You have had a busy week and want get to out of Kampala City to explore Uganda on the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and wondering where you can go? Below are some of the great destinations to think about that you can visit in 2 days without it being a hectic trip.
1 – Safari in Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is the number one safari destination in Uganda where you will see the best of Uganda’s wildlife and get close to the spectacular Murchison Falls – the world’s strongest waterfall. The Murchison is Uganda’s biggest national park and hosts lots of animals including; lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, giraffes, chimps, antelopes, crocodiles, hippos, etc… The park is found about 4 – 5 hours drive from Kampala, so departing as early as 6am will give you ample time to do the boat trip on the Nile, hike to the top of the Murchison falls, and do game drive drives in the park in 2 days.
Here is our 2 day Murchison Falls safari trip package you can take a look
2 – Sipi falls hiking
The Sipi Falls are one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Uganda and are the iconic attraction of eastern Uganda. The falls are located in the foothills of Mt. Elgon and offer a wonderful hiking experience and thus a lovely adventure getaway from Kampala. If you are a hiking enthusiast and want an adventure on the weekend, the Sipi falls are a great option. The drive from Kampala to Sipi Falls is a little long, about 6 hours, and therefore you need to depart a little earlier, say 6am. In addition to the hiking, you can do the thrilling abseiling along the 100m waterfall, and also do a coffee tour in the Sipi community which does coffee growing as one of the commercial activities and going through the process of coffee growing to harvesting and processing it the local way, is a lovely experience.
Look at our 2 day Sipi Falls tour
3 – Safari in Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is a small savanna park that is not thought about a lot for safaris compared to the bigger game parks such Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park & Kidepo Valley National Park. However, having one of the best scenery in Uganda and well endowed with a wide diversity of wildlife Lake Mburo National Park is simply a gem that is wrongly overlooked, and it being the closest park to Kampala with a 3 – 4 hours drive, is one of the places that will give you a beautiful weekend safari getaway. The park is mostly known for grazing & browsing animals (plant eating) with not many predator species such as lions. Common animals include zebras, giraffes, eland, impala, bushbuck, buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, etc… Lake Mburo National Park also offers more safari activities than other safari parks including; game drives, boat trip on the lake, walking safari, horseback riding safari in the savannah, mountain biking, Ankole cow farm experience. If you are wildlife photography enthusiast Lake Mburo is perfect as wildlife is easy to encounter at close range and the beautiful scenery offers great setting.
Look at our 2 day Lake Mburo safari trip
4 – Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park and sightseeing in fort portal
Kibale National Park is the home of Uganda’s biggest population of chimps, and it is therefore the main destination for chimpanzee trekking trips in Uganda. If you want to experience a true African rainforest and have a once in lifetime opportunity to see our closest relatives, Kibale forest park will give you the best weekend trip option. Kibale is also located in one of the most scenic regions of Uganda, and on arrival in the region you would go on a sighting seeing tour through the beautiful lush landscape dotted with many of crater lakes and other interesting geographical formations. The Rwenzori mountains on a clear day tops up this incredible scenery with a lovely backdrop.
Here is our 2 day Kibale chimpanzee tracking tour
5 – Lake Victoria/Ssesse Islands getaway
Looking for a relaxation vacation on the weekend, the Ssesse Islands are by the best destination to think of. The Ssesse are an archipelago of more than 80 islands and some of them have been have been developed for tourism with beautiful resorts and lovely beaches.
6 – Jinja and river Nile adventure tour
Jinja is often referred to as the adventure capital of Uganda because of the many adventures one can do there. The Nile which starts from Lake Victoria in Jinja provides lots opportunities for adventure. Some of the many adventures you can indulge in include; taking a boat trip to the source of the Nile, rafting, tubing, and kayaking on the nile, quad biking and horse riding along the banks of the Nile, retreat at Samuka Island etc… A weekend trip to Jinja is one of the least hectic trips because Jinja is only 1 hour from Kampala. Before arriving in Jinja you can enjoy stops at Sezibwa Falls for a short walk and Mabira forest which is great for nature walks to see monkeys and also offers a thrilling zip line adventure.