12 Days Uganda Wilderness Safari with Tree-Climbing Lions

Experience the wild beauty of East Africa on a 12 Days Uganda Wilderness Safari with Tree-Climbing Lions, an unforgettable journey through Uganda’s most remarkable national parks, wildlife reserves, tropical forests, and scenic countryside. This adventure combines classic African wildlife viewing with primate encounters, breathtaking landscapes, cultural experiences, and the opportunity to search for the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha.

Organized by World Blossom Safaris, this 12-day adventure takes you through beautiful destinations such as Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park.

During your 12 Days Uganda Wilderness Safari with Tree-Climbing Lions, enjoy guided game drives, a Nile River boat cruise, chimpanzee tracking, an optional gorilla trekking experience, birdwatching, and opportunities to meet local communities.

Whether you are a wildlife enthusiast, photographer, couple, solo traveler, or family seeking an African adventure, this safari offers a memorable way to discover why Uganda is known as the Pearl of Africa.

Tour Highlights

• Search for the famous tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
• Enjoy game drives in Murchison Falls National Park in search of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, and other wildlife.
• Take a boat cruise on the Nile River to observe hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds.
• Visit the spectacular Top of Murchison Falls.
• Track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.
• Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park’s savannah plains and wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel.
• Enjoy scenic drives through Uganda’s green countryside and rolling hills.
• Experience gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as an included or optional activity, depending on your selected package.
• Discover Uganda’s birdlife, culture, and local communities.
• Travel with a professional English-speaking driver-guide from World Blossom Safaris.

Detailed 12-Day Uganda Wilderness Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe and Transfer to Kampala

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, meet your representative from World Blossom Safaris for a warm welcome to Uganda. Transfer to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, depending on your arrival time and accommodation preference.

If time allows, enjoy a short city tour or visit a local craft market. Your guide will brief you about the upcoming adventure, including wildlife viewing, national park visits, and the search for tree-climbing lions.

Accommodation: Entebbe or Kampala hotel.

Meals: Depending on your arrival time and package.

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

After breakfast, begin your journey to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest national park. Enjoy scenic countryside views and stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, if included in your itinerary, for an optional guided rhino-tracking experience.

Continue to the park and check in at your lodge. Depending on your arrival time, enjoy an afternoon game drive across the savannah in search of giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and other wildlife.

Your Uganda wilderness safari introduces you to the country’s diverse landscapes and rich wildlife.

Accommodation: Lodge in or near Murchison Falls National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your selected package.

Day 3: Game Drive and Nile River Boat Cruise

Wake up early for a morning game drive when wildlife is often active. Search for elephants, Rothschild’s giraffes, buffaloes, Uganda kob, lions, and other savannah animals.

After lunch, take a boat cruise along the Victoria Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls. Watch hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants near the riverbanks, and colorful bird species.

Return to your lodge and relax as you enjoy the sounds of the African wilderness.

Accommodation: Lodge in or near Murchison Falls National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 4: Top of Murchison Falls and Transfer to Kibale Forest

After breakfast, visit the spectacular Top of Murchison Falls, where the Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge before plunging dramatically below. Enjoy panoramic views and photography opportunities.

Later, begin your journey toward western Uganda, passing rural communities, tea plantations, and scenic countryside. Arrive in the Kibale Forest area in the evening.

Your journey connects Uganda’s savannah wildlife with one of East Africa’s most important primate habitats.

Accommodation: Lodge near Kibale Forest National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest National Park

After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a briefing before entering Kibale Forest with an authorized guide to search for wild chimpanzees.

Observe these fascinating primates as they move through the forest canopy, feed, communicate, and interact with one another. Kibale is also home to other primates and a variety of forest birds.

In the afternoon, you may visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a guided nature walk and community experience, subject to your schedule and selected activities.

Accommodation: Lodge near Kibale Forest National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, traveling through the scenic foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and Uganda’s countryside.

Arrive at your lodge and enjoy lunch before an afternoon game drive, depending on your arrival time. Search for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, warthogs, and other wildlife across the park’s varied habitats.

Your guide will explain the park’s wildlife and help you prepare for the search for the famous tree-climbing lions in Ishasha.

Accommodation: Lodge in or near Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 7: Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise and Game Drive

Begin the day with a morning game drive through the Kasenyi plains, a well-known wildlife viewing area where you may encounter lions, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and a variety of bird species.

Later, enjoy a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George. The channel is famous for its concentration of hippos, crocodiles, waterbirds, and wildlife gathering along the shores.

Return to your lodge for relaxation and dinner.

Accommodation: Lodge in or near Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 8: Search for Tree-Climbing Lions in Ishasha

Today is one of the highlights of your 12 Days Uganda Wilderness Safari with Tree-Climbing Lions. Travel to the Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, a region famous for its lions that sometimes rest in large fig trees.

Enjoy guided game drives through the open savannah and woodland in search of these remarkable cats. You may also encounter elephants, buffaloes, topis, Uganda kob, and other wildlife.

Although tree-climbing lions are a major attraction, sightings are not guaranteed because they are wild animals and their behavior changes daily. Your experienced guide will help you explore promising areas while respecting wildlife and park regulations.

Accommodation: Lodge in or near Ishasha.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 9: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, enjoy a final wildlife drive in Ishasha before continuing to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, subject to road conditions and your lodge location.

The journey passes through beautiful hills, rural settlements, cultivated landscapes, and green countryside. Bwindi is internationally renowned for its mountain gorillas and rich biodiversity.

Arrive at your lodge and relax while your guide briefs you on the next day’s activities. Gorilla trekking permits should be secured in advance if you wish to include this experience.

Accommodation: Lodge near your designated Bwindi trekking sector.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on your package.

Day 10: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi or a Forest and Community Experience

Option A: Mountain Gorilla Trekking

After an early breakfast, report to the designated park headquarters for a briefing. Join authorized rangers for a guided trek through the forest in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family.

Trekking duration varies depending on the gorillas’ location and forest conditions. Once the gorillas are found, visitors are generally allowed one hour with the family, following ranger instructions and applicable conservation rules.

Gorilla trekking requires a valid permit, which must be arranged in advance. Permit costs are additional unless your written safari quotation specifically includes them.

Option B: Nature and Community Activities

If you do not choose gorilla trekking, enjoy a suitable guided nature walk or community experience, depending on local availability and your lodge location.

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