Get to know Uganda on this 5 Days Uganda safari Gorillas, Chimps, Wildlife, & Cultural Tour in the country dubbed ‘The Pearl of Africa’, in East Africa. Uganda’s gorgeous scenery, warm friendly people, and unique wildlife encounters make it a bucket-list destination.

Your adventure will begin with a drive from Kampala/Entebbe to Kibale National Park, a quintessential tropical rainforest, surrounded by scenic crater lakes, rural villages, and resounding with birdsong, and the distinctive calls of primates.

Your days here will be spent tracking chimps on foot; watching these playful creatures in their natural habitat. You’ll also take a nature in the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary and learn more about African rural life in Uganda. Your journey continues through Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to over 600 bird species, rare tree-climbing lions, and numerous African Savannah animals – before heading to the renowned Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Bwindi is where half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live in their high-altitude cloud forests. Your last few days will be centered on exploring the landscape and having one of Africa’s most sought-after wildlife experiences.

Features Safari Activities

Trek chimpanzees in Kibale Forest
Seek out gorillas in Bwindi
Nature walk in Bigodi Wetland
Community cultural tours
Photograph endemic birds & butterflies
Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Visiting Igongo Cultural Centre & Museum
Uganda Equator Crossing Experience

Safari Highlights

Day 1: Visit Kibale National Park, Bigodi Wetland Walk

Day 2: Chimp trekking in Kibale Forest National Park & Relaxation

Day 3: Relaxed Breakfast & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park via Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest & Community Cultural Experiences

Day 5: Drive to Back Kampala/Entebbe via Uganda Equator

Detailed Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Visit Kibale National Park

Your fantastic 5 Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimps, Wildlife, & Cultural Tour begins today! Your tour driver (guide) shall pick you up from your accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe at about 7.30 am,

After a short tour briefing, you will be taken you on a drive of approximately 326km west to Kibale Forest – The Primate Capital of the World. You’ll travel through the beautiful green countryside and you’ll reach Fort Portal town in time for lunch.

Fort Portal lies in the shadow of the legendary -Mountains of the Moon- and is known for its many tea plantations. From this beautiful town, you’ll continue to Kibale Forest National Park, check into your accommodation and have some time to rest.

In late afternoon, you’ll go on a 3-hour guided walk in Bigodi Wetland. The Wetland is an award-winning local community tourism project, operated by the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development. It was created to protect the local environment while advancing education, health, and economic growth in the wider rural Bigodi Village. On your hike, you’ll see several primates and bird species.

Optional: Bigodi Village Walk

Alternatively, you may choose to take a 3-hour cultural walk in the Bigodi Village, a hub of rural life and activity in Uganda. In the company of a local guide, you learn everything about the traditional lifestyle and customs of the inhabitants. You visit a traditional healer homesteads and listen to the storytelling of wise elderly men and women. Along the way, you also have a chance to experience the Uganda school system with a visit to Bigodi Primary School.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Primate Lodge

Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Kibale Forest Camp

Budget: – Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Kibale Forest Camp

Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner

Drive Time: 5 hours

Day 2: Chimp Trekking In Kibale Forest

After a hearty breakfast you’ll gather at the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre in Kibale Forest to do your Chimpanzee tracking adventure which begins at 8am.

The encounter starts with a briefing from the expert park rangers who will be your guides for the activity. After the briefing, you trek into the rainforest jungle in search of man’s closest living relative.

The trek lasts about 2 to 6 hours and over the years have had a 95% success rate of seeing some of the 1,500 individuals in Kibale.

Viewing them as they munch fruit, swinging in trees, socializing, patrolling, mating and making hooting calls is an unforgettable experience that you will treasure forever. You have a full hour to enjoy these precious creatures and you are free to take as many photos as you wish!

Kibale Forest Park has one of the highest diversities and concentrations of primates in Africa and you’ll several other primates in the park such as Olive baboons, Mangabey, Red-tailed, Colobus, Vervet, Blue and L’Hoest’s Monkeys.

