7-Day Uganda Wildlife & Primates Mid-Range Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Entebbe / Kampala → Kibale → Queen Elizabeth → Bwindi → Entebbe

1. Day 1

   Entebbe / Kampala to Kibale

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Entebbe / Kampala bound for Kibale, crossing western Uganda's tea estates and crater-lake country. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through moist tropical forest running along the Albertine Rift, one of Africa's richest primate habitats. This is good country in which to look for chimpanzees, red colobus, L'Hoest's monkey and a long list of forest birds. Chimpanzee tracking at Kibale is a permit-dependent activity arranged through the park authority, and places must be confirmed in advance. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Kibale.

2. Day 2

   Kibale Chimpanzee Tracking

   Join the ranger-led chimpanzee tracking session using the secured permit; walking time and encounters depend on forest conditions and primate movement. This is moist tropical forest running along the Albertine Rift, one of Africa's richest primate habitats. Species commonly associated with the area include chimpanzees, red colobus, L'Hoest's monkey and a long list of forest birds. Permit availability is confirmed before the booking is finalised, and tracking follows the park authority's rules on the day. Transport and game drives are shared with other travellers on this joining departure. Dinner and overnight are at your accommodation in Kibale.

3. Day 3

   Kibale to Queen Elizabeth

   After breakfast you leave Kibale and travel on toward Queen Elizabeth, crossing the equator and descending into the western Rift Valley. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into savanna, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward and Lake George. There is the possibility of seeing elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob and, in the Ishasha sector, lions sometimes seen in fig trees, depending on movement and conditions on the day. A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel gives close views of hippo pods, buffalo and one of the densest concentrations of water birds in the region. The evening is spent at your Queen Elizabeth accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

4. Day 4

   Queen Elizabeth Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Cruise

   Combine a savanna game drive with the confirmed Kazinga Channel boat programme for a contrasting water-level view of the park. This is savanna, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel linking Lake Edward and Lake George. Species commonly associated with the area include elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob and, in the Ishasha sector, lions sometimes seen in fig trees. The evening is spent at your Queen Elizabeth accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

5. Day 5

   Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi

   The day opens in Queen Elizabeth with a morning departure for Bwindi, travelling the winding roads of the south-western highlands through terraced farmland. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into steep Afromontane rainforest ridges and valleys in south-western Uganda. Look for mountain gorillas, forest elephant, many primate species and numerous Albertine Rift endemics as the light softens through the afternoon. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is a permit-dependent activity, and a permit must be confirmed in advance for every trekker. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Bwindi.

6. Day 6

   Bwindi Gorilla Tracking

   Complete the ranger-led, permit-dependent gorilla tracking activity; terrain, duration and visibility vary naturally from day to day. The surroundings take in steep Afromontane rainforest ridges and valleys in south-western Uganda. Species commonly associated with the area include mountain gorillas, forest elephant, many primate species and numerous Albertine Rift endemics. Permit availability is confirmed before the booking is finalised, and tracking follows the park authority's rules on the day. You return to your lodge or camp in Bwindi for dinner and overnight.

7. Day 7

   Bwindi to Entebbe

   The morning starts in Bwindi, from where you continue overland to Entebbe, following the lakeshore road from Kampala. Arrival in Entebbe is usually in the afternoon, depending on traffic and road conditions on the approach. Entebbe sits on a peninsula in Lake Victoria and is the standard entry and exit point for Ugandan itineraries. You are dropped at your Entebbe hotel or the airport in the late afternoon.