8 Day Kibale & Bwindi National Park

Your safari begins in the morning with pickup from your hotel in Kampala or from Entebbe International Airport.

After meeting your driver-guide, depart Kampala and head west toward Kibale Forest National Park for a 6-hour drive. The journey takes you through Uganda's countryside, with changing landscapes from the busy Kampala area to agricultural communities, rolling hills and eventually the lush landscapes around Fort Portal.

There will be opportunities to stop along the way for photographs, refreshments and lunch.

Continue toward Fort Portal, often referred to as the tourism capital of western Uganda. From Fort Portal, the landscape becomes increasingly green as you approach the Kibale forest ecosystem.

Arrive at your lodge in the afternoon and check in.

The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure. Depending on your arrival time, you can take a short walk around the lodge or simply relax in preparation for tomorrow's chimpanzee trek.

Wake up early and have breakfast before driving to the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre, where chimpanzee tracking takes place.

Chimpanzee tracking at Kibale is listed at morning and afternoon times, with the tracking experience generally lasting between two and five hours depending on the movements of the chimpanzees and conditions in the forest. Visitors receive a briefing before entering the forest.

After registration and briefing, you enter Kibale's rainforest accompanied by an experienced UWA ranger/guide.

The forest is exceptionally rich in primates. Apart from chimpanzees, you may encounter species such as red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, blue monkeys and olive baboons.

The trek involves following chimpanzee calls and signs through the forest. The animals are wild, so the exact duration and location of the encounter cannot be guaranteed.

Once you locate the chimpanzees, you can spend up to one hour observing them under the applicable UWA tracking rules.

This gives you an opportunity to watch their social interactions, feeding, grooming, climbing and movement through the forest canopy.

Return to the starting point after the trek and have lunch.

Afternoon – Bigodi Wetland

In the afternoon, visit the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for a community-run nature and cultural experience.

The wetland is particularly interesting for birdwatchers and primate enthusiasts. Walk along the trails with a local guide and learn about the surrounding communities, traditional agriculture and the relationship between the forest and local people.

Return to your lodge in the late afternoon, enjoy dinner and relax.

After breakfast, check out and begin your journey toward Queen Elizabeth National Park for a 3–4-hour drive with a distance approximately 100-160 km.

This is a relatively relaxed travel day compared with the longer journeys later in the safari.

After entering the Queen Elizabeth ecosystem, begin looking for wildlife along the way. Depending on the route and timing, you may encounter Uganda Kob, buffaloes, warthogs, elephants, antelopes, baboons, monkeys and various bird species

Arrive at your lodge around lunchtime or early afternoon.

Afternoon option – Kazinga Channel boat cruise

Take an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.

The cruise provides excellent opportunities to see wildlife gathered around the water. Hippos are particularly common, while buffalo and elephants can often be seen along the shoreline. The channel is also an excellent birding location.

After the cruise, return to your lodge.

Enjoy dinner while surrounded by the sounds of the African bush.

This is your scenic transition day from the savannah landscapes of Queen Elizabeth to the mountainous rainforest of Bwindi.

Have breakfast early and depart towards the Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Ishasha is famous for its tree-climbing lions, although sightings are never guaranteed.

Enter the Ishasha sector and undertake a game drive while heading toward the Bwindi region.

Keep an eye out for tree-climbing lions, elephants, buffalo, Topi, Uganda Kob, warthogs, Bushbuck and various bird species

The tree-climbing lions are one of the attractions of the Ishasha sector, but because they are wild animals, sightings depend entirely on their movements that day.

Continue south towards Bwindi.

As you climb into the Kigezi highlands, the scenery changes dramatically. Savannah gives way to steep hills, cultivated terraces, valleys and increasingly dense forest.

This is one of the most beautiful sections of the journey.

Arrive at your Bwindi lodge in the late afternoon or evening.

Have dinner and prepare for the following day's gorilla trek.

Wake very early and have breakfast.

Carry packed lunch, drinking water, rain jacket, sturdy hiking shoes, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt, insect repellent, camera and waterproof bag for valuables

Proceed to your designated Bwindi trekking headquarters.

Registration and briefing take place before entering the forest. UWA's current gorilla guidance states that gorilla tracking begins from 8:00 a.m.; the exact reporting arrangements depend on the sector and current park procedures.

During the briefing, your ranger explains gorilla safety rules, forest etiquette, how to behave around the gorillas, what to do if a gorilla approaches you, photography rules, minimum-distance requirements, conservation principles and gorilla trekking

You then enter the forest.

There is no predetermined route because the gorillas move through the forest each day. Rangers track their movements and guide you toward the family assigned to your group.

The trek can involve steep slopes, muddy trails, dense vegetation, forest streams, thick undergrowth and uneven terrain

The difficulty therefore varies considerably from day to day.

Once you locate your gorilla family, you are allowed up to one hour with the gorillas during standard trekking. Standard gorilla trekking can take approximately 2–7 hours depending on the circumstances.

The gorilla encounter moment, you may find yourself only a short distance from a family of mountain gorillas.

You may see silverbacks, adult females and juveniles, infants grooming, feeding, playing and resting.

Your ranger will position the group appropriately and ensure that the encounter follows conservation guidelines.

After the allotted viewing time, leave the gorilla family and begin the trek back through the forest.

Return to the park headquarters and receive your trekking completion information.

Transfer back to your lodge.

The afternoon is deliberately left free because gorilla trekking can be physically demanding.

Relax, enjoy the lodge and have dinner.

After yesterday's demanding trek, today is intentionally more relaxed.

Have breakfast at the lodge before choosing a forest or community activity.

Take a guided forest walk through one of the available trails in your Bwindi sector.

Depending on the sector, possible experiences include forest-edge walks, birding and scenic trails.

Bwindi is particularly important for birdwatching, with numerous Albertine Rift species found in the ecosystem. Trails such as the River Ivi, Bamboo and Mubwindi Swamp trails are identified as notable birding routes.

Return to the lodge for lunch.

The afternoon can be spent relaxing, enjoying the views from the lodge or taking a short walk around the community.

Spend the day learning about the communities living around Bwindi.

A community experience can introduce you to traditional food preparation, local farming, traditional medicine, local crafts, music and dance

The history of communities around the forest

Traditional forest knowledge

Bwindi's surrounding communities include Bakiga and Batwa people, and community tourism forms an important part of the conservation landscape around the park.

After breakfast, depart Bwindi and travel toward Lake Bunyonyi for 2-4 hours depending on the Bwindi sector.

The drive takes you through the spectacular Kigezi highlands, characterized by steep cultivated hills and valleys.

Arrive at Lake Bunyonyi around midday and check into your lodge.

Spend the afternoon relaxing beside the lake.

Lake Bunyonyi is surrounded by rolling hills and numerous small islands, making it a perfect place to unwind after several days of trekking and safari activities.

You can take an optional canoe or boat excursion to explore the lake and its islands.

Alternatively, simply relax at the lodge and enjoy the scenery.

After breakfast, begin the journey back towards Kampala or Entebbe for about 8-10 hours.

The drive takes you through southwestern Uganda, passing through Kabale, Ntungamo and Mbarara before joining the main road toward Kampala.

There will be opportunities for rest stops and lunch along the way.

As you approach Kampala, the landscape gradually changes from the hills of southwestern Uganda to the busier central region.

End of safari