7-Day Murchison Falls, Chimpanzee and Gorilla Safari 

Safari Overview

This seven-day safari is the ultimate Uganda sampler. You’ll track rhinos on foot at Ziwa, cruise the Victoria Nile to the base of Murchison Falls, trek chimpanzees through the primate capital of the world at Kibale, and spend an unforgettable hour with a mountain gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It is the definitive week-long introduction to Uganda’s wildlife and wild places.

Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Route: Kampala/Entebbe to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kampala/Entebbe
Travel Style: Budget, Midrange, or Luxury

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Kampala/Entebbe to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary then Murchison Falls
• Day 2: Morning Game Drive, Nile Boat Cruise and Top of the Falls
• Day 3: Murchison Falls then Transfer to Kibale National Park
• Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Walk
• Day 5: Kibale then Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Cultural Experience
• Day 7: Bwindi then Return to Kampala/Entebbe

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Kampala/Entebbe to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary then Murchison Falls

Driving Distance: Approximately 305 km, 5–6 hours including rhino tracking

Your safari begins with an early morning pickup from Kampala or Entebbe. Travel north through Uganda’s changing countryside, past small towns, farmland, and roadside markets. Your first stop is Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only place in Uganda where you can track southern white rhinos on foot.

At Ziwa, you join an experienced ranger for a guided rhino tracking experience. The sanctuary was established to reintroduce rhinos to Uganda after they were driven to local extinction by 1983 . You’ll observe these massive animals from a safe distance while learning about their behaviour, feeding habits, and the conservation program that brought them back. The walk typically lasts one to two hours, depending on where the rhinos are located.

After lunch, continue to Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest national park. Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon or evening. Check in, relax, and enjoy dinner before your first night in the wild.

Meals: Lunch and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Ikorom Safari Lodge
• Midrange: Sambiya River Lodge
• Luxury: Entikko Safari Lodge

Day 2: Morning Game Drive, Nile Boat Cruise and Top of the Falls

The fullest day of the Murchison experience.

After an early breakfast, enjoy a game drive across the park’s northern savannah plains. The northern sector, characterised by open grassland dotted with borassus palms and acacia trees, holds by far the highest concentration of wildlife . The Buligi circuit is the most productive game-viewing area, a triangular stretch of grassland bordered by the Victoria Nile and Albert Nile where buffaloes, Uganda kobs, and lions are frequently found .

Look out for lions, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, hartebeests, and waterbucks. Murchison Falls holds Uganda’s largest elephant population, estimated at over 1,500 individuals, and breeding herds of 30 to 80 elephants are a regular sighting on morning drives . The park also holds approximately 1,250 Rothschild’s giraffes, the largest single population in the world . Morning drives between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM offer the best chance to spot predators returning from nighttime hunts .

After lunch, take a boat cruise along the Victoria Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls. The cruise lasts approximately two to three hours and brings you close to hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and waterbirds along the riverbanks . As you approach the falls, the river narrows, and the current strengthens. The boat brings you near enough to see the spray rising from where the Nile crashes through the gorge.

Later, visit the top of the falls. This is a completely different perspective. From the top, you witness the entire Nile forcing itself through a seven-meter-wide gap in the rock before plunging 43 meters into the Devil’s Cauldron. The sound is thunderous, the spray continuous, and the power almost incomprehensible. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Ikorom Safari Lodge
• Midrange: Sambiya River Lodge
• Luxury: Entikko Safari Lodge

Day 3: Murchison Falls then Transfer to Kibale National Park

Driving Distance: Approximately 300 km, 6–7 hours

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey south toward Kibale National Park. This is a long but scenic transfer through villages, farmland, tea plantations, and the beautiful landscapes surrounding Fort Portal.

The drive takes you through the crater lakes region, where you can see numerous small lakes formed by ancient volcanic activity nestled among green hills. Stop for lunch along the way before continuing to your lodge near Kibale Forest.

