7-Day Kibale Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi Safari

Depart Kampala after breakfast and begin your journey west toward Kibale National Park. Enjoy views of Uganda’s countryside, rolling hills, rural trading centres and agricultural landscapes. Your guide will introduce you to the country’s wildlife and local culture along the way, with suitable stops for refreshments and lunch.

Arrive in the Kibale area in the afternoon and check in at your forest lodge. Depending on your arrival time, relax at the lodge or arrange a guided walk in the surrounding community. Your guide can brief you on chimpanzee tracking procedures and help you prepare for the following day’s forest experience.

Meals: Lunch and dinner, depending on departure time and lodge arrangements.

Transport: Kampala to Kibale area, approximately 300–330 km; allow around 5–7 hours, depending on traffic, stops and the lodge location.

After an early breakfast, head to the designated briefing point in Kibale National Park. Meet your ranger-guides for instructions before entering the forest to search for chimpanzees. The trek can take varying amounts of time depending on where the chimpanzees are located, the terrain and forest conditions. When the group is found, you will have a regulated viewing period to observe their behaviour and interactions.

Return to your lodge for lunch and time to relax. In the afternoon, consider an optional guided walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, known for its birdlife, primates and community-led conservation initiatives. This adds another perspective on the local ecosystem and the people who help protect it. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Transport: Short transfers between the lodge and activity meeting points, as required. Chimpanzee tracking is conducted on foot with ranger-guides; Bigodi transfers depend on the selected lodge.

Enjoy breakfast before departing Kibale for Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive passes through the foothills and countryside of western Uganda, with views of crater lakes and cultivated landscapes where the route permits. On arrival, check in at your lodge and enjoy lunch, depending on the timing of the transfer.

If time allows, head out for an afternoon game drive in a suitable wildlife-viewing area. Your guide will look for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, warthogs and other savannah species, while keeping watch for predators. Return to your lodge in the evening for dinner and relaxation in the surroundings of the park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Transport: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park, approximately 120–170 km; allow around 3–4.5 hours, depending on the lodge locations and route. Afternoon game drive depends on arrival time.

Rise early for a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, when temperatures are cooler and wildlife may be active. Explore the open plains and grasslands with your guide, looking for elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and, with luck, lions or leopards. Your guide will interpret animal behaviour and explain how wildlife uses the park’s different habitats.

After returning for breakfast or lunch according to the day's schedule, enjoy a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, subject to availability and operating conditions. The channel is known for hippos, crocodiles and abundant waterbirds, with elephants and buffaloes sometimes visible along the banks. Return to your lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Transport: Game drives within the park and transfers to the Kazinga Channel departure point. Driving distances vary according to the selected game-drive circuit.

After breakfast, leave Queen Elizabeth National Park and travel toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The route takes you through rural communities, green highlands and increasingly forested landscapes. Depending on your confirmed gorilla trekking sector, the drive may pass through the Ishasha area or follow another suitable route, with stops arranged around the day’s schedule.

Arrive at your selected lodge and settle in before your gorilla trekking briefing. Your guide will confirm the meeting point, permit arrangements, recommended clothing and what to expect on the trek. If time permits, enjoy a short community visit or relax at the lodge while preparing for the next day’s experience.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Transport: Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi, approximately 150–220 km; allow around 4–6.5 hours or longer depending on the park sector, lodge location and road conditions.

Enjoy an early breakfast before transferring to the designated gorilla trekking briefing point. Rangers will explain the trekking rules, safety guidelines and responsible wildlife-viewing practices before leading your group into the forest. The trek may be physically demanding, with steep, muddy or uneven terrain, and its duration depends on the location of the assigned gorilla family.

When you find the gorillas, you will have the permitted viewing time to observe their family interactions, feeding and movement in the forest. After the trek, return to the briefing point and transfer back to your lodge for a well-earned meal and rest. If time and energy permit, you may arrange a community or cultural experience through your lodge or local hosts.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Transport: Lodge-to-briefing-point transfers as required. Gorilla trekking is on foot with Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger-guides; walking duration and difficulty vary.

Transport: Private 4x4 Land Cruiser

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kampala. Travel through southwestern Uganda’s hills and countryside, with planned comfort stops and a lunch break along the way. Enjoy the final views of the landscapes that have shaped your safari, from rainforest-covered slopes to farms, villages and open countryside.

Arrive in Kampala in the evening, depending on road conditions, stops and the location of your drop-off. If you have an international flight departing the same day, this long transfer needs careful timing; an overnight in Entebbe or Kampala is safer than relying on a tight connection. Your guide will drop you at your agreed hotel or other destination.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch; dinner depends on arrival time and arrangements.

Transport: Bwindi to Kampala, approximately 400–500 km; allow around 8–11 hours or longer, depending on the trekking sector, road conditions and stops.