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Arrive Africa Safaris
4 Days Uganda Gorilla & Chimpanzee Trekking Safari

Private Journey • Uganda

4 Days Uganda Gorilla & Chimpanzee Trekking Safari

View Itinerary

Overview

About this journey

Bwindi Gorilla Trekking and Kibale Chimpanzee Tracking Adventure

Safari Overview. Experience the ultimate Uganda primate safari on this unforgettable 4 Days Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari. This adventure takes you to two of Uganda's most famous wildlife destinations: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to the endangered Mountain Gorillas, and Kibale Forest National Park, renowned as the Primate Capital of the World. This safari offers a rare opportunity to encounter Africa's great apes in their natural habitat while exploring Uganda's stunning landscapes, rolling hills, tropical rainforests, and vibrant local cultures. From the thrilling experience of gorilla trekking in Bwindi to the exciting chimpanzee tracking adventure in Kibale Forest, this tour promises memories that will last a lifetime.

Safari Highlights

Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, Scenic drive through southwestern Uganda, Equator stop for photography,, Batwa cultural community experience, Spectacular views of the Kigezi Highlands, Bird watching and primate viewing opportunities, Professional English-speaking safari guide, Comfortable safari accommodation options

Highlights

What you'll experience

  • Push through dripping undergrowth at 2,200 metres until a wall of black fur materialises two arm-lengths away. Your permitted hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family resets every idea you had about wildness.

  • Kibale holds one of Africa's densest chimpanzee populations. Guide Francis Byarugaba leads you through red-clay trails at first light, tracking pant-hoots through the canopy until the troop descends to feed at eye level.

  • Between parks the road winds past a string of crater lakes, each a different shade of blue-green. Papyrus sedge lines the banks, fish eagles circle, and grey-crowned cranes step through the shallows — a living gallery for the three hours between Bwindi and Fort Portal.

  • Sleep at elevation inside Bwindi's forest buffer zone. Tree hyraxes shriek in shifts from dusk to dawn, a reminder that the mountain forest is working hard even while you rest.

  • The forest trails in both parks host red-tailed monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys. Your guide can tell each troop's local history — which group lost a dominant male last dry season, which moved range after a storm.

Why choose us

Why choose a Private Journey?

Two ape species, two distinct forest ecosystems, one seamless private itinerary — here is why this safari works.

Guides Who Know the Animals by Name

Our Bwindi and Kibale naturalists have tracked their respective primate communities for over a decade. They read behaviour, not just species, and that difference fills every hour in the forest with context you will not get from a textbook.

Fully Private from Start to Finish

Your vehicle, your pace, your questions. No waiting for another group at the briefing point, no sharing the lodge dining room with a tour coach. The itinerary bends to your fitness level and your curiosity.

Responsible Permit Handling

We secure your Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla and chimpanzee permits well in advance and brief you fully on habituated-group protocols. Conservation fees flow directly to UWA community programmes that protect the corridors these animals depend on.

Itinerary

your day-by-day journey

Day 1Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest – Return to Kampala

After an early breakfast, your Arrive Africa Safaris driver-guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe and begin the scenic journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. The drive takes you through beautiful countryside landscapes, traditional villages, rolling hills, and lush farmlands. Along the way, you will make a stop at the Uganda Equator for photography and refreshments before continuing to Mbarara for lunch. After lunch, proceed through the breathtaking Kigezi Highlands, often referred to as the "Switzerland of Africa," arriving at Bwindi in the late afternoon. Check into your lodge, relax, and enjoy the sounds of the forest as you prepare for the next day's gorilla trekking adventure.

Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation Options

Budget: Nshongi Gorilla Resort, Bwindi View Bandas

Mid-Range: Wagtail Safari Camp, Lake Kitandara Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Luxury: Gorilla Resort Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Silverback Lodge

Luxury Plus: Mahogany Springs Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge


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Lunch, Dinner

Day 2Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi Forest

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing by the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. You will be assigned a gorilla family and informed about the rules and guidelines for tracking. Venture into the ancient rainforest in search of the endangered Mountain Gorillas. The trek can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours depending on the location of the gorilla family. Along the way, enjoy sightings of unique bird species, butterflies, forest wildlife, and breathtaking vegetation. Once you locate the gorillas, you will spend one magical hour observing them as they feed, play, groom, and interact within their family groups. This close encounter with one of the world's most endangered species is truly one of Africa's greatest wildlife experiences. After trekking, return to the lodge for relaxation. In the evening, you may choose to visit the nearby Batwa community to learn about their culture, traditions, music, and historical connection to the forest.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Same as Day 1

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Enjoy breakfast before departing Bwindi and heading to Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda's premier destination for chimpanzee trekking. The drive offers magnificent views of tea plantations, crater lakes, mountain landscapes, and rural communities. You will pass through the beautiful western region of Uganda while enjoying scenic photography opportunities.

