6 Days Uganda Safari − DETAILED SAFARI ITINERARY 

Day 1 of the 6 Days Uganda Safari: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

We start our day with an early breakfast in the hotel in Kampala at around 6.00 am. We then undertake a 417km (about 7 hours) drive southwest to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The trip to Queen will give you opportunities to see remarkable landscapes and scenery in Uganda’s countryside. You’ll pass agricultural fields of different people working or seated by the stalls of crafts or fresh fruits and vegetable markets.

Our first stop will be at Uganda Equator crossing at Kayabwe trading centre (about 77km from Kampala) for amazing photo shoots and water experiments can be made to justify the geographical separation between the northern and southern hemispheres. From Kayabwe, we proceed on the drive past Lukaya a famous spot for Muchomo (grilled meat) vendors and Masaka town before approaching Lyantonde.  We’ll make another stop at Igongo Cultural Center (about 12km to Mbarara town) for traditional lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre. After lunch, we proceed on the drive through the magical Bunyaruguru craters and the lush green of Kalinzu Forest, the home of Chimpanzees arriving in Queen in the evening; connect to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the 1,978km² Queen Elizabeth Park is situated in a fertile, equatorial area on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park and renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II while Uganda was still under colonial rule. It is primarily associated with grassy savannah plains, but this impressive park also includes within its boundaries leafy tropical rainforests, acacia woodland, lakes, rivers, dense papyrus swamps and extinct volcanic crater cones with lakes. As a result, it has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world, including a total of 95 recorded mammal species and more than 610 species of birds.

Highlight of the day: – The Uganda equator experience

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Mweya Safari Lodge/Mazike Valley Loge/Katara Loge

Midrange/Standard: – Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush Lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp

Budget/Basic: – Pumba Safari Cottages/Park View Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive distance & time: – 417km or 7 hours

Activities & services of the day:-

• Transfer from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Photo-shoots at Uganda Equator
• Traditional lunch stop at Igongo Cultural Central

Optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Short game drive in the evening
• Night game drive

Day 2 of the 6 Days Uganda Safari: Morning Game Drive in Kasenyi Sector, Afternoon Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise & Evening Game drive along the Channel track.

On this day, your safari breakfasts will be served before the day breaks so that you can start your 3-4 hours morning game drive in Kasenyi Sector as the sun comes up. Sunrise is the best time for wildlife game viewing as animals tend to be the most active during the “golden hours” when the first rays of sunshine come to rest on the savannah. Lions, Elephants, Buffalo and several species of antelope are some of the characters you may come across today, and if you’re lucky, you may even spot a Leopard.

Although the major attraction for us we’ll of course the mammals, birding within the Queen Elizabeth National Park is exceptional with 610 species recorded. We’ll certainly spend some time ticking a good number of special species including Palm-nut vulture, White-backed vulture, White-headed vulture, hooded vulture, Long-crested eagle, Grey-crowned crane, African Skimmer, Red-throated spurfowl, Yellow-throated longclaw, Flappet lark, Black-bellied bustard, Sitting cisticola, Grey-backed fiscal, and Brown Snake Eagle, to name just a few.

After our game drive, we’ll return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, we drive to Mweya Jetty for another remarkable activity planned; the 2-hour boat trip on the 40 Kazinga channel which starts at 2 pm. The boat cruise passes through some of the largest concentration of hippos in the world. You’ll also be fascinated by the large numbers of Crocodiles, Elephants, Buffalos on the shore along with numerous waterbirds including African Open-billed, Yellow-billed, Saddle-billed and Marabou Storks Pink-backed pelicans and African spoonbills. Retreat from the activity and do a game drive along the channel track as you connect to the lodge for overnight.

Highlight of the day: – An amazing wild boat cruise along the spectacular Kazinga Channel.

Accommodation:-

Upmarket/Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge/Mazike Valley Lodge/Katara Lodge

Midrange/Standard: Enganzi Game Lodge/Bush lodge/Kasenyi Safari Camp

Budget/Basic: Pumba Safari Cottages/Park View Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Morning game drive in Kasenyi sector
• Afternoon launch cruise on the Kazinga channel
• Evening game drive along the channel track

Optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Bush breakfast
• Birding
• Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge/Kalinzu Forest
• Lion tracking
• Cultural visits to Leopard Village
• Night game drive

Day 3 of the 6 Days Uganda Safari: Full Day Game Drive In Ishasha Sector In Search Of Tree-Climbing Lions & Other Wildlife.

