6 Day Uganda Gorillas, Chimps and Wildlife Safari

Meet your professional driver-guide at Entebbe International Airport, your Entebbe hotel or an agreed Kampala location for a short safari briefing. Travel west through central Uganda’s farming country, roadside markets and small towns, with a lunch stop en route.

Continue through the scenic Fort Portal region, known for tea estates, crater lakes and distant Rwenzori views on clear days. Arrive at your lodge near Kibale Forest in the late afternoon or evening and prepare for tomorrow’s chimpanzee trek.

A crater-lake viewpoint stop may be possible depending on your departure time. Your guide will explain the next day’s forest conditions, clothing and equipment before dinner.

After breakfast, transfer to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre or the assigned starting point for registration and the Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger briefing. Enter Kibale Forest with rangers and trackers to search for a habituated chimpanzee community; the trek commonly takes two to five hours, followed by up to one hour with the chimpanzees once found.

Look out for black-and-white colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys and forest birds as you follow the trail. After lunch, drive south through the Fort Portal and Kasese region, passing crater lakes, tea plantations and the Rwenzori foothills.

Enter Queen Elizabeth National Park and continue to your lodge. If time permits, enjoy a short evening game drive while travelling to the lodge, with possible sightings of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks and warthogs.

Set out early for a morning game drive on the Kasenyi Plains or another productive wildlife track in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Cool morning conditions can bring lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, hyenas and, with luck, leopards into view.

Return to the lodge for breakfast or continue with its normal meal programme, then relax before lunch. In the afternoon, board a scheduled cruise from Mweya Jetty along the Kazinga Channel, which links Lake George and Lake Edward.

The shoreline attracts dense concentrations of hippopotamuses, Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and waterbirds including fish eagles, kingfishers, pelicans, herons and storks. Return to the lodge for dinner; an evening game drive or sundowner can be arranged at an additional cost.

After breakfast, leave Queen Elizabeth National Park for the southern Ishasha Sector. Enjoy a game drive while searching the large fig trees for the area’s famous tree-climbing lions; sightings are never guaranteed because wildlife moves freely through its natural habitat.

Other possible sightings include topis, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, baboons and black-and-white colobus monkeys. Stop for lunch before continuing into the cultivated hills, forested valleys and villages leading to Bwindi.

Your final route and lodge depend on the confirmed gorilla trekking sector—Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga or Nkuringo. Check in during the late afternoon or evening, then receive a practical briefing on porter arrangements and the following morning’s gorilla trek.

Take an early breakfast and carry your packed lunch, drinking water, passport, permit information, rain protection and camera to the relevant Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing centre. Rangers explain conservation, health precautions, viewing rules and forest safety before allocating each group a habituated gorilla family.

Trek into Bwindi with trackers, rangers and security personnel. The search can take two to seven hours over steep, muddy and uneven trails; once the family is located, spend up to one hour quietly observing the gorillas. A porter is strongly recommended for assistance on the trail and to support local livelihoods.

After receiving your trekking certificate, transfer through the scenic Kigezi Highlands to Lake Bunyonyi. Arrive in the late afternoon or evening and relax beside the lake; an optional Batwa or community experience may be possible if the trek finishes early.

Wake to views of Lake Bunyonyi’s terraced hills and islands, then enjoy breakfast before a guided boat or canoe experience. Depending on the confirmed programme, enjoy birdwatching, scenic photography, an island visit, local stories or community interaction.

Check out and drive north through Kabale, Ntungamo, Mbarara and Masaka, stopping for lunch on the way. Pause at the Uganda Equator at Kayabwe for photographs, craft shopping and an optional water demonstration.

Continue to your Kampala or Entebbe hotel, Entebbe International Airport or another agreed drop-off point. Travellers departing today should book a late-evening international flight; an additional Entebbe night can be arranged for earlier departures.