13 Days Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda safari

5 Days Kibale Chimpanzee & Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari

Explore Uganda’s lush tropical forests on this thrilling 5 days Kibale Chimpanzee & Bwindi Gorilla Trekking safari. Track our closest relatives, the chimpanzees, in Kibale Forest, home to the highest concentration of primates in Africa, also termed the “primate capital of the world,” and experience the awe of locking eyes with the endangered mountain gorillas deep in the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, also home to over half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population.

Scenic drives, breathtaking landscapes, and optional cultural/community encounters.

Day 0: Arrival and hotel transfer.

Upon arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be met and warmly received by our company representative, who will transfer you to your hotel for a short briefing and your check-in.

Depending on your flight arrival time, if time allows, you may be transferred for a healthy two-hour nature walk at the renowned Entebbe Botanical Gardens established in 1898 and covering an area of approximately 40.7 hectares, housing a beautiful natural tropical forest and a biodiversity-rich wetland that creates diverse microhabitats for various species.

Common sightings here include primates like the black-and-white colobus monkey and red-tailed monkey as well as various species of tree squirrels and an impressive avian diversity, including Verreaux’s eagle-owls, Africa’s largest owl, and black-headed gonoleks, among other species.

Dinner and over at Best Western Premier Entebbe (Value Accommodation)

Mid-Luxury Option: Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe

Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

After your breakfast at 7:30am, you will be met by your professional safari guide/driver from Salt Holidays who will brief you on your day’s transfer and begin the scenic drive to Kibale Forest National Park. The journey takes approximately 6 hours, passing through lush green countryside, tea plantations, and rural villages.

You will have some coffee and picturesque breaks to stretch and minimize the long drive fatigue. Hot lunch en-route before arriving at your lodge for a relaxed part of the day.

Dinner and overnight at Turaco Treetops (Value Accommodation)

Mid-Luxury Option: Chimpundu Lodge or Papaya Lake Lodge

Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking Experience

After breakfast at 7:00 am, you will be transferred to the chimpanzee tracking visitors’ center for a briefing by the park rangers. Kibale is a prime destination for chimpanzee tracking, often referred to as the “Primate Capital of the World.” During the trek, you will have the opportunity to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat at very close range (7-10 meters).

The experience is both thrilling and educational, as your lead guide provides insights into the behavior and ecology of these fascinating primates.

Normal tracking typically lasts 3-4 hours, including the one-hour chimpanzee viewing time once you locate them. Lunch will be served at your lodge.

In the afternoon, visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary (optional), a community-run project. This walk is slower and more relaxed, offering more chances to see more primates like black-and-white colobus monkeys and Uganda mangabeys, among others; birds like the Great Blue Turaco; and an opportunity to interact with the local community, including a local coffee-making experience and a banana beer/banana gin-making experience.

Chimpanzee Tracking Vs. Chimpanzee Habituation Experience:

Unlike normal chimpanzee tracking, which allows a maximum of 6 people per chimpanzee community to view a habituated chimpanzee community for up to 1 hour, chimpanzee habituation is a scientific research process that enables visitors to participate in research that helps a wild chimpanzee community become accustomed to the presence of tourists.s. In habituation, you spend up to 4 memorable hours with a chimpanzee community being habituated, studying their day-to-day activities and individual chimp behavior.

However, it costs a little more for a chimpanzee habituation permit, as you will see in our inclusions and exclusions. Please let us know at the time of booking if you prefer chimpanzee habituation instead of normal chimpanzee tracking, so we can book and reserve what is best for you.

Dinner and overnight at Turaco Treetops (Value Accommodation)

Mid-Luxury Option: Chimpundu Lodge or Papaya Lake Lodge

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, you will embark on a scenic journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive takes approximately 7 hours through Queen Elizabeth National Park, offering an opportunity for wildlife viewing along the way, breathtaking views, rolling hills, crater lakes and the Virunga Mountains (in the southern sector of Bwindi).

