5 Days Murchison Falls and Kibale Chimpanzee 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
At Friendly Gorillas, we recommend this itinerary for you who want a strong Uganda safari at a lower total cost than gorilla-focused packages
DURATION
5 Days
TOUR TYPE
Lodge Safaris, Private Safaris, Fly In Safari
ACTIVITIES
Game viewing, Cultural , cycling, Chimpanzee trekking, Boat cruise, hiking top of the falls, birding, cultural encounters
TRANSPORT
Private 4×4 Safari Vehicle
Overview
The 5 Days Murchison Falls and Kibale Chimpanzee Safari gives you two of Uganda’s strongest non-gorilla experiences in one route. It combines Murchison Falls National Park for wildlife, the River Nile, and the falls, then continues to Kibale Forest National Park for chimpanzee tracking.
This itinerary works well for you who want Uganda’s wildlife and primates but are not ready to add gorilla trekking. It gives them game drives, a Nile boat cruise, rhino tracking at Ziwa, chimpanzees in Kibale, western Uganda scenery, and enough time to enjoy the route without squeezing everything into a rushed 3 or 4 days.
5 Days Murchison Falls and Kibale Chimpanzee 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
• Rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, if included in the package
• Private safari vehicle and fuel
• Professional English-speaking driver-guide
• Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off
• Accommodation during the safari
• Meals as agreed in the confirmed itinerary
• Park entrance fees where applicable
• Murchison Falls game drive
• Nile boat cruise, if included in the package
• Visit to the top of Murchison Falls, if included in the package
• Bottled drinking water during travel
• All planned transfers between Kampala or Entebbe, Ziwa, Murchison Falls, Kibale, 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
• Chimpanzee habituation upgrade unless included
• Extra game drives unless included
• Extra accommodation before or after the safari
• Any activity not listed in the confirmed itinerary
Where you shall visit
.
Highlights
- Track rhinos on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Visit the top of Murchison Falls and see the Nile force through a narrow gorge
- Enjoy a game drive in Murchison Falls National Park.
- Take a Nile boat cruise for hippos, crocodiles, birds, elephants, buffaloes, and river scenery
- Track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park.
- Travel through Uganda’s countryside, savannah, river landscapes, tea areas, and western highlands.
- Add Bigodi Wetland Walk for birds, monkeys, wetlands, and community life.
- Get a strong Uganda wildlife and primate safari without the cost of a gorilla permit.
- Get a strong Uganda wildlife and primate safari without the cost of a gorilla permit.
Detailed Itinerary
- Day 1: Transfer from Kampala or Entebbe to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Your professional safari guide from Friendly Gorillas meets you at your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe after breakfast. After a short briefing, you begin the drive north toward Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Ziwa adds strong value to this safari because it gives you a chance to track rhinos on foot with trained guides. The experience feels different from a vehicle-based game drive because you walk at a controlled pace and learn about rhino conservation in Uganda.
After rhino tracking, continue toward Murchison Falls National Park with lunch along the way. Depending on timing, you may visit the top of Murchison Falls before going to the lodge.
At the top of the falls, the Nile squeezes through a narrow rock gap and drops with force into the river below. This gives you a dramatic introduction to one of Uganda’s most famous natural sights.
Proceed to your lodge, check in, have dinner, and rest before the next day’s wildlife activities
- Day 2: Murchison Falls Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise
Wake up early for a morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park. The early hours give better chances of seeing wildlife before the day becomes hot.
Your guide drives through selected tracks while looking for giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, and other savannah animals. Lions may also appear depending on timing and movement.
This game drive gives you the classic Uganda safari feeling. They enjoy open landscapes, wildlife movement, and the size of the park before shifting to the river experience in the afternoon.
Return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on the Nile toward
This boat safari Day is one of the best activities in the park because many animals spend time along the riverbanks.
You may see hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, waterbirds, and other wildlife near the water. The boat gives calm viewing and good photography angles, which makes the day feel rich without needing another long drive.
- Day 3: Transfer from Murchison Falls to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, leave Murchison Falls and begin the journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This is a long travel day, but it connects two very different Uganda safari regions.
The route takes you through towns, farms, villages, trading centers, and western Uganda landscapes. You see more of the country beyond the national parks, which gives the trip a stronger sense of place.
As you approach Fort Portal and Kibale, the scenery becomes greener. The region has tea estates, crater lake views, forest patches, and cooler highland air.
This day gives you a useful break between Murchison’s savannah and Kibale’s rainforest. It also prepares them for the chimpanzee experience the next morning.
Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon or evening. Check in, have dinner, and rest.
- Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale 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 how you should behave around the chimpanzees.
You then enter Kibale Forest with your ranger guide. The forest is active with birds, monkeys, insects, and chimpanzee calls. Chimpanzees are lively, social, and expressive, which makes this experience different from most other wildlife activities in Uganda.
Once found, you spend time watching them feed, climb, groom, call, and move through the forest. Sometimes they stay high in the trees. At other times, they come closer to the forest floor and give better viewing moments.
This activity adds real value because you leave with both a savannah wildlife experience and a forest primate experience in one trip.
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, wetland scenery, community life, and conservation value. It also gives you a slower local experience after the forest trek.
- Day 5: Crater Lake Viewpoint and Transfer Back to Kampala or Entebbe
After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kampala or Entebbe. Depending on timing and you interest, your guide may include a short crater lake viewpoint stop before leaving the Fort Portal region.
This scenic stop adds value because the Kibale and Fort Portal area has beautiful green hills, farms, and crater landscapes. It gives you one more soft experience before the long drive back.
You then continue through towns, countryside, and roadside markets, with lunch along the way. The return day is long, so we recommend starting early, especially for you with 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 5 Days Murchison Falls and Kibale Chimpanzee Safari with Friendly Gorillas Safaris.
Why book this 5 Days Murchison Falls and Kibale Chimpanzee 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.
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.
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
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!!!
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!
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.
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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