5 Days Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
*price p.p. incl. guide, safari-jeep, hotel and park entrance fees, excl. international flight (Based on 6 persons)
Note: We have discounts for kids 12 years old or younger.
5 Days
Private or Group
Safari
Friendly Gorillas Safaris recommends this itinerary for travelers who want gorillas and chimpanzees without spending too many days on the road. It suits primate lovers, couples, photographers, first-time visitors, and travelers adding Uganda to a wider East Africa safari. It is not ideal for travelers who only want classic Big Five game drives, beach relaxation, or a trip with very limited driving.
DURATION
5 Days
TOUR TYPE
Lodge Safaris, Private Safaris, Fly In Safari
ACTIVITIES
Mountain gorilla trekking, mountain climbing, volcano hiking, bird watching, game driving, chimpanzee trekking
TRANSPORT
Private 4×4 Safari Vehicle
Overview
The 5 Days Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari is one of the best short primate safaris in Uganda. It combines chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park with mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, giving you two of Africa’s most memorable wildlife encounters in one well-planned journey.
This tour works well because it focuses on Uganda’s strongest safari advantage: primates. You start with Kibale, widely known for chimpanzee tracking, then continue through scenic western Uganda toward Bwindi, home to the famous mountain gorillas. Along the way, you see crater lakes, tea estates, rural villages, highland views, and Uganda’s changing landscapes
5 Days Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
BUDGET Accommodation
2 Persons
4 Persons
6+ Persons
STANDARD Accommodation
2 Persons
4 Persons
6+ Persons
LUXURY Accommodation
2 Persons
4 Persons
6 Persons
* Indicative costs per person, excluding international airline tickets
Price includes
• Chimpanzee tracking permit
• Gorilla trekking permit
• Private safari vehicle and fuel
• Professional English-speaking driver-guide
• Airport or hotel pickup and drop-off
• Accommodation during the safari
• Meals as agreed in the final itinerary
• Park entrance fees where applicable
• Bottled drinking water during travel
• All planned transfers between Kampala or Entebbe, Kibale, Bwindi, and return
• Government taxes included in the package
Price Excludes
• International flights
• Uganda visa fees
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenses
• Tips and gratuities
• Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
• Laundry services
• Optional Bigodi Wetland Walk unless included
• Optional Batwa cultural experience unless included
• Porter fees during gorilla trekking unless included
• Extra accommodation before or after the safari
• Any activity not listed in the confirmed itinerary
Where you shall visit
.
Highlights
- Track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.
- Trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Experience two of Uganda’s most important primate destinations in five days.
- Travel through tea estates, crater lakes, villages, forests, and highland scenery.
- Visit one of the best chimpanzee tracking destinations in the entire world.
- Spend one hour with a mountain gorilla family after finding them.
- Enjoy a private guided safari planned by Friendly Gorillas Safaris
- • Optionally add Bigodi Wetland Walk, Lake Bunyonyi, or a Batwa cultural experience depending on timing and routing.
Detailed Itinerary
- Day 1: Transfer from Kampala or Entebbe to Kibale Forest National Park
Your Friendly Gorillas Safaris guide meets you at your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe after breakfast. After a meet and greet, short briefing, you begin the drive to Kibale Forest National Park in western Uganda.
The route takes you through towns, farmland, local markets, and changing countryside. As you approach Fort Portal, the scenery becomes greener, with tea plantations, crater lake landscapes, and views of the Rwenzori region on clear days.
You stop for lunch along the way, then continue toward Kibale. This area is known for its rainforest, primates, birds, butterflies, and peaceful rural surroundings. It gives you a different feeling from the drier savannah parks of Uganda.
Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon or evening. Check in, relax, and prepare for chimpanzee tracking the next day.
Turacot tree tops (Luxury)
- Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale Forest and Optional Bigodi Wetland Walk
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 is rich with life, and you may hear birds, monkeys, insects, and distant chimpanzee calls as you walk. Chimpanzees are active, vocal, and social, so the experience feels different from gorilla trekking.
