Uganda with KwaYa | 2027
Share • Sing • Explore
Kampala
Touchdown. Let the adventure begin.
Depart Australia: Friday 24 September
Arrive Uganda: Saturday 25 September
We’re here! Our Ugandan friends welcome us as we settle into the African Children’s Choir’s Music for Life Centre in Kampala.
Time to unpack, catch our breath and get to know the people we’ll be sharing this adventure with.
finding family
25 - 29 SEPTEMBER
We’ll join the Choir’s community outreach activities, share music and spend time together. There’s also the option to sing and perform with UBUNTU Africa. Joining in is encouraged. Perfect pitch is entirely unnecessary.
Dive into joyful workshops and a simple hands-on project that leaves a little love behind.
Expect big smiles, new friendships, and the kind of heart-full moments you’ll talk about for years.
pause
29 SEPTEMBER - 30 SEPTEMBER
Fort Portal gives us a chance to break the journey west and enjoy a different side of Uganda. With green hills, tea plantations and the Rwenzori Mountains nearby, there’s plenty to take in as we arrive and settle in for the night.
We’ll stretch our legs, share a meal and enjoy an evening together with our Ugandan friends. Then it’s back on the road the next morning, with Queen Elizabeth National Park waiting for us.
explore, discover, marvel
30 SEPTEMBER - 2 OCTOBER
We’ll spend two nights at Simba Safari Camp, heading into Queen Elizabeth National Park to see who’s out and about. Elephants, buffalo and hopefully a lion or two. Binoculars ready, and plenty of eyes on the lookout!
Back at camp, there’s time to put our feet up and enjoy being together. With our Ugandan friends along for the adventure, expect plenty of laughs and some healthy debate about who spotted what first.
meet, share, paddle
2 - 4 OCTOBER
Lake Bunyonyi brings beautiful views, a slower pace and a day with the Batwa community. We’ll spend time together, hear their stories and join in workshops, sharing skills, music and plenty of conversation.
Bring your curiosity and something of yourself to contribute. This is the kind of connection that makes a KwaYa journey special.
There’s time to enjoy the lake too, with optional canoeing, boat trips among the islands, birdwatching or a village walk. Or settle beside the water with our Ugandan friends and let the conversation run on. With green hills and little islands all around us, it’s a lovely place to catch our breath.
village life
4 - 5 OCTOBER
Spend a day at Mparo village, not as visitors, but sharing in everyday life. Together we’ll fetch water, help prepare meals, walk the red-dirt paths, and sit together to share stories and time.
It’s a simple and deeply meaningful experience of being present, learning through connection, offering a helping hand, and feeling what it truly means to belong.
herd, milk, mingle
5 - 6 OCTOBER
We’ll swap safari tracks for cattle trails with a night at Nshenyi Cultural Village. We’ll meet our hosts, visit the farm and homestead, and get a glimpse of daily life in this part of Uganda.
It’s a chance to ask questions, hear people’s stories and spend time together. Knowing our group, there’ll be plenty of conversation and a few laughs along the way!
walk, track, discover
6 - 8 OCTOBER
This time, we’re stepping out of the vehicle. At Lake Mburo, a guided walking safari takes us into the bush on foot, slowing down to notice hoofprints, birdsong and the wildlife sharing the landscape. With an armed ranger leading the way, there’s a whole different thrill to exploring at ground level.
Our two-day stop gives us time for adventure and a chance to savour these final days together. Dusty shoes, plenty of laughter and a few more stories before we head home.
meet, create, celebrate
6 - 8 OCTOBER
They travelled the world as littlies with the African Children’s Choir. Now they’re teenagers at Music for Life’s Empower International Academy, and we get to spend a whole day in their company. Hear their stories, swap a few of your own and get stuck into workshops together. This is a chance to get to know the young people behind those extraordinary voices.
And yes, we’ll see them perform! These young people are world class, so expect goosebumps, plenty of laughter and some serious questioning of your own sense of rhythm. A school day you’ll actually wish was longer.
homeward bound
10 OCTOBER
With full hearts and plenty of stories, there’ll be a few tears as we farewell friends who now feel like family, heading home to Australia or onwards on private adventures, with full hearts and promises of “see you next time”
Come all this way and want to see the gorillas?
For those who have dreamed of seeing mountain gorillas in the wild, this is your opportunity. During our Lake Bunyonyi stay, you can choose an optional trek at Rushaga in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Walk through the forest with specialist guides, then spend an extraordinary hour in the presence of a gorilla family.
This option replaces our Batwa village experience, where the rest of the group will spend the day connecting and taking part in workshops with the Batwa community.
Trekkers will travel separately to Rushaga for an overnight stay before their trek, then rejoin our KwaYa family at Bunyonyi.
Barnie can help arrange permits, accommodation and transfers, with these costs additional to the tour price. Permits are limited and should be arranged well before the trip.