Tour Overview
This 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Tour focuses on primate experiences include gorilla trekking chimpanzee tracking. Expect to visit Uganda’s premier primate destinations, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale National Park. In each of these destinations, you will be guaranteed captivating encounters with your dream primates. The tour begins with visiting Kibale National Park, the “Primate Capital of the World,” where you will encounter chimpanzees alongside other primate species. You will conclude the tour with the breathtaking gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park.
During the chimpanzee and gorilla trekking tour, expect to visit an already habituated chimpanzee community and a mountain gorilla group. Uganda alone provides refuge to an estimated over half of the 1063 mountain gorillas, with about 24 gorilla groups existing in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Over 5000 chimpanzees call Uganda home, with more than 1500 of them currently nestled in the Kibale Forest National Park. This gorilla tour also comes with exceptional sightings of other primates, birds, and floral species etc.
Key Highlights of the 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Tour
- Get a chance to observe both chimpanzees & mountain gorillas.
- Explore fully habituated gorillas & chimpanzees with ease to explore their behaviors.
- A maximum of 1 hour is allocated to guests to enjoy each of the primate adventures.
- Travel by road with a professional driver guide allocated to you by Rivo Safaris.
- Enjoy taking photographs at the Equator crossing (at Kayabwe & Kikorongo).
The Brief Itinerary – 5 Days Uganda gorilla tour
Day 1: Pick up & visit Kibale National Park (Kabarole District)
Day 2: Experience the Kibale chimpanzee tracking with the Bigodi Swamp walk
Day 3: Transfer by road to Bwindi via Kasese with an en route stopover at Kikorongo
Day 4: Gorilla trekking & Batwa cultural tour
Day 5: Morning Departure for Kampala –en route stopover at Kayabwe
The Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up & visit Kibale National Park (Kabarole District).
At around 7:00 am, expect to meet your safari guide that we have allocated to you, and you will have an early briefing about the 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Tour. Leave Kampala for Kibale, accessing it along the Mityana-Mubende-Fort Portal city-Kamwenge route. At Fort Portal tourism city, you will have a brief stop to enable you to enjoy some lunch and also relax your muscles. Depart from Fort Portal for you to check into your pre-booked accommodation facility.
Accommodation Facilities
- Budget: Isunga Lodge or Kibale Forest Camp
- Midrange: Chimpundu Lodge or Primate Lodge
- Luxury: The Luxury Kibale Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge
Day 2: Experience the Kibale Chimpanzee Tracking with Bigodi Swamp walk
Ensure that you are up early to organize and also to have some breakfast. After, you will be transferred to Kanyanchu, which lies in the heart of Kibale National Park. It will be at Kanyanchu where the Uganda Wildlife Authority tourism official allocates ranger guides and also conducts a briefing on chimpanzee tracking regulations.
Expect to depart from Kanyanchu at around 8:00 am for the actual day trek to see chimpanzees. The overall trek with chimpanzees in Kibale will take about 2-4 hours, but this covers an hour of observing how chimpanzee communities behave and taking photographs. In Kibale, the chimpanzee trek gets you exposed to not only chimpanzees but also other species of primates like olive baboons, blue monkeys, red-colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, and colobus monkeys.
After the great time with chimpanzees, start walking back to the starting point to meet the driver to transfer you to the lodge. At the accommodation, you will be served lunch, and in the afternoon, you will continue with the Bigodi Wetland/Eco tourism swamp on a guided nature walk. Navigate through the lush ecotourism wetland with the Bigodi guide while you spot more primates, birds, and other mammals. From Bigodi, return to enjoy a leisurely dinner and later, have an overnight stay in your respective accommodation options.
Accommodation Facilities
- Budget: Isunga Lodge or Kibale Forest Camp
- Midrange: Chimpundu Lodge or Primate Lodge
- Luxury: The Luxury Kibale Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge
Day 3: Transfer by road to Bwindi via Kasese with an en route stopover at Kikorongo
After breakfast and check out, meet your private driver from Rivo Safaris for you to start your journey to Bwindi. As you depart from Kibale, expect to enjoy the stunning Crater Lake views and tea farms. Drive through Kasese and later at Kikorongo, you will have a moment to take photographs at the Equator crossing. From Kikorongo, continue through Queen Elizabeth National Park and later reach Bwindi via the Ishasha sector to Buhoma.
Once you have arrived at the Buhoma region, you will have a warm welcome from the team at the lodge you pre-booked. Enjoy the great time in the lodge the rest of the evening, which also includes having dinner.
Accommodation Facilities
- Budget/Basic: Ride Four a Woman
- Midrange/Moderate: Silverback Lodge or Mahogany Springs Lodge
- Up-market/Luxury: The Bwindi Lodge/Buhoma Lodge
Day 4: Gorilla trekking & Batwa cultural tour
Have an early breakfast at the lodge, and later, you will catch up with the morning briefing at the Buhoma sector/trailhead. The park official present will take you through a detailed briefing on the guidelines for trekking gorillas. Other tasks to expect include allocation of gorilla groups and ranger guides, then at around 8:00am, you will set off for the trek to find gorillas. On a guided trek with Bwindi, you will be expected to take about 2-6 hours, which includes one hour for observing the behaviors of gorillas.
After you have a light moment with your favorite apes, begin walking back, and the park official will offer you a gorilla trekking certificate. From the reception, expect to continue back to the lodge for your relaxation, dinner, & night stay.
Accommodation Facilities
- Budget/Basic: Ride Four a Woman
- Midrange/Moderate: Silverback Lodge or Mahogany Springs Lodge
- Up-market/Luxury: The Bwindi Lodge/Buhoma Lodge
Day 5: Morning Departure for Kampala –en route stopover at Kayabwe
At leisure, have a hefty breakfast and check out of the accommodation property. Today, you will be transferred back to Kampala, and en route, the stopover will be at Mbarara city for lunch and Kayabwe for photography on the Equator monument.
End of the 5 Days Uganda Gorilla Tour
Tour Inclusions
- Gorilla permits (at Ugandan cost $800pp)
- Chimpanzee trekking (permits at US Dollars 250pp)
- Accommodation services & meals for the 4 nights
- Travel by 4×4 safari vehicle
- All safari experiences, excluding the optional
- Bigodi nature walk & Batwa experience
- Government taxes or levies (in Uganda)
Tour Exclusions
- Health/Travel Insurance
- Expenses for laundry services
- Tipping (guides/drivers/hotel/company/workers, etc.)
- Passport, visas, cigarettes, shopping, telephone, & other personal expenses