10 Days Uganda Wilderness & Primate Safari

10 Days Uganda Wilderness & Primate Safari

Itinerary Overview

This 10-day journey takes you across Uganda’s untamed north to its emerald forests and volcanic lakes. Begin in Gulu, then enter the raw frontier of Kidepo Valley—where wildlife still rules and silence stretches for miles. Continue to the thunder of Murchison Falls and the predator-rich plains of Queen Elizabeth.

Then step into the ancient rainforests of Bwindi to meet the mountain gorillas. Finally, rest your soul at Lake Bunyonyi, where islands drift like dreams and birds sing you home.

Summary Itinerary

• Day 1: Transfer to Gulu – Northern Welcome
• Day 2: Transfer to Kidepo – Evening Game Drive
• Day 3: Full Day in Kidepo – Narus Valley & Cultural Visit
• Day 4: Drive to Murchison Falls – Top of the Falls
• Day 5: Game Drive & Boat Safari on the Nile
• Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth via Fort Portal
• Day 7: Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
• Day 8: Scenic Drive to Bwindi – Forest Arrival
• Day 9: Gorilla Trekking – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
• Day 10: Morning Lake Experience – Return to Entebbe or Kigali

Day 1: Road North – Into Gulu

Upon your arrival in Uganda, your Friendly Gorilla safari guide greets, briefs you and immediately leave Entebbe behind, and with it, the city’s noise and pace. The road north is long and unhurried—lined with red earth, mango trees, and open skies. Villages pass by like soft music, and before sunset, you arrive in Gulu and finally proceed to spend your night in Kitgum.

It’s a town of resilience and rhythm. Tonight, you rest easy, with northern stars overhead and the hum of tomorrow’s adventure in the air.

Meals: Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Acaki Lodge or Madit Safari lodge (standard)

Day 2: Entering the Untamed – Welcome to Kidepo

Early morning, you head further north into a land that time forgot. The savanna spreads out wide, unbroken. Kidepo greets you not with signs, but with wind, silence, and herds in the distance.

By evening, you’re out on the plains. Ostriches race across golden grass. Lions rest on rock outcrops. You breathe in air that hasn’t changed in centuries.

Accommodation in Kidepo: (Custom lodge options on request)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Full Day in Kidepo – Wildlife & Culture

You rise early and head into Narus Valley, the beating heart of Kidepo. Elephants pass silently. Buffalo stretch like a tide. Cheetahs scan the horizon.

This is wilderness in its purest form and the experiences here shall be breathe-taking and authentically African. Later, you visit a Karamojong community—a people as old as the land, living with spears, songs, and pride. Around the fire, the stories never end.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: From Kidepo to Murchison – Rivers & Rock

Leave the wild frontier behind, journeying south to Murchison Falls National Park. En route, the land shifts: dry grasslands turn green, villages hug the roadside.

You reach the top of Murchison Falls by afternoon. Here, the Nile narrows to just 7 meters wide, then crashes down in a roar of mist and white thunder. Stand close. Let it spray your face.

Accommodation in Murchison Falls:

• Budget: Hornbill Bush Lodge
• Standard: Pakuba Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Game Drive & Nile Cruise

At dawn, the savanna wakes. Lions prowl. Giraffes browse silently. Hartebeest lift their heads at the sound of your engine.

Later, take to the water. Cruise the Victoria Nile as hippos wallow, elephants drink, and kingfishers dive for fish. At the base of the falls, the world roars.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Cross Country – To Queen Elizabeth NP

Today’s drive is long but filled with changing scenes. Tea plantations roll by. The Rwenzori Mountains—if skies are clear—rise like frozen waves.

By late afternoon, you reach Queen Elizabeth National Park, where the wild meets the wetlands. Settle in as night falls and the sounds of crickets fill the air.

Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth:

• Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages
• Standard: Buffalo Safari Lodge / Engiri Game Lodge
• Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Game Drive & Kazinga Channel

The park is alive early. Drive out toward the Kasenyi plains, scanning for tree-climbing lions, leopard prints in the dust, and elephants herding across the road.

In the afternoon, board your boat for the Kazinga Channel cruise—where crocodiles sunbathe, hippos yawn wide, and birds flash past in brilliant color.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: To the Forest – Bwindi Awaits

You leave the plains behind and climb into the highlands. Hills rise and fall like green waves, villages cling to the slopes, and mist clings to every ridge.

By evening, you arrive at Bwindi—a tangle of roots, shadows, and whispers. The gorillas are close.

Accommodation in Bwindi:

• Budget: Rafiki Safari Lodge / Ride 4 a Woman
• Standard: Buhoma Gorilla Camp / Ichumbi Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Mahogany Springs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking – Then Lake Bunyonyi

You begin early. The forest breathes around you. Vines snag your sleeves. The ranger signs stop you—and there they are. A gorilla family.

A silverback lifts his head. A baby clings to her mother. They look back at you—not afraid, just aware. For one sacred hour, you are part of their world.

Afterward, drive to Lake Bunyonyi. Arrive just before sunset. The lake mirrors the sky. The silence settles into your bones.

Accommodation at Lake Bunyonyi: (Options tailored to your preference)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 10: Soft Ending – Return to Entebbe or Kigali

Spend your last morning how you like—canoeing between islands, hiking above the lake, or simply sitting with a cup of coffee, watching the world drift by.

Then begin your return. You’ll arrive full—not just of photos, but of memories, meaning, and moments that changed you.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

This Isn’t Just a Safari—It’s a Journey Through Uganda’s Wild Soul.

You’ve stood on lion lands. Listened to rivers roar. Met gorillas in the mist. From Gulu to Bunyonyi, every day revealed a new layer of Uganda.

So—are you ready to feel it for yourself