This 5 Day Uganda Gorillas and Chimps Safari is a popular Uganda tour that takes travelers to Bwindi and Kibale national park for gorilla trekking and chimp tracking respectively. It is intended to offer a lifetime experience to primate lovers. The tour package is one of the short African safaris we offer at Dolphin Tours and Travel. It is meant to start and end in Entebbe or Kampala.
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 or Entebbe to Bwindi
you will wake up to a cup of coffee, meet the safari guide for a short briefing about the day’s program, and set off to Bwindi. Drive westwards with a stopover at the equator in Kayabwe not to miss standing in two hemispheres; northern and southern, at the same time.
Proceed with the journey through the plains where you might spot some zebras. You will have lunch in Mbarara, and arrive in Bwindi in the evening.
Meal plan: Lunch and dinner
Accommodation: Lodge at Bwindi
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
After an early morning breakfast and packed lunch, meet your safari driver and head to the park headquarters. You are required to be there at 7 am for a up 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 hilly landscape of Bwindi. As you find your way through the lush forest, there is a chance to spot animals of the park such as monkeys, baboons, and other mammals.
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 National Parkyour trekking certificates before driving back to the lodge.
Meal plan: Full board
Accommodation: Lodge at Bwindi
Day 3: Transfer from Bwindi to Kibale
This is going to be another day of exhaustion on the road as it starts early with breakfast at the lodge and you will set off to Kibale national park. You will have an en-route, then dinner and overnight at the lodge in Kibale.
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi swamp walk
The morning session of Chimp tracking at Kibale starts with a briefing and you will be at the starting point by 7:30 a.m. Meet other trekkers, 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 to stay with them for a maximum of one hour. It is a powerful moment with the primates; watching how amazingly they go on their daily life in the forest but also very playful and jumping from one branch to another or perhaps relaxing.
After chimpanzee tracking, return to the lodge, have lunch, and relax. Later on in the evening, you will go for a guided walk through the unspoiled Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. It is a great opportunity to see more wildlife around this area including birds and primates. Alternatively, you can visit the community and learn more about the different activities that have been done as a result of the conservation of the swamp. Dinner and overnight at the lodge in Kibale.
Meal plan: Full board
Day 5: Drive back to Kampala
After a leisurely breakfast, check out of the lodge and get ready to return to Kampala or Entebbe. The 6-hour journey takes you through Mubende, Mityana, and arrival in Kampala in the late afternoon or evening.
End of tour
Safari includes;
- Gorilla permit at US$700 per person per trek
- Chimpanzee permit at US$200 per person per trek
- Transport in safari van
- Services of an English-speaking safari guide
- Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
- Drinking water
- Bigodi wetland walk
Safari excludes;
- Visa and airfares
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuity
- Items of personal nature
