OVER VIEW
This 15 Day Uganda Adventure is an extraordinary journey through Uganda’s hidden treasures, venturing off the beaten path to uncover the wonders of the East! From the cascading beauty of Sipi Falls to the untamed savannahs of Pian Upe—home to elusive cheetahs—and onward to the breathtaking Kidepo Valley National Park, where the Big Five roam the vast Karamojong plains, this adventure promises excitement at every turn.
Dive into vibrant cultural encounters, experience heart-pounding activities, explore Uganda’s rich history, marvel at the thunderous Murchison Falls, and visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary—the safe haven for Uganda’s last remaining rhinos.
With thrilling safaris, awe-inspiring landscapes, and enriching cultural connections, our 15-Day Uganda Adventure Tour offers unforgettable memories while championing sustainability and uplifting local communities. Experience the heart of Uganda like never before!
SAFARI HIGHLIGHTS
- Hike to the stunning Sipi Falls while supporting the livelihoods of local Arabica coffee growers.
- Immerse yourself in the serene beauty of Mt. Elgon Forest.
- Spot unique wildlife at Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve and contribute to ongoing conservation efforts.
- Experience authentic Karamoja culture with a visit to a traditional Manyatta.
- Enjoy birdwatching in the lush woodlands of Mt. Moroto, aiding bird conservation initiatives.
- Uncover ancient rock art
- Witness breathtaking wildlife and rugged mountain scenery in Kidepo Valley National Park.
- Embark on a trek to Mt. Morungole, meet the IK people, and support community-led tourism.
- Discover the Big Five and cruise the Nile at the iconic Murchison Falls National Park.
Upon your arrival in Entebbe, a company representative will warmly welcome you and transfer you to your hotel for an overnight stay.
Meal Plan: Dinner depending on time of arrival.
Accommodation: Papyrus Guest House
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, we journey towards Tororo, pausing to marvel at Tororo Rock, a towering formation that commands a 300-meter elevation above the plains. Our route continues to Mbale, a town at the base of Mount Elgon, renowned for its rich heritage and captivating culture.
Enjoy a delightful lunch in Mbale, surrounded by picturesque viewpoints along the way, before we proceed to Sipi Village. This charming settlement is positioned amidst cascading waterfalls and majestic mountains, offering a serene retreat. In the afternoon, indulge in an enlightening Arabica coffee tour, experiencing the process of coffee production from seed to cup.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Sipi Heritage Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, embark on a captivating hike to the enchanting Sipi Falls. Begin with a nature walk to the base of this renowned waterfall, then continue with a challenging ascent to explore a series of caves. The journey begins with a leisurely nature walk that leads you to the base of the majestic waterfall, where the rushing waters cascade down rocky cliffs amidst lush greenery.
As the trail ascends with a moderate climb, journey through picturesque landscapes adorned with maize fields, verdant banana plantations, charming bandas, and traditional thatched-roof huts- homesteads. You'll encounter additional cascades of Sipi Falls, each offering its own unique charm and scenic allure. Take in the inspiring sights and sounds of nature, pausing to cool off under the refreshing spray of the falls, and admire breathtaking views overlooking the valley below.
Optional Activity- You may participate in a thrilling abseiling experience down the mountainside, descending alongside the famous Sipi Falls.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Sipi Heritage Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, we take a scenic drive to the Mount Elgon Forest Exploration Centre. This extinct volcano, straddling the Uganda-Kenya border, towers at 4,321 meters, making it East Africa's fourth-highest mountain and Uganda's second-highest peak. The day is dedicated to hiking, offering an opportunity to explore the mountain forest's incredible diversity. Two unique trails lead past sparkling waterfalls, hidden caves, and stunning viewpoints.
For birdwatchers, Mount Elgon is a paradise, home to an impressive 300 bird species. This remarkable destination promises an unforgettable experience for nature and adventure lovers alike.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Sipi Heritage Lodge
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Today, you'll journey from Sipi Falls to the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, immersing yourself in its vast plains. These plains are a tapestry of wilderness, rolling savannahs, and acacia woodlands, adorned with weathered rock formations. In the backdrop stand the majestic Mount Kadam and Mount Napak.