You will stop for lunch enroute before continuing through small villages and tea plantations. If tracking the northern sector of Bwindi, you will take a mini-game drive in Ishasha, the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for tree-climbing lions; if you are lucky, you may spot them on fig trees. Proceed to arrive in Bwindi, check into your lodge and relax in preparation for the next day’s gorilla trekking experience.

Dinner and Overnight at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (South of Bwindi) or Buhoma Haven Lodge (North of Bwindi) i) Value Accommodation

Mid-Luxury Option: Mahogany Springs Lodge or Buhoma Lodge

Day 4: Gorilla Tracking Experience

After an early morning full breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the park’s visitor information office with your lunch pack for a briefing by a ranger guide on your day’s activity—the dos and don’ts during your gorilla trekking experience.

After the briefing, you will be led by an experienced lead ranger-guide hiking deep into the forest. This may take a few hours to a full day depending on the location of the gorillas as well as your physical fitness/speed.

Once you locate a gorilla family, your lead guide will give an additional safety briefing, offering you maximum safety and a lifetime experience with the gorillas. It is such a humbling experience standing just a few meters from the gentle giants in their natural habitat.

After your lifetime encounter with the gorillas, you’ll return to the lodge for a deserved relaxation or optionally participate in the Batwa community experience to learn more about these indigenous forest people, also known as the Batwa pygmies, who accepted relocating from the forest to allow gorilla conservation.

Gorilla Tracking Vs. Gorilla Habituation Experience:

Unlike normal gorilla tracking, which allows a maximum of 8 people per group to view a habituated gorilla family for up to 1 hour, gorilla habituation is a scientific research process that permits a maximum of 4 visitors to participate in the research that helps wild gorillas become accustomed to the presence of tourists.

During gorilla habituation, you spend up to 4 memorable hours with a habituated gorilla family, studying their dynamic behavior.

However, gorilla habituation permit costs a little more as opposed to normal gorilla tracking. please let us know at the time of booking should you prefer to do gorilla habituation as opposed to normal gorilla tracking.

Dinner and Overnight at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (South of Bwindi) or Buhoma Haven Lodge (North of Bwindi) i) Value Accommodation

Mid-Luxury Option: Mahogany Springs Lodge or Buhoma Lodge

Please note: While you do not need to be an Olympic athlete to track mountain gorillas, it’s important to note that gorilla tracking requires some minimum effort and a relative degree of fitness.

5 Days Kibale Chimpanzee & Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari — Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

However, should you have any walking or altitude challenge, you’re not left alone, for as little as $20 US dollars, a team of local community members also known as potters who are part of the Uganda Wildlife Authority conservation efforts are ready to assist you carry your backpack, hold you and give you a push or pull on some technical hikes.

It’s also a direct way to support the local community and enhance your gorilla trekking experience.

Day 5: Transfer Back to Entebbe or Kigali for your flight

After breakfast, begin your journey departing the impenetrable home of the mountain gorillas.

If returning to Entebbe, expect a relatively longer drive broken down into coffee and scenic stopovers, including a stop at the Equator for souvenirs and lunch.
If exiting via Kigali, the drive is shorter and smoother crossing into Rwanda, with beautiful views of terraced hills.

However, we recommend you apply for an East African tourist visa from the first country of entry that allows you seamless entrance to Rwanda.

Your guide will drop you off at the airport for your late evening/night flight back home or at your own booked hotel, marking the end of your amazing primate tour of Uganda.

End of the 5 Days Kibale Chimpanzee & Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari

Includes

Excludes

· 1 Gorilla tracking permit per person

· 1 Chimpanzee tracking permit per person

· Accommodation as indicated on the itinerary

· All meals as indicated on the itinerary

· Experienced driver/guide fee

· Private Ground transfers in a 4X4 safari land cruiser with A/C and fridge

· Safe bottled water for drinking throughout the trip

1. Air tickets and visa fees

2. Items of personal nature like laundry, telephone calls, tips, souvenirs