After breakfast at around 7.00 am, we embark on a 75km drive to Southern Ishasha Sector from the north of Queen driving along the impressive savannah protected landscapes, viewing numerous mammals and birds. Upon arrival in the south of Queen Elizabeth Park, we embark on the game drive in search of the legendary tree-climbing lions. These mystifying creatures are commonly seen lazily relaxing on branches of fig trees in the afternoon, staring down at the numerous Uganda Kobs and buffalos that are grazing in the open Ishasha plains.

Tree-Climbing Lions are not something that you will encounter on an African safari. Ishasha plains are one of the best places to witness the spectacle.  But the real question here is. Why do these lions climb trees? Many sources say that maybe the love of the cool weather up in the branches compel them to rest up in the trees while others think that the bites of tsetse flies are less in the trees than on the ground that’s why. But is there any genuine reason as to why so prides do it while others don’t? Well, that’s yet to be found out.

The sector also supports other wild game including waterbucks, kobs, Buffaloes and elephants after which you retire to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight

Highlight of the day: – Encountering the rare tree-climbing Lions in Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth Park.

Accommodation:-

Upmarket/Luxury: Ishasha Wilderness Camp

Midrange/Standard: Enjojo Safari Lodge

Budget/Basic: Enjojo Safari Lodge/Topi Lodge

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services of the day:-

• Drive to Ishasha Sector
• Whole day game drive in search of tree climbing lions

Optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Bush breakfast
• Birding
• Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge/Kalinzu Forest
• Night game drive

Day 4 of the 6 Days Uganda Safari: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable NP with A Community & Coffee Plantation Tour En Route.

After breakfast at 7.30 am, embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park passing through the rural landscapes of Rukungiri and Kanungu districts. You make a stop en route in the local villages to explore the coffee growing practices that range from planting to growing, maintenance, harvesting and eventually the usage while learning in detail the traditional means of how the local people have been using to grow coffee for many years past.

The local people give you a themed interpretation also about the cultural attachment that they have with the coffee including the great use of coffee seeds to extend friendship. You retreat from the encounter and embark on the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park arriving in the afternoon for relaxation, dinner and overnight

The untouched forest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has been declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site because of its breathtaking natural beauty and unique ecological significance. Covering 321 km², it is an amazing piece of land that survived the last Ice Age when most other forests in Africa disappeared. The name Bwindi in the local language actually means ‘a place of full darkness’. The rugged landscape features dense jungle, cascading waterfalls, sparkling mountain streams, deep valleys and steep ridges Bwindi is world-renowned for excellent gorilla trekking opportunities, harbouring nearly half of the Mountain Gorillas on Earth. Aside from the majestic Mountain Gorillas, there are other drawcards including over 120 mammal species, 10 species of primates, over 350 species of bird to spot, 1000 species of flowing plants and a variety of colourful butterflies.

Highlight of the day: – The community and coffee plantation tour en route to Bwindi.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge/Mahogany Springs

Mid-range/Moderate: – Silverback Lodge/Haven Lodge Buhoma

Budget/Basic: – Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Distance & time: – Approx. 145km or 4-5 hours

Activities & Services of the day:-

• The scenic drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• A community & coffee plantation tour

Day 5 of the 6 Days Uganda Safari: Do Gorilla trekking & transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for an evening boat cruise & relaxation.

Trekking Mountain Gorillas is a bucket list experience that naturalists from all over the world dream of doing!  We’ll have our breakfast at around 6.00 am and then embark on a short drive to the Buhoma park headquarters and meet with the expert local ranger guides. At around 8.00 am, the guides will provide an informative briefing on the gorilla trekking etiquette and the experience. Top on the list; avoid getting too close. Not only for your own safety, but also for theirs as our colds, viruses and diseases can easily spread to them due to shared DNA.

After the briefing, you’ll head into the forest in search of these great apes. The trek to see gorillas lasts between 2-8 hours. Contact time with gorillas is limited to one hour; group size is limited to 6 visitors and participants must be aged 15 or over. Owing to the nature of the terrain and the need to explore to find the gorillas, the trek doesn’t follow a path and instead, the guides will cut a route through the undergrowth. Strong hiking shoes/boots is highly recommended. Encountering wild gorillas in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience. An adult male can weigh up to 485 pounds and reach 6 feet in height. Mountain Gorillas are gentle creatures and are not known to attack unless very severely provoked. The minimum distance that we must keep when we’re with the Gorillas is 10 metres.

