Ultimate 12-Day Biking Safari – Mountain Biking Through Western Uganda

From the moment you arrive in Uganda, you’ll notice the country’s warm and friendly welcome. A smile from the immigration officer is often enough to make you feel at ease – a fitting introduction to the Pearl of Africa.

If you arrive early, the rest of the day is yours to recover from your journey. Relax on the beach or by the swimming pool at 2 Friends Beach Hotel in Entebbe and settle into the pace of your surroundings. If you’re travelling with your own mountain bike, you’ll have time to assemble and prepare it for the days ahead, with help from our local team if needed. If you’ve hired a bike, it will be ready for you the following morning, adjusted to your preferences before the ride begins.

Meals: Not included
Accommodation: 2 Friends Beach Hotel

After breakfast, you’ll travel west towards The Coffee Lodge at Clarke Farm. It is a longer transfer day, giving you time to see the landscape gradually change as you leave Entebbe behind and head towards western Uganda. There will be several stops along the way. If you see something you’d like to photograph or explore, just let your guide know and, where possible, they’ll be happy to stop.

After arriving at the lodge, you’ll head out for a short test ride to make any final adjustments to your bike before the cycling begins the following day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: The Coffee Lodge at Clarke Farm

After a cup of freshly brewed Ugandan coffee, it’s time to get into the saddle. Today’s ride takes you through tea estates, coffee plantations, forests and quiet country roads. The landscape is lush and fertile, changing steadily as you make your way towards Fort Portal.

Along the route, you’ll pass through small villages where daily life unfolds outdoors. Children often run alongside your bike, laughing and waving, while locals greet you with a smile. These simple encounters are part of what makes travelling by bike in Uganda so rewarding. The route continues through rolling hills with views of the Rwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon. Forming the natural border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, this mountain range has long been one of Uganda’s defining landscapes.

At the end of the day, you’ll arrive at Kyaninga Royal Cottages, overlooking a crater lake, where you’ll spend the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Kyaninga Royal Cottages or Rwenzori Guesthouse

Today’s ride begins with the Rwenzori Mountains in the distance. The route passes crater lakes, forests, banana plantations and tea estates as you make your way towards Queen Elizabeth National Park. As you cycle through small villages, you’ll often hear people calling “Mzungu!”- the local word for a white visitor. It’s a friendly greeting, usually accompanied by a smile and a wave. In the village of Rwimi, you’ll stop at a local bar for a drink before continuing your journey.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll continue by vehicle into Queen Elizabeth National Park. The open savannah is home to elephants, buffaloes, hippos and, with a little luck, the park’s well-known tree-climbing lions.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Irungu Lodge or Tembo Lodge

Today is yours to enjoy as you wish. If you choose, you can join an optional morning chimpanzee trek in Kyambura Gorge. This 100-metre-deep gorge cuts through the savannah and shelters an area of tropical rainforest where a small population of wild chimpanzees lives. Along the way, you may also see red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys and a variety of bird species. Hidden within the forest are crater lakes where, on occasion, pink flamingos can be seen.

In the afternoon, you’ll head out on a game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive also includes a visit to the park’s salt lakes and a local community living within the park boundaries, offering an insight into life alongside one of Uganda’s best-known national parks. At the end of the day, you’ll return to your lodge for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Irungu Lodge or Tembo Lodge

Optional activities (not included):

• Extra game drive (using our support vehicle; the roof cannot be opened due to the bike rack). Available only if you do not join the chimpanzee trek: €75 per person
• Chimpanzee Trek – Kyambura Gorge or Kalinzu Forest: €200 per person
• Private open safari vehicle:
  • 1 person: €275
  • 2 people: €175 per person
  • 3 people: €145 per person
  • 4 people: €125 per person

After breakfast, you’ll cycle a short distance to the Kazinga Channel, where today’s boat safari begins. Even before reaching the jetty, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter elephants along the way. Once on the water, watch for bubbles rising to the surface – often a sign that hippos are resting just below. As you continue along the channel, you’ll also see crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and warthogs gathering at the water’s edge.

After the boat safari, you’ll get back on your mountain bike and continue through Queen Elizabeth National Park. Cycling through the park alongside wildlife is one of the experiences that makes this route unique. Your safety is always our priority. Throughout the ride, you’ll be accompanied by our guides, an armed park ranger and the support vehicle, which always remains nearby.

If you prefer not to cycle through the park, you can travel this section in the support vehicle instead.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Enjojo Lodge or Embogo Lodge

Today the landscape changes completely. The open savannah gradually gives way to the forested hills of southwestern Uganda, and by the end of the day you’ll be cycling through the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The route passes through small villages, tea plantations and farmland, where the many shades of green reflect the richness of the landscape.

