This 7-day Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee safari takes you through some of the best wildlife and primate destinations in western Uganda. Your journey starts in Kibale National Park, where you track chimpanzees in the forest and visit the Bigodi Wetland. From there, continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives in search of lions and elephants, followed by a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. The safari then continues through Ishasha before reaching Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you trek into the mountain forest to see a habituated gorilla family. For a one-week safari, this route gives you a good mix of experiences without spending unnecessary time retracing the same roads. Kibale takes you into the forest for chimpanzees and other primates, Queen Elizabeth brings you into open savannah and along the Kazinga Channel, and Bwindi finishes the journey with mountain gorilla trekking and one hour with a habituated gorilla family.
Safari Highlights
- 7-day Uganda gorilla, chimpanzee and wildlife safari
- Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park
- Up to one hour with habituated chimpanzees once located
- Guided Bigodi Wetland walk after the chimpanzee trek
- Queen Elizabeth National Park wildlife safari
- Morning game drive across the Kasenyi plains
- Chances to see lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and other savannah wildlife
- Afternoon Kazinga Channel boat safari
- Hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and waterbirds along the channel
- Wildlife drive through the Ishasha sector
- Chance to look for Queen Elizabeth’s tree-climbing lions
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Approximately 2 to 7 hours of gorilla trekking depending on gorilla movements
- One hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family once located
- Six nights accommodation
- Private 4×4 safari vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Kampala or Entebbe to Kibale National Park
After breakfast, meet your driver-guide and set off from Kampala or Entebbe for the journey west to Kibale National Park. The drive takes you through the changing countryside of western Uganda, passing farmland, small towns and tea-growing areas as you make your way towards Fort Portal and Kibale. From Kampala, the journey is about 326 km and takes roughly 6 hours without longer stops. Your guide can arrange a lunch stop along the way, giving you time to stretch your legs before continuing towards the forest.
Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
By afternoon, you arrive in the Kibale area and check in at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, a convenient base close to the Kanyanchu side of the park. The lodge sits among gardens, tea plantations and natural forest, giving you a quiet place to settle in after the drive. If you arrive with enough time, take a relaxed walk around the lodge or nearby area before dinner. Your guide will also go over the following morning’s chimpanzee trekking arrangements, including the meeting time and what to expect before heading into the forest.
Overnight: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, Kibale National Park
Day 2, Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Walk
Start the morning with an early breakfast before heading to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for registration and your chimpanzee trekking briefing. After meeting your ranger and going through the forest guidelines, set off on foot into Kibale Forest in search of one of its habituated chimpanzee communities. The trek can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours, depending on where the chimpanzees have moved and how the forest conditions are on the day. Once you find the group, you can spend up to one hour watching them in their natural surroundings. Keep your eyes and ears open as you move through the forest. Chimpanzees can call from high in the canopy before suddenly appearing through the trees, while others may be feeding, climbing, grooming, or interacting with members of the group. Kibale is home to much more than chimpanzees. As you walk through the forest, you may also come across red colobus, black-and-white colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys, along with the many bird species that make the forest their home. Return to the lodge for lunch and some time to relax.
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
In the afternoon, head to Bigodi Wetland for a guided nature walk. The pace here is slower, giving you time to look closely into the wetland, woodland and community-edge habitats for monkeys, birds and other smaller wildlife. The walk adds a different side to the day, taking you beyond chimpanzee trekking and into the quieter surroundings of the Bigodi community. Return to the lodge before evening and enjoy a relaxed evening after a full day in and around Kibale Forest.
Day 3, Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, leave Kibale and head south towards Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive is much shorter than your first day, giving you enough time to reach the park around midday, check in, have lunch and settle in before heading out for your first game drive. In the afternoon, make your way towards the Kasenyi Plains, where the open savannah gives you a good chance to see Uganda kobs, buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs and other wildlife moving across the plains. The large kob herds also make this one of the areas where you have a good chance of finding lions. As the afternoon goes on, the scenery changes from Kibale’s dense rainforest to wide grasslands, crater landscapes and the Rift Valley, with the Rwenzori Mountains sometimes rising in the distance on a clear day. Continue your game drive into the late afternoon before returning to the lodge around sunset.
