9 Days Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Golden Monkey and Queen Elizabeth Safari from Kigali

Your guide from Friendly Gorillas welcomes you at Kigali International Airport or picks you up from your hotel in Kigali. After a short briefing, you begin the journey toward southwestern Uganda.

If time allows, you may include a short Kigali city experience before leaving Rwanda. This can include the Kigali Genocide Memorial, craft shops, local markets, or a city viewpoint depending on timing.

You then drive through Rwanda’s rolling hills toward the Uganda border. After immigration formalities, continue into the Kisoro area near Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

This route gives guests a smooth start because Kigali sits closer to Uganda’s southwestern primate region than Kampala or Entebbe. It helps reduce travel fatigue and allows the safari to begin with a stronger rhythm.

Arrive at your lodge, check in, have dinner, and rest before golden monkey tracking.

Accommodation options in Mgahinga area:

• Budget: Travellers Rest, Kisoro
• Standard: Ichumbi Hotel
• Luxury: Mount Gahinga Lodge

After breakfast, your guide transfers you to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park headquarters for golden monkey tracking briefing.

The ranger guides explain the tracking rules, forest conditions, and how you should behave around golden monkeys. After briefing, you enter the forest and bamboo zones with your ranger guide.

Golden monkeys are active, colorful, and quick. They move through bamboo, feed in groups, jump between branches, and create lively viewing moments. This makes the activity a good opening primate experience before the deeper emotional experience of gorilla trekking.

After the activity, return for lunch or continue with lunch along the route depending on timing. You then transfer toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Bwindi has several trekking sectors, including Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Your final lodge depends on the confirmed gorilla permit sector. At Friendly Gorillas, we match the lodge to the permit sector so guests avoid stressful early transfers on trekking morning.

Arrive in the evening, check in, have dinner, and rest.

Accommodation options in Bwindi:

• Budget: Rafiki Gorilla Lodge or Ride 4 a Woman
• Standard: Buhoma Gorilla Camp or Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
• Luxury: Mahogany Springs or similar luxury lodge

Wake up early, have breakfast, and transfer to the park headquarters for gorilla trekking briefing. This is one of the most important days of the safari.

The ranger guides explain trekking rules, safety guidelines, gorilla behavior, and how guests should behave near the gorilla family. After briefing, you enter the forest with ranger guides and trackers.

The trek length depends on where the gorilla family moved overnight. Some treks feel moderate, while others involve steep, muddy, and thicker forest sections.

When you find the gorillas, you spend up to one hour with them. Guests might watch a silverback resting, mothers feeding, young gorillas playing, or the family moving through the forest.

This hour gives the safari its emotional center. Golden monkeys bring movement and energy, but gorillas bring calm, closeness, and a rare wildlife connection many guests never forget.

After the trek, return to the park offices and receive your gorilla trekking certificate. Your guide then transfers you to Lake Bunyonyi for a peaceful evening.

Accommodation options at Lake Bunyonyi:

• Budget: African Tent Resort or Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort
• Standard: Arcadia Cottages
• Luxury: Lake Bunyonyi Bird Nest

After breakfast, spend the day around Lake Bunyonyi. This day helps you rest after the physical effort of gorilla trekking.

Lake Bunyonyi adds balance to the safari. You enjoy calm water, terraced hills, island views, birds, and fresh highland air. This stop prevents the route from feeling like one activity after another.

You can relax at the lodge or add a canoe ride, motorboat trip, island visit, or community walk. A canoe or boat ride gives better views of the lake’s islands, homes, gardens, and hill scenery.

At Friendly Gorillas, we recommend this day because it improves comfort and gives you time to enjoy southwestern Uganda beyond the gorilla forest.

Accommodation options at Lake Bunyonyi:

• Budget: African Tent Resort or Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort
• Standard: Arcadia Cottages
• Luxury: Lake Bunyonyi Bird Nest

After breakfast, leave Lake Bunyonyi and drive toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. This day connects the highland lake region with Uganda’s savannah wildlife landscapes.

Depending on route conditions and timing, your guide may pass through the Ishasha sector. Ishasha is known for tree-climbing lions, although sightings depend on luck, timing, and animal movement.

The route gives you a good sense of Uganda’s variety. You move from terraced hills and lake views into warmer lowland areas, open landscapes, and wildlife country.

Arrive at your lodge near Queen Elizabeth National Park, check in, and relax before dinner.

Accommodation options in Queen Elizabeth National Park:

• Budget: Pumba Safari Lodge or Engiri Game Lodge
• Standard: Ihamba Safari Lodge or Buffalo Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Katara Lodge, Elephant Plains, or Mweya Lodge

Wake up early for a morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Early hours give you better chances of seeing wildlife while the park is cooler and more active.

Your guide drives through selected tracks while looking for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, antelopes, and other wildlife. Lions or leopards may appear depending on movement and luck.

This day adds classic safari value to the itinerary. After primate forests and Lake Bunyonyi, you enjoy open plains, crater scenery, wetlands, lakes, and larger animals.

Return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest.

In the afternoon, take the Kazinga Channel boat cruise. This activity often gives some of the best wildlife viewing in the park because many animals gather near the water.

You may see hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants, waterbirds, and other wildlife along the banks. The boat gives calm and close viewing, which helps photography and relaxed observation.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options in Queen Elizabeth National Park:

• Budget: Pumba Safari Lodge or Engiri Game Lodge
• Standard: Ihamba Safari Lodge or Buffalo Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Katara Lodge, Elephant Plains, or Mweya Lodge

After breakfast, leave Queen Elizabeth National Park and drive toward Kibale Forest National Park.

The route passes through western Uganda’s rural communities, crater landscapes, tea areas, and green countryside. On clear days, you may enjoy views toward the Rwenzori region.

This day gives the safari a smooth transition from savannah wildlife back into primate country. Kibale prepares you for the chimpanzee experience, which completes the primate theme of the journey.

Arrive at your lodge near Kibale in the afternoon. If time allows, you may rest at the lodge or add a short crater lake viewpoint stop.

Accommodation options in Kibale:

• Budget: Kibale Forest Guest House
• Standard: Isunga Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Kyaninga Safari Lodge or Turaco Treetops

Wake up early and transfer to the Kibale park offices for chimpanzee tracking briefing. The ranger guides explain forest rules, safety, and how guests should behave around chimpanzees.

You then enter Kibale Forest with your ranger guide. The forest feels alive with bird calls, monkeys, insects, and chimpanzee sounds. Chimpanzees are active, vocal, and expressive.

Once found, guests spend time watching the chimpanzees feed, climb, groom, call, and move through the forest. This experience feels different from gorilla trekking because chimpanzees move faster and interact more loudly.

This day completes the safari’s primate story. You see golden monkeys, mountain gorillas, and chimpanzees in one route, then understand why Uganda is such a strong primate destination.
After tracking, return to the lodge for lunch and rest.

In the afternoon, you may add Bigodi Wetland Walk. At Friendly Gorillas, we recommend Bigodi because it adds birds, monkeys, wetlands, community life, and a slower local experience after the forest trek.

Accommodation options in Kibale:

• Budget: Kibale Forest Guest House
• Standard: Icunga Safari Lodge
• Luxury: Kyaninga Safari Lodge or Turaco Treetops

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Entebbe or Kampala. Depending on timing, your guide may include a short crater lake viewpoint before leaving the Fort Portal or Kibale region.

The crater lake stop adds scenic value and gives guests a final look at western Uganda’s green hills, farms, and volcanic landscapes.
You then continue through towns, countryside, and roadside markets, with lunch along the way. Since this is a long travel day, we recommend an early start, especially if you have an evening flight.

Your guide drops you at your hotel in Kampala, your hotel in Entebbe, or Entebbe International Airport depending on the final plan.

This marks the end of your 9 Days Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Golden Monkey and Queen Elizabeth Safari from Kigali with Friendly Gorillas Safaris.