8-Day Uganda: Gorillas, Chimpanzees & the Kazinga Channel

Duration:

8 Days

Guide Language:

English

Group Size:

2 - 10 people

Transport:

Private light aircraft between Entebbe and Bwindi, 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof for all ground travel

Tour Meals:

Breakfasts, Lunch, Dinner

Tour Type:

Gorilla Trekking, Luxury, Uganda, Wildlife & Big Five

Accommodation:

The Boma Entebbe, Bwindi Lodge (Buhoma), Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge

Uganda answers the question your safari research kept circling back to: where do you actually see a gorilla up close, not from a minivan window. This is a bucket-list primate journey for travellers who want the Big Five's cousin experience without the compromise of an overland group tour. Seven nights across three ecosystems, one gorilla permit and one chimpanzee permit already secured before you land, so there is no scramble for availability once you arrive.

Journey Highlights

The moments that make this journey unforgettable.

Bwindi Forest
Kazinga Channel
Queen Elizabeth Park
Kibale forest

Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive Entebbe.

On arrival, you’re transferred to The Boma Entebbe, a converted colonial residence on the shore of Lake Victoria, to rest and settle in after the flight.

Stay at The Boma Entebbe.

Day 2 — Entebbe to Bwindi.

A private light aircraft flies you south over Lake Victoria and the Rift Valley escarpment to Kihihi airstrip, from which it’s a short drive into the forest. The afternoon is set aside for a briefing on gorilla trekking etiquette, altitude, and terrain, followed by a walk around Bwindi Lodge’s forest-edge grounds.

Stay at Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma sector.

Day 3 — Gorilla Trekking Day.

You set off at first light with rangers and porters, tracking a habituated gorilla family through Bwindi’s undergrowth. Trek length depends entirely on where the family slept the previous night, from a two-hour walk to a demanding six-hour trek, but every group is guaranteed one full hour in the gorillas’ presence once found.

Stay at Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma sector.

Day 4 — Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The drive north runs through the Ishasha sector, Queen Elizabeth’s southern wedge and the only reliable place in Uganda to find lions draped across the branches of sausage trees and fig trees. You arrive at Kyambura Gorge Lodge, perched on the rim of the gorge itself, in time for a sundowner overlooking the valley.

Stay at Kyambura Gorge Lodge.

Day 5 — Full Day, Queen Elizabeth National Park.

A dawn game drive across the open plains between the Kazinga Channel and the Kyambura Gorge is followed by an afternoon boat cruise along the channel, drifting past pods of hippo, basking crocodile, and elephant herds coming down to drink at the water’s edge.

 

Stay at Kyambura Gorge Lodge.

Day 6 — Queen Elizabeth to Kibale Forest.

The road north climbs into the cooler, greener highlands around Fort Portal. Kyaninga Lodge sits above its own crater lake, and the afternoon is free to settle in or take a guided nature walk through the surrounding forest.

Stay at Kyaninga Lodge

Day 7 — Chimpanzee Trekking, Kibale Forest

An early start into Kibale’s rainforest to track one of the largest wild chimpanzee populations in East Africa, accompanied by their calls echoing through the canopy long before they’re in sight. In the afternoon, you’re transferred back to Entebbe for an overnight stay ahead of departure.

Stay at The Boma Entebbe.

Day 8 — Departure Day.

A private transfer takes you to Entebbe International Airport in time for your onward flight

 

 

 

 


What’s Included

  • Gorilla trekking permit ($800) and chimpanzee trekking permit

  • Scheduled private domestic flight between Entebbe and Bwindi

  • All ground transfers in a private 4×4 safari vehicle

  • All accommodation as detailed, on a full-board basis
  •  English-speaking driver-guide throughout
  • Kazinga Channel boat cruise

What’s Not Included

✗International flights and Uganda visa fees

✗Chimpanzee Habituation Experience permit (optional add-on)

✗Travel insurance covering trekking activities

✗ Gratuities for guides and lodge staff

✗ Alcoholic beverages outside of what’s specified at each property

Signature Experiences

  • One Family, One Hour: Uganda caps gorilla groups at 8 visitors per family per day, so your hour in the forest is intimate, not a queue of vehicles waiting a turn.
  • Tree-Climbing Lions of Ishasha: A rare behavioural sighting found in only two places in Africa, photographed at eye level with the fig trees from an open-sided vehicle.
  • Kyambura Gorge, the Valley of the Apes: An optional add-on trek into a forested gorge below the lodge, for a chance at a second wild chimpanzee sighting outside Kibale.

Why Choose This Journey

  • Track tree-climbing lions in Ishasha — a behaviour seen almost nowhere else in Africa

  • Trek gorillas in Bwindi, then chimpanzees in Kibale — two of Uganda’s great ape permits, on one itinerary

  • Cruise the Kazinga Channel, one of Africa’s highest concentrations of hippo and buffalo

  • Skip the 8-hour road transfer between parks — travel by private light aircraft instead
Frequently Asked Questions
  • Trails run through dense rainforest at altitude, with a round trip that can range from two to eight hours depending on where the gorilla family is that day. Porters are available to carry equipment and assist with the climb.

  • Yes, this itinerary can be extended with a border crossing into Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park for a second trek in different terrain.

  • Uganda Wildlife Authority sets the minimum age at 15.

  • Yes, low light inside the forest calls for a fast lens; we brief every guest on gear and settings before the trek, and the Habituation Experience add-on gives photographers a longer window with the gorillas.

Map

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Extra

Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, Kibale Forest ($250.00)

Kyambura Gorge "Valley of the Apes" Second Chimp Trek, Queen Elizabeth NP ($60.00)

Batwa Cultural Trail, Bwindi ($50.00)

Second Gorilla Trekking Permit for a repeat trek, Bwindi ($800.00)

 Number ticket  × $6,050.00
Total = $6,050.00

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