Once you find the chimpanzees, you spend time watching them feed, move, groom, climb, call, and interact. Sometimes they stay high in the trees. At other times, they come closer to the forest floor, giving you better views and photo chances.
After the tracking experience, return to the lodge for lunch and rest.
In the afternoon, you may add the Bigodi Wetland Walk. This community-based activity is one of the best optional experiences near Kibale. It gives you a chance to see birds, monkeys, swamp vegetation, local homesteads, and village life. It also supports the local community directly.
Return to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay
Turacot Treetops (Luxury)
- Day 3: Transfer from Kibale to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, you leave Kibale and begin the journey toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a scenic travel day through western and southwestern Uganda.
Depending on routing, you may drive through the Fort Portal area, Kasese, Queen Elizabeth region, Ishaka, and the Kigezi highlands. The journey gives you a good view of Uganda’s natural variety, from forested areas to open landscapes and then into cooler highlands.
You stop for lunch along the way before continuing toward Bwindi. As you approach the gorilla region, the scenery becomes more dramatic, with terraced hills, winding roads, small villages, and forested slopes.
Bwindi has different gorilla trekking sectors, including Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Your final lodge depends on the sector assigned on your gorilla permit. We always plan accommodation around the confirmed trekking location to avoid unnecessary movement on the trekking morning.
Arrive at your lodge in the evening, check in, have dinner, and rest.
Buhoma Gorilla Camp (Standard)
- Day 4: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Wake up early, have breakfast, and transfer to the park headquarters for your gorilla trekking briefing. The Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides explain the trekking rules, safety guidelines, and how to behave once you meet the gorillas.
After briefing, you join your assigned group and enter Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The trek can take a short or longer time depending on where the gorilla family spent the night and how far they move.
Bwindi’s forest is thick, beautiful, and sometimes challenging. You may walk along narrow trails, climb steep sections, cross muddy paths, and move through dense vegetation. Your ranger guides and trackers lead the way, following signs until they locate the gorilla family.
When you find the gorillas, you spend up to one hour with them. You may watch a silverback guarding the family, young gorillas playing, females feeding, or babies staying close to their mothers. The moment feels calm, emotional, and deeply personal.
After the experience, you return to the starting point and receive your gorilla trekking certificate. You then transfer back to your lodge for late lunch and rest.
If time and energy allow, you may add an optional Batwa cultural experience or community visit near Bwindi. This gives you a cultural connection to the region and supports local communities around the park.Buhoma Gorilla Camp (Standard)
- Day 5: Transfer from Bwindi to Kampala or Entebbe
After breakfast, you begin the return journey to Kampala or Entebbe. This is a long travel day, so we recommend an early start.
You drive through the highlands, rural villages, trading centers, and farmland before joining the main route toward Mbarara and central Uganda. You stop for lunch along the way and may also stop at the Equator if the route and timing allow.
Your guide drops you at your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe. If you have an evening flight, the schedule should be planned carefully to allow enough time for the long drive, traffic, and airport check-in.
This marks the end of your 5 Days Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari with Friendly Gorillas Safaris.
Why book this 5 Days Uganda Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
FLEXIBLE CANCELATION
Cancel up to 60 days before departure.
EXPERT LOCAL GUIDES
Only guides with 10+ years of Guiding experience.
NO HIDDEN FEES
All prices are final. No suprises at all.
24/7 SUPPORT
We're always available throughout and after the trip.
Ismatic C
Incredible Gorilla trekking
It was a solo yet memory filled experience right from my first inquiry to the last day of the trip. Everything was smooth. My tour guide Eddie was beyond friendly and had an eagles eye for even the smallest animals.
The most memorable moment was my first sight of the mighty Gorillas in Bwindi.
I highly appreciate and recommend friendly Gorillas safari
Noak H
The best 5 days Uganda gorilla tour
we had the most amazing time in Uganda accompanied by our very Friendly tour guide Elias.
