After visiting Uganda, we understood why it’s also known as the Pearl of Africa. It’s an absolutely beautiful country that’s chock-full of amazing natural and cultural attractions. We also found it surprisingly affordable, in particular compared to its more famous neighbours Kenya and Tanzania.

Especially when it comes to safaris, Uganda is the place to go if you’re on a budget but still want to check out the incredible wildlife of East Africa. Apart from that, we were amazed by Uganda’s impressive waterfalls, complex cultural history and friendly and welcoming locals.

We spent almost five weeks exploring most corners of the country. Obviously, I’m aware that most people don’t have that amount of time, so I’ve condensed the highlights into a well-rounded 14-day itinerary.

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How to Get Around in Uganda on Your Own

Uganda’s main cities are connected by regular buses, and smaller towns and villages can be reached by minibuses (which are locally known as matatus). These are super cheap, but not exactly comfortable, as they tend to fill up way beyond capacity.

Also, matatus don’t run on schedule but rather start when they’re full, and frequently stop along the way, which makes them slow and unpredictable. We often used them ourselves, but I would only recommend taking matatus if your money is limited, but you’ve got plenty of time.

Some destinations don’t even have a matatu connection (like many of the national parks). Technically you could hitch hike or use one of the ubiquitous motorcycle taxis (known as boda-bodas) to get to the entrance, but you’re not allowed to enter most national parks without a 4×4.

In these cases, organized tours of the parks are often the only option, unless you rent a car and drive yourself. If you’re short on time, this is probably the best solution, as it gives you a lot more flexibility than any of the public transport options would.

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Organized Uganda Tours

If you prefer to explore Uganda without the hassle of sorting out your own transport, accommodation and wildlife permits, taking an organized tour might be the way to got for you.

There are plenty of companies offering longer adventure and safari tours, a lot of them including Mountain Gorilla Tracking. You can have a look at some possible options below.

Two Week Uganda Itinerary

Day 1: Entebbe

We arrived in Entebbe, as will most other travelers, as the city has the only international airport in the country. We found it to be a good introduction to the country. It sits on a peninsula jutting out into Lake Victoria, and has an overall relaxed vibe.

A great way to get learn about the country’s nature is by visiting Entebbe’s large Botanical Gardens, which are full of interesting plants (and groups of colobus monkeys). The Wildlife Exploration Centre is pretty interesting, too, as was the small Zika Forest Reserve.

If you need to take it more slowly, you can simply wait for the jetlag to pass while you’re watching the hamerkop birds and cormorants on the shores of Lake Victoria.

See also: 5 Awesome Things to Do in Entebbe, Uganda

Day 2: Kampala

To be honest, Uganda’s chaotic capital can be a bit much, but there are enough interesting historical attractions here to still warrant a short stopover before heading into the more rural parts of the country.

To us, the most interesting places in the city were the UNESCO-listed Kasubi tombs of the Buganda Royal Family and the more recent remains of the country’s darker historical periods at Mengo Palace, which was the former residence of the notorious dictator Idi Amin.

The national museum is also worth a peek, as are a number of historical churches and mosques that are spread out over the city. I wrote a post about my 10 favourite places in the city, to give you an idea of what you shouldn’t miss in Kampala.

See also: 10 Extraordinary Things to Do in Kampala, Uganda’s Lively Capital

Day 3 and 4: Jinja and the Nile Source

I recommend spending another morning exploring Kampala, before continuing east to Jinja. This pretty town is the home to the source of the White Nile. Well, at least this is where it flows out of Lake Victoria; the actual source is disputed.

It’s also the country’s most popular centre for adventure sports and outdoor activities. While we were in town, we took a white water rafting tour on the Nile, which included some exciting grade five rapids as well as some quieter stretches of river to relax in between.

If the rapids part sounds a little too adventurous for you, there are also more laid-back river cruises available. You can have a look at the options below.

See also: Everything You Need to Know About Visiting the Source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda

Day 5 and 6: Sipi Falls

In the easter part of the country lies Sipi, which for me is one of the prettiest places in Uganda. On the way there from Jinja you could stop in Tororo to climb the mountain that towers over the small town. The views from the top are amazing.

The main reason to come to Sipi is to visit the series of spectacular waterfalls, but there are plenty of other great trekking options in the area. We explored this hilly region at the border to Kenya quite aimlessly for a few days and stumbled across many amazing viewpoints and cute villages in this area.

I suggest spending at least one full day here, but there are definitely destinations enough for a longer stay. If you have some more time, you could even tackle Mount Elgon, which we were told is one of the best hikes in the country (although we ourselves didn’t climb it on this trip).

See also: The Ultimate Hiking Guide to the Sipi Falls Area in Uganda

Day 7: Travel to Masindi

Most of this day will be spent traveling to Masindi, which sits in the country’s north-west. If you want to break up your trip, you could stop near Kumi to check out the very well-preserved Rock Paintings in Nyero. The rest of the trip leads through the pretty marshland to the north of the huge Lake Kyogo, which dominates the country’s centre.

We used matatus for the trip, but it’s long and not very comfortable. Apparently YY Coaches now has an office in Lira, which lies about halfway between Mbale and and Masindi (thanks to reader Oz for the update!), so you might be able to take bigger coaches to travel to Masindi.

Masindi is a cute small town and a great base for day trips to nearby attractions, like the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary or the pretty Butiaba Fishing Village on the shores of Lake Albert. It’s also the closest town to the amazing Murchison Falls National Park, which has some of the country’s best wildlife spotting opportunities.

