Uganda itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick the length first, then the route. The table below is the short version; the sections after it explain each route step by step.

Costs are 2026 estimates for one person sharing a vehicle and mid-range lodges, excluding international flights. A private 4x4 with driver-guide is the main variable: it is charged per vehicle, so two or more travellers split it.

This is the route to take if you have one week and one gorilla permit. Land at Entebbe, sleep there, and start west the next morning. Two nights at Kibale gives you one full chimp trekking morning; one night at Queen Elizabeth covers the Kazinga Channel boat trip; three nights at Bwindi covers the trek plus a rest day and protects you if your trekking date moves.

Drive the loop one way and fly back. The road route runs Entebbe → Fort Portal → Kibale → Queen Elizabeth via Ishasha → Buhoma in Bwindi, then out to Kihihi airstrip for the flight to Entebbe on the morning of day 8. Flying the last leg saves a full day of driving and is the single change that makes 7 days work.

With three extra days, add Murchison Falls at the front. Fly or drive Entebbe → Murchison, take the boat to the base of the falls and hike to the top, then continue to Kibale. The Murchison – Kibale leg is the longest drive of the trip at 7–8 h, so break it or fly if your budget allows.

The rest of the route is the 7-day loop. Ten days is the shortest length where you see both the Nile and the gorillas without cutting sleep.

Fourteen days lets you start at Jinja for the Nile and rafting, then run the western loop at a calmer pace and finish with two nights at Lake Bunyonyi to rest before flying out. From Bunyonyi you can either fly back to Entebbe or cross by road to Kigali via Katuna if you hold an East Africa Tourist Visa — check your visa covers Rwanda before you commit.

Keep a spare night before the gorilla trek and before your international flight. Trekking dates can shift, and a missed flight home costs more than a lodge night.

Three weeks buys you either the far north or the far south-west, not both done well. Kidepo Valley in the north-east is remote, empty savanna and needs 3 nights plus a flight or two long drives; it suits travellers who have already done the western circuit. The alternative is Mgahinga at Kisoro for golden monkeys and volcano hikes, paired with extra Bwindi or Bunyonyi days.

Use the spare days for rest rather than more stops. Uganda's drives are the cost of the itinerary, and a 21-day plan with eight one-night stops is worse than a 14-day plan done slowly.

Book the gorilla permit first, through a licensed operator, then build flights and lodges around the trekking date. Permits sell out months ahead in the Jun–Aug and Dec–Feb dry seasons.

Carry a yellow fever certificate; Uganda checks it for everyone. Budget for tips and park fees separately from the lodge rate, and keep small notes for the trekking briefing.

Domestic light-aircraft schedules and airstrip use change with the season and demand, so treat any flight time as check until your operator confirms it.