A group of hippos rests together, partly submerged in a calm river.

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6-Day Murchison Falls & Ziwa Rhino Safari

A six-day safari giving Murchison Falls the time it deserves, with rhino tracking at Ziwa and two full days of game drives and boat rides.

Enquire about this trip See the day by day

Duration6 Days / 5 Nights

Group size2 – 7 travellers

Best monthsDecember – February, June – September

From$1,820 per person sharing

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The Trip in Short

This is the fuller version of a Murchison Falls trip, giving the park the two full days it deserves rather than squeezing it into one. Murchison Falls National Park covers almost 3,900 square kilometres either side of the Victoria Nile, Uganda’s oldest protected area, and holds four of the Big Five along with over 460 recorded bird species.

The extra days go on game drives at different times of day, when the light and the animal movement both change, plus a proper look at the top of the falls as well as the boat ride to its base. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, roughly at the halfway point of the drive north, adds a species you will not see anywhere else in the park: the white rhino, tracked here on foot.

It suits travellers who want one park done thoroughly rather than several parks done quickly, and who would rather spend a morning watching lion behaviour unfold than tick a checklist.

Park entry fees and gorilla and chimp permits in Uganda are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Highlights

Rhino tracking on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Two full days of game drives in Murchison Falls
Boat cruise to the base of the falls
Hike to the top of the falls
Sundowner over the Nile
460+ recorded bird species inside the park

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Where You Go, Stop by Stop

Day 1

Kampala to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Day 2–4

Murchison Falls National Park

Day 5

Murchison Falls, final game drive

Day 6

Return to Kampala or Entebbe

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Kampala to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

A late-morning departure with a stop for lunch, arriving at Ziwa in the early afternoon for a ranger-led rhino tracking walk. Overnight near the sanctuary, with the option of a short evening nature walk if time and energy allow.

Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls

A further two to three hours north into the park, arriving in time for lunch. The afternoon is kept free, or given over to an optional Nile boat cruise upstream to watch hippos and birdlife settle in for the evening.

Day 3: Full day in the northern sector

An early game drive across the open savannah north of the river, where the density of game tends to be highest, then a return to the lodge to wait out the midday heat. A second, shorter drive in the late afternoon as the light softens and animals become active again.

Day 4: Falls hike and boat cruise

A morning hike to the top of the falls, a shorter and easier walk than it sounds, giving a very different sense of the Nile's force than the boat view does. In the afternoon, the boat cruise runs the other direction, up to the base of the gorge through a stretch thick with hippo pods and basking crocodiles.

Day 5: Delta sector and departure prep

A morning drive toward the Nile Delta, where the river fans out into papyrus channels favoured by shoebill storks, before an afternoon at leisure back at the lodge.

Day 6: Return south

A final short game drive at dawn, then the five-hour drive back to Kampala or on to Entebbe, with a lunch stop along the way.

From

$1,820

Enquire about this trip

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What the Price Covers

Included

5 nights' accommodation on a full-board basis
Rhino tracking fee at Ziwa
All park entrance fees
Nile boat cruise to the base of the falls
Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
English-speaking driver-guide throughout
Bottled water in the vehicle

Not included

International flights and Uganda visa
Falls-top hike guide fee
Alcoholic drinks
Tips for guide and lodge staff
Travel insurance
Items of a personal nature

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Before You Book

Why two nights near Ziwa and not just a stopover?

This itinerary only spends one night near Ziwa, on the way up; it is a stop, not a stay, but it is worth taking slowly rather than rushing straight through.

Is a 4x4 really necessary?

Yes. Murchison's internal roads are unsealed and can flood or rut badly after rain, and the pop-up roof matters for game viewing regardless of road condition.

What is the single supplement?

Typically $70–140 a night depending on the lodge; flag it at booking if travelling solo.

How does tipping work?

A rough guide is $10–15 per day for the driver-guide and $2–3 per bag for porters; it is not compulsory but is the norm and appreciated.

Will we definitely see the Big Five?

Rhino, elephant, buffalo and lion are realistic; leopard is present but genuinely elusive here, more a matter of luck than itinerary.

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Where This Trip Goes

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Uganda · Reserve

A dedicated sanctuary protecting Uganda's reintroduced southern white rhinos, tracked on foot after the species was wiped out nationally by the 1980s.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Uganda · National Park

Uganda's smallest national park, set among three dormant Virunga volcanoes on the border with Rwanda and DRC, sharing its gorilla population with both.

Semuliki National Park

Uganda · National Park

A lowland Congo Basin rainforest on Uganda's DRC border, with steaming hot springs and Central African bird species found nowhere else in the country.

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6-Day Murchison Falls & Ziwa Rhino Safari