[Fly into Entebbe]

Upon your arrival in Uganda, you’ll be flying into Entebbe International Airport (airport code: EBB). Despite the fact that you fly into Entebbe, you’re going to spend your first two days in Kampala Uganda Kampala is about an hour drive away from the Entebbe international airport.

You may have your driver for the entire time in Uganda pick you up at the airport and bring you to your hotel in Kampala

If you need to cut time, you could easily arrive in Uganda and the next day set off on your safari. However, we recommend taking the extra day in Kampala to kind of reset from the long flight and get ready for the safari ahead. Uganda Safaris can involve long days and be rather exhausting, so it’s nice to start off on the right foot.

–Where to Stay in Kampala–

We recommend staying at a nicer hotel upon your arrival in Kampala. You’re going to want to relax during your time here and having a nice hotel with a pool and a spa would be a great way to get yourself ready for the journey ahead. There are my recommendations for where to stay in Kampala depending on your budget by the way; we have hotels from budget to luxury. Alternatively, you can also choose to stay in Entebbe. So all these can always be determined when you CONTACT US to inquire or book this Perfect Uganda safari Tour

What to Do in Kampala

As we mentioned a few times, we highly recommend spending your time in Kampala getting ready for the rest of the Uganda trip. What we mean when we say that is relax from the long flight, catch up on sleep, and maybe get a massage because why not? You’re on vacation after all!

Take the time you’re in a big city like Kampala to make sure you have some Ugandan shillings to tip your guides and that you have a SIM card. If you don’t know how to use a SIM card while traveling, you can always ask your Safari guide from Nungi safari

If you have some extra time, you can head over to the Acacia Mall in Kampala to grab some snacks for the rest of your Uganda itinerary, or ask your travel consultant from Nungi safari to organize for you a Kampala City walking Tour

[Fly or Drive from Entebbe/Kampala to Kasese/Kibale]

Kibale National Park is going to be your second stop in Uganda. It’s possible to drive from Kampala or Entebbe down to Kibale National Park The drive to Kibale NP can be quite far but rewarding with the beautiful views of the country side. However a flight will save you precious time. This flight costs around $283 per person or more for one way ticket, so it’s definitely not cheap for a 2-hour flight, but it’s worth it for the saved time. So depending on your budget and finances, we can always advice you better. All you have to do is get in touch us.

The Kibale National Park is famous for being the best place to go chimpanzee trekking in Uganda. To be honest, before most travellers travel to Uganda they had no idea it was possible to go trekking with chimps in the wild. But let me tell you, it will be an absolutely insane experience that we highly recommend to everybody who travel to Uganda for the Uganda tour experience.

Where to Stay in Kibale National Park

The closest city to Kibale National Park is Fort Portal. However, there are some very affordable lodges and camps much closer to Kibale National Park. There are lodges that are luxury and budget in Kibale national park that we can recommend to you but its best to do that when you are inquiring and booking this perfect Uganda safari tour itinerary

What to Do in Kibale National Park

The absolute highlight of Kibale National Park is chimpanzee trekking.There are two ways to visit the chimps: through a normal chimp trekking experience or through the chimpanzee habituation experience.

In order to be visited by people, the chimps have to go through a habituation experience, which is just a fancy way of saying they’re exposed to people so they’re not scared by them. That being said, the chimps are still very much so wild animals.

Keeping all of this in mind, let’s get back to the two chimp experiences. You can choose to do the normal chimp trekking experience where you obtain a permit and a guide takes you through the Kibale National Park where you’re able to spend no more than 1 hour with the habituated chimps once you’ve spotted them for the first time. This experience is typically 2-3 hours long including the time finding the chimps and then the hour you spend with them.

The other option is to visit the chimps who are still being habituated. This also requires a permit and is a full day experience and a lot different than the normal trekking. Because it’s a full day experience, you’re able to spend more than 1 hour with the chimps – that is, if you can find them.

[Drive from Kibale National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park]

The next stop on this Uganda Safari Tour itinerary is Queen Elizabeth National Park. To start, you’ll want to head to the northern part of Queen Elizabeth. This part of the national park is only about 2.5-3 hours’ drive away from Kibale National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is rather large, so I’d recommend splitting your time in this park with sometime in the north of the park and sometime in the south of the park, in an area known as Ishasha. Queen Elizabeth National Park is going to be your most familiar Uganda safari experience. You’ll do your twice daily game drives for about 3 hours each: once in the morning just before the sun rises and once in the evening just before the sun sets.

Where to Stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park–

Since we are recommending spending 3 days in this area spread over 2 areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park. We can always list places to stay in both areas when you inquire for this trip. However, we would recommend splitting the time up with 1 night in the northern part of Queen Elizabeth NP and the other 2 nights in the southern part of the park. Most guests enjoy staying at Ishasha Wilderness Camp in the southern part of the park, so definitely stay there during your time in the south.

What to Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is right on top of Lake Edward, Lake George, and Kazinga Channel, which connects the two lakes. During your time in the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, we highly recommend doing a boat safari. You’ll get on this large barge-looking boat and slowly go down the Kazinga Channel. Viewing the animals from the water gives you a completely new perspective. You’ll be able to see some animals you might not see if you weren’t on the water, like crocodiles and hippos.

After you spend time in the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, head down for another night in the Ishasha area. Try to spot the famous tree-climbing lions on your game drives and keep your eyes peeled for some of the incredible birds in the area. Uganda is famous for its bird watching and even if you’re not an avid bird-watcher, they’re pretty beautiful to look at.

[Drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest]

The last stop on this Perfect Uganda safari Tour itinerary is arguably the best – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to go Uganda gorilla trekking. Let’s be honest, the gorillas are the main draw of tourism to Uganda and for a good reason. It’s honestly one of the most incredible travel experiences I’ve ever had.

The drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi is between 4-6 hours depending on where in Queen Elizabeth National Park you’re coming from. Make sure to keep an eye out for different monkeys on the side of the road during the drive!

Where to Stay in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a rather large area. For this perfect Uganda safari tour itinerary, it makes sense to stay in the northern part of Bwindi and those are the lodges we can recommend when you inquire about this Uganda tour. If you want to see the southern part of Bwindi, it’s better to fly into Kigali, Rwanda. If you’re lucky, you may even have some gorillas wander into your hotel’s grounds!

What to Do in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

The absolute highlight to not only Bwindi, but the entire trip to Uganda, is the opportunity to trek with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. This opportunity is what draws guests to Bwindi, especially since the gorilla permit to go gorilla trekking in Uganda is much cheaper than it is in Rwanda.

The 3 main Countries to go mountain gorilla trekking are Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Honestly, it’s all the same forest area, just named something different in each country. The DRC is actually has the cheapest Gorilla Trekking permit, but the country has faced its issue over the years and the popularity of gorilla trekking there has dwindled. As of Today, the gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are $700 per person, which is less than half of the permits in Rwanda where you pay $1500 per person.

Since gorilla trekking can be an exhausting experience, we recommend at least 1 day after your trek before you go home just to relax and recover and that can be set up for you at Lake Bunyonyi. Sadly, that means it’s time to fly from Kihihi Air Strip back to Entebbe for your flight back home if at all you choose to take a flight. Alternatively, you can book your departure flight in Kigali or opt to be driven back to Entebbe international airport. All modes of transfer will depend on your finances and budget. However much the road transfer is tiring, it is always worth it because you get to have several stop overs along the way.