Our popular 7-Day gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Uganda takes you to Bwindi Lodge in the highlands of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to trek the majestic mountain gorillas, on game drives to see the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, a wildlife boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, and finally to search for the ‘Lost Chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge.
Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge
Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
See the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha
Enjoy exceptional wildlife viewing on the boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel
Birding in Bwindi Forest and the Kyambura reclaimed wetlands
Community Projects in Kyambura and Bwindi
Receive news and insights from our lodges and conservation & community projects.
Write to us on [email protected] or send us a message via the form on our contact page.
Rwanda: +250 (0) 252 502 452
Uganda: +256 (0) 414 346 464
| Per Person Sharing | Single Traveler Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Day Kyambura Safari | $6295 | $1720 |
| 4-Day Gahinga Safari | $5270 | $1375 |
| 4-Day Bwindi Safari | $5705 | $1375 |
| 4-Day Virunga Safari | $8200 | $1990 |
| 6-Day Gahinga & Virunga Safari | $11605 | $2790 |
| 7-Day Kyambura, Bwindi & Kibale Safari | $9730 | $2881 |
| 7-Day Kyambura and Bwindi Safari | $11180 | $2930 |
| 8-Day Kyambura, Ishasha & Bwindi Safari | $11175 | $3222 |
| 10-Day Gahinga, Bwindi and Kyambura Safari | $16270 | $4130 |
High season rates are applicable on bookings from 1 June to 30 September and 15 December to 28 February.
* Rates are based on a minimum of 2 people
| Per Person Sharing | Single Traveler Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Day Kyambura Safari | $4605 | $870 |
| 4-Day Gahinga Safari | $3895 | $630 |
| 4-Day Bwindi Safari | $4330 | $630 |
| 4-Day Virunga Safari | $5811 | $846 |
| 6-Day Gahinga & Virunga Safari | $8311 | $1161 |
| 7-Day Kyambura, Bwindi & Kibale Safari | $7685 | $1789 |
| 7-Day Kyambura and Bwindi Safari | $8133 | $1353 |
| 8-Day Kyambura, Ishasha & Bwindi Safari | $8295 | $1728 |
| 10-Day Gahinga, Bwindi and Kyambura Safari | $11865 | $1825 |
Low season rates are applicable on bookings from 1 October to 14 December and 1 March to 31 May. Rates are based on a minimum of 2 people
For full Terms and Conditions please visit our website: Terms and Conditions
| Per Person Sharing | Single Traveler Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Day Kyambura Safari | $6,565 | $1,780 |
| 4-Day Gahinga Safari | $5,530 | $1,405 |
| 4-Day Bwindi Safari | $5,945 | $1,405 |
| 4-Day Virunga Safari | $8,595 | $2,050 |
| 6-Day Gahinga & Virunga Safari | $12,115 | $2,870 |
| 7-Day Kyambura, Bwindi & Kibale Safari | $13,135 | $3,295 |
| 7-Day Kyambura and Bwindi Safari | $11,705 | $3,020 |
| 8-Day Kyambura, Ishasha & Bwindi Safari | $11,709 | $3,334 |
| 10-Day Gahinga, Bwindi and Kyambura Safari | $17,200 | $4,250 |
High season rates are applicable on bookings from 1 June to 30 September and 15 December to 28 February. * Rates are based on a minimum of 2 people
| Per Person Sharing | Single Traveler Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Day Kyambura Safari | $4,770 | $870 |
| 4-Day Gahinga Safari | $4,035 | $630 |
| 4-Day Bwindi Safari | $4,450 | $630 |
| 4-Day Virunga Safari | $6,011 | $846 |
| 6-Day Gahinga & Virunga Safari | $8,521 | $1,161 |
| 7-Day Kyambura, Bwindi & Kibale Safari | $9,313 | $1,343 |
| 7-Day Kyambura and Bwindi Safari | $8,433 | $1,353 |
| 8-Day Kyambura, Ishasha & Bwindi Safari | $8,619 | $1,748 |
| 10-Day Gahinga, Bwindi and Kyambura Safari | $12,450 | $1,825 |
Low season rates are applicable on bookings from 1 October to 14 December and 1 March to 31 May.
For full Terms and Conditions please visit our website: Terms and Conditions
Day 1
Arrive at Entebbe airport where a staff representative will assist you with the transfer to your domestic flight to Kasese. Once in Kasese you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your journey.
Drive though Queen Elizabeth National Park on the way to Kyambura Gorge Lodge. Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the veranda overlooking the savannah plains with the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains in the distance.
Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 2 hours
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (lunch, dinner)
Day 2
Enjoy an early breakfast and set out for a morning game drive for the best wildlife viewings in the park. Depending on the season the wildlife seen varies. The Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lion and large herds of Uganda kob. The Mweya peninsula is one of the best places to look for leopard, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets.
You can visit and participate in the Kyambura Gorge Eco-tourism Project, run by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT). Try roasting coffee with the Kyambura Women’s Coffee Cooperative, go birding in the Kyambura reclaimed wetlands, and plant a tree seedling in the wildlife buffer zone.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 3
After breakfast walk from the lodge 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. This group of isolated chimps are quite mobile and viewing can be unpredictable but the walk itself is exciting and enchanting.
In the afternoon take a cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which flows between Lakes Edward and George. Kazinga is home to one of the greatest concentration of hippo in Africa and herds of elephant, buffalo and other animals come to drink at the waters edge. The channel is a magnet for waterbirds, with great flocks of pelicans and others birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle.
After your boat cruise harvest honey with the Kyambura bee-keeping cooperative, see a performance from the Omumushaka Dance Group, and go on a gorge walk to see birds, monkeys and other wildlife around Kyambura Gorge Lodge.
