7-Day Chimps, Gorillas Trekking and Wildlife Tour

Upon arrival, you will be met by a Verdoro Safaris guide/driver who will transfer you to Kibale National Park. Your Gorillas and Savannah Safari kicks off with a scenic drive west through tea plantations and rolling hills to Fort Portal town, where you will enjoy an en-route lunch before continuing to Kibale National Park. After checking into your hotel, you will set out on a guided nature walk through the lush papyrus of Magombe Swamp, part of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary on the edge of Kibale Forest National Park. Along the way, you might spot up to 138 bird species, including the striking Great Blue Turaco, a variety of butterflies, and the swamp’s true highlight—its seven species of monkeys, such as red colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, L'Hoest's, vervet, black-and-white colobus, blue monkey, and baboons.

After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the Uganda Wildlife Authority park headquarters where you will be briefed before embarking on your trek of the exciting chimps in Kibale Forest. Once you’ve found your group of chimpanzees, you will spend one hour with them, observing their humorous hand gestures and facial expressions, their ear-piercing squeals and their death-defying leaps through the trees. After trekking, you will leave the rainforest and drive south following the Rwenzori Mountain chain to reach the savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park with an en route stop at the equator line for lunch. On arrival at Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will take an evening game drive through the explosion crater-lake fields expecting to spot a variety of species such as elephants, Uganda kob, bushbuck and troops of baboon.

Depart for a morning game drive in the Kasenyi Plains aiming to spot lions hunting in the morning. The Kasenyi plains are a prime location to track prides of lions, which hunt the game herds found here. Expect to spot elephants, buffalo, warthogs, bushbuck, waterbuck and vast herds of Uganda kobs as you be joined on this game drive by a guide from Uganda Wildlife Authority who is an expert in tracking the lions. After lunch, you will explore Kazinga Channel on a water safari as the river flows through the heart of the park and connects Lake Edward and Lake George. On your boat cruise, expect to spot elephants, buffalo, warthogs and waterbucks as they cool off along the river banks in the heat of the day.

You will exit Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha Plains in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park for another epic game drive. Ishasha is famous for its iconic tree-climbing lions that climb trees to catch cool breezes. After your game drive, you will leave Queen Elizabeth National Park and head to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

After an early breakfast and with a packed lunch in hand, you will head to the Uganda Wildlife Authority park headquarters for a briefing on gorilla tracking, which kicks off at 8:00 am. From there, you will venture into the jungle with a guide to search for the elusive primates. The trek can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 7 hours, depending on where the gorillas spent the night. Once you find the gorilla family, you will have an unforgettable hour watching them eat, interact, and show off their strength.

After breakfast, you will transfer to Lake Mburo National Park driving through winding roads, farmlands and forests. Lake Mburo National Park boasts a beautiful acacia Savannah terrain and woodlands. On arrival, you will embark on a game drive expecting to spot warthog, impala, zebras, oribi, leopard and several savannah bird species some of which include lapwings, hornbills, and coqui francolin. This park is also home to the eland, Africa’s largest antelope species only found here and Kidepo valley National Park. After dinner, you will set out to explore this park on a nocturnal game drive guided by a ranger, you will be scanning the savannah with a spotlight to search for a variety of species including the genet cat, warthog, hippos, spotted hyena and the elusive leopard.

With a sumptuous African breakfast, you will transfer from Lake Mburo to Mabamba Swamp on the shores of Lake Victoria, driving through Mbarara town and crossing the equator at Mbarara. At Mabamba Swamp, you will set out on the water in a local canoe guided by an expert birder. You will explore the swamp in search of the infamous Shoebill Stork, the Grey Crowned Crane, Uganda’s National Bird, the Saddle-billed Stork, the African Fish Eagle and the Malachite Kingfisher. Your guide will then drive you across town to Entebbe International Airport in time for you to check in and catch your outbound Air Transfer back home.