7 Day Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tracking in Queen Elizabeth NP, Kibale, and Bwindi in Uganda
Unforgettable Safari in Uganda
This safari in Uganda will show you the best of what Uganda has to offer. The trip features grassland savannah, wildlife, gorilla and chimpanzee tracking, and boat safaris. Peak Cruise Safaris will take you on a safari that will leave you having truly known Uganda and its most precious pearl!
Key information
- Private or group safari
- Maximum group size: 6 persons
- Children policy: Children from 15 years old are allowed to join this safari
- English-speaking driver / guide
- Entrance fees including to protected areas mentioned and tracking permits included
Meet the guides
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Highlights
- Chimpanzee and gorilla tracking
- Boat safari in Kazinga Channel
- Spot elephants, buffaloes, lions, waterbucks, and more
- Explore Kibale, Bigodi, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Transport in a 4WD minivan with pop-up roof
- 6 nights mid-range accommodation
- Daily delicious meals
- Entrance fees including to protected areas mentioned and tracking permits included
Skill level
- Beginner
Types
7 activity days in English
Accommodation
The accommodations during this safari are all mid-range. They have good rooms and very beautiful views. There are also other options of luxury and budget accommodations.
- First and second night: Bweza Kibale Lodge
- Third and fourth night: Warujojo Safari Lodge
- Fifth and sixth night: Bweza Gorilla Lodge
Program
The main tourist destinations to visit include Kibale National Park, which is famous for harboring 13 primate species, including chimpanzees, olive monkeys, and many more. Also, Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for a variety of wildlife species, including the tree-climbing lions as well as the Kazinga Channel.
Lastly, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is famous for mountain gorillas and it contains a total number of 340 of them, with four main gorilla groups to track.
Transport
Peak Cruise Safaris' standard offering for budget tours is a 4WD safari van with a pop-up roof for easy safari viewing. All clients will have a dedicated window seat. Your professional driver / guide will be at your disposal for questions or translations.
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale National Park
You will be picked up by Peak Cruise Safaris' staff from your hotel / lodge and embark on a safari to Kibale National Park. After breakfast, you will drive to Kibale Forest National Park for overnight at Bweza Kibale Lodge.
This journey will take you through Queen Elizabeth National Park, with chances of spotting some wild game as you drive through this savannah-dominated National Park. You will have a chance to cross the equator and several rivers that originate from Mountain Rwenzori. Enjoy a lunch break in Fort Portal town before checking in at Bweza Kibale Lodge for an overnight stay.
- Main destination: Kibale Forest National Park
- Accommodation: Bweza Kibale Lodge
- Meals: All meals included
- Drinks: Drinking water
- Drive time: 3 to four hours
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking
This morning after breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters to join other trackers for a briefing, and afterwards, you will be taken for chimpanzee tracking through Kibale Forest National Park. During this walk, you will have chances of seeing many of the 13 primate species native to Kibale Forest National Park.
After lunch, you will drive to Bigodi for a swamp walk. This wetland belongs to the community neighboring the park.
- Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Accommodation: Bweza Kibale Lodge
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning, you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park. Be prepared for some incredible scenery along the way. You will arrive in time for lunch at the lodge and then have a game drive in the plains of Kasenyi in search of savannah wildlife, which may include herds of buffaloes, antelopes, elephants, and if you're lucky, some wild cats such as lions and leopards.
- Main destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Accommodation: Warujojo Safari Lodge
Day 4: Game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Have an early morning breakfast, and then go for the game drive, where you will be able to see many animals, including the giraffes, elephants, warthogs, kobs, the famous cats, and the lions if you are lucky - at that time of the morning when they are hunting.
Jetty for an afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel that departs at 15:00. The launch will expose you to counts of hippos, crocodiles, birds, and a range of wild game quenching their thirst on the channel side. You will retire from the two-hour boat ride to have an evening game drive as you make way to the lodge for an overnight stay.
- Accommodation: Warujojo Safari Lodge
- Drive time: 4 to five hours
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, and then proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, located in southwestern Uganda. This journey will take you through the green rolling hills of Uganda, with banana and tea plantations and good scenic views.
Lunch will be served at a selected restaurant and you will arrive in Bwindi in the evening.
- Main destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Lodge: Bweza Gorilla Lodge
- Drive time: 6 to seven hours
Day 6: Gorilla tracking day
In the early morning, have breakfast and leave with your packed lunch, then report to the park headquarters for registration and join other trackers in a briefing about the do's and don’t's during your gorilla tracking at 07:45.
You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the gorillas, which can take you half an hour to three-quarters of the day.
The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but is crisscrossed by numerous animal trails, allowing access to tourists. It is an extraordinary feeling being with these beautiful yet endangered creatures.
- Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Lodge: Bweza Gorilla Lodge
Day 7: Transfer to Kampala / Entebbe
Have an early morning breakfast and transfer to Kampala / Entebbe.