Other mammals you might encounter include Bushbuck, Blue Duiker, Common Warthog, Sitatunga, Forest Hog or Bushpig. A sharp observer will also see many species of amphibians and reptiles and a colourful variety of butterflies.

Kibale is also home to 325 bird species, including the gorgeous Green Breast Pitta, African Pitta, Great Blue Turaco, African Grey Parrot, Afep Pigeon, etc. After your amazing Chimpanzee trek we will return to the lodge for lunch.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge/Primate Lodge

Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Kibale Forest Camp

Budget: – Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse/Kibale Forest Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Travel to Bwindi via Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Your day three of the 5 Days Uganda Gorillas, Chimps, Wildlife, & Cultural Tour start with a relaxed breakfast at the lodge. You will then pack your bags, have your packed lunch, and set off further southwest.

You are slowly heading for the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, but you have some savannah game viewing to do before you get there. You will drive through scenic rolling savannah grasslands of Queen Elizabeth National Park, UgandaÔÇÖs second largest park which is home to over 600 bird species and 95 species of mammals.

Be on lookout for elephants, buffalos, hippos, antelopes, and a pride of tree-climbing lions that have made an old fig in Ishasha sector their regular hangout. As you continue further south, the landscape will change dramatically: Bwindi is a place of steep hillsides, dense jungle and towering trees.

The park was gazetted as a National Park in 1991 and declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1994. It is an amazing piece of land; it survived the last Ice Age when most other forests in Africa disappeared.

Of course most famously, Bwindi is home to than half the world’s population of Mountain Gorillas, about 459 individuals at last count. In addition to the endangered and impressive Mountain Gorillas, the incredibly biologically varied park also has almost 350 bird species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemic species, 120 mammal species, more than 200 butterfly species, 27 species of frogs, more than 1,000 flowering plant species. You will arrive at your lodge in late afternoon for relaxation, dinner and overnight. Tomorrow you go gorilla trekking!

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Mist Camp

Mid-range: Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Lodge/Agandi Eco Lodge

Budget: Trekkers Tarven

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Drive Time: 6-7 hours.

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking & Community Cultural Experiences

Today the unique opportunity to see Gorillas in their natural habitat awaits; definitely a life changing experience!

Encounters with Gorillas as they go about their daily lives are carefully managed, with expert trackers and guides leading small groups of tourists up bamboo-covered slopes to spend a precious and awe-inspiring hour just a few feet away from the gentle creatures. There are 19 Gorilla families living in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which are fully habituated, with a few others habituated solely for scientific research. The families consist of at least one silverback along with several females and youngsters.

Our day will start with breakfast followed by the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park headquarters at 7am (as it is required). Upon arrival we will be briefed on protocols and rules for visiting the Gorillas. After the trekking experience, you return to your lodge for relaxation. In the late afternoon we explore a local community on foot, to gain insight into the ways of the Ugandan people living near Bwindi Park.

You will the local village, the surrounding tea plantations, and learn about the community’s impressive hospital that started as a small clinic under a tree. You will also able to discover the traditional hunter-gatherer practices of the Batwa – the indigenous people of the Bwindi Forest.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Mist Camp

Mid-range: Gorilla Mist Camp/Ichumbi Lodge/Agandi Eco Lodge

Budget: Trekkers Tarven

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Drive Back to Entebbe via the Equator

After five days of trekking gorillas, enjoying the antics of chimps and immersing yourself in the country’s greatest wildlife areas, it’s time to bid farewell to Uganda. You will have an early breakfast and make your way back to Kampala/Entebbe. You will travel via Mbarara and the Igongo Cultural Centre and Museum where we encounter the Ankole and Bahima people.

At the Igongo Center you’ll have a traditional lunch and get a glimpse of the culture and ways of these Ugandan people, learning a bit about their history. From Igongo, you’ll have another stop at equator in Uganda to take photographs before continuing to Kampala and Entebbe. Airport drop-off can be arranged free of charge if you are flying out on the last day of the safari.