Enjoy a picnic lunch before embarking on an exploration of the reserve's network of wildlife tracks. Look out for the rare Roan antelope, alongside oribi, klipspringer, hyenas, ostriches, leopards, impala, Jackson’s hartebeest, and Rothschild giraffes. Make sure to watch for cheetahs as well, this reserve offers the best opportunity in Uganda to spot these graceful cats. Later, continue your journey to your place of overnight stay.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Karamoja Safari Camp.
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, head out for game safaris in Pian Upe before proceeding through Karamoja with stunning views with amazing scenery over the rugged landscape of the east of Uganda and Mount Kadam, which peaks at 3068 meters. Later head back for relaxation at the camp.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Karamoja Safari Camp
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, you'll venture into the Karamoja plains for an enriching Manyatta Experience. Immerse yourself in the traditional way of life by visiting a local Manyatta homestead. Engage in various community activities that offer an authentic glimpse into the culture. Participate in tasting the local meals, enjoy the rhythmic songs and dances of traditional folklore, craft traditional Karamojong beads, listen to elders' captivating stories, and join in traditional Karamojong games. This interactive experience promises unforgettable insights into the community's heritage.
After lunch, head out for a birding session amidst the woodlands of Mount Moroto. Look out for approximately 95 bird species, including the Crested Francolin, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Laughing Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Namaqua Dove, African Green-Pigeon, Buff-crested Bustard, and White-bellied Go-away-bird.
Return to Karamoja Safari Camp in the evening for relaxation and an overnight stay, reflecting on the day's cultural discoveries and natural encounters.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Karamoja Safari Camp
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After a relaxed breakfast, you will head out for an experience of Uganda’s rock art of ancient earth red paintings some of the rocks with paintings discovered are Loteleit rock, Mogoth rock, Nakapeliet rock, Nakadanya rock, and Kobebe hills in Moroto District, all dotted through eastern Uganda.
Explore the paintings from the Cushitic tribes that depict scenes including warriors shooting bows & arrows and herders grazing cattle.
Later head back to the camp for lunch and relaxation.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Karamoja Safari Camp
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Today you will set off for Kidepo Valley National Park, a true calling to the stunning wilderness. As you proceed, pass through the mountainous landscape of the Kotido region to reach one of Africa’s premier wilderness parks and arrive in time for lunch and relaxation.
After lunch, we get to explore the savannah plains on the floor of the Narus Valley, across a backdrop of the surrounding rugged hillsides.
This is an excellent time for a game safari as you look out for a variety of game herds including Burchell’s zebra, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, African buffalo, and Grant’s gazelle as you drive.
Along the way, you get to pass the seasonally dry Kidepo River, on a good day, you can spot large troops of baboons close to the riverbed. Depending on the time you might head towards the northern part of the park at the Kanangorok hot springs.
This area is particularly known for the flocks of ostrich found in the region. It’s also the best place to look out for cheetahs. Later head back to your camp. Alternatively, you may have a nature walk experience in the Narus Valley.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge.
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Today head out for a community visit to the Ik people on the top of Morungole Mountain. This is a long day and it takes about 4 hrs to climb uphill to the community and 2 hrs to descend. Get immersed in the cultural experience as the people share their cultural activities. Here you will spend a wonderful evening with the Karamajong people and have an insight into their way of life and beliefs, traditions, and norms.
This is an opportunity to participate in the traditional dances and songs of the indigenous local people as well. Accommodation and Meals at Kidepo Savannah Lodge. (You may decide on the Long Hike - 15km to Mt. Morungole OR Partake in the Short Hike - 10km to the traditional Village Visit, Kidepo Valley Viewpoint).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Kidepo Savannah Lodge.
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Today depart from your lodge as the sun rises over the savannah leaving behind the wilderness of Kidepo Valley National Park and drive through the stunning rugged scenery of mountains and plains passing through Kitgum town onwards to the hub of northern Uganda, Gulu town. Continue on your journey to reach Murchison Falls National Park, the place for The Greatest Waterfall on the Nile. heading to your accommodation for late lunch and relaxation.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Fort Murchison
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Today get to explore the wildlife tracks, along Victoria and Albert Nile savannah plains dotted with a backdrop of palm trees and pockets of Acacia tree woodlands. Look out for Rothschild giraffes, lions, hippos, elephants, herds of buffalo, Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, warthog, and waterbuck and if you're lucky, you'll spot the elusive leopard! Get a stop over at the hippo pool on the Victoria Nile delta, where you can see hippos wallowing in the shallows across the water.
After lunch, embark on a boat cruise to navigate the course of the river Nile to the thundering base of Murchison Falls waterfall. As you meander upstream passing hippos pods lazing in the water, look out for crocodiles, buffalo, waterbuck, elephants, and Uganda kob on the riverbanks. To a bird watcher's delight, there is a multitude of birds that can be spotted including the Red-throated and carmine bee-eaters nesting on the Nyamusika cliffs.
On reaching the base of the falls you’ll marvel at the spectacle of the White Nile surging through a 7-meter wide gap in the rock face, cutting through Fajao Gorge, and falling 43 meters into the river below, before it meanders off through the savannah plains of the park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Fort Murchison
Comfort Level: Mid-range
After breakfast, transfer from Murchison Falls National Park to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary through Kichumbanyobo gate, reaching Masindi town and proceeding to reach Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the home to Uganda's only population of Rhino.
Have lunch and thereafter seek out the rhinos living in the sanctuary. You will have a rhino trek over the grassland and through the African bush on foot with a ranger to visit the Southern White Rhinos. You will also get a briefing about the sanctuary and the other projects at the sanctuary
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Amuka Safari Lodge.
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Early morning breakfast and set off for Lugogo Swamp. At 06:00 am, you will drive for 45 minutes through the African Bush to reach the edge of the swamp where you will take a local motorized canoe gliding through the water in search of the rare and prehistoric-looking species, the Shoebill Stork.
The swamp has about 300 bird species including the Malachite Kingfisher and Rufous-bellied Heron among others. Head back to the mainland taking a walk along the swamp edge, giving you further opportunities for other bird species like the Black Crake and Common Squacco Heron before making the return drive back through the African bush. Evening Relaxation at the Lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Amuka Safari Lodge.
Comfort Level: Mid-range
Breakfast and then depart from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary passing through vast plains and passing some markets selling a variety of tropical fruits arriving in the afternoon in Entebbe. Head to Papyrus Guest House for a refreshing moment and relaxation. In the evening ,you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight back home.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
• Comfortable hiking boots and lightweight clothing.
• Rain jacket and a warm sweater for cooler evenings.
• Insect repellent and sunscreen.
• Reusable water bottle.
• Binoculars and a good camera.
• Personal medications and a small first-aid kit.
• Nature blending clothes
Included in the Itinerary
- Ground transportation in a safari customized 4WD Toyota Landcruiser with gasoline/fuel
- Rhino Trekking
- All Nature walks
- All Community Visits
- All Boat Cruises
- All Game Drives
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Drinking water / refillable water bottle
- English-speaking Birding Guide
- Accommodation and Meals
- All Park Entrance Fees.
Excluded in the Itinerary
- International Airfares;
- Visa Fees;
- Drinks and Beverages
- Tips, and Gratuities for your Driver/guide and hotel staff
- Optional activities unless specified as included
- Any other services not expressly shown in the itinerary or indicated as included.
Uganda – The Pearl of Africa’s Untamed Beauty
Uganda, aptly named the Pearl of Africa, is a land Gifted by Nature. It is located in the Great Lakes Region with breathtaking landscapes, extraordinary biodiversity, and unforgettable adventures. This remarkably diverse country is where the East African savannah meets the lush West African jungle, creating an ecological paradise unlike any other.
Towering over Uganda’s landscapes are the majestic Rwenzori Mountains, Africa’s third-highest range, and the dramatic Virunga Volcanoes, while the shimmering waters of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, cradle its southern border. Lying in a basin between the eastern and western branches of the Rift Valley, Uganda’s elevated position gives it a more temperate climate than its equatorial location might suggest. Most of the country sits over 1,000 meters above sea level, with a landscape that is largely flat apart from the forested mountain ranges that often define its borders.
One of Africa’s most water-rich nations, Uganda’s lakes, rivers, and wetlands cover 25% of its surface, keeping the landscape lush and green for most of the year—though the northern region gradually transitions into semi-desert.
