8-Day Uganda Safari: Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth & Rhinos

Four national parks, one private guide, eight days of African wildlife on foot and from the vehicle

This 8-day private safari explores Uganda's premier wildlife reserves starting from Kampala. You track rhinos on foot at Ziwa Sanctuary, game drive the savannahs of Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth, cruise the Nile, and walk Lake Mburo's rolling hills. A private guide leads all drives and walks. Your own vehicle and driver stay with you throughout, and pickup from Entebbe airport is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and relaxation in Entebbe

• Arrive at Entebbe International Airport
• Transfer to hotel and check in
• Rest and refresh after flight
• Visit mall for sim cards and money exchange

Day 2: Kampala city tour and Nile sunset

• Breakfast at hotel
• Kampala cultural and historical tour
• Visit Uganda Museum and Kasubi Tombs
• Climb Gaddafi National Mosque minaret
• Explore local craft markets and street food
• Drive to Jinja with stops at Sezibwa Falls and Mabira Forest
• Sunset boat ride at Source of the Nile
• Relax by riverside in Jinja

Day 3: Rhino tracking and Murchison Falls visit

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
• Track rhinos on foot with ranger
• Continue drive to Murchison Falls National Park
• Visit Top of the Falls viewpoint
• Check in at lodge and relax

Day 4: Game drives and boat safari at Murchison Falls

• Early morning game drive in Murchison Falls
• Return to lodge for breakfast and rest
• Afternoon boat safari on Victoria Nile
• Optional hike to top of falls
• Sunset game drive

Day 5: Drive to Fort Portal and Queen Elizabeth Park

• Breakfast at lodge
• Drive south to Fort Portal through countryside
• Lunch in Fort Portal
• Cross Equator line with photo stop
• Continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 6: Chimp trekking and Kazinga Channel safari

• Early morning chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge
• Boat safari on Kazinga Channel
• Evening sundowner game drive

Day 7: Transfer and walking safari at Lake Mburo

• Breakfast at lodge
• Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
• Check in at lodge
• Afternoon walking safari with ranger
• Return to lodge for evening rest

Day 8: Departure and final game drive

• Breakfast at lodge
• Short morning game drive
• Drive back to Kampala or Entebbe
• Stop at Equator monument for lunch and photos
• Transfer to airport or drop off point

The experience

The route moves through four distinct parks, each one offering a different way to see African wildlife. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you track rhinos on foot with a ranger, moving through savannah and bush to find them. Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's largest reserve, gives you sunrise and sunset game drives across the northern plains (where elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards and buffalo move through open grassland) plus a boat safari up the Victoria Nile to the base of the falls, where the river squeezes through a 7-meter gorge and plunges into the Devil's Cauldron. Queen Elizabeth National Park adds chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge (optional, arranged separately) and a cruise along the Kazinga Channel, where hippos, elephants and crocodiles gather at the water's edge.

Lake Mburo National Park breaks the pattern with a walking safari instead of a vehicle drive. You move on foot with a ranger through rolling hills and woodland, spotting zebras, impalas and buffalo at close range and noticing the smaller details of the ecosystem. Between parks you cross the Equator, stop at Sezibwa Falls and walk through Mabira Forest. Day two includes a full Kampala city tour (Uganda Museum, Kasubi Tombs, Gaddafi National Mosque) and a sunset boat ride to the Source of the Nile in Jinja. Your final morning includes a short game drive before the drive back to Kampala or Entebbe, with a lunch stop at the Equator monument.

Private transportation means your own vehicle and driver throughout. The guide is English-speaking and leads all activities. Hotel pickups are included on arrival and departure days. Lunches are not included, but your guide can arrange stops. The itinerary is fixed, so all four parks and all major activities happen on set days. The only optional add-on is chimpanzee trekking, which requires separate booking and payment.

What’s included

• Private transportation throughout.
• entrance fees to all four national parks.
• English-speaking guide for all game drives, walks and boat safaris.
• hotel pickup on arrival and departure days.
• accommodation at three-star lodges inside or near the parks.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 450

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Nungi Safaris

Is this one for you?This tour is built around a private vehicle and guide who stay with you for all eight days, so you move at your own pace and stop when wildlife appears without waiting for a group. Choose it if you want the flexibility of private travel and the continuity of one guide who knows the parks, rather than joining a shared group or switching guides between parks.

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Top questions

What is the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and how do you see the rhinos there?

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is Uganda's only place where wild rhinos live. You track them on foot with an experienced ranger, moving through savannah and bush habitat to find them in their natural environment. A close, educational encounter that takes place on Day 3 before you continue to Murchison Falls.

Can you do chimpanzee trekking on this tour?

Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge is optional and arranged separately on Day 6 in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You trek through dense forest with expert guides to find and watch the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, but it requires additional booking and payment beyond the main tour price.

What happens on the boat safaris, and where do they take you?

Day 2 includes a sunset boat ride to the Source of the Nile in Jinja, where the river begins its journey to the Mediterranean. Day 4 features a boat safari up the Victoria Nile in Murchison Falls, cruising past hippos and crocodiles to the base of the falls, with an optional hike to the top. Day 6 adds a cruise along the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth, bordered by two national parks and lined with hippos, elephants, crocodiles and birds.

What is Lake Mburo National Park like, and how is it different from the other parks?

Lake Mburo is a smaller park in Uganda's western savannah, known for rolling hills, diverse birdlife and animals like zebras, impalas, buffalo and hippos. Unlike the other parks on this tour, you explore it on foot with a ranger during an afternoon walking safari on Day 7, moving at a gentle pace to notice plants, insects and wildlife signs up close.

When do you cross the Equator, and what happens there?

You cross the Equator on Day 5 during the scenic drive from Murchison Falls to Queen Elizabeth National Park. It's a photo stop where you can stand in both hemispheres at once, and again on Day 8 during the return drive to Kampala or Entebbe, where you stop for lunch and souvenirs.