8-Day Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Big Game Safari 

Safari Overview

This eight-day safari is the complete Uganda wildlife and primate adventure. You will enjoy a walking safari in Lake Mburo, track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, explore Queen Elizabeth National Park by vehicle and boat, search for the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, and trek through Bwindi for an unforgettable encounter with mountain gorillas. The trip combines intimate wildlife experiences, beautiful scenery, and encounters with some of Africa’s most remarkable primates.

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
Route: Kampala/Entebbe → Lake Mburo National Park → Kibale National Park → Queen Elizabeth National Park → Bwindi Impenetrable National Park → Kampala/Entebbe
Travel Style: Budget, Midrange, or Luxury

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Kampala/Entebbe to Lake Mburo National Park, evening game drive
• Day 2: Walking safari in Lake Mburo, transfer to Kibale National Park
• Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and Sebitoli Forest walk in Kibale
• Day 4: Crater-lake exploration, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, evening game drive
• Day 5: Morning game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
• Day 6: Ishasha tree-climbing lions, transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Day 7: Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi
• Day 8: Bwindi to Kampala or Entebbe

Day 1: Kampala or Entebbe then Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Driving Distance: Approximately 240 km, 4–5 hours

Your safari begins with a morning pickup from your hotel or another agreed location in Kampala or Entebbe. Meet your professional driver-guide and travel southwest through Uganda’s beautiful countryside toward Lake Mburo National Park.

Along the way, stop at the Uganda Equator in Kayabwe for photographs, souvenir shopping, and an optional equator demonstration. The Equator Monument is the most iconic stopover on the Kampala–Masaka highway, with interactive water demonstrations 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.

After lunch, continue to Lake Mburo, Uganda’s smallest savannah national park. Despite its size, Lake Mburo holds a surprising variety of wildlife, including zebras, impalas, giraffes, elands, buffaloes, topis, and warthogs. It is one of the few parks in Uganda where you can enjoy a walking safari.

Upon arrival, check in at your lodge and later head out for an evening game drive. The park’s acacia woodland, grassy valleys, and rocky hills support abundant wildlife. The soft evening light also creates excellent conditions for wildlife photography. Return to your lodge after sunset for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Lunch and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Eagles Nest Lodge
• Midrange: Mpogo Lodge
• Luxury: Mihingo Safari Lodge

Day 2: Walking Safari in Lake Mburo then Transfer to Kibale National Park

Driving Distance: Approximately 300 km, 6–7 hours

Begin your day with an early breakfast before joining an experienced armed ranger for a guided walking safari. Exploring Lake Mburo on foot offers a more personal way to experience the park and appreciate details that are easily missed from a vehicle.

Follow animal tracks through the savannah while searching for zebras, impalas, giraffes, elands, warthogs, and buffaloes from a safe distance. Your ranger will also explain the park’s plants, birds, insects, and animal signs. The walk typically lasts one to two hours and is suitable for most fitness levels.

After the walk, return to the lodge, check out, and begin the journey to Kibale National Park. The drive takes you through western Uganda’s scenic countryside, passing rural communities, tea plantations, forested hills, and crater lakes.

Stop for lunch along the way before continuing to your lodge near Kibale Forest. Arrive in the evening, check in, and relax while listening to birds and primates calling from the surrounding forest.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge
• Midrange: Guereza Canopy Lodge
• Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge

Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking and Sebitoli Forest Walk

After an early breakfast, transfer to the designated chimpanzee-trekking centre for registration and a briefing from the ranger guides. You will learn about chimpanzee behaviour, forest safety, and the guidelines to follow during the encounter.

Accompanied by an experienced ranger, enter Kibale Forest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community. 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 also holds the highest density of chimpanzees in Africa, with a 90% or higher chance of sighting during a trek.

The forest is also home to red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys. Once the chimpanzees are located, spend your permitted time observing them as they feed, groom, rest, communicate, and move through the forest. Their loud calls, energetic movements, and complex social behaviour create an exciting and memorable primate experience. You must maintain a minimum distance of eight meters from the chimpanzees, and flash photography is not permitted.

After lunch, visit the quieter Sebitoli section of Kibale National Park for a guided forest walk. Sebitoli is located in the northern part of the park and offers a less crowded alternative to the main Kanyanchu area. Explore the beautiful tropical forest while looking for monkeys, birds, butterflies, and medicinal plants. The area is also known for its population of chimpanzees that have been habituated for research.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Kibale Forest Lodge
• Midrange: Guereza Canopy Lodge
• Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge

Day 4: Crater-Lake Exploration then Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Driving Distance: Approximately 160 km, 3–4 hours

After breakfast, check out and explore some of the beautiful crater lakes surrounding Kibale and Fort Portal. Created by ancient volcanic activity, these steep-sided craters are now filled with water and surrounded by green hills, forests, villages, and cultivated farmland. The region holds over 50 crater lakes, each with its own character and views.

