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The Full Circuit
Rhinos at Ziwa, the empty north at Kidepo, the Nile at Murchison, chimpanzees at Kibale, savannah at Queen Elizabeth — and two gorilla treks, in two different parks.
Sixteen days is what it takes to see Uganda properly rather than quickly. It reaches Kidepo in the far north-east, which almost no itinerary does, and it puts two gorilla treks in two different forests — Bwindi and Mgahinga — which is a genuinely different experience each time.
At a glance
| Length | 16 days, 15 nights |
|---|---|
| Gorilla treks | Two, in two different parks |
| Parks and places | Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary · Kidepo Valley · Murchison Falls · Kibale Forest · Rwenzori Mountains · Queen Elizabeth · Bwindi · Mgahinga · Lake Bunyonyi · Lake Mburo |
| Starts and ends | Entebbe International Airport |
| Accommodation | Full board throughout, in the lodges named below |
| Price | being finalised — ask for a quote |
Day by day
- Day 1
Entebbe to Gulu, via the rhinos
North out of Entebbe, turning off at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary — the only place in Uganda with wild rhino, and you track them on foot. Lunch there, then on to Gulu.
Overnight: Hotel Boma, Gulu
- Day 2
To Kidepo Valley
The long transfer north-east to Kidepo, in the corner of the country where Uganda meets South Sudan and Kenya. If we arrive with light to spare, an evening game drive.
Overnight: Savanna Safari Lodge
- Day 3
Kidepo — a full day
Up before dawn for the morning game drive: lion, leopard, cheetah, and herds you will have almost entirely to yourself — Kidepo receives a fraction of the visitors the southern parks do. Back for lunch, out again for the evening and the magic hour.
Overnight: Savanna Safari Lodge
- Day 4
To Murchison Falls
West and south to Murchison, Uganda’s largest park, on the Victoria Nile.
Overnight: Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Day 5
Murchison — game drive, the Nile, and the falls
An early game drive for lion, leopard, giraffe, buffalo and elephant on the north bank. After lunch, the boat upstream to the foot of the falls, past hippos, crocodiles and a great many birds. You get off at the bottom and hike to the top, where the entire Nile is forced through a gap seven metres wide. The driver meets you there.
Overnight: Pakuba Safari Lodge
- Day 6
To Kibale Forest
South along the Lake Albert escarpment, then through the tea estates around Fort Portal with the Rwenzori range on your right.
Overnight: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
- Day 7
Chimpanzees, and Bigodi
The briefing at Kanyanchu visitor centre, then out with a ranger to find the chimpanzees — Kibale has the highest density of primates in East Africa. In the afternoon, the community walk at Bigodi: the market, the traditional healer, the local brewery, the women’s basket weaving, and a cooking session if you want it.
Overnight: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
- Day 8
Rwenzori day hike, then Queen Elizabeth
A relaxed morning, then two hours walking in the foothills of the Rwenzori — the Mountains of the Moon — before continuing to Queen Elizabeth for a late game drive.
Overnight: Bush Lodge
- Day 9
Queen Elizabeth — Kasenyi and the Kazinga Channel
The morning on the Kasenyi plains in the north of the park, then the craft village, then back for lunch. The afternoon boat along the Kazinga Channel: hippos in numbers you will not believe, buffalo, elephant and birds.
Overnight: Bush Lodge
- Day 10
Ishasha, then into Bwindi
South to Ishasha for the tree-climbing lions, then lunch and the drive up to Ruhija, the eastern sector of Bwindi, high on the forest edge.
Overnight: Bakiga Lodge
- Day 11
Gorilla trek at Ruhija, then to Mgahinga
The briefing at the Ruhija visitor centre and your first trek. Afterwards the drive to Mgahinga — one of the most beautiful roads in the country, through Bakiga farmland with the Kigezi hills falling away and the volcanoes ahead.
Overnight: Kisoro Travellers Hotel
- Day 12
Gorilla trek at Mgahinga
The briefing at Ntebeko and your second trek, in a completely different forest: Mgahinga is open bamboo on volcanic slopes rather than Bwindi’s tangle. A whole-day activity, so you carry lunch and eat it in the forest.
Overnight: Kisoro Travellers Hotel
- Day 13
Lake Bunyonyi
A short drive to Bunyonyi — twenty-nine islands, each with its own story, and the place we are from. A boat out among them in the afternoon, and nothing else required of you.
Overnight: Bunyonyi Overland Camp
- Day 14
To Lake Mburo
East to Mburo, the smallest of the savannah parks and much richer in game than its size suggests. Lunch at the lodge, then an evening drive.
Overnight: Eagle’s Nest
- Day 15
Last game drive, then Entebbe
A morning drive before we leave, then the road back to Entebbe.
Overnight: Airport Guest House
- Day 16
Departure
We take you to the airport for your flight home.
What is included
- Vehicle, fuel and a driver-guide throughout
- All accommodation as listed, full board
- Park entrance fees, boat trips and the Rwenzori hike
- Two gorilla permits and one chimpanzee permit, booked in your name
- Rhino tracking at Ziwa and the Bigodi community walk
- Bottled water in the vehicle
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
What is not
- International flights and Uganda visa
- Travel insurance — required, see booking terms
- Drinks, tips and personal spending
- Optional activities not listed above
About the gorilla permit
Two permits are included in the price and bought in your name from the Uganda Wildlife Authority — currently USD 800 each for foreign non-residents, less in April, May and November. We pass it through at cost and send you the reference number so you can see it is real.
UWA takes full payment when the permit is booked and does not hold them, so a trek is only confirmed once the permit is paid. How permits work →