5-Day Gorilla Trekking Chimp Trek Safari

Overview

This Five-day safari offers the ultimate primate safari experience in Uganda. The safari starts with a visit to Kibale Forest national park home to the chimpanzees and 13 other primates’ species. At Kibale you will do a chimp trek and Bigodi nature walk. The second half of the journey takes you to the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park home to endangered mountain gorillas. At Bwindi you will do a gorilla trek, and later visit Lake Bunyonyi.

 DAY 1: ARRIVAL AND TRANSFER TO KIBALE NATIONAL PARK

Our guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kampala or from Entebbe international airport on arrival for your gorilla trekking and chimpanzee safari. Transfer to Kibale forest heading west past mubende and continue to Fort Portal where you will stop for lunch. Proceed to Kibale forest arriving in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at your preferred lodge.

Accommodation options:  Primate lodge or Kyaninga Lodge or Papaya Lake Lodge

Drive time: Approximately 6 hours

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

DAY 2: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING IN KIBALE FOREST

After morning breakfast, wake up early to track chimps near Kanyanchu. This can take you half a day. There are 13 other primate species that live in Kibale forests and you will therefore encounter some of them during your chimp trek, these include the golden monkey, L’Hoest monkey, baboons, white and black colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabey, red colobus, blue monkeys and pottos. Other animals include forest elephants unique from the common type, giant forest hogs and a striking tree species.

Enjoy Lunch and later take a guided nature walk to Bigodi swamp sanctuary, a good site for birders. The Great Blue Turaco and Papyrus Gonolek can easily be marked among the other bird 137 species. There is also an array of butterfly species. Later return for dinner and overnight as above.

Accommodation options: Primate lodge or Kyaninga Lodge or Papaya Lake Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

DAY 3: BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

You will enjoy morning breakfast and set off for Bwindi forest the home of half of the remaining mountain gorilla population in the world driving through Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth National park famous for tree climbing lions. Continue to Bwindi with lunch en-route arriving in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at your preferred lodge.

Accommodation options:  Chameleon Hill Lodge / Four gorillas lodge/ Nkuringo Gorilla Safari lodge  

Drive time: Approximately 7 – 8 hours (depending on tracking location)

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 

DAY 4: MOUNTAIN GORILLA TRACKING BWINDI, TRANSFER TO LAKE BUNYONYI

After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the Park headquarters for registration and joining others for a gorilla trekking briefing about the dos and the don’ts during your Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tour. Once this is done, you will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you from half an hour to three quarters of the day.

The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. On your trek, you are likely to spot other primates, birds and rare tree species. After finding the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them before trekking back to the Park headquarter.

This is indeed an extraordinary feeling being with these beautiful yet endangered Creatures. You will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and thus contributing to the conservation of mountain gorillas.

Later in the afternoon, you will transfer to lake Bunyonyi, uganda’s deepest and most beautiful lodge, dotted with several islands.

Accommodation options: Arcadia Lodge bunyonyi or Birdnest Lodge Bunyonyi (luxury) 

Drive time: Approximately 3-4 hours 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 

DAY 5: CANOEING ON LAKE BUNYONYI, DEPARTURE

Enjoy morning breakfast and then go for a canoeing activity on lake bunyonyi where you will take photos of this beautiful lake, and interact with the locals. Later you transfer back to Kampala, Lunch en-route. The guide will drop you off at your hotel in Kampala.

Note: if you intend to fly out this very day, you will not do the canoeing activity, you will simply utlize day 4 of the trip to take photos as day 5 will only be for transfer. Also note that you are required to book a late flight since the driving time is over 8 hours. 

Drive time: Approximately 8-9 hours 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch