The great primate journey: chimpanzees in Kibale, Queen Elizabeth’s savannah, mountain gorillas in Bwindi, golden monkeys on the Virunga volcanoes and a final night in Kigali.
This ten-day journey is designed for primate lovers. It starts in Uganda with chimpanzees in Kibale, continues through Queen Elizabeth National Park for savannah wildlife and the Kazinga Channel, reaches Bwindi for mountain gorillas and then crosses into Rwanda for golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, finishing in Kigali.
Ending in Kigali means no backtracking: you fly home from Rwanda after a final day exploring the capital.
You will see four of the region’s most sought-after primates (chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, golden monkeys and red colobus) along with lions, elephants and hippos. The pace allows two nights in most places, with game drives, boat trips and community visits between the treks.
Your driver-guide meets you in Entebbe and heads west on the Mubende road through farmland, tea estates and small trading towns, with lunch on the way. By mid-afternoon you reach Fort Portal, set against the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, and a short drive brings you to your lodge on the edge of Kibale Forest, where black-and-white colobus often feed in the trees around the grounds.
Arrive at the Kanyanchu visitor centre for the 8:00am briefing, then set off into the forest in a group of up to eight with a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger. Kibale’s habituated chimpanzees are usually found within one to three hours, often calling loudly or feeding in fig trees. You spend one hour with them, watching grooming, squabbles and youngsters at play, while red colobus and grey-cheeked mangabeys move through the canopy around you.
In the afternoon, walk the boardwalk and trails of the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary with a local guide. It is one of the best places in Uganda to see the great blue turaco, and you may also find red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and a wealth of swamp birds. Fees support the local community’s schools and health projects.
Drive south past the crater lakes into Queen Elizabeth National Park.
In the afternoon, board the two-hour launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel from Mweya. The channel links Lakes George and Edward and its banks hold one of Africa’s highest concentrations of hippos, along with buffalo, elephants coming down to drink, Nile crocodiles and huge numbers of waterbirds such as pelicans, African skimmers and pied kingfishers.
Set out at dawn for a game drive on the Kasenyi plains, where thousands of Uganda kob gather on their breeding grounds and the lions of Kasenyi hunt in the early light. Look also for buffalo, waterbuck, warthog and elephants, and for leopards along the Channel Track.
In the afternoon, optionally walk into Kyambura Gorge for its small chimpanzee community, or rest at camp.
Drive south through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where lions often rest in the branches of large fig trees. Your guide checks their favourite trees as you look for topi, buffalo and elephants on the open plains, then you continue through the hills to Bwindi.
After an early breakfast you report to the park office for the 7:30–8:00am briefing, where Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers explain the rules and assign each visitor to a gorilla family; no more than eight people visit a family each day.
You then follow your ranger guide into the forest while trackers radio the family’s position. Treks take anywhere from one to six hours over steep, muddy ground. When you reach the gorillas you leave bags and sticks with the porters, put on a face mask and spend one hour watching them feed, groom and play from at least 10 metres away, before walking back out and receiving your trekking certificate.
Drive south from Bwindi through the Kigezi highlands and Kisoro, with views of the Virunga volcanoes ahead, and cross into Rwanda at Cyanika with your guide’s help. Continue to your lodge near Kinigi, arriving in the afternoon in time for a walk in the farmland at the park edge or a visit to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund campus in Musanze.
After the 7:00am briefing at Kinigi, set out to track golden monkeys in the bamboo zone at the foot of the volcanoes. These endangered monkeys, with their bright orange-gold backs, live only in the Virunga region. Troops are lively and noisy, leaping between bamboo stems and feeding on shoots, and the habituated group is usually found within an hour. You spend one hour with them; photography is a challenge as they move quickly, which makes it all the more fun. In the afternoon, visit the Gorilla Guardians Village or hike towards the twin lakes viewpoint. A second gorilla trek in Rwanda can be added on this day instead.
Drive back to Kigali through the green, terraced hills, about 2–2.5 hours. In the afternoon, visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where exhibitions explain the history of 1994 and the country’s path to reconciliation, then explore the colourful Kimironko market. End the day with a farewell dinner in the city.
Enjoy a final morning in Kigali, perhaps with a coffee tasting or art studio visit, before your transfer to Kigali International Airport.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
It avoids backtracking: you travel south through Uganda’s parks and cross into Rwanda near Bwindi, flying home from Kigali.
Yes. Add a Rwanda gorilla permit (US$1,500) on day eight instead of, or as well as, the golden monkeys.
The East Africa Tourist Visa (US$100) covers both countries with multiple entries.
Very much so: four primate species, savannah wildlife and dramatic landscapes.
Yes, by reversing the route or flying from Kigali to Entebbe.
Chimpanzees, mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, plus red colobus, black-and-white colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys in Kibale, and baboons along the roads.
Wildlife 7 daysTwo of Uganda’s greatest wildernesses in one journey: the thundering Nile at Murchison Falls, then the wide, wild plains of Kidepo Valley in the far north-east.
Short break 4 daysRhinos on foot, chimpanzees in a mahogany forest, the most powerful waterfall on the Nile and the big game of Uganda’s largest park, in four unhurried days from Kampala.
Honeymoon 12 daysAdventure and romance: fly in to trek gorillas in Bwindi, see tree-climbing lions and the Kazinga Channel, then fly to Zanzibar for Stone Town and six nights on the beach.
Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
