This 5 Days Uganda Chimps and Gorilla Trekking Safari starts from Entebbe in Uganda and ends in Kigali city, Rwanda. This tour gives you the opportunity to do birding in Mabamba swamp, track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park, and gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will also visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive in Ishasha. After your gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you will drive to Kigali city in Rwanda where you will visit the genocide memorial center.
Highlights for 5 Days Uganda Chimps and Gorilla Trekking Safari
Day 1: Birding excursion at Mabamba Wetland and transfer to Kibale national park
Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking activity and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – Evening game drive
Day 3: Ishasha game drive -transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – visit the Pangolin Rescue Camp
Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience – transfer to Kigali – Rwanda
Day 5: Visit Kigali genocide memorial – Departure
Detailed Itinerary for 5 Days Uganda Chimps and Gorilla Trekking Safari
Day 1: Birding excursion at Mabamba Wetland and transfer to Kibale national park
Meet your safari driver to start your trip to Mabamba wetlands at 8 am. Mabamba Swamp is located around the shores of Lake Victoria and is one of the best birding sites in Uganda that offers visitors an excellent birding experience and an encounter with different bird species.
Mabamba swamp is also one of the few places in Uganda where there are higher chances of encountering the rare shoebill stork. Your safari guide will meet you and thereafter set off for birding at Mabamba wetlands. You will take a canoe ride at Mabamba where you will get closer to different bird species that reside here. You may also see the rare shoebill stork. You will spend half a day birdwatching.
Thereafter, embark on your journey to Kibale National Park en route to lunch in Mubende. Arrive in the reserve late afternoon with en-route birding. Check-in at your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking activity and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – Evening game drive
After having breakfast at your lodge, drive to Kibale national park head offices for briefing about the chimpanzees. Enter the forest and start trekking the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, It takes 2-5 hours to find them and on finding them, you are allowed 1 hour to be in their process as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor.
After tracking, return to the lodge, refresh and have lunch, and check out to connect to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is approximately a 3 hours drive from Kibale Forest National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival, connect for an evening game drive before your check-in for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Ishasha game drive -transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – visit the Pangolin Rescue Camp
After breakfast early in the morning, you drive to the Ishasha sector for a game drive and the opportunity to spot the tree-climbing lions, have an en-route lunch, and embark on your journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon your arrival in Bwindi, visit the Pangolin Rescue Camp. Thereafter, connect to your booked lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience – transfer to Kigali – Rwanda
After enjoying an early breakfast and transfer to park headquarters for the briefing you set off gorilla trekking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment.
Tracking mountain gorillas in the Bwindi impenetrable forest requires you to be in perfect health and physically fit to traverse the rough terrain in the forest. Hiking in search of mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest can often take most of the day depending on the location of the gorillas.
Once you have located a gorilla family, you will spend an hour in the presence of the gorillas before you return at your meeting point with the driver-guide and transfer to cross to Kigali – Rwanda. It’s about a 5-hour drive via the Katuna border and upon arrival, check in at the booked hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Visit Kigali genocide memorial – Departure
After breakfast, connect to visit the Kigali genocide memorial site. Thereafter, you will be dropped off at Kigali airport for your onward flight back home.
