Grand Uganda: The Pearl of Africa in Full

This morning you set out on a scenic drive north towards Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's largest and one of its most dramatic. En route you can stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for an optional guided rhino tracking walk on foot, the only place in Uganda to see wild southern white rhino, a thrilling start to your safari. Continuing north, the landscape opens into vast, rolling savanna, and you enter the park to reach your lodge above the Nile in the afternoon, with time to relax on your terrace watching the great river flow and the light soften over the wilderness. This evening, savour dinner surrounded by the sounds of the African bush and the distant roar of the falls. Rest well, ready to explore the drama of Murchison tomorrow, where the world's longest river is forced through a narrow gorge in spectacular fashion.

Today you experience the full drama of Murchison Falls. At dawn you cross the Nile and set out on a game drive across the northern plains, in search of lion, herds of elephant and buffalo, Rothschild's giraffe, Jackson's hartebeest, oribi and Uganda kob, with the chance of leopard, all set against sweeping golden grasslands. After lunch and a rest, the afternoon brings a boat safari up the calm Nile below the falls, gliding past enormous pods of hippo, basking crocodiles, elephants and buffalo at the water's edge, and a wealth of birds, with the chance of the rare shoebill. The boat carries you towards the base of the roaring cataract, where the entire Nile explodes through a seven-metre gorge above you, and many travellers hike to the top of the falls to stand over the thundering water. This evening, celebrate a spectacular day over dinner. Rest well.

After breakfast, and perhaps a final view of the falls, you begin the long, scenic drive south towards Kibale National Park, home to the finest chimpanzee tracking in Uganda. The journey crosses a beautiful, changing landscape of savanna, farmland, crater lakes and green highlands, passing through the Albertine region with its views towards the mountains and Lake Albert, with stops for photographs and lunch along the way. You arrive at your forest lodge near Kibale in the afternoon, set amid tall trees and birdsong, with time to settle in and relax, or to take a gentle guided walk in the nearby Bigodi wetland alive with monkeys, birds and butterflies. As evening falls, the forest hums with the calls of insects, frogs and nocturnal creatures. Enjoy dinner at the lodge and an early night, ready to head into the forest in search of chimpanzees at first light tomorrow. Rest well.

After an early breakfast and a briefing, you set off with an expert ranger into the towering forest of Kibale in search of wild chimpanzees. Following the hoots, screams and drumming that echo through the trees, you track a habituated community until you find them feeding, grooming, resting or swinging noisily through the canopy overhead, and spend a thrilling stretch of time in the presence of these charismatic, intelligent great apes, our closest living relatives. You may also see red colobus, mangabeys and blue monkeys along the way. Back at the lodge for lunch, your afternoon is free to relax or to take a guided walk through the community-run Bigodi wetland, a wonderland of monkeys, dazzling birds and butterflies that supports the local village. This evening, savour dinner and reflect on a day among the chimps. Rest well, ready to journey to the savanna of Queen Elizabeth tomorrow.

After breakfast you drive south into Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda's greatest wildlife destinations, set beneath the Rwenzori Mountains between two lakes. The scenic journey brings you through the crater lakes region and rolling countryside into the park, with the chance of your first savanna wildlife along the way. After settling in and enjoying lunch at your lodge overlooking the plains, the afternoon highlight is a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, the broad natural waterway between Lake Edward and Lake George, gliding past huge pods of hippo, elephants and buffalo coming down to drink, basking crocodiles, and one of the greatest gatherings of water birds in Africa. After the forests of Kibale, this gentle cruise is a wonderful contrast. As the sun sets over the water, you return to your lodge for dinner. Rest well, ready for a full day of game viewing and the tree-climbing lions tomorrow.

Today you savour the wildlife riches of Queen Elizabeth. An early morning game drive across the Kasenyi plains offers the chance of lion, elephant, buffalo, warthog and herds of Uganda kob and waterbuck, with the Rwenzori peaks sometimes floating on the horizon. After time to rest at the lodge, you journey south into the remote, beautiful Ishasha sector, famous for its celebrated tree-climbing lions, driving slowly through the open savanna and scanning the great fig and acacia trees for tawny bodies draped along the branches, an unusual behaviour seen in only a few places on Earth, while watching for elephant, buffalo and kob across the plains. This unhurried day lets you soak up the abundance and beauty of Uganda's most popular savanna park. This evening, savour dinner surrounded by the sounds of the bush. Rest well, ready to climb into the gorilla mountains of Bwindi tomorrow.

