Day 1: Arrival and drive to Lake Mburo National Park Game Drive.
You will depart from Kampala or Entebbe and drive southwest. Make a stop at the Equator crossing in Kayabwe for photographs and a brief geography demonstration.
Arrive in the afternoon at Lake Mburo National Park, check into your lodge, and enjoy lunch. This park is unique for its sculptured landscape of rolling hills and others then start on game drive to spot impalas, zebras, elands, topis, and Rothschild’s giraffes. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Morning Nature Walk and Boat Cruise on Lake Mburo.
After breakfast, take a guided walking safari with an armed park ranger. This is where you get out of the vehicle allows you to stand foot-to-foot with zebras and antelopes and explore the riverine woodlands up close.
In the afternoon, go on a peaceful 2-hour boat cruise on Lake Mburo. Look out for massive crocodiles, schools of hippos, and waterbirds like the African Finfoot and the African Fish Eagle. Later in the night enjoy a night game drive (optional but highly recommended) for a chance to spot nocturnal wildlife like leopards, bushbabies, and porcupines. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Explosion Craters.
Take breakfast, check out and enjoy en-route game drive out of Lake Mburo and drive west through the lush, terraced tea plantations of Igara and past the scenic Bunyaruguru crater area.
Arrive Queen Elizabeth National Park in the afternoon and start on the scenic Katwe Explosion Craters drive. This route provides spectacular panoramic views of the extinct volcanic cones, Lake George, Lake Edward, and the Rwenzori Mountain ranges. Check into your safari lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Game drive and afternoon boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Wake up early for a morning game drive across the Kasenyi Plains. This area is a primary mating ground for the Uganda Kob and offers your best chance to track lions and leopards on the hunt, alongside herds of cape buffaloes and elephants.
In the afternoon, head to Mweya Peninsula for a legendary 2-hour boat cruise along Kazinga Channel. This natural waterway connects Lake George and Lake Edward and hosts one of the world’s densest concentrations of hippos, massive Nile crocodiles, and hundreds of colorful bird species. Dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Track Tree-Climbing Lions in Ishasha and Drive to Lake Bunyonyi.
After breakfast, check out and travel south through the park to the remote Ishasha Sector, world famous for its unique population of tree-climbing lions that spend their hot afternoons lounging in the low branches of giant fig trees.
In the afternoon, after a picnic lunch, exit the park and drive further south. The flat savannas quickly transition into the steep, terraced hills of the Kigezi region, often called “Switzerland of Africa.’’ Arrive Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest lake in Uganda. Check into your resort overlooking the water for a peaceful evening. Later dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Island Exploration, Canoeing, and cultural Immersion.
After breakfast, you will start on a traditional motorized canoe or dugout canoe tour across Lake Bunyonyi. This is where you will explore some of the iconic 29 islands, such as Akampene (Punishment Island), and learn about the fascinating local Bakiga history and folklore and watching many bird species along.
In the afternoon hike up to the top of the surrounding hills for a stunning bird’s-eye view of the lake’s archipelago, or visit a local community village to interact with the Batwa pygmy community. Enjoy a relaxed evening at your resort, where you will sit by a campfire, watch the sunset over the islands, and dinner and overnight stay.
