Uganda: 5-Day Gorilla & Wildlife Safari Kampala

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Duration5d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Drive Seven Hours Into Forest, Then Track Mountain Gorillas for a Day

You trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi's forest, boat across Lake Bunyonyi, drive through Queen Elizabeth spotting lions and elephants, cruise the Kazinga Channel among hippos and pelicans, and track chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge before returning to Kampala. An English-speaking driver guide handles all transfers and logistics, and gorilla permits are included; the pace is steady and the terrain is hilly.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Breakfast in Kampala
Briefing by driver guide
Drive to Bwindi via Kabale
Stop at Uganda’s Equator for photos
Evening nature walk to Munyaga Waterfall
See primates like Grey Cheeked Mangabey

Day 2 — Gorilla Tracking and Lake Bunyonyi

Morning briefing at park headquarters
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest
Drive to Lake Bunyonyi via Kigezi Highlands
Boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi
Enjoy views of islands and birdlife

Day 3 — Transfer to Queen Elizabeth Park

Early breakfast and check out
Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Experience tree climbing lions in Ishasha
Lunch and relaxation at lodge
Afternoon game drive in park
Return to lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 4 — Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Cruise

Breakfast at lodge
Morning game drive for wildlife viewing
Return to lodge for lunch and rest
Afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
View hippos, buffaloes, pelicans, and birds
Dinner and evening at lodge

Day 5 — Chimpanzee Tracking and Return to Kampala

Transfer to Kyambura Gorge
Chimpanzee tracking safari
Return to lodge for lunch
Drive back to Kampala
Stop at Equator for photos and shopping
Arrive in Kampala in evening

The Experience

You're driving out of Kampala before dawn, heading west through the rolling hills of Kabale — the Switzerland of Uganda, locals call it — toward Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The road climbs and winds for about seven hours, and somewhere in the middle you stop at the equator for a photo. By evening you're walking into the forest itself, down to Munyaga Waterfall, where grey-cheeked mangabeys and blue monkeys move through the canopy above you. That first night you sleep at Rafiki Gorilla Lodge, still in the sound of the forest.

The gorilla trekking day starts early — you're at park headquarters by 8am for the briefing, then assigned to a gorilla family. The trek itself is steep and dense, moving through thick vegetation on hillside terrain, and it takes as long as it takes; when you find the family, you get an hour with them. After that, you drive east toward Lake Bunyonyi, a crater lake ringed with islands, and take a boat out across the water in the afternoon. The Kigezi Highlands rise around you, and you see local canoes moving between the islands. That's where you stay the second night.

Day three is the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, moving through the Ishasha sector where tree-climbing lions sometimes rest in the branches. You arrive in time for an afternoon game drive — elephants, lions, leopards, warthogs, antelopes — then settle into your lodge. The next morning you're out again before the animals bed down from the night hunt, and after breakfast and a rest, you change your camera batteries because the Kazinga Channel boat trip is the centerpiece. The channel runs 40 kilometers between Lake Edward and Lake George, and it's crowded with hippos, buffaloes, pelicans, and birds. The boat moves slowly so you can shoot, and the shoreline is thick with wildlife.

On the final day you're transferred to Kyambura Gorge for chimpanzee tracking — an hour with the chimps in their own territory — then you drive back to Kampala, stopping again at the equator for last-minute shopping. You arrive in the evening. The whole trip is five days and four nights, and you're moving every day, so pack light and bring good walking shoes.

What’s included

Your five days include hotel pickup from Kampala, all transfers between destinations, one gorilla permit, English-speaking driver guide throughout, accommodation at three lodges, afternoon and morning game drives in Queen Elizabeth, the Kazinga Channel boat cruise, chimpanzee tracking at Kyambura Gorge, evening nature walk to Munyaga Waterfall on arrival, and one bottle of distilled water per day. Meals and park entry fees beyond the gorilla permit are not included.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Friendly Africa Safaris

Is this one for you?This safari suits travelers who want to see mountain gorillas and African wildlife in one trip without arranging permits, transport, or timing themselves — the fixed five-day structure and included guide handle all the logistics, which is what makes both Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth possible in a single journey.