3 Days Midrange Bespoke Safari

Your driver-guide picks you up from your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, gives a short briefing on the journey and the safari schedule, and sets off for western Uganda in your private 4×4. The road takes you from busy towns through rural settlements, green countryside and farmland, with views of local markets and roadside fruit stalls.

Your first stop is the Equator crossing, where you can take photographs and browse the nearby craft stalls. You then continue west, with a lunch stop along the way, before reaching Queen Elizabeth National Park.

In the afternoon or early evening, depending on your arrival time, you enjoy a game drive across the Kasenyi Plains, home to large numbers of Uganda kob and other herbivores. Look out for elephants, buffaloes, warthogs and antelope, and for lions resting in the grass. Leopards are possible but never guaranteed. As the sun sets, you continue to Elephant Plains Lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening.

After an early breakfast at the lodge, head out for a morning game drive while temperatures are cooler and many animals are active. With your driver-guide you explore the Kasenyi Plains and surrounding areas, searching for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, waterbucks and warthogs. The abundance of antelope also attracts predators, which gives you a chance of spotting lions.

Return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch, then transfer to the departure point for the afternoon’s boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which links Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel is a vital water source for the park’s animals. Look out for large groups of hippos, Nile crocodiles basking on the shore and elephants coming down to drink or bathe.

It is also an excellent place for birdwatching, with African fish eagles, pied kingfishers, pelicans, cormorants and herons. The slow pace of the cruise is ideal for photography. Return to the lodge for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at Elephant Plains Lodge, then check out and start the journey back. Depending on your departure time, interests and road conditions, you can add a visit to the crater lakes region near the park, with its viewpoints and volcanic landscapes. Or you can leave early for a more direct return.

Your guide arranges stops along the way for photographs and lunch as you drive back through Uganda’s countryside. On arrival in Entebbe or Kampala, you are dropped at your hotel, residence or Entebbe International Airport, as arranged.

If you fly out the same day, allow plenty of time for the road journey and airport check-in. An extra night may be advisable if your flight or the traffic makes a same-day connection difficult.