Best Places to See Gorillas
June 20, 2024
18 Days Uganda Classic Experience
18 Days Uganda Classic Experience to Uganda’s top-rated national parks. Visit Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls, Semliki, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest & Lake Mburo in 18 days. Gorilla and chimpanzee tracking are also included, the best-selling tourist attraction in Uganda today.
18 Day Uganda Classic Experience Highlights
- Arrival in Entebbe.
- To Kidepo Valley National Park.
- In Kidepo Valley National Park.
- To Murchison Falls NP via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
- In Murchison Falls National Park.
- In Murchison Falls National Park.
- To Semliki National Park.
- In Semliki National Park.
- To Kibale Forest National Park.
- Chimp walks.
- To Queen Elizabeth National Park.
- In Queen Elizabeth National Park.
- In Queen Elizabeth National Park.
- To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
- Gorilla Tracking.
- To Lake Mburo National Park.
- Chimp walks.
- To Entebbe Airport.
Detailed 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience
Day 1 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: Arrival in Entebbe You will be picked up by our driver/guide who will transfer you to the hotel for an overnight stay. He will brief you about the tour and what time to pick you up on day 2. Also, if time allows, you can visit the Entebbe heritage sites, but this is not included in the tour package.
- Main Destination: Entebbe International Airport (Airport/Airstrip)
- Accommodation: Via Via Guest House – Mid-range guest house located in or near Entebbe
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 2 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Kidepo Valley NP After an early breakfast, you will set off for Kidepo Valley National Park. Along Masindi road, have lunch on the way, then proceed to Kidepo, which ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses.
- Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge (Safari Tent)
- Mid-range tented camp bordering Kidepo Valley NP without fences
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 3 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: In Kidepo Valley NP After an early breakfast, you will head out for a game drive in the Kidepo Valley National Park. From Apoka, in the heart of the national park, a savannah landscape extends in all directions. It reaches far beyond the gazetted area of 1,442 km2, toward horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges. The park inhabits one of the most exciting faunas of any Ugandan park. It is home to over 80 species of mammals, several of which are endemic to Kidepo National Park, like cheetah, striped hyena, and caracal. You will also find over 465 bird species, including ostriches.
- Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge (Safari Tent)
- Mid-range tented camp bordering Kidepo Valley NP without fences
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 4 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Murchison Falls NP via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary After an early breakfast, leave for Murchison Falls National Park (the northern sector) with a stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to visit the reintroduced white rhino. Lunch along the way. The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45 m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls. The falls are the centerpiece of the park and final event in an 80 km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the Rift Valley floor into Lake Albert. There are a lot of animals to see on your way to the hotel, such as elephants, giraffes, and buffaloes. Hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent residents here.
- Accommodation: Fort Murchison (Room)
- Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 5 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: In Murchison Falls NP After an early breakfast, we will go on a game drive. Look out for lions, giraffes, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and many more animals. Hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent residents here. Afterward, you can enjoy the rest of the evening at the hotel.
- Accommodation: Fort Murchison (Room)
- Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 6 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: In Murchison Falls NP We will go for an early morning boat trip. The boat will take us downstream to the delta, the place where the Nile enters Lake Albert. This trip of 5 – 6 hours will show us all the beauty of this national park, especially the delta with its variety of birds. You have a good chance to see the elusive shoebill stork. In the afternoon, we visit the top of the falls with a wonderful view.
- Accommodation: Fort Murchison (Room)
- Mid-range lodge located just outside Murchison Falls NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 7 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Semliki National Park After breakfast in the morning, we depart for Semliki National park passing via Fort Portal for lunch and we will arrive in the afternoon. We will make a short evening game drive upon arrival in Semliki National Park. The drive is almost eight hours but will provide you with some stunning views as you pass small African villages and banana plantations.
- Accommodation: Semliki Safari Lodge
- Luxury lodge located outside Semliki NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 8 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: In Semliki National Park After breakfast, we embark on the activities of the day. After arriving in the protected area, a ranger will accompany us on a beautiful nature walk through the Ituri Rainforest. Enjoy the peacefulness of the forest, look out for the rich birdlife at the swamp and boil an egg in the hot springs that have become an interesting natural attraction. It will be completed with a picnic lunch provided by the guide while you explore the real Africa.
- Accommodation: Semliki Safari Lodge
- Luxury lodge located outside Semliki NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 9 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Kibale Forest NP We have an early morning departure for the journey to Kibale Forest. We will pass close to Lake Albert. On a clear day, the view from the top of the Albert Rift is spectacular. In the afternoon, we will arrive at Kibale Forest, falling asleep with the sounds of the tropical rainforest.
