7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari – Gorillas & Chimps

The 7 Days Uganda Wildlife and Gorilla Safari combines mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park and classic savannah wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo national parks. Starting and ending in Entebbe or Kampala, this private seven-day journey explores four of western Uganda’s most rewarding wildlife destinations.

Your 7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari begins with two nights in the Kibale region, where you will track chimpanzees in the tropical rainforest and explore Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary on a guided nature walk. Continue south to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel and game viewing across the savannah plains and Ishasha sector towards Bwindi.

In Bwindi impenetrable national park, where experienced ranger guides and trackers accompany you on a trek through the forest to find a habituated mountain gorilla family and spend up to one hour observing the gorillas in their natural habitat. After the gorilla experience, continue to Lake Mburo National Park, which is included purposely to break the long journey between Bwindi and Kampala/Entebbe and also adds wildlife that you didn’t see in Queen Elizabeth such as zebras, impalas, elands and giraffes.

Highlights of the 7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari

• Trek habituated chimpanzees in Kibale National Park
• Explore Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for monkeys, birds and wetland wildlife
• Enjoy a boat safari along the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel
• Wildlife drive in search for elephants, buffaloes, lions, Uganda kobs and other wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Travel through the Ishasha sector towards Bwindi
• Option to include an experiential lion-tracking activity
• Trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Spend up to one hour observing a habituated mountain gorilla family
• Break the return journey at Lake Mburo National Park
• Look for zebras, impalas, giraffes, elands and other wildlife in Lake Mburo

Itinerary at a glance

Day 1: Entebbe/Kampala and transfer to Kibale National Park

Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Walk

Day 3: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kazinga Channel Boat Safari

Day 4: Queen Elizabeth Game Viewing via Ishasha and transfer to Bwindi

Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 6: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Day 7: Lake Mburo Wildlife Experience and transfer to Entebbe/Kampala

Detailed 7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Entebbe or Kampala to Kibale National Park

Your 7-day Uganda safari begins with pickup from your hotel in Entebbe. The journey takes you away from the busy central region to western Fort Portal and the Kibale area, where rolling farmland, tea-growing country and the distant Rwenzori landscape introduce you to a very different side of Uganda. Arrive at your lodge in the Kibale region later in the day and settle in for a two-night stay. The evening is at leisure, allowing you to rest and prepare for the following day’s chimpanzee trekking experience.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Wetland Walk

Today is dedicated to two contrasting nature experiences around Kibale: chimpanzee trekking inside the forest and a guided walk through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale National Park

After breakfast, transfer to the designated chimpanzee trekking briefing point. Following a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers, enter Kibale’s tropical forest with an experienced ranger guide and begin tracking a habituated chimpanzee community.

The experience is centred specifically on the chimpanzees and the adventure of finding them within their natural forest habitat. Listen for their calls through the canopy, follow signs of their movement and walk beneath the towering forest trees as your ranger interprets the environment around you. Chimpanzees are highly mobile, and every trek unfolds differently depending on where the community is feeding and travelling that day. Once the chimpanzees are located, enjoy the permitted viewing period observing their behaviour and social interactions before returning through the forest.

Morning or Afternoon Chimpanzee Trekking

Chimpanzee tracking can be arranged in either the morning or afternoon, subject to permit availability. Travellers who prefer an early forest experience can undertake chimpanzee trekking in the morning and visit Bigodi later in the day. Alternatively, those booked on an afternoon chimpanzee session can explore Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary in the morning before entering Kibale for their chimp trek later in the day. This flexibility allows the day’s activities to be arranged around permit availability, traveller preference and local conditions.

Nature Walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

Bigodi offers a completely different experience from chimpanzee trekking. Rather than entering dense forest specifically in search of chimpanzees, the guided Bigodi walk explores a mosaic of wetland, forest edge, vegetation and community-managed habitat.

Walk along trails and sections of boardwalk with a local guide while looking for monkeys, birds and other wetland wildlife. Because parts of the habitat are more open than the interior of Kibale Forest, Bigodi provides excellent opportunities to slow down and observe smaller primates and birdlife while learning about the plants and wetland ecosystem.

The sanctuary is known for its rich primate and bird diversity, making it an excellent complement to the chimpanzee trek rather than simply another version of it. Return to your lodge after the day’s activities for dinner and your second night in the Kibale region.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 3: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth and Kazinga Channel Boat Safari

After breakfast, leave the Kibale region and travel south for Queen Elizabeth wildlife safari. The relatively manageable transfer allows you to arrive with enough time to begin exploring Uganda’s most diverse savannah safari park. After lunch and depending on the day’s boat schedule, head to the Kazinga Channel for an afternoon boat safari. The natural channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and attracts impressive concentrations of wildlife to its banks. Cruise past pods of hippos while watching buffaloes, elephants and other animals coming to the water.

The channel is also rewarding for birdwatching, with numerous waterbirds and other species feeding and resting along its shores. Unlike a vehicle-based game drive, the boat provides a relaxed opportunity to observe animals from the water and often at relatively close range. After the cruise, transfer to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 4: Game Drive via Ishasha and Transfer to Bwindi

Begin the morning with an early game drive through the open plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The short-grass savannah around the northern sectors provides excellent visibility and opportunities to search for Uganda kobs, buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks and predators including lions and, with luck, leopards. Queen Elizabeth does not have the zebras and giraffes associated with some of Uganda’s other savannah parks, but its combination of open plains, predators, large herds of buffaloes and elephants, wetlands and the Kazinga Channel makes it one of the country’s most rewarding wildlife areas.

Optional Lion Tracking Experience

For those interested in predators, an experiential lion-tracking activity may be considered as an alternative to the conventional morning game drive, subject to availability, current park arrangements and the day’s onward schedule.

Given that today also involves travelling south through Ishasha and continuing to Bwindi, the activity should only be included when it fits comfortably within the day’s routing. The objective is to enhance the safari rather than create an unnecessarily rushed transfer to Bwindi. After the morning wildlife experience, continue towards the southern Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Ishasha is famous for its tree-climbing lions, although sightings can never be guaranteed.

Travel through the sector while looking for wildlife before continuing towards Bwindi. Where the confirmed gorilla permit is for the Buhoma sector, the Ishasha to Buhoma route creates a particularly natural continuation from Queen Elizabeth into Bwindi. However, gorilla trekking sectors are allocated according to permit availability. Firante Gorilla Treks will therefore coordinate the final route and accommodation with the confirmed trekking sector. Arrive at your Bwindi lodge later in the day for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 5: Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Experience

After an early breakfast, transfer to your designated park briefing point with your packed lunch, drinking water and trekking equipment. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will brief you about the trek and appropriate behaviour around the gorillas and then assigning you to a habituated gorilla family. Accompanied by ranger guides and trackers, head into the forest in search of the gorillas.

Gorilla families move freely through the forest, meaning trekking time and difficulty vary from day to day. Porters are available at the trekking points and are highly recommended. Besides carrying your daypack, a porter can provide valuable support on steep or slippery sections of the trail while your participation also directly supports local livelihoods.

The effort becomes worthwhile when the trackers finally lead you towards the gorilla family. Once the gorillas are located, standard gorilla trekking allows you to spend up to one hour observing the habituated family. Watch quietly as the gorillas feed, rest, groom and interact within the forest. After your encounter, trek back to the starting point and reunite with your driver-guide. Return to your lodge and spend the remainder of the day relaxing after the trek.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 6: Bwindi to Lake Mburo National Park

After breakfast, leave the forested mountains of Bwindi and begin travelling east towards Lake Mburo National Park. Rather than undertaking the entire journey from Bwindi to Entebbe in one long day, Lake Mburo provides a convenient overnight break while introducing you to wildlife not encountered earlier in the safari. As you approach the park, the landscape changes again from the densely vegetated highlands of southwestern Uganda to the woodland and open savannah ecosystem around Lake Mburo.

The park is particularly known for zebras, impalas and elands, while giraffes have also become an important part of its wildlife following their reintroduction. Depending on your arrival time, you may relax at the lodge or add an optional evening or night wildlife experience.

Accommodation: Selected lodge or hotel, confirmed in your quotation.

Meals: Confirmed in your personalised quotation.

Day 7: Lake Mburo andTransfer to Entebbe or Kampala

Begin your final safari morning with an opportunity to experience Lake Mburo before continuing towards Entebbe or Kampala. Depending on your interests and onward travel schedule, the morning can include a guided nature walk or game drive. Lake Mburo provides a fitting contrast to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Look for zebras, impalas, elands, giraffes, buffaloes, topis and other plains wildlife across its mixture of savannah and woodland. After the activity, leave the park and continue towards Kampala and Entebbe. A stop around the Equator can be arranged along the way for photographs, refreshments or souvenir shopping. Continue to Entebbe International Airport or your Kampala/Entebbe hotel, marking the end of your 7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari.

What to Expect on Your 7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari

The 7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari offers a combination of guided primate trekking, traditional game drives, a boat safari and scenic road travel through western Uganda.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale

Explore the tropical rainforest with experienced Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides in search of habituated chimpanzees. The Bigodi community tourism for the wetland walk.

Queen Elizabeth Wildlife Viewing Safari

Enjoy a Kazinga Channel boat safari and a game drive in search of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, lions and other wildlife. The journey towards Bwindi passes through Ishasha, an area known for its tree-climbing lions.

Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi

Trek through dense rainforest to locate a habituated mountain gorilla family. Once the gorillas are found, standard trekking permits allow up to one hour with the family.

Lake Mburo wildlife experience

Conclude your 7 days Uganda wildlife and gorilla safari with a visit to Lake Mburo National Park, where zebras, impalas, elands, giraffes and other plains wildlife provide a different experience from Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Private transport and accommodation

Travel with a dedicated safari driver-guide in a custom 4×4 safari landcruiser, staying at selected lodges near or within the national parks. Accommodation categories, meal arrangements and included activities will be confirmed in your personalised quotation.

This safari is suitable for wildlife enthusiasts, couples, keen photographers and travellers who want to experience Uganda chimpanzee and gorillas trekking safari featuring savannah wildlife within a week. Participants should be comfortable with early departures, forest trekking and several road transfers.

 

Quotation and booking details

Request a personalised quotation based on your dates, group size and accommodation preference. Your written quotation will confirm the lodges, meal plan, trekking permits, transport, included activities, optional extras and exclusions before booking. No fixed package price is currently advertised.

Trekking duration, wildlife sightings and travel times vary. Final arrangements depend on permit availability, lodge location and local conditions. Where a long transfer or trek falls on your departure day, an additional overnight stay before flying is recommended.

Request a quotation

Planning advice: Gorilla trekking · Chimpanzee experiences · Safari destinations