Day 1: Start Your 5 Days Uganda Safari With Kibale Forest and Bigodi Wetland
Your 5 days Uganda safari begins today. Your driver-guide picks you up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe at about 7:30 am for a short briefing, then you head west on the 300 km drive to Kibale Forest, often called the primate capital of the world.
The road crosses green farmland and tea estates to Fort Portal, a pretty town in the shadow of the Rwenzori, the legendary Mountains of the Moon. After lunch you continue to Kibale Forest National Park, check in and rest.
In the late afternoon you take a guided walk of about three hours through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This award-winning project is run by the local community to protect the swamp and fund schools and health care in Bigodi village. Look out for monkeys and many of the wetland's colourful birds, including the great blue turaco.
Optional: Bigodi Village Walk
If you prefer culture to birds, swap the wetland for a three-hour village walk with a local guide. You visit a traditional healer, hear stories from village elders and stop at Bigodi Primary School to see rural Ugandan life up close.
Accommodation options:
- Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge or Primate Lodge
- Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse or Kibale Forest Camp
- Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse or Kibale Forest Camp
Meal plan: Lunch and dinner
Drive time: About 5 to 6 hours
Compare more options in our guide to the best Kibale National Park lodges.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest
After an early breakfast you report to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for an 8:00 am briefing with the park rangers who will lead your Kibale Forest chimp trek. Then you walk into the rainforest in search of our closest living relatives, the first big wildlife moment of your 5 days Uganda safari.
Treks usually take two to four hours, and sighting rates in Kibale are above 90%. Once the chimps are found you spend a full hour watching them feed, groom, call and swing through the trees. Photography is welcome, without flash.
Kibale holds 13 primate species, among them red colobus, black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabeys, L'Hoest's, red-tailed and blue monkeys. Bushbuck, duikers and forest hogs live here too, along with about 375 bird species such as the green-breasted pitta and great blue turaco.
You return to the lodge for lunch and a relaxed afternoon. Learn more about Uganda's chimps in our chimpanzees in Uganda guide.
Accommodation options:
- Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge or Primate Lodge
- Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse or Kibale Forest Camp
- Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse or Kibale Forest Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Queen Elizabeth National Park and Ishasha on Your 5 Days Uganda Safari
Day three of your 5 days Uganda safari starts with breakfast before you set off south with a packed lunch. The route runs through Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to around 95 mammal species and more than 600 bird species.
Watch for elephants, buffalo, hippos and Uganda kob as you cross the park. In the Ishasha sector you search for the famous tree-climbing lions, which often rest in the branches of large fig trees during the heat of the day.
South of Ishasha the land rises into the steep, forested hills of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Created in 1991 and named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, Bwindi shelters about 459 of the world's mountain gorillas, together with neighbouring Sarambwe.
The forest is also home to some 350 bird species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics, about 120 mammal species and over 200 kinds of butterfly. You reach your lodge in the late afternoon to relax before tomorrow's trek.
Accommodation options:
- Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma or Gorilla Mist Camp
- Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp, Ichumbi Lodge or Agandi Eco Lodge
- Budget: Trekkers Tavern
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Drive time: About 6 to 7 hours, including game viewing
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking and Bwindi Community Walk
Today is the highlight of your 5 days Uganda safari. After an early breakfast you drive to the park office for the 7:30 am briefing on gorilla trekking rules, then join a small group of no more than eight visitors. Your gorilla trekking permit is booked in advance with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Rangers and trackers lead you up steep, forested slopes to one of Bwindi's habituated gorilla families, each made up of a silverback, several females and their young. Treks can take two to six hours, and once you reach the family you spend a full, unforgettable hour in their company.
In the late afternoon you join a guided community walk near Bwindi. You visit village homesteads, learn how the Bwindi Community Hospital grew from a clinic under a tree, and meet the Batwa, the forest's original hunter-gatherer people. It is a fitting way to end the main day of your 5 days Uganda safari.
Accommodation options:
- Luxury: Haven Lodge Buhoma or Gorilla Mist Camp
- Midrange: Gorilla Mist Camp, Ichumbi Lodge or Agandi Eco Lodge
- Budget: Trekkers Tavern
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: Igongo Cultural Centre, the Equator and the End of Your 5 Days Uganda Safari
After five days of gorillas, chimps and Uganda's finest wildlife, it is time to head home. Following an early breakfast you drive east to Mbarara and the Igongo Cultural Centre, where you enjoy a traditional lunch and learn about the history and cattle culture of the Banyankole people.
On the way to Kampala you stop at the Equator for photos. Your 5 days Uganda safari ends at your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe, and airport drop-off is free if you are flying out this evening.
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch
Drive time: About 9 to 10 hours, with stops
Book this 5 days Uganda safari
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