Entebbe Eco Tour - Full Day (Private)
Description
Embark on an unforgettable full-day eco-tour in Entebbe, where you can truly connect with Uganda's vibrant wildlife and rich history. Begin your adventure with a canoe trip at Mabamba Wetland, a prime spot for spotting the elusive Shoebill Stork, along with the colourful Blue Swallow and an astonishing variety of over 260 bird species. Also visit the Uganda Reptile Village, where you can safely encounter fascinating snakes, awe-inspiring crocodiles, tortoises, and chameleons. Head to the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre, a sanctuary for a variety of rescued animals, offering optional behind-the-scenes experiences that are both educational and thrilling. After enjoying a hearty local lunch, wrap up your day at the serene Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where you can wander among over 500 unique plant species and watch playful monkeys in a breathtaking lakeside setting by Lake Victoria. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the best of Uganda’s natural beauty and wildlife!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start off with Mabamba Wetland (Lake Victoria), a renowned Ramsar Site, for being home to endangered species like the Shoebill Stork and Blue Swallow, the wetland hosts over 260 bird species. Take a motorized canoe trip on Lake Victoria to reach the wetland, named by fishermen for the large lungfish, or “Mamba,” that inhabit the area — a favorite food of the shoebill! Other notable birds include Pallid Harrier, Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Pygmy Goose, Lesser Jacana, Grosbeak Weaver, Palm-nut Vulture, Papyrus Canary, Malachite and Pied Kingfisher, Gull-billed Tern, Goliath Heron, and Egrets.
From the Shoebill visit Uganda Reptile Village – Located just 3 km off the Kampala–Entebbe Road, Uganda Reptile Village immerses visitors in the fascinating world of reptiles. Founded in 2002 by Yasin Kazibwe, the park promotes reptile conservation and education. See snakes such as Black Mamba, Jameson’s Mamba, Rock Pythons, Vipers, Egyptian and Forest Cobras, and Puff Adders, along with chameleons, tortoises, crocodiles, and monitor lizards. Visitors can even handle a Rock Python or tortoise. All visits support community development initiatives, combining adventure with impact.
Continue to Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre – Established in 1952, this center rescues and rehabilitates injured or orphaned wildlife. It is home to over 400 indigenous animals, 500 plant species, and 250+ bird species. Enjoy close encounters with chimpanzees alongside expert keepers, as well as lions, tigers, and numerous grazers including the famous elephant “Charles”. Other residents include zebras, antelopes, monkeys, giraffes, cheetahs, rhinos, warthogs, and birds such as the African fish eagle.
After lunch, Visit Kigungu Historical Site on the shores of Lake Victoria, where Uganda’s Catholic mission began. The first missionaries, Br. Amans, and Fr. Lourdel Maple, landed here on 17 February 1879. Highlights include the fishing village, Entebbe Airport runway, and lakeshore birdlife.
Conclude your day at Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Uganda’s first and oldest agricultural research site (est. 1898), spanning 40.7 hectares along 1.5 km of Lake Victoria shoreline. The gardens protect over 500 plant species, including indigenous and exotic fruits, medicinal plants, spices, ornamentals, timber, and wild crop relatives. Spot Red-tailed, Vervet, and Colobus monkeys moving freely among the trees, and support conservation efforts by adopting or planting a tree. With its serene atmosphere and the gentle breeze from Lake Victoria, the gardens provide a perfect climax to your Entebbe Eco Tour after a day of diverse explorations. Afterward, relax as you are dropped off at your hotel or any preferred location in Entebbe, marking the end of a memorable day.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick-up or drop-off all clients within Entebbe Town at no extra cost.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(17)
Viewing all animals Beeing so close to most of animals. Natural walk
Thank you Brighton for your Review
Our guide Hamlet was wonderful and went above and beyond to ensure our tour was informative and fun. We got to see the spectacular and endangered shoebill stork on the swamp tour. We really enjoyed the day and activities and lunch (which was included) was delicious.
Thank you for the nice review and thank you for choosing Gazelle Safari Company
I have the best guide Hilary for this tour. He picked me up from the hotel early in the morning with a raincoat and a safari blanket. He is extremely knowledgeable with the history and customs of Uganda. Also knows a lot about wildlife. Loved finding a shoebill and all the birds in the swamp. Lunch was amazing and the rest of the activities memorable. Had a wonderful time.
Dear Emily, Thank you for the beautiful review and for trusting Gazelle Safari Company to show you around Entebbe. Hillary was honored to be your guide
A superb day. We got to see 2 shoebills and hold chameleons. Hilary and Brian were very knowledgeable and I would highly recommend the day.
Thank you Victoria for the review. It was an honor spending a day with you and we hope you can return some day.
