Oval Safaris Uganda & East Africa
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Entebbe → Bwindi → Kazinga → Murchison → Kidepo

The Pearl of Africa, at the pace you choose.

Oval Safaris is an Entebbe based team of guides and planners building private journeys across Uganda and East Africa - gorillas in the mist, big cats at golden hour, and lakeshores to slow down on. No fixed coach, no fixed crowd.

Build my safari See signature journeys
Based inEntebbe, Uganda
We coverUganda · Rwanda · Kenya · Tanzania
GuidesUWA licensed, local & vetted
Talk to us+256 701 170227
UWA licensed operator
4.9/5 across 340+ reviews
AUTO member, Uganda
1% of every booking to park conservation
11 seasons on the road

Why here

One region, an outsized share of the planet's wild.

Uganda alone holds roughly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, eleven national parks and the source of the Nile. Cross into Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania and you add the Big Five, the wildebeest migration and the Serengeti's open horizon. We plan across all of it as one trip, not four separate bookings.

~50%of the world's mountain gorillas live in Uganda & Rwanda's Virungas
10national parks in Uganda, from rainforest to semi desert
1,000+bird species recorded in Uganda - more than any country its size
0°Uganda sits directly on the equator, marked near Kayabwe

Where we guide

An atlas of the parks and lakes we know best.

Every pin below is a place our own guides have slept, tracked and driven not a listing copied from a brochure. Tap a park to see what it's known for.

Uganda in detail, with the Virungas, Maasai Mara and Serengeti extensions marked at the edges.

01

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Southwestern Uganda · 4-5 hrs flight, 8-9 hrs road from Entebbe

Ancient rainforest holding more than half of Uganda's habituated mountain gorilla families, split across four trekking sectors - Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. Treks run 2-8 hours round trip depending on where a family is that morning.

  • Gorilla trekking
  • Forest birding
  • Batwa cultural walk
Read the gorilla trekking guide

Signature journeys

Five routes we run often, built to be changed.

Every itinerary below is a starting point. Add a day, drop a park, upgrade the lodge - tell us what matters and we'll reroute it before we quote it.

Day 1
Entebbe → Bwindi

Fly or drive southwest, arriving in time to settle into your lodge on the forest edge.

Day 2
Gorilla trekking, Bwindi

Briefing at 7:30am, then a ranger led trek to a habituated family. One hour with the gorillas once found.

Day 3
Bwindi → Lake Bunyonyi

A short, scenic drive to one of Africa's deepest lakes. Afternoon dugout canoe across the islands.

Day 4
Lake Bunyonyi → Entebbe

Relaxed morning, then the return drive or a scenic flight back to Entebbe.

Included

  • 1 gorilla permit (Bwindi)
  • Private 4x4 & driver guide
  • 3 nights, breakfast & dinner
  • Park & canoe fees

Best for a short, high impact first safari. Extend to Queen Elizabeth for game drives in 2 more days.

Enquire about this route
Day 1
Entebbe → Kibale Forest

Drive through the Rwenzori foothills to Kibale, home to 13 primate species.

Day 2
Chimp tracking, Kibale

Morning trek through forest alive with chimpanzee calls, red colobus and grey cheeked mangabeys.

Day 3
Kibale → Queen Elizabeth NP

Afternoon game drive en route, then a Kazinga Channel boat cruise past hippo pods and elephant herds.

Day 4
Ishasha sector

Search the fig trees for Ishasha's famous tree climbing lions.

Day 5
Queen Elizabeth → Bwindi

Cross into the highlands via the Ishasha road, arriving at your Bwindi lodge by evening.

Day 6
Gorilla trekking, Bwindi

Your permit day - a full day built around finding the family, at whatever pace the forest allows.

Day 7
Bwindi → Entebbe

Fly out from a nearby airstrip or begin the road back north.

Included

  • 1 gorilla permit + 1 chimp permit
  • Private safari Land Cruiser
  • 6 nights, full board
  • Kazinga Channel boat cruise

Our most-booked route - a genuine sample of everything Uganda does best.