- Accommodation: Kibale Forest Lodge
- Mid-range lodge located inside Kibale NP
- Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 10 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: Chimp walks At 8 am, we will start with the 4-hour chimp walk. In addition, 10 other primate species can be seen. The park is also known for all its butterflies and birds. In the afternoon, we take a walk through the Bigodi Swamp. You need to be physically fit to be able to walk through the forests.
- Accommodation: Kibale Forest Lodge
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 11 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Queen Elizabeth NP After an early breakfast, we depart for Queen Elizabeth via Fort Portal, with a stunning view of Mount Rwenzori and a beautiful view over the Kazinga Channel. In the late afternoon, we will go on a game drive to see different types of animals.
- Accommodation: The Bush Lodge (Banda)
- Mid-range banda located just outside Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 12 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: In Queen Elizabeth NP This day is for a game drive on the plains of Queen Elizabeth, with thousands of Ugandan kobs, lions, elephants, bushbucks, hippos, etc. Also on the program is a two-hour launch trip on the Kazinga Channel where we will see all the animals from the waterside.
- Accommodation: The Bush Lodge (Banda)
- Mid-range banda located just outside Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 13 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: In Queen Elizabeth NP On our second day in this beautiful park, after a very early breakfast, we go to Kyambura Gorge. Here you can go for a 3 to 4-hour walk into the gorge to meet the chimpanzees. After the gorge, we will drive to the Ishasha Sector and have an evening game drive in search of the tree-climbing lions.
- Accommodation: The Bush Lodge (Banda)
- Mid-range banda located just outside Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 14 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park In the morning, we leave Bwindi for Kisoro. The bad road takes us through a beautiful landscape called the “Switzerland of Africa”. We pass mountains, hills, and lakes with cultivated terraces, tropical rainforest, and bamboo forest. On the last hill, the landscape unfolds beneath us. On the vast plains of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo, the Virunga volcanoes dominate the view. We will stay in the famous Travellers Rest Hotel in Kisoro. Just outside of Kisoro, this unique hotel offers a cozy stay for the tourists who come to see the endangered mountain gorilla.
- Accommodation: Travellers Rest Hotel
- Mid-range hotel located in or near Kisoro
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 15 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: Gorilla Tracking This is the day of gorilla tracking. At 7.45 am, you will be at the office of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for a pre-briefing and at 8.30 am, you will start the trek. After finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them. All visitors are expected back at the starting point by 7 pm. Being physically fit is recommended.
- Accommodation: Travellers Rest Hotel
- Mid-range hotel located in or near Kisoro
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 16 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Lake Mburo NP We will leave early in the morning for Lake Mburo National Park. You will have lunch at the Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara. We then continue to Lake Mburo, a smaller but unique park, and the only one in the western part of Uganda with impalas and zebras.
- Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock
- Mid-range lodge located just outside Lake Mburo NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 17 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: Chimp walks Early morning, we will go for a game walk. In the afternoon, we go on a boat trip on Lake Mburo, followed by another game drive in the afternoon/early evening. This little park hosts a variety of mammal species, including a large number of impalas, zebra, Uganda kob, duiker, bushbuck, Ankole cattle, topi, buffalo, leopard, spotted hyena, waterbuck, warthog, and oribi. There are 315 bird species, including shoebill stork, red-faced barbet, crested crane, and papyrus yellow warbler. The vegetation is mainly an open savannah with acacia trees, Olea, and Boscia. Lake Mburo is a natural haven for fauna and flora. The bank teems with animals and birds. Crocodiles and hippos are permanent residents, and buffaloes come to drink during the dry season. The wide variety of resident birds includes malachite kingfishers, pied kingfishers, African fish eagles, rufous long-tailed starlings, blue-headed weavers, green-necked doves, hamerkops, pelicans, herons, cormorants, and even rare shoebills.
- Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock
- Mid-range lodge located just outside Lake Mburo NP
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 18 of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience: To Entebbe Airport Early in the morning, the last part of the journey will bring us to Entebbe Airport. On the way back after Masaka, there will be an opportunity to stop at the equator for photos, to buy souvenirs and to have lunch. We will take you directly to Entebbe Airport.
- Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks: All meals included, Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
End of 18 Day Uganda Classic Experience
Important to Know
- Rates are per person and exclude the international flight from/to your home country.
- This tour accepts children who are 15 years and older.
18 Day Uganda Classic Experience Inclusions and Exclusions
Package Include:
- Park fees (For non-residents).
- Gorilla permits (One per person, non-resident)
- Chimp permits (One per person, non-resident).
- All accommodation (Unless listed as an upgrade).
- A professional driver/guide
- Round trip airport transfer
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section).
- Drinking water (On all days)
Package Exclude:
- International flights (From/to home).
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour.
- Tips (Tips)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government-imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees.
