Mabamba's shoebill, gorillas in Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth and chimpanzees in Kibale, with two dedicated days of endemic birding.
A complete first tour of Uganda for someone who loves birds and wants the big encounters too: the shoebill, mountain gorillas, tree-climbing lions and chimpanzees, with a full day for Albertine Rift endemics and another for the Green-breasted Pitta.
Permits are limited and sold by date, so the dates are set around them first.
Uganda
Luxury safari
Handpicked luxury lodges and camps, chosen for their setting, service and guiding.
Private safari
Your own vehicle and guide for the whole journey, never shared with other travellers.
Made to measure
Change the pace, a lodge or an activity and we rebuild the itinerary around you.
Start any day
Travel on the dates that suit you, subject to lodge and permit availability.
Solo travellers welcome
Priced for one on request, with the single supplement shown under Rates.
Pace and fitness
Balanced, fitness: active.
Paddle into Mabamba Swamp at first light for the shoebill, lesser jacana, papyrus gonolek and blue-breasted bee-eater. Drive south-west across the Equator to Lake Mburo for an afternoon game drive.
Overnight
Mihingo Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Tented rooms on a rocky ridge above a waterhole, next to Lake Mburo.
Walk at sunrise with an armed ranger, then drive into the terraced hills of Kigezi toward Bwindi.
Overnight
Bwindi Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Eight bandas facing the forest in Buhoma, a short walk from the gorilla trek briefing point.
After the briefing at park headquarters, trek into the forest to find a gorilla family and spend one hour with them. Return to the lodge to rest.
Overnight
Bwindi Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Eight bandas facing the forest in Buhoma, a short walk from the gorilla trek briefing point.
Walk toward Mubwindi Swamp or the Ruhija ridge for the African green broadbill, Grauer’s rush warbler, Rwenzori apalis, regal sunbird and Black-billed turaco. Bwindi holds 23 Albertine Rift endemics.
Overnight
Bwindi Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Eight bandas facing the forest in Buhoma, a short walk from the gorilla trek briefing point.
Descend to the rift valley floor through Ishasha. Spend the afternoon looking for tree-climbing lions in the fig trees.
Overnight
Ishasha Wilderness Camp (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Ten tents on the Ntungwe River in the tree-climbing lion sector.
Drive the Kasenyi plains for lions, leopards, hyena and kob, then take the Kazinga Channel cruise for African skimmer, goliath heron, hippo and bathing elephants.
Overnight
Mweya Safari Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
The classic lodge of Queen Elizabeth, on the Mweya Peninsula above the Kazinga Channel.
Drive past the Katwe explosion craters for views over the rift, then north through Fort Portal to the edge of Kibale. Look for black-and-white casqued hornbill along the road.
Overnight
Primate Lodge Kibale (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
The only lodge inside Kibale Forest, a short walk from the chimpanzee briefing.
Track a habituated chimpanzee community in the morning. In the afternoon, take the Bigodi boardwalk for great blue turaco and other forest birds.
Overnight
Primate Lodge Kibale (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
The only lodge inside Kibale Forest, a short walk from the chimpanzee briefing.
An early start inside Kibale for the Green-breasted Pitta in its short morning display window, then the trails for African pitta, joyful greenbul and Abyssinian ground thrush.
Overnight
Primate Lodge Kibale (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
The only lodge inside Kibale Forest, a short walk from the chimpanzee briefing.
A relaxed breakfast with the forest sounds, then drive east across central Uganda to Entebbe for an evening flight.
Mihingo Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Tented rooms on a rocky ridge above a waterhole, next to Lake Mburo.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Bwindi Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Eight bandas facing the forest in Buhoma, a short walk from the gorilla trek briefing point.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Ishasha Wilderness Camp (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
Ten tents on the Ntungwe River in the tree-climbing lion sector.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Mweya Safari Lodge (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
The classic lodge of Queen Elizabeth, on the Mweya Peninsula above the Kazinga Channel.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Primate Lodge Kibale (opens the property’s website in a new tab)
The only lodge inside Kibale Forest, a short walk from the chimpanzee briefing.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Important to know
Rates per person
| Season | Solo | 2 people | 3 people | 4 people | 5 people | 6 people | 7+ people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High season (Jun to Oct, Dec to Feb) | US$9,130 | US$7,740 | US$7,276 | US$7,276 | US$7,276 | US$7,276 | Get quote |
| Low season (Mar to May, Nov) | US$8,020 | US$6,800 | US$6,392 | US$6,392 | US$6,392 | US$6,392 | Get quote |
Prices are per person, in US dollars, and depend on the number of travellers sharing the vehicle and guide. They are sample rates for planning and will be confirmed when you enquire, as lodge and permit prices change each year. The price includes one gorilla trekking permit and one chimpanzee tracking permit. Sightings of any single species cannot be guaranteed, but the route is built to give you the best chances.
Best time for this trip Jun to Aug, Dec to Feb
Pack layers: forests and ridges are cold at dawn and can be wet at any hour. Bring waterproofs, sturdy waterproof boots, long socks to tuck trousers into, 8×42 or 10×42 binoculars and, for photography, a fast lens.
Made to measure
Every Uwera safari is private. Slow the pace, add a night by a lake, swap a lodge or bring the children: tell us in your request and we will rebuild the itinerary around you.
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