As you gain altitude, mist often settles over the hills surrounding Bwindi. This ancient rainforest is home to an extraordinary variety of plants and wildlife, including Uganda’s mountain gorillas. After a day of climbing, you’ll arrive in Buhoma, where you can relax at the lodge and reflect on the day’s ride.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Ride 4 a Woman Lodge or Bwindi Community Camp

Today is yours to spend as you wish. Relax at the lodge or choose one of two optional excursions.

If you choose the gorilla trek, you’re about to experience one of the world’s most closely protected wildlife encounters. Mountain gorillas survive in the wild in only three countries, with Uganda being home to almost half of the remaining population. Accompanied by experienced park rangers, you’ll walk into the rainforest in search of a gorilla family. The trek follows narrow forest paths, sometimes crossing steep slopes and dense vegetation. The duration and difficulty vary each day, depending on where the gorillas are located. When the trackers finally find the gorillas, you’ll spend one hour in their presence. Watching young gorillas play while the silverback quietly keeps watch over the family is a moment few people ever experience. The sounds of the forest, breaking branches and the low calls of the gorillas make this an encounter you’ll remember long after your journey has ended.

If you prefer a cultural experience, you can join the Batwa Experience. Guided by members of the Batwa community, you’ll discover how the original inhabitants of the Bwindi Forest once lived as hunter-gatherers. They demonstrate traditional hunting techniques, explain how plants were used for food and medicine, and share stories about life in the forest. Since Bwindi was designated a national park in the early 1990s to protect the mountain gorillas, the Batwa have lived outside the forest. Today, they preserve their culture by passing on their knowledge and traditions to future generations and to visitors.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Ride 4 a Woman Lodge or Bwindi Community Camp

Optional activities (not included):

• Gorilla Trek: €800 per person
• Batwa Experience: €50 per person

Today’s ride takes you through the hills surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. A mix of climbs, descents and changing views makes this one of the most varied cycling days of the tour.

You’ll follow quiet roads and tracks through tea plantations, patches of rainforest and small villages, with wide views across the hills of southwestern Uganda.

Part of today’s route follows the Batwa Trail, which passes through the ancestral homeland of the Batwa people, the original inhabitants of the Bwindi region. Your guides can adjust the route to suit the experience and fitness level of the group, allowing both recreational cyclists and experienced mountain bikers to enjoy the day at a comfortable pace.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Camp or Bakiga Lodge

This morning, you’ll cycle the final kilometres through the forests surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Once you reach the main road, you’ll continue by vehicle to Lake Bunyonyi, the second-deepest lake in Africa, with its 29 islands scattered across the water.

After lunch by the lakeshore, you’ll get back on the bike for a ride over rolling hills, with a series of short but steep climbs before returning to the water’s edge. From here, you’ll board a boat to Habuharo Island, surrounded by the steep hills of Lake Bunyonyi. The island has a quiet, secluded atmosphere, and on arrival you’ll receive a warm welcome from the staff at your lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Heritage Lodge or Byona Amagara Lodge

After the physical effort of the past few days, today is a welcome change of pace.

Following breakfast, your bike is loaded onto the support vehicle as you begin the journey to Lake Mburo National Park. Along the way, you’ll stop at the Igongo Cultural Centre, where you can explore the traditional Bariisa cattle-keeping settlements and Abahiingi farming homesteads. Together, they are presented like an open-air museum, offering a glimpse into traditional life in western Uganda. If you wish, you can also visit the cultural museum, which displays local artefacts and historical photographs.

After arriving at your lodge, the rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy. You may choose to stretch your legs with a walk through the surrounding countryside or simply relax and take in the views. Set on a hill overlooking Lake Mburo National Park, the lodge offers wide views across the surrounding landscape.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hyena Hill Lodge or Kigarama Wilderness Lodge

Optional activity (not included):

• Visit to the Igongo Cultural Museum: €30 per person

Your final ride takes you into Lake Mburo National Park for a guided cycling safari. Accompanied by a park ranger, you’ll cycle through the park, where you may encounter zebras, giraffes, antelope and other wildlife along the way. Experiencing these animals from the saddle offers a different perspective on the park and brings you closer to the landscape. The route ends at Kazuma Viewpoint, where you’ll look out over Lake Mburo and the surro unding savannah.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll return to Kampala, where your journey through Uganda comes to an end. If you’re travelling home on a late evening flight, you’ll be transferred directly to Entebbe International Airport.

Meals: Breakfast