5 Day Gorilla and Wildlife Safari

Kampala / Entebbe → Bwindi Impenetrable National Park · Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Pick up from your Kampala hotel, Entebbe International Airport, or designated city location at 8:00 am. Drive south via the Kampala–Masaka–Mbarara–Kabale road, stopping for lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara — a fascinating museum celebrating the traditions of the Ankole people. Continue to Bwindi and check in at Buhoma Haven Lodge. Freshen up, enjoy dinner, and rest ahead of the early morning trek. Meal plan: Full Board.

Gorilla Trekking & Batwa Community Tour · Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Rise at 5:30 am for an early breakfast and pack your lodge-provided lunch. Meet your driver/guide for a briefing, then transfer to the park headquarters for the pre-trek ranger briefing covering gorilla behaviour and safety guidelines. Head into the impenetrable forest with trained rangers and trackers in search of a habituated gorilla family. The trek can take 2–6 hours depending on the gorillas' location. Spend one unforgettable hour with the family at close range. Return to Buhoma Haven Lodge to freshen up, then visit the Batwa community — Uganda's famous forest-dwelling pygmies — for traditional singing, dancing, and cultural storytelling. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Haven Lodge. Meal plan: Full Board.

One hour with a mountain gorilla family + Batwa community cultural encounter

Bwindi → Queen Elizabeth National Park — Tree-Climbing Lions & Evening Game Drive · Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, check out of Buhoma Haven Lodge and drive north to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Check in at Park View Hotel and enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, head to the remote Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park to track the famous tree-climbing lions — a unique behaviour rarely seen elsewhere in Africa, where lions drape themselves across the branches of giant fig trees. Round off the day with an evening game drive across the Kasenyi Plains, scanning for elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kob, and other wildlife in the golden afternoon light. Dinner and overnight. Meal plan: Full Board.

Tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector — a uniquely Ugandan spectacle

Morning Game Drive & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise · Queen Elizabeth National Park

Wake early for a morning game drive across the Kasenyi Plains, prime territory for lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, and Uganda kob. Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, board a launch boat for a cruise along the Kazinga Channel — the waterway connecting Lake Edward and Lake George — drifting past hippo pods, basking Nile crocodiles, and elephants bathing at the water's edge, while hundreds of bird species line the banks. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: Full Board.

Kazinga Channel boat cruise — hippos, crocodiles, elephants and 600+ bird species

Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge → Return to Kampala · Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, prepare for chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge — a dramatic river gorge carved into the floor of the Rift Valley, home to a habituated chimpanzee community. Your guide will lead you down into the gorge and through the lush forest in search of the chimps, with additional opportunities to spot forest birds and other primates. After trekking, return to the lodge, check out, and begin the drive back to Kampala. Optionally, explore Kampala's streets and markets on arrival before being dropped at your hotel or Entebbe International Airport.

Chimpanzee tracking in the dramatic "Valley of Apes" — Kyambura Gorge