Explore southwestern Uganda - 12 day itinerary

Destination: Entebbe

Drive: 10 km | 0.5 hour

Welcome to Uganda! As soon as you enter the airport you will be embraced with a pleasant temperature and the charming smile of a Ugandan immigration officer. Take this day to relax from your trip. Entebbe is a small town, with a pleasant lakeside, some good restaurants and large swimming pool at Laiko Hotel.

A glimpse of our lodge selection: 

Budget: Via Via Guesthouse

Luxury: The Boma Hotel

Start: Entebbe

Destination: Lake Mburo National Park

Drive: 265 km | 6+ hours

Time to hit the road and start your adventure! The journey from Entebbe to Lake Mburo in Uganda is a unique experience marked by the crossing of the equator.

A glimpse of our lodge selection:

Mid-range: Hyena Hill Lodge

Semi-Luxury: Mihingo Lodge

Enjoy: Lake Mburo National Park

Enjoy a day in the park. With no dangerous predators such as lions, Lake Mburo is the place to go for walking, biking, or horseback Safari. Moreover, this is one of the few national parks in Africa allowing night game drives, which give you the chance to see some of the rare nocturnal animals like the mongoose, hyena, leopard, and serval cat.

Start: Lake Mburo National Park

Destination: Lake Mutanda

Drive: 313 km | 7+ hours

Drive to the Kigezi Highlands, perhaps the most fertile and scenic region of Uganda: a landscape of expansive blue lakes and steep terraced slopes bordering the rainforest of Bwindi National Park.

A glimpse of our lodge selection:

Semi-Luxury: Mutanda Lake Resort

Enjoy: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Ready for the experience of a lifetime? Today you will be tracking the rare mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi’s dense forest protect an estimated 320 mountain gorillas, roughly half of the global population. This includes 11 habituated groups which can be tracked by limited groups of people. You will be departing from either Rushaga or Nkuringo.

Read more about gorilla trekking here.

Enjoy: Lake Mutanda

Lake Mutanda is a great place to stick a round for a few days. Plenty of activities can be arranged at Lake Mutanda Resort. The fresh water lake is safe to swim in. Go SUP boarding, enjoy a ride in a dugout canoe as the local fishermen do, go on a birding trip, nature hike, or cultural village walk, and finish off the day with a sunset boat cruise. Decide what to do then and there, or contact us in advance for reservations.

Are you a bird-lover? Consult our Birding in Uganda blog for more info and tips about the best birding destinations. 

Start: Lake Mutanda

Destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Drive: 283 km | 7+ hours

Drive to Queen Elizabeth N.P., Uganda’s oldest national park. From open savannas to green rainforests, from dense papyrus swamps and crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward, it is little wonder that Queen Elizabeth N.P. boasts one of the highest rates of biodiversity of any game park in Africa.

A glimpse of our lodge selection:

Mid-range: The Bush Lodge

Semi-Luxury: Marafiki Safari Lodge 

Enjoy: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Enjoy another day in the park. Boat trips on the Kazinga Channel offer great game viewing, as do game drives around Mweya and the Northern Circuit. The Kyambura Gorge harbors habituated chimps, the Maramamgambo Forest is home to many forest monkeys and the crater lakes are often filled with beautiful pink flamingos.

Start: Queen Elizabeth National Park

Destination: Kibale National Park

Drive: 153 km | 3 hours

Drive to Kibale Forest, near the pleasant town of Fort Portal. Kibale is a 800 km2 tropical rainforest, home to 13 primate species and an impressive range of birds. 

A glimpse of our lodge selection:

Mid-range: Kibale Forest Camp

Semi-Luxury: Turaco Treetops

Enjoy: Kibale National Park

Kibale Forest is a nature lover’s paradise, with its sublime bird watching and chimpanzee tracking, as well as opportunities for viewing a wide range of other primates. Chimpanzee trekking is a half-day activity starting either early in the morning or just after lunch and needs to be reserved in advance. A field of beautiful crater lakes lies between Fort Portal and the forest, which are perfect for a swim or hike.

Start: Kibale National Park

Destination: Entebbe

Drive: 355 km | 7 hours

A smooth tarmac road passing through lush tea and matoke (banana) plantations brings you to Entebbe. For those longing for some culture and city life after days in the bush, Kampala might be a fun change of scenery, where you will find a thriving dining and nightlife scene with a pleasant vibe. We would be happy to recommend some especially good places to eat and drink.

A glimpse of our lodge selection: 

Budget: Via Via Guesthouse

Semi-Luxury: The Boma Hotel

Most international flights depart in the evening. Entebbe is a lovely town to finish off your trip and relax by the shores of Lake Victoria and the pool of your lodge.