Uganda Honeymoon Safari: Where to Go and What It Costs

A honeymoon in Uganda is not the usual beach-and-cocktails trip. It is gorillas at dawn, a canoe on a crater lake, a candlelit dinner in the bush and a private island in the Nile. It also costs less than most people expect for a trip this exclusive.

This guide walks through the route we recommend for couples, what each stop is like and what the whole thing costs. Prices are in US dollars per person, with two people sharing a double room.

The short answer

Our 15-day [Honeymoon in Uganda](/en/itineraries/honeymoon-in-uganda) costs about $11,330 per person, or $22,660 for the couple. That includes boutique and luxury lodges, a flight to Bwindi, your gorilla permit and private romantic touches along the way.

If that is more than you want to spend, there are shorter, simpler ways to do it. We cover them below.

The route: five stops, one slow love story

The trip is built around rest as much as adventure. Every stop gives you at least two nights, and most have a full free day, so you are never rushing from one thing to the next.

• Entebbe (2 nights, plus one on the way back). You land, you are met privately and you spend two unhurried days at a boutique hotel on Lake Victoria, with a walk in the botanical gardens and a sunset over the water.
• Bwindi (3 nights). You fly from Entebbe, which saves a long day on the road, to a forest lodge at the edge of the rainforest. Day two is your gorilla trek, and day three is for a spa treatment and quiet time on your veranda.
• Lake Bunyonyi (2 nights). One of Uganda's most beautiful lakes, with canoeing, island walks and swimming in water that is free of bilharzia. A private lakeside picnic or sunset setup can be arranged.
• Lake Mburo (3 nights). Uganda's most intimate savannah park, at Mihingo Lodge. You can do a game drive, a guided bush walk (rare in Uganda), a boat cruise past hippos or, for adventurous couples, a horseback safari. Mihingo offers horseback rides only to guests staying at the lodge.
• The Nile at Jinja (3 nights). You finish at Lemala Wildwaters Lodge, a private island lodge in the middle of the Nile's rapids. You reach it by boat. White-water rafting is available if you want a last adventure, and doing nothing is just as good.

The gorilla day

For most couples this is the emotional centre of the trip. You trek into the forest with a ranger and meet a gorilla family, then spend an hour within a few metres of them. Many couples tell us it is the moment they will remember most.

A few honest notes. The walk can take anywhere from 30 minutes to six hours, over steep and muddy ground. The minimum age is 15. A porter is worth hiring, and the spa day afterwards is there for a reason. If one of you is nervous about the walk, tell us, and we will talk through the options. Our gorilla permit guide explains how the permit works.

What the price covers

The price includes:

• Boutique and luxury lodges throughout, with meals as listed in the itinerary
• The scenic flight from Entebbe to Bwindi, and all other transfers in a private safari vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide
• Your gorilla trekking permit, which is $800 per person, plus all park entrance and activity fees
• Private romantic touches where available: candlelit dinners, bush breakfasts and sunset setups

Not included are international flights, travel insurance, your visa, tips, and optional extras such as spa treatments, horseback safaris and white-water rafting. The eVisa is $50, and you should use only Uganda's official immigration portal.

Where the money goes

At about $755 per person per day, this is a luxury trip, and it is easy to see why. Fly-in access to Bwindi, lodges chosen for privacy and a private driver-guide for the full 15 days are the big costs. The gorilla permit is $800, so it is only a small part of the total.

Our guide to how much a Uganda safari costs shows how this compares with our other itineraries, and our gorilla trekking cost guide breaks down the permit options.

A shorter or lower-cost honeymoon

If you love the idea but not the budget, you can keep the gorillas and trim the rest. Prices below are per person for two travellers:

• 10 days, about $6,000: Explore Western Uganda, with gorilla tracking included.
• 9 days, about $5,220: Uganda Primates Positive Impact Safari, with gorillas and chimpanzees. It is simpler, but it is a good fit for couples who care more about the wildlife than the lodges.

You can also start with the honeymoon route and ask us to swap a lodge or remove a stop. We build every trip to order.

When to go

Uganda's drier months make the forest walks easier and the roads smoother. The wetter months bring lower permit prices: a gorilla permit is $600 instead of $800 in April, May and November, but those permits cannot be rescheduled. Our guide to the best time to visit Uganda has the month-by-month detail. Honeymoon dates are usually fixed early, so book three to six months ahead for the best lodges.

Health and practical notes

Uganda no longer asks for a yellow fever certificate at entry, but the vaccine is still recommended and some onward trips require it. Our yellow fever guide explains. You should also ask a travel clinic about malaria medicine, and take out travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and the cancellation of non-refundable permits.

Where to start

Take a look at the full day-by-day plan for Honeymoon in Uganda, or compare every option on our Uganda safari tours page. Planning a proposal, an anniversary or a surprise? Let us know when you enquire and we will arrange it.

Tell us your dates and what you have in mind, and we'll reply within 24 hours. You can start your enquiry here.