8 Days Uganda wildlife safari with gorillas and chimpanzees

Meet and greet with our local guide over breakfast, and then after we drive heading to southwestern Uganda. This can be at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala at 08:00 am.

En route, there is a local community popular for making local drums and crafts and a fruit market. Stopover, admire and buy yourself souvenirs. Proceed to the Equator line taken as one beautiful scenery in Africa - the pathway of the sun and take photographs.

Early afternoon, arrive in Lake Mburo for a lunch in the park grounds as you marvel at the game and birds within the park. Take a game drive in the afternoon and look out for zebra, topi, buffalo, eland, impala, water hogs, waterbucks and more.

Later at around 7:30pm head for a night game drive and expect to see more mammal species like leopards, white tailed mangoose, genet cats, night jars, among others, later have dinner and overnight at

Budget: Eagles nest/lake Mburo safari lodge

Moderate: Rwokobo rock/Arcadia lodge

upmarket : Mihingo lodge

After an early breakfast we depart for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest via Mbarara town.

We drive through stunning volcanic landscape adorned with steep sided hills covered from top to bottom in neatly terraced plantations of bananas, tea and thick montane forests to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

The Bwindi area is a highly fertile, mountainous region with steep sided hills covered from top to bottom in neatly terraced rows of cultivation. You are really driving through the “Banana Republic” with banana plantations all around you, steep hills, small rivers……just amazing scenery. Arrive late afternoon at the park and check-in at accommodation.

Budget : Buhoma community rest camp/Bunyonyi overland resort

Moderate: Buhoma lodge, Ichimbi gorilla, and Bwindi view lodge

Upmarket: Engagi lodge, Gift of nature and Silverback safari lodge

After breakfast, proceed for the morning briefing before enjoying the highlight of the trip - gorilla trekking, which may last the entire day.

We trek through the rainforest and bamboo covered slopes, accompanied by a guide and trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten.

Gorilla trekking is unpredictable. It's difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. The gorilla excursion can take from 2 up to 8 hours. A good physical condition is recommended. For conservation purposes, time spent with the gorillas is limited to one hour. A ranger will brief you on how to behave with the gorillas. Have dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Budget : Buhoma community rest camp/Bunyonyi overland resort

Moderate: Buhoma lodge, Ichimbi gorilla, and Bwindi view lodge

Upmarket: Engagi lodge, Gift of nature and Silverback safari lodge

After breakfast we drive through stunning savannah grasslands as we head to the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Ishasha is a much more remote and less-traveled part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, but one which has a sense of exclusivity and remoteness. The game densities here are high, and this region has reported some of the largest herds of elephant anywhere in Uganda, as it is their main migration corridor between Uganda and the DRC.

As we enter the park, we do a game drive in search of the wild game. We continue and drive to the northern circuit which is the area near the main road known for its tree climbing lions. We look particularly at the many fig trees where lions like to stay. But we also visit the Uganda kob mating ground which is their preferred hunting area. Later retire at the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Budget: Twinlakes safari lodge, Pumba safari lodge, Simba safari lodge

Moderate: Ihamba lakeside lodge,Mazike game lodge and Elephant plains

Upmarket: Mweya safari lodge, Ishasha wilderness camp, and Kataara lodge

We set out early in the morning for a game drive in the northern part of the park on the Kasenyi Track in search of lions, elephants, solitary buffaloes. This is the best time for opportunities of viewing the cats in action owing to the vast population of Uganda kobs. We have an excellent chance to view just about every animal here at very close range.

In the afternoon we will go for a launch trip along the Kazinga Channel. This gives you the opportunity to view wildlife up close: hippo’s huff and spray at a mere feet away from the boat, buffalo linger in the shallows. The shores of the channel are also home to an array of birds including pink backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers, saddle billed stork and many others.

Budget: Twinlakes safari lodge, Pumba safari lodge, Simba safari lodge

Moderate: Ihamba lakeside lodge,Mazike game lodge and Elephant plains

Upmarket: Mweya safari lodge, Ishasha wilderness camp, and Kataara lodge

After your breakfast, we check out and start our drive to Fort Portal. We do a game drive in the northern part of the park, visiting the Baboon Cliff famous for its nice scenery, and good views of the shadows of the mountains of the moon – the Rwenzoris

Enjoy the drive back to the lodge through large expanses of savannah grasslands as you spot some wildlife en route.

Budget: Chimpanzee forest guesthouse

Moderate: Kibale forest cottages and Kyaninga

Upmarket: Ndali lodge and Papaya lodge

After breakfast we take a 45-minute drive takes us to Kibale National Park, where we spend the day hiking through the Kibale Forest in search of chimpanzees and other primates.

Kibale is inhabited by three large “communities” of chimps, each numbering more than 100 individuals. Each community has a complicated social structure.

Typically, we locate the chimps by listening for their pant-hooting calls, then hustle to the area from which they are calling. We get to observe them as they feed in fruiting trees, lounge and socialize with each other or even occasionally hunt.

In the afternoon we visit a nearby forest swamp that is excellent for viewing primates and other forest animals. At the Eastern edge of Kibale forest is Bigodi Wetland sanctuary which is maintained by the local community. You will expect a variety of birds & animals.

Budget: Chimpanzee forest guesthouse

Moderate: Kibale forest cottages and Kyaninga

Upmarket: Ndali lodge and Papaya lodge

Breakfast and head for Kampala (about 5 hours driving) via Mubende. This route travels through breathtaking scenery and delightfully rolling plantations, some of the best in Uganda.

Depending on how much time we have on us we can tour around Kampala’s crafts and souvenirs markets before checking in at your hotel or being transferred to the airport.