Nowhere else on the continent can travelers witness such a rich variety of primates with such ease. From great apes—mountain gorillas and chimpanzees—to over a dozen monkey species, Uganda is a primate lover’s paradise. But it’s not just primates that thrive here. With over 1,000 bird species, Uganda is a birder’s wonderland, home to rare rainforest specialists and some of Africa’s most sought-after birds.
We invite you to explore Uganda, a diverse landscape with abundant wildlife, plenty to discover, and unique experiences. When recounting your time in this jewel of a country, you'll struggle to find the words that do justice to it.
Entry Requirements:
Your passport must have a minimum of at least two full clear pages for visas and stamps and be valid for more than 6 months from the date of entry into Uganda.
Please check visa requirements prior to travel with your booking agent or Bush Wander, as requirements are regularly changed with little notice.
Most passports require a single-entry visa (US$50). Visas cannot be obtained on arrival. You must apply and pay for them online at least two weeks before your arrival. You must upload clear copies of your current passport, a yellow fever certificate, and a passport photo.
Only Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted for visa payments. Once payment is made, the system will process your application and send you a barcoded email. Print out this email and bring it with you to Uganda. Upon arrival, you should present the barcoded email to the immigration officer, who will scan the barcode, take your fingerprints and photo, and place a visa in your passport.
Alternatively, the Ugandan High Commissions may issue visas where such commissions are located.
Visa Exempt Countries:
The following nationalities do not require a visa to enter Uganda: all nationalities from East African countries (Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi), all nationalities from COMESA countries (Angola, Eritrea, Malawi, Madagascar, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, Comoros, Kenya, Mauritius, Zimbabwe), and passport holders from OTHERS (Antigua, Barbados, Fiji, Grenada, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, The Grenadines, Vanuatu, Cyprus, Bahamas, Belize, Gambia, Jamaica, Malta, Singapore, St. Vincent-Tonga and Ireland).
East Africa Tourist Visa:
If you are planning an East Africa trip to Uganda, Rwanda, and/or Kenya, it may be better to apply for a multiple-entry visa, valid for 90 days at USD 100 per visa. For more information go through the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration if you are entering Uganda first, or alternatively, the Government visa site for the East Africa country you will be first entering.
Money and Currency:
Before you travel, call your credit card companies to let them know you will be traveling. This will help to ensure the credit card company won’t flag any of your vacation expenses. ATMs are available in major towns or cities though at times may not be reliable due to a limited amount of money to be withdrawn.
- Credit cards are widely accepted within Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Major hotels and restaurants accept VISA and MasterCard. AMEX and others are not recommended as establishments usually don’t support them. Note that a surcharge of 5% is attached to their usage.
- Local Currencies are recommended to use while on safari. There are many forex bureaus and banks in the capital cities and the main towns. Smaller denominations than US$100 may attract a less favorable rate of exchange. Notes older than 2010 may not be accepted in the country.
- Forex Bureaus are located in major towns or cities and have regular banking hours Monday to Friday from 08:30hrs to 16:00hrs. Saturdays are open from 09:00hrs to 12:00hrs. Traveler’s Cheques may be changed in major towns/cities. American Express cheques are accepted but they do attract a low rate. If you can, forego this option. Note: A purchase receipt and a passport are often asked for by the bank and forex bureaus as proof of ownership.
Health and Medical Information
Travelers require a Yellow Fever inoculation more than 10 days prior to your departure otherwise you won't obtain a visa. The certificate will be checked on arrival in Uganda. On top of that it is also advised you get vaccinations for DTP, Hepatitis A and malaria. Some organizations may advice you to take Typhoid, Cholera, Hepatitis B and Rabies as well. Please consult your pharmacist/doctor.
Travel Insurance on tour
It’s highly recommended to have travel insurance that covers medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost luggage, and other unforeseen circumstances. Ensure that your insurance policy provides adequate coverage for your entire trip duration and the activities you plan to undertake, such as wildlife viewing and adventure sports.
Flights & Getting Around
If you need assistance with flight bookings, Travelers Link Africa offers an inflight service—simply share your travel dates, and we’ll take care of the rest!