See Also: 5 Great Reasons to Visit Masindi, Uganda

Day 8 and 9: Murchison Falls National Park

I recommend doing a day trip from Masindi in the morning (check the suggestions from the previous day), before continuing to nearby Murchison Falls National Park to spend the night. This is one of the most popular national parks in the country, and rightfully so in my opinion.

It’s home to some of the most diverse wildlife in Uganda, including lions, elephants, hippos and giraffes as well as plenty of buffaloes, antelope, warthogs and over 450 species of birds.

See also: Everything to Know About Visiting Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s Best Safari Destination

A great way to spend a day here is to go for a game drive in the morning and then take a river cruise along the Nile to the powerful Murchison Falls in the afternoon. From there, you can also walk up to the awesome Top of the Falls viewpoint.

If you don’t have your own 4×4 available, there are several companies in Masindi that can sort out a trip into the national park for you, or you could book one online. Unfortunately, our company doesn’t seem to exist anymore, but you can have a look at a couple of options below.

Our tour company also sorted out the accommodation. If yours doesn’t, you can check out these recommendations.

Day 10: Fort Portal and the Crater Lakes

The capital of the Kabarole District in Uganda’s western part is surrounded by a pretty landscape of hills and lakes. Fort Portal was originally established as a British military fort in the late 19th century.

Today it’s a lively little town with some interesting destinations in the surrounding area. One of these are the impressive Amabere Caves, which aren’t too far from town. A bit further afield, but definitely also worth checking out is the beautiful Ndali-Kasenda crater lake region.

This is a great area for hiking, which deserves at least half a day of your time, but if you can spare it, it’s well worth spending a couple of days here. There are tons cute villages and pretty crater lakes to explore.

Day 11 and 12: Bwindi or Mgahinga NP

Next, I recommend moving on to small Kisoro in the south-western corner of the country. It’s close to the borders of Rwanda and the DR Congo and has a beautiful location in the foothills of the Virunga Mountains.

It’s also a good base to explore two of the most exciting national parks in Uganda. If you can spare the money, you could take a trip to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to track the mountain gorillas. For us, the permit fee was far above our budget, so we had to skip it (although now we have a reason to return in the future).

If you want to go for it, you could either arrange a permit via the Uganda Wildlife Authority on Kiira Road in Kampala or go with an organized tour, where the company will sort out permits, accommodation, transport and the like. Have a look at a few options below.

If you also have to pinch your pennies, we found visiting nearby Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a great alternative. Despite the name, chances to spot Gorillas here are pretty slim (although not non-existent), but there are other cool activities available.

We loved the Batwa Cultural Trail, which gave us a chance to get acquainted with the history and culture of the local Pygmy tribes.

Day 13: Lake Bunyonyi

The beautiful Lake Bunyonyi is a great place to end your trip through Uganda. It’s surrounded by green hills and is home to several small islands, that all have their own unique history and cultural significance. We rented a canoe for a day to explore a few of them.

Otherwise, you can just relax on the shore of one of Uganda’s few lakes that are actually safe to swim in (i.e. no crocodiles, hippos or bilharzia). It’s a beautiful place and nice coda to a trip through the country.

Day 14: Return to Entebbe

On the way back to Entebbe you can stop at the monument where the equator crosses the highway between Masaka and Kampala to take some cheesy pictures.

Mpanga Forest near Kampala is also worth checking out because of its surprising biodiversity (given that it’s a rather small forest).

If you have some extra time before your return trip, you could even spend the night here looking for bush babies with a ranger, although you need to bring your own powerful flashlight for that (ours wasn’t bright enough, but I managed to spot some on another trip recently in The Gambia).

Two Week Uganda Itinerary Map

You can see all of the suggested stops on my two-week itinerary on this map of Uganda.

If You Have More Time: A Three Week Uganda Itinerary

With an extra week in the country, you could spend some more time at the places that I mentioned in the two-week itinerary and also squeeze in a couple of extra stops.

For instance, this three-week itinerary takes a slower approach and also includes Hoima, which is home to some important historic places of the Bunyoro Kingdom and the laid-back Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria.

The other stops are all included in the two-week itinerary that I described above.

• Day 1: Entebbe
• Day 2 and 3: Kampala
• Day 4 and 5: Jinja
• Day 6 and 7: Sipi Falls
• Day 8 and 9: Masindi and surroundings
• Day 10 and 11: Murchison Falls NP
• Day 12: Hoima
• Day 13 and 14: Fort Portal and Crater Lakes
• Day 15 and 16: Bwindi or Mgahinga National Parks
• Day 17 and 18: Lake Bunyonyi
• Day 19 and 20: Ssese Islands (Bugala Island or Banda Island)
• Day 21: Back to Entebbe

With even more time (and money), you could also take part in a guided multi-day hike through the Rwenzori Mountains near Fort Portal or to Mount Elgon near Sipi. These areas look absolutely beautiful, but the required permit fees were above our modest backpacking budget.

If You Have Less Time: One Week Uganda Itinerary

If you only have one week in Uganda, you’d really need a rental car, so you don’t have to rely on the country’s hit-or-miss public transport system. This short itinerary condenses the absolute highlights of the two-week version into one very busy week.

• Day 1: Explore Kampala, then continue to Jinja
• Day 2: Jinja (visit the source of the Nile and go rafting)
• Day 3: Drive to Murchison Falls NP, stop in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on the way
• Day 4: Explore Murchison Falls NP
• Day 5: Explore the Crater-Lake Region near Fort Portal, then continue to Bwindi
• Day 6: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi or Mgahinga NP
• Day 7: Spend a few hours at Lake Bunyonyi, then return to Entebbe

See Also

10 Extraordinary Things to Do in Kampala, Uganda’s Vibrant Capital

5 Awesome Things to Do in Entebbe, Uganda