Please note that if you’re unwell with anything contagious, even a common cold, you’ll not be allowed to trek Gorillas. After your one hour with the gorillas, return to the starting point to embark on a drive to the magical Lake Bunyonyi driving through the fascinating Kigezi Highlands. You arrive at Bunyonyi in the afternoon and embark on the 2 hours evening boat trip to explore the second deepest Lake in Africa with a count of 29 Islands. The sunset views of the lake, the myriad of Islands and the surrounding hills contribute to lasting safari memories of this trip. Retire for relaxation, dinner and overnight

Highlight of the day: – A face to face encounter with one of the surviving families of mountain gorillas who roam Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Accommodation:-

Luxury/Upmarket: – Birdnest @Bunyonyi Resort

Mid-range/Moderate: – Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort/Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort

Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Activities & Services:-

• Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
• Evening boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi

Optional activities you can choose to do on this day include:-

• Birding in Bwindi Buhoma sector of Bwindi
• Cultural visit to Batwa/Bakiga communities around Bwindi.
• Swimming at Lake Bunyonyi

Day 6 of the 6 Days Uganda Safari: Morning village walk & transfer back to Kampala.

After breakfast at around 7.30 am, we’ll undertake a 2 hours walk through villages around Lake Bunyonyi. This is a pleasant experience, which brings you in close interaction with the local people in their homes, gardens and businesses, which make a safari surely wonderful. We can visit Batwa community villages where you’ll be introduced to their traditional forest life as well as visiting Good Samaritan preparatory schools around the lake to interact with the school-going children. While visiting the local families, you will be introduced to local life in terms of their traditions, norms and cultures.

Retire from the activity and embark on the transfer back to Kampala 437km about 7 hours’ drive passing through the impressive landscapes of Uganda’s southwest. You stop at Igongo Cultural Center for lunch and then Uganda Equator Crossing Kayabwe to secure memorabilia for your Uganda safari back home.

Highlight of the day: – Lake Bunyonyi community walk

Meal Plan: – Breakfast & Lunch

Activities & Services:-

• Village walks at Lake Bunyonyi
• Transfer to Kampala
• Lunch stop at Igongo Cultural Centre
• Another stop at the Equator

End of the 6 Days Uganda Safari

6 Days Uganda Safari − SAFARI INCLUSIONS

  Full-time English professional safari driver-guide

  4×4 safari van/ 4×4 Safari land cruiser with pop up roof for game viewing with functional A/C

  Full board accommodation

  Gorilla trekking permit fees

  Boat cruise fees

  Wi-Fi Internet on board the safari vehicle

  Bottled water

6 Days Uganda Safari − SAFARI EXCLUSIONS

 International & domestic flight fees

 Visa fees

 Laundry services

 Items of personal nature

 Gratuities and tips

 Other beverages/ drinks

 Other extras not mentioned in the itinerary above

Getting There for the 6 Days Uganda Safari, Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi & Wildlife Game Viewing Safari in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Transport Means to Your 6 Days Uganda Safari, Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi & Wildlife Game Viewing Safari in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Accommodations/ Uganda Safari Lodges/ Safari Hotels to Your 6 Days Uganda Safari, Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife Game Viewing Uganda Safari in 5 nights 6 Day.

Price per Person for Different Numbers of People of the 6 Days Uganda Safari, Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi & Wildlife Game Viewing Safari in Queen Elizabeth Park

Links of related safari accommodation in the featured safari destinations

Related 6 Days Uganda Safari Itineraries – Tour Packages

6 Days Uganda Safari − GORILLA TREKKING TIPS

• Take plenty of water and carry some quick calories (the trek typically take 2-8 hours)
• Put on strong hiking shoes/boots for the trek
• Wear long-sleeved shirt/t-shirt, thick trouser and gardening gloves for protection against stinging plants.
• It is often cold at the outset, so bring a warm sweater/fleece
• Bwindi Impenetrable being a tropical forest, it can rain anytime so we encourage you to carry a rain jacket or poncho
• Having sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat is also a good idea at any time of the day.

Follow this link to read more about gorilla trekking tips and advice.

At Prime Safaris and Tours Ltd, your safety is our utmost priority. We have thus undertaken the necessary safety measures in compliance with the approved Standard Operating Procedures by the Governments of ALL African countries in which we operate with a goal of protecting our customers while travelling and on their Africa safari. The following guidelines will be applicable for your  Safari in Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and other African Countries.