8 Day Uganda Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Wildlife Safari

Your safari begins with pick up from your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. Meet your driver guide and travel southwest towards Lake Mburo National Park.

The journey takes you through towns, farmland and rural communities before reaching the park later in the day.

After arrival and lunch, head out for an afternoon game drive. Lake Mburo's mix of open grassland and acacia woodland supports a variety of wildlife, and your guide will look for zebras, impalas, elands, topis, buffaloes and other species.

The park also provides good opportunities for birdwatching, making it a relaxed introduction to the wildlife experiences ahead.

After the game drive, continue to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, leave Lake Mburo and continue southwest towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Travel through the countryside of southwestern Uganda, passing towns, cultivated hillsides and rural communities along the route. Lunch will be arranged during the journey.

As you approach Bwindi, the scenery becomes increasingly hilly and forested.

Arrive in the Bwindi region later in the afternoon and transfer to your lodge. Spend the remainder of the day at leisure, allowing time to rest and prepare for the following morning's gorilla trek.

Your guide will ensure you have the necessary information about the trek, including reporting arrangements and recommended clothing and equipment.

After an early breakfast, transfer to your designated gorilla trekking briefing point.

Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the trekking procedures, forest guidelines and appropriate behaviour around the gorillas before you enter Bwindi.

Accompanied by ranger guides and trackers, begin your trek in search of your assigned habituated mountain gorilla family. Trekking conditions and duration vary depending on the location of the gorillas, and the route may involve steep slopes, dense vegetation and wet or uneven forest terrain.

Once the gorillas are located, you will have the opportunity to observe the family for the regulated viewing period while following your ranger's instructions. Watch their behaviour as they feed, rest, groom and interact within their forest habitat.

After completing the trek, return to your lodge for lunch and some time to rest.

Depending on your trekking finish time and arrangements, a community experience can be organised later in the afternoon. This may include learning about local livelihoods, coffee growing and conservation initiatives in communities around Bwindi.

After breakfast, check out and travel north towards Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha sector.

Spend time exploring Ishasha on a game drive, with your guide searching for the tree climbing lions for which the area is particularly known. The lions may sometimes be found resting in large trees, although sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Other wildlife in the area may include elephants, buffaloes, topis and Uganda kobs. After lunch, continue north towards the central sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park and transfer to your lodge.

Check in later in the day and spend the evening relaxing ahead of the following morning's game drive.

Start early for a morning game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Explore the Kasenyi Plains and surrounding wildlife areas with your driver guide, looking for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks and other savannah species. Your guide will also search for predators such as lions and, with some luck, leopards.

Return to your lodge after the game drive for lunch and some time to relax.

In the afternoon, head to the Kazinga Channel for a boat safari. This natural channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and provides excellent opportunities to observe wildlife from the water.

Look for hippos and Nile crocodiles around the channel, together with numerous waterbirds. Elephants, buffaloes and other animals may also be seen approaching the shoreline.

Return to your lodge after the cruise for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, head out for a final game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park before beginning the journey towards Kibale.

Depending on the day's operating schedule and route, a stop can be made at one of the park's viewpoints before continuing north.

After lunch, travel towards the Fort Portal and Kibale region. The landscape changes again as you leave the savannah and approach the greener countryside and tea growing areas surrounding Kibale National Park.

Arrive at your lodge later in the afternoon and spend the remainder of the day at leisure in preparation for the following morning's chimpanzee tracking experience.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the designated chimpanzee tracking briefing point.

Meet your ranger guides for an introduction to the tracking procedures before entering Kibale's tropical forest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community.

As you walk through the forest, listen for chimpanzee calls and watch the canopy for movement. Other primates, birds and forest wildlife may also be encountered during the trek.

Once the chimpanzees are located, observe their social behaviour during the regulated viewing period while following your ranger's instructions.

After completing the trek, return for lunch and some time to rest.

Later in the afternoon, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a guided walk. This community run conservation initiative protects an important wetland habitat and offers opportunities to see monkeys, birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

The visit also provides an opportunity to learn more about the relationship between conservation, tourism and communities living around Kibale.

Return to your lodge for your final night on safari.

After breakfast, check out and begin the return journey towards Kampala or Entebbe.

Travel through the Fort Portal region and central Uganda, with lunch and appropriate comfort stops along the route.

Arrival in Kampala or Entebbe is expected later in the day, depending on departure time, traffic and road conditions.

Your driver guide will drop you at your agreed hotel or other location.