13 DAYS SAFARI WITH RWENZORI TREKKING
This 13-day Uganda journey is the ultimate combo itinerary — blending classic safari highlights in Murchison Falls with chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, then stepping into a true high-altitude Rwenzori expedition culminating in a summit attempt on Margherita Peak (5,109 m). Expect game drives + a Nile boat cruise up front, followed by big-mountain trekking days through rainforest, bamboo zones, alpine bogs and glacial terrain — all designed for smooth logistics, strong guiding, and a once-in-a-lifetime finish.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 —
Arrival in Entebbe & hotel transfer
Overnight: Protea Hotel, Entebbe
Day 2 —
Entebbe → Murchison Falls National Park (evening game drive)
Overnight: Lodge in near
Murchison Falls NP
Day 3 —
Game drive + Cruise
to the bottom of the falls
Overnight: Paraa Safari Lodge
(Murchison Falls NP)
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and meet a Weismann Safaris & Expeditions representative. Short transfer to Protea Hotel. Depending on arrival time, enjoy meals at the hotel and review the next day’s plan with your guide/driver.
Drive to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest park and home to the country’s most powerful waterfall. Stop for lunch in Masindi and continue to the park gate. During the drive, keep an eye out for birds and wildlife along the route, then enjoy a short evening game drive (about 1–2 hours) to get your first savannah sightings before dinner.
Start early for a morning game drive toward the Albert and Victoria Nile areas — a strong zone for elephants, giraffes, antelopes, Uganda kob, buffaloes, waterbucks, lions and rich birdlife. After lunch, take the classic 3-hour launch cruise from Paraa to the base of the falls, famous for hippos, crocodiles and river birds (often including African fish eagles), with occasional elephants along the banks. Return to the lodge for dinner and a calm evening.
Day 4 —
Murchison →
Kibale National Park
(full transfer day)
Overnight: Lodge in/near Kibale
After breakfast, begin the journey from Murchison to Kibale via Masindi–Hoima–Fort Portal. Stop for lunch in Fort Portal, then continue through changing landscapes, cultural villages and forest edges. It’s a long travel day (about 8–9 hours on rougher sections), but it positions you perfectly for primate tracking the next morning.
Day 5 —
Chimpanzee tracking →
Transfer to Kasese
(equipment preparation)
Overnight: TJ Global Hotel (Kasese)
Start early for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale — your site guide will brief you before you enter the forest, where you may also encounter other primates such as L’Hoest monkeys, black-faced colobus and baboons. After tracking, drive to Fort Portal for lunch and continue to Kasese town, where you’ll prepare and organise your Rwenzori hiking equipment for the expedition phase.
Day 6 —
Nyakalengija (Park HQ) → Nyabitaba Hut
Overnight: Nyabitaba Hut
Trekking time: 5–6 hours
After breakfast, head to Rwenzori Mountains National Park HQ at Nyakalengija for registration and a full briefing. The trek begins through Bakonzo plantations and homes, gradually reaching garden plots and elephant grass before entering the forest zone. Follow the Mubuku River, cross the Mahoma River, and climb through bracken fern slopes and forest canopy to camp. During the day you hike from 1,646 m at Nyakalengija up to 2,652 m at Nyabitaba Hut.
Day 7 —
Nyabitaba Hut →
John Matte Hut
Overnight: John Matte Hut
Cross the Kurt Shaffer Bridge and continue through a muddy section before climbing into bamboo forest. As you gain altitude, the scenery shifts into the heather zone with giant lobelias, groundsels and everlasting flowers, and you may see red duikers, rock hyrax and colobus monkeys. Continue through boggy sections along the Bujuku River to camp, reaching 3,414 m at John Matte Hut.
Day 8 —
John Matte Hut → Bujuku Hut
Overnight: Bujuku Hut
Trekking time: 4–5 hours.
Cross the Bujuku River and enter the Lower Bigo Bog, where you’ll move between tussocks (with boardwalk sections in places). This is a classic Rwenzori landscape as you transition into the alpine zone with unique vegetation and, in clear weather, views toward Mount Stanley, Mount Baker and Mount Speke. You end the day at 3,962 m at Bujuku Hut near Lake Bujuku.
Day 9 —
Bujuku Hut → Elena Hut
Overnight: Elena Hut.
Trekking time: 4–5 hours.
Climb through boggy terrain and steep slopes west of the lake, ascending through the dramatic Groundsel Gully to Scott-Elliot Pass at 4,372 m. A metal ladder helps over a steep section before the trail splits. Take the right-hand route up a boulder trail to Elena Hut, finishing the day at 4,541 m — a cold, high mountain base for the summit attempt.
Day 10 —Summit day
Margherita Peak → Kitandara Hut
Overnight: Kitandara Hut
Trekking time: ~10–14 hours total
Summit attempt on Margherita Peak (5,109 m). From Elena Hut, continue to the base of the Stanley Glacier and begin the ascent; the climb to the summit takes about 5–7 hours depending on conditions and pace. This is a demanding day with glaciers, slippery rock, ice and exposed sections, best suited to physically fit and technical climbers. After returning to Elena Hut, descend via Scott-Elliot Pass with spectacular views back to Lake Bujuku and surrounding peaks, then continue down through alpine terrain to the twin Kitandara Lakes area, finishing at 4,023 m at Kitandara Hut. (If the summit day runs late, an extra night at Elena Hut may be needed, creating an additional day.)
Day 11 —
Kitandara Hut → Guy Yeoman Hut
Overnight: Guy Yeoman Hut
Trekking time: 5–6 hours
Ascend steeply from Kitandara beneath Mount Baker, continuing along the south side of the mountain to Freshfield Pass at 4,282 m — with views into Congo to the west and Mount Stanley to the north. From the pass, follow a long descent through boggy and slippery rock sections to Bujongolo rock shelter (historic base of the Duke of Abruzzi expedition, 1906), then continue to Guy Yeoman Hut, ending the day at 3,261 m.
Day 12 —
Guy Yeoman Hut → Nyabitaba Hut → Nyakalengija (Park HQ) → Kasese
Overnight: Guy Yeoman Hut
Trekking time: ~4–5 hours to Nyabitaba
+ 2–3 hours to Nyakalengija
Complete the Central Circuit by trekking back to Nyabitaba Hut, descending through the Mubuku and Kichuchu river valleys rich in heather-zone flora before reaching bamboo forest. The trek to Nyabitaba takes about 4–5 hours; many travellers continue down to Nyakalengija the same day (adding 2–3 hours). You descend from 3,261 m down to 2,652 m at Nyabitaba, and (if continuing) down to 1,646 m at Nyakalengija. Meet your driver and transfer back to Kasese for a well-earned rest.
Day 13 —
Kasese → Entebbe (departure)
End of trip
After breakfast, drive back to Kampala/Entebbe for your onward flight. Route options include Kasese–Fort Portal road (372 km) or the Mbarara–Masaka road (422 km), depending on conditions and preference.