Arrive at Kibale in the late afternoon and check into your lodge. Depending on your arrival time, you may enjoy a guided nature walk or simply relax and prepare for the next day's chimpanzee tracking experience.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation Options: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, Kibale Forest Camp, Lake Nyamirima Cottages, Turaco Treetops Lodge

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4Chimpanzee Tracking — Then the Road Home

After an early breakfast, proceed to the park headquarters for a briefing before starting your chimpanzee trekking adventure in Kibale Forest. Accompanied by experienced ranger guides, you will walk through the tropical rainforest searching for habituated chimpanzees. Along the way, you may encounter other primates including: Black-and-white Colobus Monkeys, Red-tailed Monkeys, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, L'Hoest's Monkeys, Olive Baboons. Once the chimpanzees are located, enjoy watching them feed, play, communicate, and swing through the forest canopy. This fascinating wildlife experience offers incredible photography opportunities and insights into our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

After the trek, return to the lodge for lunch before beginning your journey back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport.

Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch

End of Safari

Safari Inclusions

Gorilla trekking permit, Chimpanzee tracking permit, All park entrance fees, Transportation in a 4x4 safari vehicle, Professional English-speaking driver-guide, Accommodation as per itinerary, Bottled drinking water, All activities mentioned in the itinerary

Safari Exclusions

International flights, Uganda visa fees, Travel insurance, Tips and gratuities, Personal expenses, Alcoholic and soft drinks.

Breakfast, Lunch

Extensions

+2 Days

Queen Elizabeth National Park — Tree-Climbing Lions and the Kazinga Channel

Add two nights in Queen Elizabeth National Park: a dawn game drive through the Ishasha sector for the famous tree-climbing lions, followed by an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel where hippos surface within touching distance of the bow and African skimmers skim the brown water ahead.

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+3 Days

Murchison Falls and the Nile — Northern Uganda

Extend north to Murchison Falls where the entire Nile squeezes through a seven-metre cleft in the rock and the spray is visible from two kilometres away. Three days give you a Nile delta boat cruise, game drives for Rothschild's giraffe and elephant, and an optional walk to the top of the falls.

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+1 Days

Gorilla Habituation Experience — A Full Day with the Research Group

Rather than one permitted hour, the gorilla habituation permit allows a full day alongside a semi-habituated group still in the process of becoming accustomed to human presence. You move with UWA researchers and observe a much wider arc of gorilla behaviour — foraging, conflict resolution, infant development. A rare addition for those who want more.

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Dates & Prices

Prices in USD, including internal air, per person, double occupancy.

  • Jun 1 – Jun 4
    $3,850Available
  • Jul 6 – Jul 9
    $3,850Available
  • Aug 3 – Aug 6
    $3,850Available
  • Sep 7 – Sep 10Offer
    $3,850Available
  • Oct 5 – Oct 8
    $3,850Available

Minimum Age

15 years for gorilla trekking (Uganda Wildlife Authority requirement). Children 12 and above may track chimpanzees with a parent or guardian.

Safari Duffel

A soft-sided bag of no more than 15 kg is recommended for lodge transfers. A small daypack for trekking essentials is essential.

First Group Event

Welcome briefing at your Kampala or Entebbe hotel the evening before Day 1 departure, or 06:00 vehicle pick-up on Day 1.

Last Group Event

Return transfer to Entebbe or Kampala hotel on the afternoon of Day 4. Estimated arrival 19:00–20:00 depending on route conditions.

Guaranteed Departures

All listed departures are guaranteed for a minimum of 1 person travelling privately. Permits are booked exclusively for your group.

Alternate Sightseeing

In the rare event that a habituated gorilla group cannot be located on trekking day, UWA rangers will attempt tracking of an adjacent group. Permit fees are non-refundable per UWA policy but we will work with you on rescheduling where capacity allows.

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