- End of safari
Thank you for choosing Peak Cruise Safaris
Included excursions
- Gorilla tracking
- Chimpanzee tracking
- Game drives
- Boat cruise
- Nature walks
- Community visits
Guides
Jennifer Twikirize
Jennifer Twikirize has worked in the hospitality industry for the last ten years. She worked with Sheraton Kampala Hotel as a travel clerk for six years. Her work was to advise guests which safaris / excursions to go for and she would go ahead and book the accommodation, activities, transport, and all the activities that come with a safari.
Location
This safari tour will take you from Kampala to Kibale Forest National Park, Bigodi, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kazinga Channel, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale Forest National Park boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including the chimpanzees. Approximately 5,000 chimpanzees live in the wild in Uganda, which makes it the perfect place to see them.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second largest park, located at the base of the majestic Rwenzori mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. The park has game that includes Uganda kob, warthog, and waterbuck. Lions are often sighted both in and at the entrance to the park.
Be ready to also see huge numbers of hippos and elephants, and keep your eyes on the lookout for a leopard lazing in the sunshine.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park boasts both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees - the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primates, 113 species of mammals, over 200 species of butterflies, and 360 species of birds.
The gorillas that you will track are habituated and can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period of time every day.
Food
During this safari, your daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner as mentioned in the itinerary will be provided.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Things to do (optional)
Crater lakes hike
Formed by ancient volcanic activity, the crater lakes of Uganda are located near Fort Portal, and are a great hiking option. Typical hikes will take you through local villages and tea plantations to the base of several of these incredibly serene and beautiful lakes. With the Rwenzori Mountains in the background, this is by far one of Uganda’s most peaceful and extraordinary sights.
Lion tracking
For visitors who yearn to get up close to wild African fauna, a research trip is a rewarding adventure. This new and unique experience allows visitors to actively participate in monitoring some of the lions in the park, using locator devices and learning habituation calls, as well as monitoring weather, surroundings, and behavior.
The results are added to researchers’ databases, contributing valuable information to the overall understanding of wildlife ecology - and helping to conserve this wonderful ecosystem. This will give you a 95% chance to see the lions as well!
The number of people on each outing is limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and to increase the quality of the experience for visitors.
Experiential tours
The experiential tourism activities currently available are mongoose tracking, lion tracking, hippo census, and bird counts. Experiential tours last between one and three hours. They usually take place in the early morning or evening, or occasionally at night. All activities must be booked through the Visitor Information Center in Mweya at least 24 hours in advance.
- Cost: 60 USD per person
Kyambura Gorge
Another optional activity in Queen Elisabeth National Park is to visit the Kyambura Gorge. A hike through the gorge will give you the opportunity to see habituated chimpanzees and other types of primates, including the red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus, baboons, and velvet monkeys.
Although the chance of spotting chimpanzees is only 50%, the landscape is among the most impressive in Uganda and is absolutely worth it!
- Cost: 50 USD per person
Village walk
Overlooking the imposing hillsides of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, with the mist swirling over the summits, this is one of the most dramatic settings for your cultural tour! Among others, meet a traditional healer, who not only treats the sick, but also uses his knowledge to conserve and educate about various medicinal plants.
What's included
- Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale National Park
- Chimpanzee tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Boat safari in Kazinga Channel
- Swamp walk in Bigodi
- Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Forest
- Stopover at the equator
- Services of an English-speaking Ugandan driver / guide
- Transport in a 4WD minivan with a pop-up roof for an excellent safari view
- All fuel for the tour
- 6 nights accommodation
- Full board accommodation on safari
- Bottled water when on safari
- Packed lunch for the gorilla tracking
- Chimpanzee permit (for chimpanzee tracking)
- Gorilla permit (for gorilla tracking)
- Entrance fees to the tourist sites, including protected areas mentioned
- Fees for activities of tourists
What's not included
- International airfares - can be arranged on request
- Domestic airfares - can be arranged on request
- Airport transfers - can be arranged on request
- Entry visa to Uganda
- Meals not mentioned
- A porter during the gorilla tracking
- Personal (medical / travel) insurance
- Tips and gratuities to rangers, driver / guide, porter, hotel staff, etc.
- All expenses of a personal nature (e.g. drinks, laundry, optional activities, souvenirs, etc.)
- Beverages / drinks of personal nature like alcohol
- Laundry services
- Tips for drivers / guides and other staff members
- Other activity fees not mentioned in the itinerary
- Any other extras not mentioned in the itinerary
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Transfer available for additional US$ 40 per person
Entebbe International Airport
231 km away from your destination
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Entebbe International Airport (EBB). Transfer from and to the airport is not included in the price.
Peak Cruise Safaris will pick you up and transfer you to the park, then drop you off in Kampala or Entebbe after the tour.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
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