11 Day Uganda Gorilla Chimp & Kidepo Safari

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport and meet your safari representative. Transfer to your hotel and spend the remainder of the day relaxing after your international flight. Your guide will explain the unusual routing required to combine Kidepo with Uganda’s primate destinations.

Depending on arrival time, an optional Entebbe activity can be arranged.

After breakfast, begin your journey toward northeastern Uganda. Depending on the customized itinerary, this transfer may involve a domestic flight or a staged road journey. A flight significantly reduces travel time and offers impressive aerial views of Uganda’s varied landscapes.

Travelers using the road route experience changing scenery as central Uganda gives way to increasingly remote northern landscapes. Arrive at your lodge near or inside Kidepo Valley National Park and enjoy the wilderness atmosphere.

Wake early for a game drive across Kidepo’s spectacular savannah. Kidepo is renowned for dramatic mountain backdrops, open plains and a remote atmosphere. Your driver-guide will search for wildlife across suitable valleys and game-viewing tracks.

Possible sightings include elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and various predators. Lions are among the park’s most sought-after animals, while other carnivores may also be encountered depending on luck and location. The scenery itself is a major part of the experience.

Broad valleys framed by rugged mountains create some of Uganda’s most striking safari landscapes. Return to the lodge for lunch before continuing with another game drive later in the day.

Spend another day exploring Kidepo Valley National Park. The additional time improves the chances of seeing a wider range of wildlife and allows you to explore different habitats. Morning and afternoon game drives can be arranged according to wildlife activity and your interests.

Birdwatchers will find the region particularly rewarding because northeastern Uganda supports species associated with drier habitats that may not be seen on the western safari circuit. Depending on your selected itinerary and current arrangements, a cultural experience may also be incorporated.

Return to your lodge for a final evening surrounded by Kidepo’s remote wilderness.

After breakfast, leave Kidepo and begin the journey toward Uganda’s western primate region. A domestic flight may be used where available and practical, or the trip can involve a combination of flight and road transfers.

Because Uganda is geographically diverse, the transfer between Kidepo and western forests is a significant part of the itinerary. Arrive at your lodge near the selected chimpanzee trekking destination. Spend the evening relaxing and preparing for your forest activity.

After breakfast, transfer to the chimpanzee trekking briefing point. Professional guides explain forest rules and appropriate behavior around habituated chimpanzees. Enter the forest and begin tracking.

Chimpanzees are highly active and can move rapidly through the trees. Their loud calls may echo through the forest long before you see them. Trackers listen carefully for vocalizations and monitor fresh feeding signs and movements.

Once the chimpanzees are located, observe their behavior during the permitted viewing period. You may see adults grooming, younger chimpanzees playing, mothers carrying infants or males displaying and communicating. The forest may also provide opportunities to see other primates and birds.

Return to your lodge after trekking.

After breakfast, begin traveling south toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The journey reveals another dramatic change in scenery. Open and lower landscapes gradually give way to cultivated highlands, valleys and dense rainforest.

Lunch is arranged along the route. Arrive at your lodge near the appropriate gorilla trekking sector. Because Bwindi contains several trekking sectors, accommodation is selected according to the location shown on your permit.

Spend the evening preparing your hiking clothing and equipment.

Today is one of the principal highlights of your 11 Day Uganda Gorilla Chimp & Kidepo Safari. Wake early, enjoy breakfast and transfer to the Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing point. Rangers explain trekking procedures, conservation regulations and forest safety.

Trekkers are assigned to habituated gorilla families before entering the rainforest. Bwindi can be physically demanding. Trails may be steep, muddy and overgrown in some places.

The gorillas move freely through the forest, so the length of the trek varies. Hiring a porter is strongly recommended.

Enjoy a relaxed day around Bwindi after your gorilla trek. Depending on your interests, participate in an optional community visit, birding activity or nature walk. A community experience can introduce you to the lives of people living around the forest and demonstrate how tourism supports local livelihoods.

Nature enthusiasts can spend more time discovering Bwindi’s birds, butterflies and plants. Alternatively, relax at your lodge and enjoy the mountain scenery.

After breakfast, leave Bwindi and begin traveling toward central Uganda. The journey passes through the southwestern highlands and rural farming districts. Stop for lunch and refreshments along the way.

An intermediate overnight stay makes the long return trip more comfortable and allows you to avoid rushing on departure day. Arrive at your hotel or lodge in the afternoon.

After breakfast, complete the final transfer to Entebbe. If time permits, stop around the Equator for photographs and souvenir shopping. Continue to Entebbe International Airport for your onward journey.

Your 11 Day Uganda Gorilla Chimp & Kidepo Safari concludes after experiencing remote savannah, tropical chimpanzee forest and mountain gorilla habitat within one remarkable Uganda adventure.

Why Add Kidepo to a Primate Safari?

Kidepo provides one of the strongest contrasts possible within a Uganda itinerary. The western forests are humid, green and densely vegetated. Kidepo is characterized by broad open valleys, dramatic mountains and drier savannah landscapes.

Visitors therefore experience dramatically different ecosystems within one trip. Kidepo is also known for its remote location, which can create a powerful sense of wilderness.

Chimpanzee and Gorilla Trekking Compared

Chimpanzee trekking can be energetic because chimpanzees are highly mobile and vocal. They may move rapidly across the forest floor or high through the canopy. Mountain gorillas tend to live in more cohesive family groups.

Once located, they may remain within a relatively limited area while feeding and resting. Experiencing both gives travelers a fascinating look at two different great ape societies.