Hillary, our guide, provided me and my friend an absolutely amazing day exploring Entebbe and the nearby swamp! We started the day by being picked up and a basket with water and fruit was provided. We took 2 different boats to find the incredible, elusive, endangered shoebill stork and luckily we found one and got to take pictures and study him. Then we got to go to the Uganda Wildlife Center and see some animals up close, including the shoebill stork and chimpanzees. After a delicious traditional lunch, we visited the Reptile center and saw some scary snakes, got to hold a giant tortoise and hold a couple of chameleons. Then we went to Botanical Gardens and walked through the gorgeous place seeing rare trees and a few birds and monkeys too. All 3 places had a knowledgeable guide included to take us around. Then to my surprise Hillary set up a table with a birthday cake and sparkling grape juice served on China and wine glasses. What an amazing experience! Finally I had asked if we could top buy the markets some could buy a few souvenirs to take back home since it was my last day in Uganda and he obliged and didn’t make me feel rushed at all. This was a great way to spend a day when you have a late flight. It’s definitely worth adding an extra day to your itinerary. Just so you know, save back $50 or so to pay for one of the boats that isn’t included. It was still worth every penny! Thank you Hillary!
Dear Becky, Thank you for the elaborate review and we are glad you had an incredible trip. I hope our paths can cross again some day.
We give this only 3 out of 5 stars because out of one fact otherwise it would have been 5 out of 5. In the description it states that the transfer to see the Shoebills is not included. First to not include it is weird as you do not want to miss this part of the whole trip. But then after the trip to been told that this boot transfer costs $50.00 after already having paid $190 per person was just felt as being ripped of (just our opinion). So be aware of that fact. Now to the positives. Trip was very well organized no waiting everything on every part was immediately available. The driver was very courteous and did a very good job driving the mini bus which was necessary as part of the roads had very many and deep potholes (no trip for people with bad backs). At every stop we got a local guide and they were all excellent. Especially those in the swamps (shoebills they found 3 of them which is very rare) and the botanical garden (he showed us so many birds which we certainly would not have seen). Started with the trip to the swamps to see the shoebills a must if you have the time to do it. Many birds very nice. Second to the spot where the two priests landed. The church is half in the water so you cannot really walk around there. The road getting to it is not good either. In our view the time would be better spend in one of the other spots. Third the reptile refugee. Getting there was a challenge very bumpy. There are not a lot of reptiles to see (only 10 or so) and most of them you will see in the fourth stop the zoo. We understand that they want to support them as they save animals that would otherwise very likely not survive. So better might be to give them some money and use time elsewhere. Fourth stop the zoo (not allowed to bring in plastic bottles be aware to bring water in none plastic bottles or have money to buy water as it can be very hot). We like zoo’s so it was a nice stop for us and they have Shoebills in captivity but not in the wild so in case you do not have time to go to the swamps this would be an alternative. Last stop the botanical gardens. We have been to many botanical gardens but none was like this one. Our guide was excellent and a very good spotter. We spend more than two hours here but easily could have spend half day or more. In our view the highlight of this day trip. We skipped the included lunch as we wanted to use that time on the 5 stops. So in summary the company who organized the trip did an excellent job but we would have done only the swamp trip and the botanical garden each half a day if we would do it again.
Hillary was a great guide! We asked to focus on seeing the shoebill, the zoo, and the botanical gardens. We did just that and had a nice lunch. Overall a great time. All of the guides were very knowledgeable and interesting to talk with. We would definitely go again!
Hi Carole, Thank you for the beautiful review. We are glad you had a great time and we cannot wait to host you again some day.
Thank you for an excellent day! We only had a short time in off in Uganda and weren't sure if there was anything to see in Entebbe.... Wow! We were so impressed with our day's adventure! From the boat ride to the botanical gardens, from the rare birds to the scary snakes to the adorable monkeys, it was a day full of incredible elements of Africa! Thank you!
Dear Guest, Thank you for booking your trip with us and most especially for this review.
What I would have loved to know when I booked the tour was total price. Since I was solo cost $240 then area said extra price for boat ride to the swamp. Was a handmade boat and cost me $52 cash at end of day. Most of Uganda doesn’t accept credit cards so I was very limited on cash my trip. Then the reptile place had a sadistic jerk tour me around. He loved getting the poor creatures angry. He poked each snake with a stick and knocked on the glass to show teeth. Also poked crocodile hard with stick to show teeth. Then would flick his finger hard at the turtles head and legs to make it go back in shell. The wildlife conservation was the best. Had the best caring guide that really explained interesting facts about the animals
Dear Guest, we appreciate the time you took off to write this review on more than one site. It is rather sad to see how facts are mis represented because you did not take the time to read the inclusions and exclusions of the tour. We specifically note that boat hire fees are not included. Secondly, you are reviewing the services of a site guide who belongs to the Uganda Reptile village. Kindly make the review on their site rather than on ours as we are not responsible for the actions of 3rd party providers. Generally I think this review is malicious
The tour was amazing! Matthew did a great job as a tour guide. He explained everything to me and I can tell he is very knowledgeable.
Thank you for the feedback and review. Yes Mathew is really knowledgeable and we are proud to have him on our team