The support team that handled tour preparations were very kind and responded to every question we had in time. Bliss even went an extra mile to give us a video call during some of the sessions.
We were very lucky to see the rare tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector or Queen Elizabeth while exiting for Bwindi.
I highly recommend this company because they met all our expectations and even delivered more than we imagined.
MIranda N
LOVED our Akagera Safari
We had such a great time on our 2 day / 1 night Safari tour to Akegara National Park in Rwanda. Jado was our AMAZING tour guide who made sure we were cared for and had everything we needed during our time!
Prior to the trip, I had seamless communication with the Safari group who helped figure out exactly what Safari tour I wanted (1 day or more). They sent an example schedule as well as several lodging options. We ultimately chose the “budget” option which was the Rhino Lodge — it did not feel budget at all! It was GORGEOUS and the food was amazing. We even asked if we could adjust the schedule and they were more than happy to accommodate.
We had a fabulous time traveling to the park with Jado, getting settled and eating at the Rhino Lodge, participating in a half day safari that also included a water tour where we saw Rhinos, Crocodiles, Buffalos… and lots of birds! As soon as we drove into the park we saw an elephant and as we were leaving we saw Baboons. We slept and ate well and then the adventure began early the next day, where we had a full day of Safari through the park. We were able to see more Buffalos, impala, Baboons, Giraffes, rhinos, zebras, warthogs and even a rogue hippo wandering around on land. We unfortunately did not see any big cats (leopards or lions) but Jado certainly tried his best to find them.
Once we paid the initial fee prior to the tour, everything was included. This was an amazing trip, we felt very safe, and I would absolutely book again with this company. Thank you guys so much for being so great and easy!!!
Flavia
Excellent organization :)
Excellent organization considering that Tony managed to plan the entire tour, permits for gorillas and chimpanzees included, just one day before departure. This is not taken for granted since the tour operator we had contacted months earlier canceled our trip 3 days before departure!
Our driver Tony, who also served as our guide, was always caring and attentive to our needs. Uganda is a country full of natural wonders, and being able to enjoy it peacefully with the right quality-price ratio allows for a full experience of all the activities
Ferreira Family
Top Notch Company and Guide, Eddie
From the planning stages to the first meet and greet, Anthony, Brenda and their team went above and beyond to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime! Friendly Gorilla Safaris gave us everything we asked for while keeping in mind our mid-range budget.
They are excellent with communication, professional, patient, and were able to answer all our questions. Our itinerary was amazing with river rafting, game drives, chimp trek and of course the gorilla trek. Accommodations were great, food delicious and Eddie our driver/guide was fantastic! Highly recommend this company.
Sofia
Absolutely phenomenal, from start to finish!!
Cannot recommend this company enough!!! Anthony and Brenda are fantastic and worked with us to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime. All expectations were not only met, but greatly exceeded! From our exhilarating itinerary to the memorable accommodations, every part of the experience was extraordinary.
All the activities including river rafting, game drives, gorilla/chimp/rhino treks and boat rides were spectacular, with stunning views and incredible wildlife sightings, and the food was fantastic throughout. Accommodations were wonderfully planned, and each place we stayed offered something different, but all were so lovely. The warmth and hospitality from everyone we met in Uganda is indescribable. What truly made this trip special, though, was our guide, Eddie. He was knowledgeable, professional, passionate, joyful, and also so attentive to our group’s needs.
We could not have asked for a better driver/guide – he went above and beyond to ensure we had a life-changing adventure every step of the way while simultaneously feeling like a member of the family. It was clear he genuinely cared about making sure we had the BEST time possible. This was more than a vacation – it was an adventure I’ll never forget, and I’m still majorly struggling with post-Uganda depression! Thank you Anthony, Brenda and Eddie for the most unforgettable experience ever. We miss you all!
Don’t wait,
book this adventure safari today
Low season
Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr, may
Peak season
Jun, July, Aug, Sept, Dec
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