Enquire about this route
Day 1
Entebbe → Murchison Falls

Drive north through Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, with an optional rhino tracking stop.

Day 2
Murchison game drive & launch cruise

Morning game drive on the delta plains, afternoon boat cruise to the base of the Falls.

Day 3
Fly to Kidepo Valley

A scenic charter flight over Karamoja's semi arid plains into one of Africa's most remote parks.

Day 4
Kidepo game drives

Narus Valley for lion prides and buffalo herds; Kidepo Valley for cheetah and ostrich.

Day 5
Kidepo, Karamojong village visit

A morning with a local Karamojong community, then a second game drive at last light.

Day 6
Fly back to Entebbe

Charter flight south, connecting straight to onward travel.

Included

  • Domestic charter flights
  • Launch cruise, Murchison Falls
  • 5 nights, full board
  • Private guide throughout

For repeat visitors, or anyone who wants big skies with almost no other vehicles.

Enquire about this route
Days 1-4
Uganda: Bwindi & Queen Elizabeth

Gorilla trekking, then game drives and a Kazinga Channel cruise.

Days 5-6
Cross to Rwanda: Volcanoes National Park

Golden monkey trekking and a second gorilla family, in the Virunga highlands.

Days 7-8
Kigali → Nairobi → Maasai Mara

Fly into Kenya and straight on to the Mara for afternoon and full day game drives.

Days 9-11
Maasai Mara, in depth

Big cats, river crossings in migration season (Jul-Oct), and a Maasai village visit.

Day 12
Fly home via Nairobi

Connect onward from Jomo Kenyatta International.

Included

  • 2 gorilla permits (Uganda + Rwanda)
  • All regional flights & border transfers
  • 11 nights, full board
  • Dedicated guide per country

One trip, three countries, no lost days — we handle every border and connection.

Enquire about this route
Day 1
Entebbe/Kampala → Jinja

Short drive east, check in on the Nile's bank, sunset cruise to the source point.

Day 2
Grade 5 white water rafting

A full day on some of the world's best commercially rafted rapids - tandem kayaking also available.

Day 3
Quad biking or bungee, then return

An easier morning before heading back to Kampala or straight to the airport.

Included

  • Full day white water rafting
  • Nile sunset cruise
  • 2 nights riverside
  • Transfers from Entebbe/Kampala

Tacked onto almost any itinerary above as a high energy final weekend.

Enquire about this route

Plan a trip

Sketch a budget in sixty seconds.

This gives a realistic per-person range, not a fixed quote - travel dates, lodge grade and group size all move the number. Send it to us and we'll turn it into a real itinerary within a day.

2
7 days
Estimated cost, per person
$2,910
7 days · mid range lodges · gorilla permit included

Indicative only — excludes international flights and covers ground costs, park & permit fees, lodging and a private guide.

Send this estimate to us
Trekking group making its way through dense Bwindi rainforest toward a gorilla family

The signature experience

Gorilla trekking, explained plainly.

Uganda issues around 160 gorilla permits a day across Bwindi's four sectors and neighbouring Mgahinga. Each one buys a single hour with a habituated family, after a trek that can run anywhere from 45 minutes to a full day depending on where the gorillas have moved. We handle the permit booking, sector selection and porter arrangements so nothing gets left to chance.

  • Standard permit: $800 per person in high season, $600 in the April, May & November low season
  • Gorilla habituation experience (up to 4 hours): $1,500, limited availability
  • Minimum age 15; a moderate fitness level is enough for most sectors
  • Porters hired locally at the trailhead — hiring one supports the community directly

Permit prices are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and confirmed at time of booking - we quote the live rate, never a guess.

Ask about permit availability

Best time to go

Uganda works almost year round - here's the nuance.

There's no single "best month." The calendar below shows how rainfall, trekking conditions and permit pricing shift, so you can match a season to what you actually want to do.

