The classic Uganda primate and wildlife circuit at an easy pace: chimpanzees in Kibale, two nights in Queen Elizabeth for game drives and a boat cruise, then gorillas in Bwindi.
Six days lets you experience Uganda’s three headline attractions without rushing. You track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, which has the highest primate density in East Africa, then spend two nights in Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive and the Kazinga Channel cruise. On the way south you pass through Ishasha for its tree-climbing lions, and finish with a gorilla trek in Bwindi.
The pace includes time to enjoy each place: the afternoon at Bigodi Wetland for the great blue turaco, a midday rest in Queen Elizabeth, and evenings at lodges with views over forest or savannah.
Your driver-guide collects you from Entebbe or Kampala in the morning and heads west on the Mubende road through farmland, tea estates and small trading towns. Lunch is taken on the way, and by mid-afternoon you reach Fort Portal, set against the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. 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. Afterwards you drive south to Queen Elizabeth National Park, arriving by early evening.
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.
After lunch and a rest at camp:
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.
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.
After breakfast, leave Bwindi and drive east through Ntungamo, Mbarara and Masaka, with a lunch stop on the way and a final photo stop at the equator. You arrive in Kampala or Entebbe in the evening, in time for a hotel night or a late international flight. A scheduled flight from Kihihi or Kisoro can replace the drive.
Lodges shown match the quoted price. Ask us about mid-range and luxury upgrades.
The extra night in Queen Elizabeth gives you a full day for a dawn game drive and the boat cruise, and the Bigodi Wetland walk after chimp tracking.
Yes. It covers the three highlights most visitors want: chimpanzees, savannah wildlife and gorillas, with comfortable distances between stops.
Yes. Add a morning at Mabamba Swamp near Entebbe on day one or the final day; see our 8-day safari for a route that includes it.
We use comfortable, good-value lodges by default and can upgrade any stay to mid-range or luxury on request.
Yes. A flight from Kihihi to Entebbe on the last day saves about eight hours on the road.
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.
