Detailed Tour Itinerary for Uganda Fly-in Gorilla Trek Chimps Tracking - 5 Days

Day 1: Start from Entebbe with a flight to Kibale National Park (Kasese Airstrip), Primates walk at Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

In the morning, you will be transferred to Entebbe International Airport for your Uganda flight to Kibale Forest National Park via Kasese. On landing at Kasese Airstrip, you will be met by your Uganda safari guide for the transfer to Kibale forest, the primate capital of East Africa with over 400 chimpanzees (about 1.5 hours drive).

Traveling on both asphalt and unpaved roads, you pass through traditional Ugandan villages where you see people at work tending their traditional crops of millet, sorghum, beans and maize. The lush rolling hills of this region provide good photo opportunities.

As you approach Fort Portal in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, you enter Uganda's famous tea plantation region. A carpet of green spreads before you, as far as the eye can see, and seems an unusual contrast to the countryside through which you have just passed.

You arrive at Fort Portal, then, continue toward Kibale Forest, one of the great African rainforest research reserves. Years of study by scientists (who have cut a grid through the forest) have habituated many of its animals to human observers. This forest is famed for the variety of primates found here and it is a terrific area for birds. This rural Ugandan town (Fort Portal) is locally famous for its weaving and basketry, and we can spend some time briefly examining some of this local art.

During the afternoon, we shall be having a guided primate walk in the nearby forest swamp, Bigodi Wetland. Bigodi Wetland is located on the eastern edge of the Kibale Forest National Park and is maintained by the local community. You will expect birds like the great blue turaco, blue monkeys, baboons, otters, mongoose, bushbucks, bush pigs and among others.

Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Up-market: Crater Safari Lodge Kibale | Ndali Lodge

Moderate: Isunga Lodge | Kibale Forest Camp | Turaco Tree Tops Lodge

Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kibale National Park (or top-up $50 for the chimps habituation experience)

This morning we shall be having our first encounter with Uganda's big primates when we go chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park. Your Uganda tour guide shall ensure that you are at the park office in good time for the trek briefing. The pre-trek briefing is meant to prepare you with enough information about the forest, the chimpanzees, and other wildlife in the park. You shall be required to present your identification for you to participate in chimpanzee tracking in Kibale.

After you have had the briefing, you will be allocated to a group with other tourists with whom you will be trekking to the chimps. The trek is usually moderately challenging, going for 1-2 hours before reaching the first troupe of chimpanzees. Typically, we locate the chimps by listening for their pant-hooting calls, then hustle to the area from which they are calling. Your first sign that you are approaching the chimps should be when you hear them by their loud calls up in the tree branches, hooting, and calling at each other. We then hustle closer to where these sounds are coming from.

You will be allowed to up to 6 meters from the chimpanzees when you reach the troupe. While there, the chimps will continue going on with their usual, feeding, playing, nesting, occasional hunting, mating, and other activities while you observe them and take photographs.

After having one hour with the chimpanzees, it will be time to trek back to the camp. Along the track of your return, you might meet other primates like the white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, and the red-tailed monkeys. Sometimes we encounter the fierce elephants on these walks.

Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Up-market: Crater Safari Lodge Kibale | Ndali Lodge

Moderate: Isunga Lodge | Kibale Forest Camp | Turaco Tree Tops Lodge

Day 3: Transfer to Kasese Airstrip for flight to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast, we drive south to Kasese Airstrip (for about 1.5 hours) for your flight to Uganda's mountain gorilla sanctuary deep in the jungles of the Afro-montane Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (via Kisoro Airstrip). If your flight to Bwindi happens to be in the morning, you might have a bit more time for some optional activities when you arrive.

You could book a guided community walk where you get a chance to interact with the locals, learn more about their traditional cultures, enjoy their music and dance among other aspects.

You could also book a guided walk to the Batwa Pygmies community of Bwindi. The Batwa were originally inhabiting the forest of Bwindi. They used to comfortably live together deep inside this forest sharing home with the mountain gorillas and other wildlife animals in there. When the park was gazetted, they were forced out of the forest but now the Uganda Wildlife Authority has allowed them to access the park with the purpose of demonstrating to visitors how they used to carry on living there. In turn, the money generated from this is used to develop and sustain the Batwa communities near Bwindi.

The other optional activity you could consider is bird watching near the Bwindi Forest. Bwindi is a prime destination for birdwatchers. Its 350 species include seven that are IUCN red data listed and 90% of all Albertine rift endemics – species that are difficult or impossible to see in any other part of East Africa.

Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Up-market: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge |Four Gorillas Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge Bwindi

Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge| Haven Lodge Bwindi | Gorilla Mist Camp

Day 6: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla tracking is the highlight for most Uganda tourist visitors and certainly, it shall be for you too. There are only about 1063 mountain gorillas living on earth and more than half of these are in Uganda's Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, while the other population is in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and Congo's Virunga National Park. They are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN and if the current conservation efforts are not sustained, they could be wiped off the planet. It is partly for this reason that coming face to face with mountain gorillas is considered very special for any human being.

The plan for the day is for your tour guide/ driver to meet with you at the lodge and transfer you to the Bwindi Park office for the pre-gorilla trek briefing. Unlike the chimps' trek for the previous day in Kibale, gorilla trekking in Bwindi might prove to be more physically demanding as the terrain of the park is rather more rugged here.

After the briefing, your gorilla trekking team will guide you into the deep jungles of the park. The forest has thicker undergrowth (hence it leading to naming the park "impenetrable"). Your ranger team will allow for several breaks along the trek for you to catch your breath as they disseminate more information about the forest's other wildlife species.

The gorilla trek goes for 1-3 hours before you reach them. Once you are with them, you have 1 hour with them and then you will descend back.

Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)

Up-market: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge |Four Gorillas Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge Bwindi

Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge| Haven Lodge Bwindi | Gorilla Mist Camp

Day 5: End of Uganda Fly-in Gorilla and Chimps Tour with the flight from Bwindi to Entebbe

Our representative will take care of your transfer to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip. Today you will travel back to Entebbe International Airport.

Please let us know if you wish us to include one (or more) nights in Kampala /Entebbe or arrange your transport to and from Entebbe Airport with Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris.

Your flight schedule is as following (please ask your sales consultant the exact time schedule on the date you are flying).