Select a month

Tap any month above to see trekking conditions, crowd levels and permit pricing for that time of year.

From the field

What guests tell us afterward.

Our guide rerouted the whole Ishasha morning because he'd heard the lions had moved south overnight. That kind of local knowledge is the entire reason to book with a small team instead of a big platform.
— Naomi R., Classic Uganda Safari, February
We asked to swap two lodge nights for a third gorilla trek attempt and they just… did it. No fee dispute, no back and forth. The trip builder quote we started with landed within $80 of the final invoice.
— The Åkesson family, Gorilla Highlights + extension, August
Kidepo felt like having a national park to ourselves. Oval arranged the charter flight, the ranger, everything - we saw four vehicles total in three days.
— Daniel O., Wild North: Falls & Kidepo, October

Beyond the trip

Tourism that pays for the wild it depends on.

Every Oval Safaris booking routes a share of its margin to two things: park conservation partners, and the communities bordering the parks we visit most - Bwindi, Kibale and Murchison.

1% for parks

Of every booking, directed to ranger and habitat conservation funds.

Local porters, always

Hired at the trailhead from the community, not brought in from outside.

One employed team

Guides and drivers on our payroll, not a seasonal contractor network - the same team whether you're on safari or booking an airport transfer.

From recent trips

A few frames from the field.

Buffalo herd cooling off at a waterhole, Queen Elizabeth National Park Hippo pod resting along the riverbank Zebras grazing in open grassland A hiker pausing at a forest waterfall Hikers crossing open grassland on the trail

In motion

A little of what it actually looks like.

Unscripted clips from recent trips - not stock footage. Sound is off by default; tap any clip to pause it.

Bwindi Impenetrable ForestA mother gorilla and her baby, minutes after being found
Murchison Falls / Tarangire ecosystemA bull elephant browsing at close range from the vehicle
Open savanna, golden hourA giraffe crossing open grassland at last light

The journal

Field notes, not brochure copy.

Practical, specific writing from our own guides - for the planning stage, not just the daydreaming stage.

Gorilla trekking

Bwindi's four sectors, and how to pick one

Buhoma is easiest to reach, Rushaga has the most families, Nkuringo the toughest terrain. Here's how we match guests to a sector.

 Packing

What actually earns space in a safari duffel

Neutral colours, a warm layer for dawn game drives, and the one gorilla trekking item most guests forget.

Questions

Before you write to us.

Six to ten months ahead for July-September or the December holidays. Permits must now be paid in full at the time of booking, so we confirm availability with you before taking payment - nothing is guessed at.

Yes - the parks and main tourist routes are well travelled and monitored, and you're with a driver guide throughout, not self navigating. We brief every solo guest on local norms before arrival.

Moderate. Treks range from under an hour to a full day over uneven forest terrain. We ask about fitness during planning and can request an easier sector, or arrange a porter to help with the climb.

Yes - Oval Safaris and Oval Services are the same Entebbe based team. If you also need airport transfers, a self drive vehicle beyond your safari dates, or logistics for a group, it's one phone call, not a handoff.

We advise on both - Uganda's East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya on one visa - but we book ground logistics and permits, not international air. We're happy to recommend routings.

Also part of Oval

Need a vehicle or an airport transfer outside your safari?

Oval Services, our sister company, handles self drive and chauffeur car hire and bulk construction material supply across Entebbe, Kampala and beyond - same team, same phone number.

Visit Oval Services

Get in touch

Tell us the shape of the trip you want.

Dates, rough group size, and one or two must sees is enough to start - we'll come back with a real itinerary and price, not a template.

Address
Garuga Road, Entebbe, Uganda
Phone & WhatsApp
+256 701 170227
Hours
Mon-Sun, 8:00-19:00 (EAT)
Airport transfers & trip emergencies: 24/7

This opens a prefilled WhatsApp message to our Entebbe team at +256 701 170227. Prefer a call? Same number, 8am-7pm daily.