5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
This 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari is designed for travelers who want a short trip to see mountain gorillas and other wildlife across a range of Uganda’s national parks. The itinerary includes gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, two game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, including a visit to see the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector, and a launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel. Uganda is blessed with extraordinary tourism sites, and it is little wonder that Winston Churchill once dubbed it “The Pearl of Africa.”
Highlights: 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park, Chimpanzee Trekking
Day 2: Bigodi Swamp Walk and Boat Cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Lion Tracking, Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking
Day 5: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe
Detailed Itinerary: 5 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park, Chimpanzee Trekking
Depending on your location in Kampala, you will be met by our driver-guide and begin the six-hour drive to Kibale Forest National Park in western Uganda, with stops along the way to stretch and for lunch. You will arrive at around 2 p.m. for an afternoon chimpanzee trekking experience.
You will first head to the Kibale park headquarters for a briefing about the chimpanzees, then enter the forest to track them in their natural habitat. Locating them typically takes two to five hours, and once found, you will spend an hour in their company as they swing through the canopy high above the forest floor.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse (Mid-Range) / Isunga Lodge (Budget) / Kyaninga Lodge (Luxury)
Day 2: Bigodi Swamp Walk and Boat Cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, explore the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a reserve rich in butterflies, plant life, animals, and, in particular, birds. Species such as the great blue turaco and the rare papyrus gonolek are of particular interest to birders, and the swamp is also home to more elusive animals, including red colobus monkeys and sitatunga antelope. There is also an opportunity to visit local community projects funded by tourism revenue.
Afterward, continue your journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park, with lunch en route. On arrival, you will join an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel.
Accommodation: Pumba Safari Cottages (Budget) / Parkview Safari Lodge (Mid-Range) / Kyambura Gorge Lodge (Luxury)
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Lion Tracking, Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Wake up early, enjoy breakfast, and set off on an early-morning lion tracking experience, combined with a game drive through the Kasenyi area in search of other wildlife, including antelope, buffalo, elephant, warthog, and waterbuck. Afterward, continue your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Accommodation: Buhoma Lodge (Luxury) / Buhoma Haven Lodge (Mid-Range) / Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget)
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking
After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing before setting off on your gorilla trek. Making your way through the steep, densely forested hills before finally encountering the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is a genuinely inspiring and privileged experience. Trekking in Bwindi requires stamina and can take most of the day. You will spend an hour in the presence of the gorillas before returning to your meeting point with your driver-guide for the transfer back to your lodge.
Accommodation: Same as Day 3
Day 5: Transfer to Kampala/Entebbe
After breakfast, begin your journey back to Kampala or Entebbe, with a stop at the Equator en route and lunch along the way. The drive takes approximately eight to nine hours. On arrival, and depending on your preference, you will be dropped at a location of your choice or directly at the airport for your departure flight home.
