Combine chimpanzee trekking in two iconic chimp sites in Africa: Kibale Forest and Kyambura Gorge.
Kibale Forest, the ‘Primate Capital of the World’ is one of the best parks to view chimpanzees in Africa, with a community of 1,500 chimps. Kyambura Gorge is a magical sunken rainforest and home to the ‘Lost Chimps of Kyambura’, a small isolated group of chimpanzees.
Join in with unique community and conservation activities on your safari, run by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, including the Kyambura Gorge Eco-tourism Project, a series of initiatives in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute to protect the endangered chimpanzees and their habitats.
Spend three nights each at Kibale Lodge and Kyambura Gorge on this specialist chimpanzee safari. Enjoy a fireside chat with a primatologist from the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, visit a school taking part in the Roots and Shoots program to build conservation leaders, and learn about our partnership with the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation to support Ugandan artists.
Take part in chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Forest, go birding in the Kyambura wetlands, and join in with the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project annual survey.
2025 Rates from $8,890 per person for this all-inclusive 8-day safari. As a special introductory offer, book before 31 December 2025 and receive a complimentary chimpanzee permit at Kibale and a free night at Kyambura Gorge Lodge worth up to $1,570.
Experience the thrill of chimpanzee trekking in the natural high canopies and across river bridges. Starting from Kyambura Gorge Lodge, the 2-3 hour trek involves navigating steep gorges and log bridges, demanding agility and fitness. Nearby Kalinzu Forest also offers a glimpse into the lives of 40 habituated chimpanzees.
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Experience the thrill of trekking chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, the ‘Primate Capital of the World’. Spend a morning or afternoon observing the dynamic chimp families swinging through the canopy and filling the air with their vibrant calls, all in their natural habitat.
Attend a fascinating lecture by Emily Otaali, primatologist and Field Director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project. Gain valuable insights into chimpanzee behavior, tracking expectations, and conservation importance.
Join a unique chimpanzee habituation experience, allowing just six guests per day to spend up to four hours with a troop of 70 chimpanzees. Starting early from the Bulaiga Research Centre to the Kanyanchu sector, learn from leading scientists and observe the chimps as they feed, groom, and traverse the canopy. Requires agility and fitness for trekking.
The Kyambura Wetland Walk offers a 2-hour guided experience through a 45-acre wetland area, which has been regenerating after years of being used as an illegal brick works. Now home to over 200 species of birds, mammals, and primates, this project showcases conservation and community efforts.
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Arrive in Uganda at Entebbe Airport where a Volcanoes Safaris representative will assist you to your hotel.
Overnight at Hotel No. 5 (dinner, breakfast)
Transfer from your hotel to Entebbe airport where a representative will assist you with your domestic flight to Kasese airstrip, where you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari.
Drive for approximately 1 hour to Kibale Lodge, near Kibale National Park. Visit the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation on the way and learn about the cultural partnership with Volcanoes Safaris to display sculptures relating to the traditional clans of Uganda around the lodge.
Kibale lodge has stunning panoramic views of the snow-covered peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains to the west, and the Queen Elizabeth plains and the Kazinga channel to the south. In the afternoon visit a local school as part of the Roots and Shoots program which aims to build women leaders in conservation, in partnership with Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust and the Jane Goodall Institute.
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and a fireside chat with a vet from a primatologist and learn about their daily work looking after the health of the chimpanzees.
Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 1 hour. Overnight at Kibale Lodge (lunch, dinner)
In the morning, go birding in the Bigodi Wetland. The reserve is abundant with butterflies, plants, animals and birds, including the elusive Red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope. Spectacular species including the Great Blue Turaco and rare Papyrus Gonolek will be of great interest to birders.
Spend the afternoon trekking the exuberant chimp families in Kibale forest, the Primate Capital of the World. Seeing the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above is a thrilling experience. The forest quickly becomes alive with their noisy calls.
On the way back to the lodge visit a school taking part in the Roots and Shoots program with the Jane Goodall Institute and Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust.
Overnight at Kibale Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
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After breakfast, go for a second chimpanzee trek in Kibale. Look out for the other wonderful primates, mammals and birds, including Olive Baboons, nocturnal Bushbabies and the elusive Red Colobus monkey. The dense forest is famous for some of the world’s best birding, with a vast diversity of species including the Great Blue Turaco, the beautiful Papyrus Gonolek and the rare Green Breasted Pitta.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon visit the nearby Sadhguru School, supported by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust.
Overnight at Kibale Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Depart for Kyambura Gorge Lodge and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Drive through the park on the way to the lodge and look for lions, leopard, elephants, buffaloes and large herds of Uganda kob.
In the afternoon take a wildlife boat cruise on the Kazinga channel, home to one of the greatest concentration of hippo in Africa and herds of elephant, buffalo and other animals come to drink at the water’s edge.
After your boat cruise, harvest honey with the Kyambura bee-keeping cooperative or go on a gorge walk to see birds, monkeys and other wildlife.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Enjoy an early breakfast and set out for a morning game drive. The Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lions, leopard, elephant and buffalo. The Mweya peninsula is one of the best places to look for leopards, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets. You will be joined by a member of the Kyambura Wildlife Team on your game drive who will teach you how to take lion identification photos and track your GPS, which will form part of an annual carnivore census as part of the the Lion Monitoring Project.
After lunch, walk from the lodge along the wonderful Fig Tree Trail and hike directly down into Kyambura Gorge, to search for the ‘Lost Chimpanzees of Kyambura’. The gorge is an extraordinary natural environment and forms a stark contrast to the surrounding grasslands. Here you can track one of our closest animal relatives: the chimpanzee. The walk is exciting and enchanting as you look for members of this mobile chimp group, often seen moving quickly between the canopy overhead as they search for food.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner
After a bush breakfast overlooking the park go for a second trek in the Kyambura Gorge. As well as search for the chimpanzees, explore the magical gorge and enjoy the surprises of a walking safari. Your guide will help you track footprints and understand about the diverse wildlife living in and around this unique natural habitat.
Check camera traps in the gorge as part of the Kyambura Carnivore Survey and look through photos and film of any animals captured last night.
After lunch participate in the Kyambura Gorge Ecotourism Project. Try hand-roasting coffee with the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative, go birding in the Kyambura wetlands, and plant a tree seedling in the wildlife buffer zone.
In the evening participate in an informal wildlife storytelling, BBQ and movie night at the Kyambura Community and Conservation Centre with the lodge guides, wildlife monitoring team staff, and members of the local community.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Transfer to Kasese Airstrip for an early morning flight to Entebbe and connect to your international flight.
Approximate Travel Times; Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 1 hour.
Please book international flights departing after 8pm
(Breakfast at the lodge)
To make a booking, please complete this form or click here to chat to one of our sales consultants via our live chat. Alternatively, send us an email on enquiries@volcanoessafaris.com.