Continue towards Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoying views of the countryside and, on clear days, the distant Rwenzori Mountains. The Rwenzori range, also known as the Mountains of the Moon, forms the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and is one of the few places in Africa with permanent glaciers.

Upon arrival, check in at your lodge and enjoy lunch or refreshments. Later, take an evening game drive across the Kasenyi Plains. The Kasenyi area is known as the main mating ground for Uganda kobs, and this concentration of antelope attracts predators. Look out for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, and numerous bird species. The large concentration of antelopes also attracts predators, providing an opportunity to search for lions, leopards, and hyenas.

Return to your lodge after the game drive for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Tembo Safari Lodge
• Midrange: Tabingi Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 5: Morning Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Wake up early for breakfast before heading out for a morning game drive across the Kasenyi Plains. The cooler morning hours offer excellent conditions for wildlife viewing, particularly predators returning from their nighttime activities. Morning drives between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM offer the best chance to spot lions returning from nighttime hunts or actively prowling.

Search for lions, leopards, and hyenas while also observing elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, and troops of baboons. Your guide will help you identify the different animals and bird species encountered along the way. Queen Elizabeth National Park holds 606 confirmed bird species, one of the highest counts of any national park in Africa.

After lunch and some relaxation, take an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, the natural waterway connecting Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel is about 40 kilometers long and averages just one meter deep, creating ideal conditions for wildlife viewing. The boat ride lasts approximately two hours, with departures scheduled at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM from the jetty below Mweya Safari Lodge.

The channel supports large numbers of hippos and attracts Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, and numerous waterbirds. The boat cruise provides excellent opportunities to observe and photograph wildlife at close range. You may also see African fish eagles, kingfishers, and if you are very lucky, a leopard coming down to drink. Afterwards, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Tembo Safari Lodge
• Midrange: Tabingi Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Buffalo Safari Lodge

Day 6: Ishasha Tree-Climbing Lions then Transfer to Bwindi National Park

Driving Distance: Approximately 150 km, 4–5 hours including game drive

After breakfast, check out and travel through the Ishasha Sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Ishasha is famous for its tree-climbing lions, which are occasionally seen resting in the branches of large fig trees. This is one of only two places in Africa where lions routinely climb trees, the other being Lake Manyara in Tanzania. The behaviour has been documented in Ishasha for decades, making it a genuinely singular wildlife experience.

Nobody has settled the scientific explanation for why these lions climb. The leading theories include escaping ground heat and biting tsetse flies, catching a breeze, and gaining a better vantage point to spot Uganda kob and buffalo. The lions favour large fig and acacia trees along the Ishasha river circuits.

Timing matters more than you might expect for tree-climbing lion sightings. The behaviour is heat-driven, so the best time to look for lions in trees is often the middle of the day, when temperatures peak. Guides working Ishasha know which fig trees the resident pride favours, and a midday scan of these specific trees is often more productive than a broader dawn drive. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the open plains and peaceful surroundings make Ishasha a rewarding safari destination.

Enjoy a game drive while searching for the lions and other wildlife, including elephants, buffaloes, topis, and Uganda kobs.

After lunch, continue towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive takes you through the picturesque Kigezi Highlands, characterised by terraced hills, cultivated valleys, and rural communities. Arrive at your lodge near Bwindi in the evening, check in, and prepare for the following day’s gorilla trek. Dinner and overnight near the forest.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Nshongi Camp
• Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp
• Luxury: Four Gorillas Lodge

Day 7: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest

Today brings the most anticipated experience of your Uganda safari. After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for registration and a detailed briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers.

You will then enter Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with your ranger and trackers in search of a habituated mountain gorilla family. The duration and difficulty of the trek depend on the gorillas’ location and movements. The terrain can be steep, muddy, and densely vegetated, but the encounter at the end makes every step worthwhile. You will be assigned to a family, with a maximum of eight visitors per family.

Once you locate the gorillas, spend one unforgettable hour observing them in their natural environment. Watch the silverback protect his family, mothers care for their infants, and young gorillas play among the vegetation. Their expressions, family relationships, and gentle behaviour make this one of Africa’s most moving wildlife experiences. 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 to receive your gorilla-trekking certificate. Transfer back to your lodge and spend the remainder of the day relaxing and reflecting on the experience.

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, and dinner included.

Accommodation

• Budget: Nshongi Camp
• Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp
• Luxury: Four Gorillas Lodge

Day 8: Bwindi then Return to Kampala or Entebbe

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

Enjoy your final breakfast overlooking the forest before checking out and beginning the journey back to Kampala or Entebbe. The drive takes you through the scenic hills of southwestern Uganda, the Ankole cattle-farming region, and several small towns.

Stop for lunch along the way and later visit the Uganda Equator for photographs, refreshments, and last-minute souvenir shopping. Continue to Kampala or Entebbe, where your driver-guide will drop you at your hotel, residence, or another agreed location.

This marks the end of your eight-day Uganda gorilla, chimpanzee, and big-game safari.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included.

Safari Price Guide

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