Overnight: Buffalo Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4, Kasenyi Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Safari
Start the day early with a game drive through the Kasenyi Plains, before the heat of the day sets in. Take your time as you move through the open grasslands and surrounding tracks, where you can look out for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks and warthogs. The Kasenyi Plains are also a good area for lion sightings, while leopards and spotted hyenas can sometimes be encountered if you’re lucky. After the morning game drive, return to the lodge for breakfast or lunch, depending on your safari schedule, followed by some time to relax before the afternoon activity. Later in the afternoon, head to the Kazinga Channel for a boat safari. The channel connects Lake George with Lake Edward and is one of the best places in the park to get close to wildlife from the water. Hippos fill the shallows, while Nile crocodiles rest along the banks. Elephants and buffaloes regularly come down to the water to drink, and the shoreline is alive with waterbirds. After the boat safari, return to your lodge and enjoy a relaxed evening.
Kazinga Channel for a boat safari
Day 5, Ishasha Wildlife Drive and Transfer to Bwindi
After breakfast, leave the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and drive south towards the Ishasha sector. This gives you another chance to enjoy the park’s wildlife before heading into the Bwindi highlands. Spend the morning on a game drive across the open Ishasha plains, watching for buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elephants and other wildlife. Keep an eye on the large fig trees too, as Ishasha is well known for its tree-climbing lions. When the conditions are right, you may find them resting high in the branches above the ground. After the game drive, continue towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The landscape gradually changes as you leave the savannah behind and climb into the cooler, greener hills surrounding the forest. Your overnight location will depend on the sector where your gorilla trek is booked, with Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo each serving different trekking routes. Once you arrive, check in, have dinner and get everything ready for the following morning’s gorilla trek.
Overnight: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
Day 6, Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Wake up early for breakfast before heading to the designated trekking headquarters for registration and a briefing with the ranger team. You will be taken through the main trekking rules, forest etiquette and what to expect once you enter the forest. From there, the trek into Bwindi begins. Ranger guides and trackers lead the way as you make your way through the thick forest in search of your assigned gorilla family. The walk can take anywhere from 2 to 7 hours, depending on where the gorillas are that day and the terrain you encounter. Some sections can be fairly straightforward, while others involve steep climbs, muddy trails and dense vegetation. When you finally reach your gorilla family, you have one hour to spend with them. This is when the long walk starts to feel worthwhile. Settle in, watch the group and take in the different personalities around you. You may see the silverback feeding or resting nearby, females caring for the young, while juveniles climb through the vegetation, play and interact with one another.
Your ranger will guide you throughout the encounter, including where to stand and how to move around the gorillas. Keep your distance, follow the instructions, and take photographs without disturbing the family. After your hour with the gorillas, begin the trek back through the forest to the starting point, where your driver-guide will be waiting. Return to the lodge and spend the rest of the afternoon resting. After a demanding morning in Bwindi, there is little need to rush into another long activity or transfer.
Day 7, Return to Kampala or Entebbe
After breakfast, check out and set off from Bwindi for the journey back to Kampala or Entebbe. You’ll travel through the rolling highlands of southwestern Uganda before continuing through Ntungamo, Mbarara and towards central Uganda. Stop for lunch along the way, with time to stretch your legs and enjoy the journey. As you get closer to Kampala, you can make a short stop at the Uganda Equator for photographs, refreshments and a final break before continuing to your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe. If you are flying out of Uganda that evening, make sure your international flight is booked for late enough to allow plenty of time for the long drive from Bwindi. Traffic around Kampala and Entebbe can add extra time to the journey, so it is better to leave yourself a comfortable margin.
Inclusions and Exclusions
Included
- One chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale National Park
- One gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Six nights’ accommodation
- Meals as stated in the confirmed itinerary
- Private 4×4 safari vehicle
- Fuel for the entire safari
- English-speaking driver-guide
- Kampala or Entebbe pickup and drop-off
- National park entrance fees
- Bottled drinking water during road transfers and game drives
Excluded
- International and domestic flights
- Uganda visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Accommodation before or after the seven-day safari
- Porter fees during gorilla trekking
- Optional activities not included in the confirmed itinerary
- Alcoholic and premium drinks
- Tips for driver guides, ranger guides, porters and lodge staff
- Laundry and other personal expenses
- Souvenirs and personal shopping