This morning you journey south from Ishasha into the folded, mist-wrapped mountains towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to almost half the world's mountain gorillas, the landscape rising and greening dramatically as you climb into gorilla country. Your guide is happy to pause for photographs of the spectacular scenery and glimpses of everyday life in the highland villages, with a stop for lunch along the way. You arrive at your lodge on the edge of the ancient rainforest in the afternoon, with views over the endless green canopy and the sound of the forest all around, and time to settle in and relax, perhaps with a gentle community or forest-edge walk to meet local Batwa or Bakiga people. This evening, savour dinner as anticipation builds for tomorrow's great encounter. Rest well, ready to share one of the most moving experiences of your life in the misty forest of Bwindi.

Today is a profound highlight of your grand tour. After an early breakfast you gather at the park headquarters for a briefing, then set off with your ranger and trackers into the dense, dripping forest of Bwindi, home to almost half the world's mountain gorillas. The trek may be short or several hours of steep, muddy, exhilarating hiking through tangled vegetation, and a porter is warmly recommended to help you and to support the local community. When you reach the habituated gorilla family, everything else falls away, and you spend a breathless, closely regulated hour just metres from a mighty silverback, gentle mothers with infants and playful youngsters. It is one of the most moving experiences in all of nature, and the emotional peak of your journey. You return to your lodge tired, muddy and elated, to celebrate an unforgettable encounter over dinner. Rest well, ready for serene days by the lake ahead.

This morning, after a relaxed breakfast, you leave the forest and drive through the beautiful, dramatically terraced highlands of southwest Uganda to exquisite Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest and loveliest of the country's lakes, whose name means place of many little birds. The scenic journey winds among steep green hills, cultivated in ribboned terraces and dotted with villages, before the shining, island-strewn lake opens below you. You transfer to your lakeside lodge, set in one of Africa's most peaceful and beautiful settings and free of crocodiles and hippos, and settle in to pure serenity. The afternoon is yours to relax, perhaps with a first gentle canoe trip on the mirror-calm water or a swim in the cool lake as the light softens. After days of wildlife adventure, this is a blissful change of pace. This evening, savour dinner over the water. Rest well in tranquillity.

Today is yours to savour the enchanting serenity of Lake Bunyonyi, a restful jewel in the heart of your grand tour. You might paddle a traditional dugout canoe across the calm, clear water between the green islands, swim in the safe, cool lake, walk or cycle the terraced hillsides among villages and birdsong, or visit a local island or craft group to meet the welcoming community and learn about life on the lake. Or you might simply relax on your terrace with a book, a drink and a view, watching mist rise over the water in the morning and the hills glow gold at dusk. The pace is utterly gentle and the peace enchanting, a wonderful chance to rest and reflect on the wonders you have seen. This evening, enjoy a relaxed dinner over the tranquil lake. Rest well, ready for a final gentle safari at Lake Mburo tomorrow.

After a peaceful breakfast over the water, you leave Lake Bunyonyi and drive north and east through the green, rolling hills of southwest Uganda towards Lake Mburo National Park, the gentle safari finale of your grand tour. The scenic journey passes farmland, tea country and busy roadside towns, offering a rich window into everyday Ugandan life, and your guide is happy to stop for photographs, coffee, a local market or the equator crossing. You arrive at your lodge in the afternoon, set amid peaceful acacia savanna beside the shining lake, with time to settle in and enjoy the relaxed setting. Compact Lake Mburo, home to zebra, impala, topi, eland and giraffe, has no lions or elephants, so it can be explored on foot, and there may be time for an evening game drive or boat trip as the light softens. This evening, savour dinner beneath the wide African sky. Rest well.

This morning you enjoy the special pleasures of Lake Mburo, a fitting finale to your grand tour, perhaps a guided nature walk with an armed ranger among grazing zebra, impala, eland and giraffe, one of the few places in Uganda to safari on foot, followed by a relaxed boat trip on the lake, gliding past hippos, crocodiles and abundant water birds with the chance of the shy sitatunga. After a final lunch you begin the scenic drive back towards Entebbe, pausing perhaps at the equator for a photograph or at craft markets along the way. Depending on your international flight time, you are transferred to Entebbe International Airport for your onward departure, leaving with vivid memories of the thundering Nile, the chimps and gorillas, the lions and hippos, and the serene lakes of the Pearl of Africa. You depart already dreaming of a return to green and welcoming Uganda.