Uganda Day Excursions

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Uganda Excursions & Day Trips

From your travel experience, you must have heard about Uganda Excursions or Day trips, right? Do you have a little spare time left on your Uganda Safari or your business meeting in Uganda before you catch your flight back home and want to leverage that time to experience the rich Uganda culture you have been hearing about? How about the sites and sounds your travel nature would like to add to your experience?

In addition to our famous well-panned Uganda Safari Packages, we have a couple of Uganda Excursions and Day trips you can choose from that will give you a Uganda cultural experience, take you to some historical and natural sites, and record some memory sounds during your stay in Uganda. Take a look.

Day Trips Suggestions

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Day Trip

The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Wildlife Ranch is a 3-hour drive located in Nakasongola 176km from Kampala on Gulu Highway towards Murchison Falls National Park. The sanctuary is the only place to view the Rhinos in Uganda and is home to 22 southern white Rhinos and a prospect is to release them back into the Wild. The Sanctuary has other various projects which include; Education projects, Volunteer Projects, Animal Rehabilitation, and Community Projects.

Upon arrival at the Sanctuary, you will go through a registration session thereafter a ranger guide will be allocated to you.

You will then drive with the ranger guide till you get to the foot trails where the on-foot rhino trekking will start. It takes between 1-2 hours depending on how far the Rhinos have moved in search of food. The ranger guide will aid in spotting the Rhinos and explain more about their way of life.

Ngamba Island – Chimpanzee Feeding Session

Ngamba Island is a project of the Chimpanzees Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) and was established in 1998 to care for the orphaned chimpanzees confiscated from poachers by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other partners.

The island is part of the Koome group of islands in Lake Victoria and is approximately 23 km southeast of Entebbe. It consists of approximately 100 acres, 98 of which are forested and separated from the visitor’s area by an electric fence.

As one of the Uganda excursions day trip travelers, on arrival at the sanctuary, you will be welcomed at the visitors center and given an introductory brief about the Island projects, its history, and its residents. Then you will be directed to the raised platforms that run along the edge of the forest enclosures where you can view the chimpanzees from only meters away while they are being fed in 2 sessions, the 11:00 am and 14:30 pm daily.

Uganda Wildlife Education Center Day Trip

The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) was formed in 1994 from the old Entebbe Zoo. It was set up as an institution that would provide leadership in educating Ugandans about the benefit of conserving the biodiversity of the country, one of the kingpins of the recovery process that the country was going through, as a benefit to tourism.

UWEC is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife, educating Ugandans about the benefits of conserving the country’s biodiversity and working with local and international partners to initiate conservation activities throughout Uganda’s national parks and protected areas.

Below are the programs one can participate in as day trips / Uganda excursions.

Behind the Scenes Day Tour

This is a 3-hour session where you get to join the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre’s (UWEC) professional staff as they guide you through the daily activities required in caring for the centre’s many animals. You get an insight into the daily activities of UWEC. Experience the thrill

This Uganda excursions activity involves a visit to the pharmacy holding facilities, food preparation areas, quarantine facility.

Keeper’s Day Tour

This Uganda excursions activity involves joining the UWEC keepers and Participating in hands-on-activities such as preparing animal meals, cleaning enclosures and providing enrichment to stimulate them both mentally and physically through assisting in performing health checks or help feed and rehabilitation of rescued animals.

This activity is subject to special inoculation clearance.

Chimpanzee Close Up

This program starts at 7:30am and involves an informative talk about Chimpanzees and the dangers they face. Get to join the UWEC staff getting up close and personal in learning about these amazing creatures. Join the chimpanzees on their daily routines in a stretch of natural forest. By participating in this day trips program, you get to contribute to the conservation of Chimpanzees in Uganda.

This Uganda excursions activity is subject to special inoculation clearance.

Jinja City Tour

Jinja is located about 90 kilometers northeast of the capital Kampala and it is home to the source of the Nile and the adventure capital of East Africa. If you are a thrill seeker, this is the place to be. Embark on any of these day excursion activities based on the time you have!

Activities include;

    1. A visit to Ssezibwa Falls a cultural site for the Buganda Kingdom, one of Uganda’s local tribes.
    2. Bungee Jumping with a dip in the river Nile from a 44m drop from the platform! Leap from one of the most spectacular sites in the world from a 32m riverside cliff enabled by a 12m cantilevered steel bungee tower.
    3. Quad biking with amazing sights of undiscovered beautiful viewpoints overlooking the rapids of the Nile. Horseback riding to explore the communities along the River Nile and its surroundings.

White-Water Rafting, whether it’s mild or wild, there is something for everyone.

Kayaking in Bujagali Falls, explore the Source of the Nile Cruise including the Mahatma Gandhi monument and the Reptile Village.

Mabamba Swamp Day Tour

The Mabamba swamp was designated as a Ramsar site in 2006 and is an Important Bird Area (IBA) located 50km west of Kampala. It has got about 260 bird species and is the most convenient place to see the elusive shoebill stork. Transportation to the Mabamba swamp is by way of boat transfer from the Entebbe pier and the trip takes about 3 – 4 hours.

Take A day excursion to the swamp and look out for the rare Shoebill Stork in the marsh. It is recommended to visit the Mabamba Swamp early morning at 7:30 am before any fishing activities take place and for better sightings. Other bird species to look out for include; Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, African Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White-faced Whistling-duck, Squacco.

Other bird species include the Rufous-bellied and Purple Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron, Black Crake, African Marsh Harrier, Hammerkop, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Common Waxbill, Yellow-billed Duck, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Intermediate Egret, Osprey, Long-toed Lapwing, African Pied Wagtail, and Red-billed Fire-finch.

Kampala City Tour

Spend an extra day after your trip or before your trip and explore Kampala City.

The city tour highlights include the below Uganda excursions or Day Trips.

  • The Uganda Museum displays Uganda’s cultural heritage learn more about the ethnological and natural-historical exhibitions. It is a vivid reminder of the country’s colorful past. The Uganda Museum (founded in 1908) in Kampala has exhibits of traditional culture, archeology, history, science, and natural history. It regularly presents performances of traditional music.
  • Kasubi Tombs, are the burial grounds for the previous four Kings of Buganda. –Kabaka. The Kasubi Tombs is a place where the Kabaka and others in Buganda’s complex cultural hierarchy carry out important centuries-old Ganda rituals. The site has significant values of belief, spirituality, continuity, and identity in the Buganda Region.
  • Nakasero Market was the first market established in 1895 after advice from Reverend Mackay to Kabaka of Buganda.
  • Arts and Crafts Centres in Kampala – Craft Africa – Buganda Road’s Ugandan and Kenyan arts, crafts, cravings, and souvenirs.
  • St Balikuddembe Market – The market is divided into two areas, one partially covered, where fresh produce is sold, and another located in an attractive old building, where textiles, hardware, and electric shops are on sale.
  • Uganda Arts & Crafts Village: This is one of the oldest craft areas in Kampala. Explore the various craft stalls and shops behind the National Theatre in Kampala. Look out for handicrafts of wood carvings to leather items, t-shirts and dresses, and carvings with different themes of everyday life.
  • Exposure Africa: This craft market is the biggest craft market in Kampala with over 30 stalls. Most of the arts and crafts are from Kenya.
  • Namugongo Shrines – a historical and traditional feature. The place where the first Ugandan Christians were murdered at the orders of a Buganda king.