhere on the continent.
Overnight: Turaco Treetops, Kibale Forest
Your final morning in Kibale begins with one last Chimpanzee trek.
Your final morning in Kibale begins with one last Chimpanzee habituation trek. In the afternoon you visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, one of Uganda's finest birding destinations. Over 200 species have been recorded here, alongside Black-and-White Colobus Monkeys, Red-tailed Monkeys and a rich variety of other forest wildlife.
The guided walk is unhurried and intimate. This is birding at its best, with expert eyes to help you find what you would never spot alone. Return to the lodge for your final dinner under the Kibale stars.
Overnight: Turaco Treetops, Kibale Forest
Today you leave the forest behind and enter the open savanna world.
Today you leave the forest behind and enter the open savanna world of Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route you stop at the Uganda Equator for a photo, one foot in each hemisphere, before arriving at the Kazinga Channel for a private two-hour boat cruise. The banks are alive with Hippos, Crocodiles, Buffalo, Elephants and a staggering density of water birds.
After lunch at Mweya Peninsula, you continue south into the remote Ishasha Sector, famous for a pride of Lions that have learned to rest in the branches of giant Fig trees. By the time you reach Ishasha Wilderness Camp, the day has already given you more than most safaris manage in a week.
Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Today the plains are yours.
Today the plains are yours. An early morning game drive before breakfast. The light is extraordinary at this hour, and the tree-climbing Lions are most active as the air begins to warm. You may take your breakfast out in the bush if conditions allow, sitting in silence while the Ishasha grasslands come to life around you.
In the afternoon, your guide leads a walking safari along the Ishasha River, a rare opportunity to stand close to the enormous pods of Hippopotamuses that inhabit the river channels. Sundowners out on the plains as the light turns gold, then dinner by the campfire under a sky full of stars.
Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
One of the most scenic drives in all of Uganda.
This morning's drive to Bwindi is one of the most scenic in all of Uganda. A four-hour journey through rolling tea plantations, terraced hillsides and rural villages. En route you stop at the Ride 4 a Woman project, an inspiring community enterprise supporting and empowering local women through basket weaving, tailoring and craft production.
The visit is genuinely moving. These are women building sustainable livelihoods in a challenging environment, and the pride they take in their work is infectious. By the time you arrive at Buhoma Lodge on the edge of the Impenetrable Forest, the anticipation for what comes tomorrow is almost unbearable.
Overnight: Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi
There are no words that adequately prepare you for this.
There are no words that adequately prepare you for this. You receive your briefing from the park rangers, learn which Gorilla family you will be visiting, and then enter the forest. Dense, ancient, utterly alive. The trek can take anywhere from one to four hours, and the terrain is steep and wild.
Then suddenly your guide pauses, signals, and there they are. A Silverback, enormous and unhurried, watching you with a calm intelligence that stops you in your tracks. A mother with an infant clinging to her chest. Young males wrestling in the undergrowth. You have one hour with them. An hour that most people describe as the most profound wildlife experience of their lives.
Overnight: Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi
Uganda has a way of staying with people long after they have left.
Depending on your flight schedule, your guide will transfer you to Kihihi Airstrip for the short morning flight back to Entebbe. Uganda has a way of staying with people long after they have left. The forest, the eyes of the Gorillas, the sound of Chimpanzees calling through the canopy at dusk. You will find yourself back here, one way or another.
Overnight: No.5 Boutique Hotel, Entebbe
Inclusions
- Meals as specified in the itinerary
- Drinks as stipulated in the itinerary – non-premium drinks
- Accommodation as stipulated in the itinerary
- All ground transportation and transfers as indicated, which are inclusive of fuel and English speaking guide in two 4x4 safari land cruisers
- Activities as stipulated in the itinerary
- Park, ranger guide, conservation fees
- Community bed night fees
- All applicable taxes, administration, and banking fees
- Recue Flying Doctors emergency evacuation
- Scheduled flight from Entebbe to Kasese -15 kg (33 lbs) total per person
- Scheduled flight from Kihihi to Entebbe -15 kg (33 lbs) total per person
- Laundry at Ishasha and Buhoma Lodge
- Meet and greet service upon arrival in Entebbe on day One
- Private boat trip on Kazinga Channel
Exclusions
- All passport and visa fees:
- International flights and associated airport departure taxes
- Meals not specified (including lunch and other meal stops between properties on overland sectors)
- Drinks were not stipulated in the itinerary – premium drinks
- Items of a personal nature
- Laundry in Entebbe and Kibale
- Gratuities for guides / drivers / hotel staff etc.
- Any extras and additional activities not mentioned in the itinerary
- Charges incurred as a result of delays or cancellations or other inconveniences beyond our control
- Trip cancellation, travel delay, or baggage insurance
- All statutory increases beyond our control
- Travel / medical insurance
- All health vaccinations and medications, including, but not limited to: Yellow Fever vaccinations are currently compulsory for entry into Uganda.
- All those entering Uganda must own a valid and original Yellow Fever vaccination card
Payment Terms
- 25% Non Refundable deposit to secure the trip.
- 75% Balance to be paid 120 days prior to date of arrival.
- 100% payment due if the start date of the tour is within or less than 120 days of booking