Overnight at Kyambura Gorge Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 4
After breakfast at the lodge your safari now continues to the primeval Bwindi forest. Driving through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park who can look for the famous tree-climbing lions. The fascinating journey through the rapidly changing landscape takes you up in the highlands to Bwindi Lodge situated on the edge of the impenetrable forest.
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the veranda overlooking the dramatic Bwindi Forest with the calls of more than 150 bird species echoing in the distance.
Approximate driving time 5-6 hours
Overnight at Bwindi Lodge (lunch, dinner)
Day 5
After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi forest can be steep and requires stamina as some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.
Visit the award-winning Bwindi Bar on the way back to the lodge after your gorilla trek and celebrate with the signature Gorillini cocktail! Bwindi Bar provides hospitality training to young disadvantaged youth from the neighbouring communities.
Approximate driving time up to 2 hours, depending on the location of the gorilla groups.
Overnight at Bwindi Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 6
Either go for a second gorilla trek (additional permits required, upon payment of supplement and subject to availability), choose from one of the following community and conservation activities:
Overnight at Bwindi Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 7
Transfer from Bwindi lodge to Kihihi airstrip for your morning or afternoon return flight to Entebbe and connect in time for your international flight.
Approximate Travel Times: Flying 1 to 2 hours; Driving 2 hours
Please book international flights departing after 8pm
(Breakfast at the lodge)
Follow the itinerary of our 7-Day Bwindi and Kyambura safari and add a two-night stay at Ishasha Wilderness Camp as you travel through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 4
After breakfast at Kyambura Gorge Lodge set off on a morning game drive and join a local scientific researcher on his daily game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park to locate and record the behavior of a lion pride he is studying.
Continue your safari with a drive through the park to Ishasha Wilderness Camp. Enjoy watching the wildlife in and around the Ishasha river from the lodge. In the afternoon either relax at the lodge or go out on a game drive, looking for the famous tree-climbing lions, leopard, hyena, buffalo, topi and Uganda Kob. Enjoy sundowners in the bush looking over the beautiful savannah plains.
Approximate driving time 4-6 hours.
Overnight at Ishasha Wilderness Camp (lunch, dinner)
Day 5
Take an early morning game drive for the best opportunity to see wildlife. What you see depends on the season. See hippos in the Ishasha river, herds of elephant on the savannah plains and look for lions and leopards in the trees and dense, scrubby thickets.
Enjoy lunch at the lodge and in the afternoon head out for another drive in the park. Enjoy sundowners in the bush looking over the beautiful savannah plains.
Overnight at Ishasha Wilderness Camp (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 6
Your safari now continues to Bwindi Lodge as you go in search of the mountain gorillas in the primeval Bwindi forest.
Follow the itinerary of our 7-Day Bwindi and Kyambura safari and add a two-night stay at Kibale National Park at the beginning of your safari, for some of the best chimpanzee trekking in East Africa.
Day 1
Arrive at Entebbe airport where a staff representative will assist you with the transfer to your domestic flight to Kasese airstrip. Once in Kasese you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your journey.
Drive for approximately 2 hours to Ndali Lodge, near Kibale National Park. The lodge has amazing views of the ancient volcanic landscape, the Bunyaruguru Crater Lake and the Rwenzori Mountains beyond. After your journey enjoy the swimming pool and sauna, walk around the lodge gardens and to the crater lake below.
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace overlooking the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains in the distance.
Flying time between 1 to 1.5 hours, driving time 2 hours.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge (lunch, dinner)
Day 2
Spend the morning tracking the exuberant chimp families in the Kibale forest. Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor, is a thrilling experience. Though they can be difficult to spot, you will be in no doubt of their presence as the forest is alive with their noisy calls.
In the afternoon, explore the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. The reserve is abundant with butterflies, plants, animals and birds. Spectacular birds like Great Blue Turaco and rare Papyrus Gonolek will be of great interest to birders. The swamp is also home to more elusive animals such as Red Colobus monkeys and Sitatunga antelope.
Overnight at Ndali Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 3
Depart for Kyambura Gorge Lodge and Queen Elizabeth National Park. En route, take a short walk in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and take in the views of this magnificent mountain range. Alternatively, drive straight to the park and take a game drive to see lions in Kasenyi and large herds of Uganda kob.
Tracking mountain gorillas through the dense African forests is a magical experience. Only eight visitors are allowed per gorilla group each day, and to minimize possible transmission of human diseases, visitors are asked to maintain a distance of 10m from the gorillas. Typically, tracking can take from 3 to 8 hours and requires some agility and fitness; however, all fitness levels can be accommodated and no one should feel deterred from missing this once in a lifetime experience.
Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat, as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor is nothing short of exhilarating. The chimps effortlessly cross and scamper through the trees above the gorge, and visitors on the other hand must cross the river using natural bridges in order to keep up with the chimps. So although the walk usually lasts only 2–3 hours, descending the steep gorge and crossing the log bridges over the river requires some agility and fitness.
Chimpanzee tracking is also available in nearby Kalinzu, a forest reserve 30 minutes drive from Kyambura Gorge Lodge where there is a community of about 40 habituated chimpanzees.
Join a local scientific researcher on his daily game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park to locate and record the behavior of a lion pride he is studying. This activity is best done in the mornings when there is ample time to track the pride and chances of finding them are high.
The Kazinga Channel is a 32-kilometer long channel, rich in wildlife, that links Lakes Edward and George. Boat trips down the channel depart from Mweya Safari Lodge (about an hour’s drive through the park from Kyambura Gorge Lodge) and last 3-4 hours. The boat cruise provides a wonderful opportunity to photograph the many animals that come to cool off at the waters’ edge, including lion, buffalo, hippo, elephant, and leopard.
