10-Day Uganda Gorilla and Wildlife Safari: Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth & Kibale

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe – Transfer to Your Lodge

Upon landing at Entebbe International Airport (EBB), your private driver-guide welcomes you with a briefing on your Uganda safari, including what to expect, weather conditions, and any itinerary adjustments. Transfer to your lakeside hotel/lodge in Entebbe for the night. Depending on your arrival time, you may spend the afternoon or evening exploring the Entebbe Botanical Gardens or Lake Victoria on a boat or walk, to shake off jet lag. Evening briefing covers health, photography settings, and cultural etiquette. Overnight stay in Entebbe.

Protea Hotel by Marriott, Entebbe (Luxury), Entebbe Forest Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 2: Transfer to Kibale National Park

Travel Time: 6 – 7 Hours After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from your hotel and drive you westwards to Kibale Forest National Park. Enjoy the scenic journey through rolling hills, tea plantations, and rural communities. Stop for lunch en route. Arrive in Kibale just in time for lunch at your lodge. This community-managed sanctuary offers excellent sightings of monkeys, colorful birds, and butterflies amid vibrant papyrus swamps. The sanctuary is also home to a lively local community that benefits directly from ecotourism, providing insightful cultural context. Return to your lodge later and retire. Overnight stay in Kibale Forest.

Chimpundu Lodge (Luxury), Primate Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest National Park

Begin your day with an early breakfast around 7:00 am and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing. Home to over 1,500 chimpanzees, Kibale National Park boasts the largest concentration of these apes in East Africa, plus 12 other primate species — earning it the nickname “Primate Capital of Africa.” Join a small group for a well-organized chimpanzee trek through the dense rainforest (typically 2–5 hours depending on the group’s location). Once located, you are allocated one unforgettable hour to observe these highly social primates foraging, vocalizing, and interacting at close range. Return to the lodge for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing or on a gentle forest walk, as primate trekking is physically demanding. Overnight stay in Kibale Forest.

Chimpundu Lodge (Luxury), Primate Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 4: Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Travel Time: 3 – 4 Hours After an early breakfast, morning departure to Queen Elizabeth National Park – Uganda’s most famous park. En route, enjoy changing landscapes from forest to open plains, dotted with various crater lakes. On arrival, enjoy an introductory afternoon game drive in the Kasenyi sector, where you will encounter Uganda kob, elephants, buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck, and lions. The equatorial light here enhances photography opportunities across varied habitats. Overnight stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury), Elephant Hab Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 5: Full-Day Wildlife Safari in Queen Elizabeth

Start with a sunrise game drive focusing on predators such as spotted hyenas, lions, and jackals, and plains game (elephants, buffaloes, oribi, top, bushbucks, etc). Return to your lodge after about 3-4 hours for a late breakfast at your lodge. Relax at your lodge, enjoying the amenities after lunch, and embark on the iconic Kazinga Channel boat safari, gliding past large hippo pods, crocodiles, elephants drinking, and abundant waterbirds. Expect high mammal and bird diversity. Overnight in Queen Elizabeth

Mweya Safari Lodge (Luxury), Elephant Hab Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 6: Ishasha Sector – Tree-Climbing Lions

Drive Time: 2 – 3 Hours After breakfast, drive south to the Ishasha southern sector of the park to explore the unique tree-climbing lions. Spend the day on specialized game drives searching for the famous tree-climbing lions, topi antelopes, and other species in this less-visited, fig-tree-dotted savanna. Picnic lunch in the bush adds exclusivity. This sector offers a more intimate wildlife experience. Overnight stay in Queen Elizabeth.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp (Luxury), Topi Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Enjoy a morning game drive en route before heading to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, passing through the scenic terraced hills of south-western Uganda. Arrive at your forest-edge lodge with time to settle, enjoy the views, and attend a pre-trek orientation covering gorilla rules, physical preparation, and what to expect during the encounter. Overnight stay in Bwindi.

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxury), Buhoma Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 8: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

This is the ultimate highlight of your 10-day Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari. Begin with an early breakfast followed by a transfer to the park headquarters for registration and briefing. Assigned to a habituated gorilla group, you trek through the steep, misty rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (2 – 6 hours depending on the family’s location), accompanied by expert trackers and rangers. Once the gorillas are located, you are allocated one unforgettable hour to observe these majestic endangered primates: powerful silverbacks exerting dominance, protective mothers nurturing their young, and playful young in their natural habitat. Return to the lodge for a well-earned lunch and spend the afternoon relaxing or enjoying light lodge activities, as gorilla trekking is both rewarding and physically demanding.

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxury), Buhoma Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 9: Bwindi – Batwa Cultural Tour

Dedicate the morning to a guided Batwa pygmy cultural experience, learning traditional forest knowledge, songs, and history. Afternoon offers an optional shorter forest walk or birding to deepen appreciation of Bwindi’s biodiversity as a UNESCO site. Use downtime to reflect on primate encounters.

Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxury), Buhoma Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 10: Return to Entebbe – Departure

Drive Time: 8 – 10 Hours Early breakfast and departure for the return drive to Entebbe (we recommend an internal flight for comfort and convenience). En route to lunch and a stopover at the Equator Monument, before proceeding to Entebbe. Arrive in time for your international flight, carrying memories of Uganda’s extraordinary wildlife heritage. Depending on your flight schedule, you may proceed straight to the Airport or spend the night in your hotel/lodge. This marks the end of your 10-day Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari.