10 Days Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Big Five Safari

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, your Friendly Gorillas Safaris representative welcomes you and transfers you to your hotel in Kampala. If you arrive earlier in the day, you may relax at the hotel or request a short city experience depending on your energy level and timing.

This day helps you settle in before the safari starts properly. You may use the evening to rest, exchange money if needed, and prepare your luggage for the next morning’s journey to Murchison Falls National Park.

Your guide gives you a short briefing about the route, activities, driving times, and what to expect during the next 10 days.

After breakfast, you leave Kampala and drive north toward Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. This sanctuary gives you the chance to track rhinos on foot with trained local guides and rangers.

Rhino tracking is a special start to the safari because it helps complete the Big Five experience in Uganda. You walk at a controlled pace while the guide explains rhino behavior, conservation work, and safety guidelines.

After the rhino experience, continue toward Murchison Falls National Park with lunch along the way. As you enter the park area, the landscape opens into savannah, woodland, and riverine scenery.

Depending on arrival time, you may visit the top of Murchison Falls. This is where the Nile squeezes through a narrow rock gap before dropping into a powerful pool below. It is one of the most dramatic natural sights in Uganda as you witness the world’s most powerfull waterfall forcing itself into a small gorge.

Wake up early for a morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park and head to the northern section of the park which is regarded as the best wildlife viewing point, with open savannah and scattered woodland.

Your guide looks for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, and other wildlife. Lions may also be seen depending on movement and luck. The early morning hours give you better light, cooler weather, and more active wildlife.

Return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest.

In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the River Nile toward the base of Murchison Falls. This is one of the most rewarding boat activities in Uganda. You may see hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, waterbirds, and other animals along the riverbanks.

The cruise also gives you a different view of the park. Instead of only searching from a vehicle, you watch wildlife from the water as animals come to drink, rest, and feed near the river.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, leave Murchison Falls National Park and begin the journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This is a long but scenic travel day through western Uganda.

The route gives you views of rural towns, farms, villages, tea-growing areas, and changing landscapes. You stop for lunch along the way before continuing toward Fort Portal and the Kibale region.

As you approach Kibale, the environment becomes greener and cooler. This region is known for rainforest, crater lakes, tea estates, birds, butterflies, and primates.

Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon or evening. Check in, have dinner, and rest before chimpanzee tracking the next day.

After an early breakfast, your guide transfers you to the Kibale park offices for registration and briefing. The ranger guides explain chimpanzee tracking rules, forest safety, and what to expect during the walk.

You then enter Kibale Forest with your ranger guide. The forest has many sounds, from birds and insects to distant chimpanzee calls. Your guide follows forest trails while looking for signs of chimpanzee activity.

Once you find the chimpanzees, you spend time watching them feed, climb, groom, call, and move through the forest. Chimpanzees are active and social, so the experience feels lively and different from gorilla trekking.

After tracking, return to the lodge for lunch and rest.

In the afternoon, you enjoy the Bigodi Wetland Walk. This optional activity is highly recommended if you enjoy birds, monkeys, community life, and quiet nature walks. It also supports local conservation and community initiatives around Kibale.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options in Kibale:

After breakfast, leave Kibale and drive toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. The route may pass through crater lake scenery, tea plantations, villages, and views of the Rwenzori region on clear days.

Arrive in Queen Elizabeth National Park and check in at your lodge or continue directly for lunch, depending on timing.

In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and attracts many animals and birds.

You may see hippos in large numbers, crocodiles along the banks, buffaloes, elephants, waterbirds, and other wildlife coming to the water. The boat cruise gives you close wildlife views and strong photo opportunities.

After the cruise, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Wake up early for a morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Your guide takes you through selected game tracks while looking for elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, waterbucks, and other savannah wildlife.

Depending on timing, route, and wildlife movement, you may also look for lions. The park’s open plains and crater views make this morning scenic even when animals are spread out.

After the game drive, return for breakfast or continue with your packed plan, depending on lodge location and timing. You then begin the drive toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

If your route passes through Ishasha and conditions allow, you may search for tree-climbing lions. Sightings are not guaranteed, but the sector adds interest to the journey.

Continue into the highlands of southwestern Uganda. The landscape changes into terraced hills, winding roads, farms, villages, and forested slopes.

Arrive at your lodge near your assigned gorilla trekking sector, check in, have dinner, and rest.

Wake up early, have breakfast, and transfer to the park headquarters for gorilla trekking briefing. The ranger guides explain the rules, safety guidelines, forest conditions, and how to behave near the gorillas.

After briefing, you enter Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with your ranger guides and trackers. The trek may take a shorter or longer time depending on where the gorilla family moved overnight.

The forest can be steep and muddy, but the experience is worth the effort. Your guides follow signs such as fresh nests, feeding marks, and broken vegetation until they locate the gorilla family.

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

After the trek, return to the park offices and receive your gorilla trekking certificate. You then transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for a relaxed evening after the forest experience.

After several active safari days, this day gives you time to slow down at Lake Bunyonyi. The lake is surrounded by terraced hills and dotted with islands, making it one of Uganda’s most peaceful places to relax after gorilla trekking.

You may spend the morning at leisure, enjoying the lodge, taking photos, or resting by the lake.

Optional activities include a canoe ride, motorboat trip, island visit, community walk, or cultural experience. A canoe or boat ride gives you a better view of the islands, birds, hills, and lakeside homesteads.

A community walk is also worthwhile if you want to learn about daily life around the lake. This adds a meaningful cultural side to the safari and supports local people.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kampala or Entebbe. This is a long travel day, so an early start is recommended.

You drive through Kabale, Mbarara, and central Uganda, with lunch along the way. Depending on timing and route, you may stop at the Equator for photos before continuing toward Kampala or Entebbe.

Your guide drops you at your hotel or Entebbe International Airport. If you have an evening flight, we recommend planning the departure time carefully to allow enough room for the drive, traffic, and airport check-in.

This marks the end of your 10 Days Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Big Five Safari with Friendly Gorillas Safaris.