12-Day Uganda Honeymoon Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Entebbe → Murchison Falls → Kibale → Queen Elizabeth → Bwindi → Lake Bunyonyi → Entebbe

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Entebbe

   Meet the Land Rail representative and transfer to the confirmed first-night accommodation. Entebbe is the lakeside town on the Lake Victoria shore that serves Uganda's international airport. Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is the standard entry and exit point for Ugandan itineraries. Your safari vehicle and guide are used by your party alone. Dinner and overnight are at your hotel in Entebbe.

2. Day 2

   Entebbe to Murchison Falls

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Entebbe bound for Murchison Falls, travelling north through Ziwa and the Masindi road country. You arrive in time to settle in, and the day continues with a game drive across open savanna, borassus palms and the Victoria Nile forcing through a narrow rock gorge. Look for elephant, giraffe, lion, hippo, crocodile and Uganda kob as the light softens through the afternoon. At Murchison the Nile is squeezed through a gap only a few metres wide before dropping to the valley below, and a launch trip runs to the base of the falls. Dinner is served at your Murchison Falls camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

3. Day 3

   Murchison Falls Game Drive and Nile Cruise

   Combine a game drive with the confirmed Victoria Nile boat programme. This is open savanna, borassus palms and the Victoria Nile forcing through a narrow rock gorge. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, giraffe, lion, hippo, crocodile and Uganda kob, though sightings are never guaranteed. The evening is spent at your Murchison Falls accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

4. Day 4

   Murchison Falls to Kibale

   Following an early breakfast, the day begins with the road transfer from Murchison Falls to Kibale, crossing western Uganda's tea estates and crater-lake country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through moist tropical forest running along the Albertine Rift, one of Africa's richest primate habitats. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes chimpanzees, red colobus, L'Hoest's monkey and a long list of forest birds. Chimpanzee tracking at Kibale is a permit-dependent activity arranged through the park authority, and places must be confirmed in advance. Dinner and overnight are at your camp or lodge in Kibale.

5. Day 5

   Kibale Chimpanzee Tracking

   Complete the permit-dependent chimpanzee tracking activity and enjoy a relaxed forest-region afternoon. This is moist tropical forest running along the Albertine Rift, one of Africa's richest primate habitats. There is the possibility of seeing chimpanzees, red colobus, L'Hoest's monkey and a long list of forest birds, though sightings are never guaranteed. Permit availability is confirmed before the booking is finalised, and tracking follows the park authority's rules on the day. Dinner and overnight are at your accommodation in Kibale.

6. Day 6

   Kibale to Queen Elizabeth

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Kibale bound for Queen Elizabeth, crossing the equator and descending into the western Rift Valley. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into savanna, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward and Lake George. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob and, in the Ishasha sector, lions sometimes seen in fig trees, depending on movement and conditions on the day. A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel gives close views of hippo pods, buffalo and one of the densest concentrations of water birds in the region. Dinner is served at your Queen Elizabeth camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

7. Day 7

   Queen Elizabeth Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Cruise

   Combine a game drive with the Kazinga Channel boat cruise. The surroundings take in savanna, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward and Lake George. Species commonly associated with the area include elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob and, in the Ishasha sector, lions sometimes seen in fig trees. The evening is spent at your Queen Elizabeth accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

8. Day 8

   Queen Elizabeth / Ishasha to Bwindi

   The morning starts in Queen Elizabeth / Ishasha, from where you continue overland to Bwindi, travelling the winding roads of the south-western highlands through terraced farmland. Once you reach Bwindi there is time to check in before heading out among steep Afromontane rainforest ridges and valleys in south-western Uganda. This is good country in which to look for mountain gorillas, forest elephant, many primate species and numerous Albertine Rift endemics. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is a permit-dependent activity, and a permit must be confirmed in advance for every trekker. Dinner is served at your Bwindi camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

9. Day 9

   Bwindi Gorilla Tracking

   Complete the permit-dependent gorilla tracking activity. This is steep Afromontane rainforest ridges and valleys in south-western Uganda. Species commonly associated with the area include mountain gorillas, forest elephant, many primate species and numerous Albertine Rift endemics. Permit availability is confirmed before the booking is finalised, and tracking follows the park authority's rules on the day. You return to your lodge or camp in Bwindi for dinner and overnight.

10. Day 10

    Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi

    The morning starts in Bwindi, from where you continue overland to Lake Bunyonyi. You arrive at Lake Bunyonyi, check in and have time to settle before the next stage of the journey. Expect a straightforward road journey, with the exact timing depending on conditions. The evening is spent at your Lake Bunyonyi accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

11. Day 11

    Lake Bunyonyi Leisure Day

    Enjoy a relaxed day at the lake with only the activities specifically included in the quotation. This is a deep, island-dotted lake ringed by terraced hills in south-western Uganda. Optional activities are included only when they are specifically quoted for your booking. The evening is spent at your Lake Bunyonyi accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

12. Day 12

    Lake Bunyonyi to Entebbe

    Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Lake Bunyonyi bound for Entebbe, following the lakeshore road from Kampala. Arrival in Entebbe is usually in the afternoon, depending on traffic and road conditions on the approach. Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is the standard entry and exit point for Ugandan itineraries. You are dropped at your Entebbe hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.