Overview
This nine-day trip takes you across western Uganda, from Kampala to chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest, boat and game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park and, as the highlight, a morning with mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
We can keep the focus on the gorillas, extend it into a full loop of Uganda or combine it with a neighbouring country. Your lodges, activities and guide are all arranged before you arrive, so everything runs smoothly from the moment you land.
Read our Uganda safari overview, or ask us about gorilla permits for your dates.
| Accommodation | Confirmed together with you — see the Rates tab for general comfort levels we work with. |
|---|---|
| Meals | Full board on safari days; meals as specified for any city/beach nights, per your final itinerary. |
Day by Day (9 days)
ARRIVAL IN ENTEBBE AND KAMPALA
Fly into Entebbe Airport early in the day. Abakombe Tours collects you and drives you to Cassia Lodge in Kampala, where the rest of the day is free. In the evening you meet your guide for a pre-safari briefing and equipment check.
Overnight at Cassia Lodge, half board.
KAMPALA CITY TOUR
A day to discover Kampala. Depending on your interests you can visit places such as the Kasubi Tombs, Kabaka's Lake, Bulange Palace, the Namirembe and Rubaga cathedrals, the Baha'i Temple, the Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine, the Uganda Museum and the Makerere art gallery.
Overnight at Cassia Lodge, half board.
KAMPALA TO KIBALE FOREST AND BIGODI SWAMP
Your guide collects you for the scenic drive of about five hours to Fort Portal, with lunch in town before continuing to Ndali Lodge or Rwenzori View Guest House. In the afternoon you take a guided walk in Bigodi Swamp, looking for birds such as the shining-blue kingfisher and blue-throated roller, and for fruiting trees that attract the Narina trogon, pied hornbill and several kinds of barbet.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge, full board.
CHIMPANZEE TRACKING IN KIBALE FOREST
An early start brings you to the Kibale ranger station for 7 am to track habituated chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, as they feed, play and squabble in the trees. Kibale holds more than 13 primate species, including red colobus, L'Hoest's monkey, blue monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, potto, vervet, baboon and bushbaby. The forest trails are a delight for plant and butterfly lovers, and around 335 bird species have been recorded, among them the endemic Prigogine's ground thrush. Forest elephants, smaller and hairier than those on the savannah, also move through the park at certain times of year.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge, full board.
KIBALE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast you drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, entering through the northern crater area, where lakes and grasslands lie deep in old volcanic craters, perhaps the most beautiful scenery in the park. Queen Elizabeth has one of the highest levels of biodiversity of any park in the world, with savannah, rainforest, swamps, crater lakes and the shores of Lake Edward. Nearly 100 mammal species live here, including hippo, lion, buffalo, leopard, spotted hyena and giant forest hog, along with more than 600 bird species and several primates.
Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge, full board.
KYAMBURA GORGE AND THE KAZINGA CHANNEL
This morning you join the 8 am chimpanzee trek in Kyambura Gorge, then return to the lodge for lunch and time by the pool. In the afternoon a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel brings you close to wildlife: hippos snorting just metres from the boat, buffalo cooling off in the shallows and birds such as pink-backed pelicans, pied and malachite kingfishers and saddle-billed storks.
Overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge, full board.
QUEEN ELIZABETH TO BWINDI VIA ISHASHA
You drive south through the Ishasha sector, where lions often rest in fig trees, with lunch by the Ishasha River, then continue to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to around half of the world's mountain gorillas. Bwindi is a paradise for birdwatchers, with 348 species including 24 Albertine Rift endemics, and its forest was once joined to the Virunga volcanoes before farmland surrounded it.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort, full board.
MOUNTAIN GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI
After an early coffee, park rangers brief you before you head into the forest to find a habituated gorilla family. Once you reach them, you spend an unforgettable hour watching them in their natural home. Trekking can take from a few hours to most of the day depending on where the gorillas are, so a reasonable level of fitness is needed. Bring good walking shoes, a packed lunch, water, insect repellent, sunscreen and a hat.
Overnight at Gorilla Resort, full board.
BWINDI TO ENTEBBE AND DEPARTURE
After breakfast and a last look around the lodge, you drive back towards Kampala, stopping for lunch on the way, and continue to Entebbe International Airport for your flight home.
Rates Per Person
The Overview tab explains the accommodation and meal options. Send us your dates and group size for an exact price.
Next: Inclusions →Inclusions
Included
- Private vehicle with your own driver-guide
- Park entry and conservation fees
- Accommodation as specified in your itinerary
- Meals as specified per day (full board on safari days)
- Airport pickup and drop-off
Excluded
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Getting There
Tour Start & End
This trip starts in Uganda and ends in Uganda.
Airport Information
Entebbe International Airport (Uganda) is the most common arrival point for this trip.
Transfer Information
We meet you at the airport and handle every transfer between destinations throughout your trip.
Accommodation Before/After
Want an extra night in Arusha, Moshi or Zanzibar before or after your trip? Just ask and we will arrange it.