Go To Africa Safaris
This 5 day trip is built for travelers who want Uganda’s two best primate treks in one trip, without the extra days a full circuit safari needs. You track chimpanzees through the rainforest of Kibale National Park, then trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Two very different primates, two very different forests, in a single well paced week.
Go to Africa Safaris built this route to keep driving time reasonable while still giving each trek room to breathe. You get a full day at each park before you trek, so you arrive rested rather than rushing straight into the forest.
This trip runs five days and four nights, starting and ending in Kampala or Entebbe.
The route moves west to southwest across Uganda, taking in crater lakes, tea plantations, and two of the country’s richest forests along the way. Each trekking day is preceded by a travel day, so you are never trekking on a day you also drove for hours.
Included in this package: one chimpanzee trekking permit and one gorilla trekking permit.
Your guide collects you from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe in the morning, and you set off west toward Kibale National Park, a drive of roughly five to six hours through rolling countryside and small trading towns, with a lunch stop along the way.
You arrive near Kibale in the late afternoon. Check in to your lodge, rest, and enjoy dinner while your guide briefs you on tomorrow’s chimpanzee trek. The surrounding landscape of crater lakes and tea plantations is worth a slow look before the sun goes down.
This is your primate day in the west. After breakfast, you drive to Kibale park headquarters for briefing, then continue to the trailhead. Trackers head into the forest before dawn to locate the chimpanzees, so your guide already has a good idea where to look.
The trek winds through lush rainforest. Chimpanzees move constantly through the canopy, so your guide follows their calls and movement rather than a fixed spot. Once you catch up with them, you get a full hour to watch them feed on fruit and leaves, watch juveniles wrestle in the branches, and listen to their calls echo through the trees.
Afterward, you hike back to the trailhead and return to your lodge to rest. The rest of the afternoon is free, and dinner is at your lodge.
After breakfast, you drive south toward Bwindi, a journey of about six hours through some of Uganda’s most scenic hill country, with a lunch stop along the way.
You arrive near Bwindi in the late afternoon. Check in, rest, and enjoy dinner, with a full briefing on tomorrow’s gorilla trek. Lodge options near park headquarters range from budget to luxury.
This is the centerpiece of the trip. After an early breakfast, you drive to park headquarters for registration and briefing by 7:00 AM, where you are assigned to a gorilla family that matches your fitness level.
The hike into the forest can take anywhere from thirty minutes to four hours. Once you find the gorillas, you get a full hour in their company, watching them feed, play, groom, and rest while the silverback keeps a calm eye on the group.
Afterward, you hike back to the trailhead and return to your lodge to rest. You will receive a certificate marking the trek. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
After breakfast, your guide drives you back to Kampala or Entebbe, a journey of about eight to nine hours. You arrive in the late afternoon or early evening and are dropped at your hotel or the airport for your departure flight.
If time allows, you can stop at the Equator for photos on the way back. Your guide is happy to accommodate other reasonable requests along the route.
What is not included: international flights, visa fees, travel insurance, tips for guides and porters, alcoholic drinks, laundry, and personal items.
We recommend arranging comprehensive travel insurance before you travel.
Pricing depends on your choice of accommodation and group size. Solo travelers pay a higher per person rate, while groups of two to six benefit from lower per person pricing. Get in touch for a custom quote tailored to your dates and preferences.
Your gorilla and chimpanzee permits are included in the price, billed at the official permit rates with no markup added.
To book, we will need your full name as it appears on your passport, your passport number, your nationality, and your preferred travel dates. A deposit is required to secure your permits, since both are limited and booked well in advance.
This itinerary suits travelers who want both of Uganda’s signature primate treks without stretching the trip into a longer circuit safari. You get real time in two different forests, with a rest built in before each trek rather than back to back early starts.
Go to Africa Safaris is a Uganda based operator with experienced local guides in both Kibale and Bwindi. We manage the logistics and permits so you can focus on the primates.
Two forests, two primates, one unforgettable week in Uganda.
