How many days needed for a Uganda safari can have different answers. It all depends on what your time/budget limitations and expectations are. Below we will go through what you can experience on a minimum amount of days, typical time for a Uganda safari and a longer Uganda safari.
If we start with the minimum time needed for a Uganda safari it can be as short as three days. Most visitors who make the journey to Uganda. And spend only three days have come with the target to see the Mountain Gorillas. If you plan your flights well it is doable to land early morning day 1 to do the transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Then on day 2 you do the Mountain Gorilla trek. Lastly on day 3 you make the journey to Entebbe to catch an evening/night flight. An option for a swift Mountain Gorilla safari. Like this is to fly in and out of Kigali (Rwanda) where we then pick you to go for the Mountain Gorilla trek in Uganda. This way you save on the transfer time.
However, If you add on a day or two you can include. For example tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, a boat-cruise on Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park or chimps trekking in Kibale Forest. A common reason to do a short safari in Uganda is that visitors combine chimps and Mountain Gorillas in Uganda. With animals of the savannah in Kenya’s Masai Mara or Tanzania’s Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
The most typical time-frame for our visitors’ Uganda safaris is between one and two weeks. During a safari of one to two weeks it is possible to get a mix of primates in the jungle, animals of the savannah and Ugandan culture. A seven day Uganda safari typically focuses on the west of the country. With animals of the savannah in Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park as well as Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.
Furthermore, When targeting a Uganda safari of around two weeks it is common to include the west as described above but then also add Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and possibly Kidepo Valley National Park in the far north of the country. Depending on your interests it is for example possible to add in hikes in the mountains of Rwenzori Mountains National Park or volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. If you have an interest in culture you can plan to include village walks and community experiences learning more about for example the Karamojong or Batwa people. For birders it is common to adapt the entire itinerary to their interest of birding in Uganda, but a visit to Mabamba swamp to search for the prehistoric looking Great Shoebill Stork can interest most.
If you have plenty of time you can easily spend three weeks exploring Uganda. So you see that the answer to the question of number of days needed for a Uganda safari can be very different depending on who asks. A long journey like this usually includes the east of Uganda with beautiful scenery and interesting culture. Here we have Jinja with the source of the Nile, Sipi Falls with impressive waterfalls and the Sebei tribe showing you how they grow coffee. As well as Pian Upe with ostriches and scenic landscape. Continuing northwards the journey goes through remote countryside in Karamoja, learning about how the cattle herding Karamojong people live. In the far north the highlight is then the untouched wilderness of Kidepo Valley National Park.
When then turning south it can be a varied safari with a mix of game-drives, boat-cruises, primates in the jungles, a hike in Rwenzori mountains, village walks, crater lakes and more. To really make it a full Uganda safari you can head to the far south for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Here there is a selection of activities. Like golden monkey trekking, Batwa experience, hikes on volcanoes and Mountain Gorilla trekking. A longer Uganda safari like this really lets you dive deep into what the “Pearl of Africa” has to offer.
We are happy to advise you and tailor-make your Uganda safari to fit to how many days you have for your Uganda safari. Meanwhile, With the right planning you can get the most out of your tour whether it is 3-days or 21-days long.
