A 1-Week Uganda Itinerary | Gorilla, Chimpanzee And Wildlife

A 1-week Uganda itinerary typically focuses on primates and wildlife, combining unforgettable mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, and classic game drives/boat cruises in Queen Elizabeth National Park, often starting and ending in Entebbe/Kampala, with highlights including Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Lake Mburo for diverse scenery and animals. Expect diverse landscapes, from rainforests to savannas, seeing the Big Five, chimpanzees, and the rare Shoebill Stork, though it’s a packed schedule requiring efficient travel between parks.

Visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale National Park, two of the most famous destinations in Uganda, for unforgettable gorilla and chimpanzee encounters, respectively. This one-week Uganda safari offers wildlife viewing, chimpanzee trekking, and a chance to see the majestic mountain gorillas and man’s closest wild relatives. During your time in Uganda, you may expect to see a variety of savanna wild creatures, and you’ll also be visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park.

1-Week Uganda Itinerary Highlights

  • Day 1: You will be picked up early in the morning at 7:00am and embark on a full day transfer to Kibale National Park.
  • Day 2: will see you engage in Chimpanzee trekking, Bigodi wetland walk and transfer to Queen Elizabeth Park.
  • Day 3: Morning game drive in Kasenyi sector and an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga channel
  • Day 4: Today you will transfer to Bwindi Park with an enroute game drive in Ishasha
  • Day 5: Today you will engage in Mountain Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
  • Day 6: Transfer to Lake Mburo and do an afternoon boat cruise on Mburo lake
  • Day 7: Enjoy a morning game walk experience and transfer back to Entebbe airport

A Detailed 1-Week Uganda Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer to Kibale with an enroute lunch stop in Fort Portal

Starting early in the morning, one of our safari guides will collect you from your hotel in Entebbe. They will then give you a briefing about the entire trip. Then, you will embark on a thrilling 350km (or 6-7 hour) journey to Kibale National Park, one of the top wildlife destinations in Uganda. You will see many ordinary Ugandans going about their lives as you ride along with him. Your lunch break in Fort Portal town will be a buffet of continental meals made with ingredients that have just been selected. Your travel to your resort will continue after you enjoy a delicious lunch. Upon arrival at your Kibale lodge, you can expect a warm welcome from the welcoming Ugandan staff who will show you to your room. You can relax after the long trip to the park because the remainder of the evening is at your leisure. In the evening, you will have dinner and then go to your hotel for the night. The next day, you will get to meet the amazing chimpanzees.

Accommodation: Isunga Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking with a visit to Bigodi community and transfer to Queen Elizabeth Park in the evening

An excellent breakfast will get the day started in preparation for the exciting chimpanzee walk that awaits you. Before your chimpanzee trekking adventure begins, your guide will transport you to the park centre in Kanyanchu, where you will receive a briefing on the whole thing. Set out on a jungle walk with a park ranger to find these amazing primates—the chimpanzees. Meeting these fascinating creatures will be the highlight of the day. You’ll be amazed to see how much we share with these great apes—they laugh, hug, and kiss just like us, and they even take care of their own young. Not only can you see chimpanzees in this forest, but you can also see other primates like grey monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, and more. Back at the park centre, you’ll get a trekking certificate to commemorate your efforts after the hour-long chimpanzee encounter. After lunch, you’ll be transferred to the Bigodi community for an immersive experience where you can interact with locals, learn about their daily lives, and even try your hand at some of their everyday tasks like coffee picking and local brew making. As you immerse yourself in this immersive community, you’ll also have the opportunity to plant coffee beans, harvest ripe berries, dry them in the sun, grind them, and finally brew your own cup of coffee from the beans grown by the locals. You will be driven to Queen Elizabeth Park, which is around 120km (or 1.5-2 hours) from Kibale, after your visit to the community.

Day 3: Morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise

Discover all that Queen Elizabeth National Park has to offer today. The first stop is a game drive in the wee hours of the morning, when you’re more likely to see lions, Cape buffalo, African elephants, and Topis Bush bucks, among other Ugandan species. In the afternoon, go on another exciting boat ride in the Kazinga canal, where you may see more grassland wild animals, a plethora of bird species (the park is home to 600 different kinds of birds), and, of course, hippos.

Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi with enroute game drive in Ishasha sector

Transferring to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to the largest animals on the planet—giant mountain gorillas—will take place on Day 4. On your way to the Bwindi, keep an eye out in the Ishasha area for Queen Elizabeth’s famed tree-climbing lions.

Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and an afternoon transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

On this day, you will have the opportunity to encounter these majestic creatures up close and personal on an unforgettable gorilla trekking adventure. You will get to witness these gentle giants in their native environment. If you want to learn about these magnificent animals and how their habits are similar to ours, you should set aside an hour to observe them. Upon your return from the walk, you will have the afternoon at the lodge to yourself to rest.

Day 6: Transfer to Lake Mburo and enjoy an evening boat cruise

Because this woodland is home to hundreds of different bird species—the name of the lake, Bunyonyi—you will likely wake up to the calming twittering of some of these birds today. You will leave for Lake Mburo National Park in the morning after breakfast. N.E. of Bwindi, at a distance of around 270 km, or around 5-6 hours’ travel, is Mburo National Park. You will see a variety of wild mammals and reptiles, including Cape buffalo, giraffes, impalas, burchell zebras, bush backs, and Ellands, among many more, on a breathtaking boat ride that begins when you arrive at Lake Mburo Park. After your boat ride, you’ll head back to your accommodation while enjoying a game drive. Its 300 bird species make it an ideal location for birdwatching as well.

Day 7: Do a morning walk and transfer to Entebbe

Last but not least, you’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the park’s native wildlife on an exciting walking safari. Your safari with us will conclude when you return to the lodge for breakfast. Following breakfast, you will be driven back to Entebbe.

End of the 1-Week Uganda Itinerary