5 Days Gorilla Trekking and Chimps Safari

The 5 Days Uganda Gorillas and Chimps Safari is one of the midrange African safaris in terms of length that we offer at Dolphin Tours and Travel. It is suitable for primate lovers interested in immersing themselves in a pristine African jungle to encounter primates in their natural habitats. The safari starts in Kampala or Entebbe where the safari driver picks you and drives you to Bwindi for gorilla trekking and thereafter transfer to Kibale national park for chimpanzee tracking.

Safari highlights

An impressive scenic drive to Bwindi
Equator experience
Gorilla trekking
Batwa community experience
Chimpanzee tracking
Bigodi swamp walk

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Transfer from Kampala/Entebbe to Bwindi

Wake up to a cup of coffee, meet the safari guide for a short briefing about the day’s program. Drive westwards with a stopover at the equator in Kayabwe not to miss standing at the imaginary line with one leg in the northern and the other in the southern hemispheres at the same time.

Proceed with the journey through the plains where you might spot some zebras and then arrive in Mbarara, have lunch and proceed through Kabale town to Bwindi. Arriving in the southwestern part of Uganda mostly feeds you with views of rolling hills and the Virunga volcanoes. Arrive at the lodge, check in, have dinner and rest.

Meal plan: lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Lodge at Bwindi

Day 2: Gorilla trekking

With an early morning breakfast and packed lunch, meet your safari driver and head to the park headquarters. You are required to be there at 7am for briefing about the dos and don’ts when trekking. The ranger in charge of gorilla trekking at the sector divides all the visitors into groups and each is allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek. You are also given walking sticks to help you ascend on the steep landscape especially when it is muddy. As you find your way through the lush forest, there is a chance to spot other animals of the park such as monkeys, baboons and other mammals. Birds are common.

Once you spot the gorillas, you are allowed to stay with them for a maximum of an hour and then return to the park offices, pick your trekking certificates and head to the lodge. Freshen up and relax.

Meal plan: Full board

Accommodation: Lodge at Bwindi

Day 3: Transfer from Bwindi to Kibale

Rise up to breakfast at the lodge, check out and get on the road to transfer to Kibale. This is another scenic drive that offers views of the endlessly adjoining Rwenzori mountains, the greenery vegetation and craters all the way. Have an enroute lunch while dinner and overnight at the lodge in Kibale.

Meal plan: Full board

Accommodation: lodge at Kibale

Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi swamp walk

After breakfast at the lodge, meet your driver and drive to Kanyanchu, where the park offices are located, meet up with the rest of the trekkers, have a short briefing and hit the forest trails. Moving in groups of 6 visitors, 2 guides lead and offer more than just trail-guidance but also share a lot of information about the tree species and other animals in the park especially those that are sighted along the trek.

Once the chimpanzees are found, you are allowed a maximum of one hour in company of the chimp family. It is a powerful moment with the primates; watching how amazingly they carry on their daily life in the forest but also very playful and jumping from branch to branch or perhaps relaxing after several hours of movement.

After chimpanzee tracking, return to the lodge, have lunch and relax. Later on in the evening, heads out to Bigodi for a swamp walk. It is a great opportunity to see more of the wildlife around the area such as birds and also a community initiative that was started for community development. For that reason, fees for this activity goes back to the community.

Meal plan: Full board

Accommodation: Lodge at Kibale

Day 5: Drive back to Kampala

A leisurely breakfast, check out of the lodge and get ready for the return to Kampala or Entebbe. The 5-6 hours journey takes you through Mubende, Mityana and arrival in Kampala in the late afternoon or evening.

End of tour

Safari includes;