Arrive in the evening, check in, and relax as you prepare for the following morning’s chimpanzee trek. If time allows, take a short evening walk near the lodge to stretch your legs and listen for the calls of primates in the surrounding forest.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge
• Midrange: Kibale Tourist Lodge
• Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge

Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Walk

The primate capital of the world awaits.

After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing before entering Kibale Forest with an experienced ranger. Kibale National Park is widely regarded as the primate capital of the world, supporting 13 primate species including a population of over 1,500 wild chimpanzees . The forest holds the highest density of chimpanzees in Africa, with a 90% or higher chance of sighting during a trek .

Follow the forest trails in search of a habituated chimpanzee community. The trek lasts between two and five hours depending on how far the group has moved overnight. Along the way, you may encounter other primates including red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

Once the chimpanzees are located, you will spend one hour observing them feeding, grooming, and communicating. Unlike the quieter mountain gorillas, chimpanzees are highly active and vocal. Expect a cacophony of whoops and hollers as they swing through the treetops and interact with one another. You must maintain a minimum distance of eight meters from the chimpanzees, and flash photography is not permitted .

After lunch, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a guided nature and community walk. The wetland is known for its monkeys, birds, and community-led conservation activities. It supports eight species of primates and over 200 bird species, and the revenues generated from the walk go directly towards community projects. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge
• Midrange: Kibale Tourist Lodge
• Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge

Day 5: Kibale then Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Driving Distance: Approximately 250 km, 5–6 hours

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Travel through western Uganda’s beautiful countryside, passing crater lakes, plantations, rural communities, and rolling hills.

The landscape gradually shifts from the crater-lake region around Fort Portal to the terraced Kigezi Highlands as you approach Bwindi. Stop for lunch along the way before continuing into the scenic highlands.

Arrive at your lodge near Bwindi in the evening, check in, and prepare for the following day’s gorilla trek. Your guide will brief you on what to wear, what to expect, and the logistics of the morning.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Nshongi Camp
• Midrange: Buhoma Haven Lodge
• Luxury: Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Cultural Experience

The day you’ve been waiting for.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for registration and a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. Enter Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with your ranger and trackers in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family. You will be assigned to a family, with a maximum of eight visitors per family.

The trek may take several hours depending on the gorillas’ location and movement. The terrain can be steep, muddy, and densely vegetated, but the encounter at the end makes every step worthwhile.

Once the gorillas are located, you will spend one unforgettable hour observing them in their natural habitat. Watch the silverback protect his family, mothers nurse and care for infants, and playful juveniles tumble through the vegetation. You must maintain a minimum distance of seven meters and wear a face mask during the encounter to protect the gorillas from human illnesses.

After the trek, return to the park headquarters and receive your gorilla trekking certificate.

Depending on your return time from the forest, visit the Batwa community for a cultural experience. The Batwa are the indigenous forest people who lived in Bwindi for thousands of years before the national park was created in 1991. Learn about their traditional forest lifestyle through storytelling, medicinal plants, hunting techniques, music, and dance. You’ll also learn about their displacement and how cultural tourism now helps preserve their heritage while generating community income. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Nshongi Camp
• Midrange: Buhoma Haven Lodge
• Luxury: Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Day 7: Bwindi then Return to Kampala/Entebbe

Driving Distance: Approximately 460–500 km, 8–10 hours

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey back to Kampala or Entebbe. Travel through the terraced hills and farming communities of southwestern Uganda, stopping for lunch along the way.

Later, stop at the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe for photographs and souvenir shopping. The Equator Monument is the most iconic stopover on the Kampala–Masaka highway, with interactive demonstrations, photo opportunities, and a chance to stand with one foot in each hemisphere . The Equator Line Restaurant also offers freshly ground Ugandan coffee and the famous rolex, a vegetable omelette wrapped in chapati bread .

Continue to your agreed drop-off point in Kampala or Entebbe, arriving in the evening. This marks the end of your seven-day Uganda safari.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

Safari Price Guide

Cost in USD per Person, based on accommodation category and group size: