Sample Itinerary

10-Day Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Queen Elizabeth Safari

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This 10 day Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee safari brings together the country’s three great experiences in one unhurried loop: mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, and big game and boat safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with zebra at Lake Mburo on the way. Ten days gives you time to enjoy each place properly, with no day that combines a long drive and a demanding trek.

Quick Overview

Parks: Lake Mburo NP, Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale National Park

Highlights: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, Game drives in Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth, including Ishasha’s tree-climbing lions, A Kazinga Channel boat cruise and the community-run Bigodi Wetland walk

Best For: Travellers who want both great apes and a proper savannah safari, and who prefer a steady pace to cramming.

Group Size: Private vehicle, any group size from solo travellers to families

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Peak (dry season) Shoulder (rains)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Your Safari Begins
Entebbe

Day 1

Entebbe

Arrive in Entebbe. Your driver-guide meets you at Entebbe International Airport and takes you to a hotel by Lake Victoria for a quiet first night.

Continue Your Journey To
Lake Mburo NP

Day 2

Lake Mburo NP

Entebbe to Lake Mburo. About four to five hours by road, with a stop at the Equator. An afternoon game drive in Lake Mburo National Park for zebra, impala, eland and buffalo.

Continue Your Journey To
Bwindi Impenetrable NP

Days 3–4

Bwindi Impenetrable NP

Lake Mburo to Bwindi. An optional early walk or boat trip at Lake Mburo, then about five to six hours through the Kigezi highlands to your lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi. An early ranger briefing, then the trek to your assigned gorilla family and one hour in their company. The trek can take from under an hour to most of the day; the evening is free.

Continue Your Journey To
Queen Elizabeth National Park

Days 5–6

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Bwindi to Ishasha. A drive of about four to five hours north into the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a game drive to look for lions resting in the fig trees, before continuing to your lodge in the north of the park. Kasenyi game drive and Kazinga Channel cruise. An early game drive on the Kasenyi Plains for lions, elephants and Uganda kob, then an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel past hippos, buffalo and waterbirds.

Continue Your Journey To
Kibale National Park

Days 7–9

Kibale National Park

Drive to Kibale. About three hours north to Kibale National Park, past crater lakes and tea estates. In the afternoon, a guided walk in the community-run Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary for birds and monkeys. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale. A morning briefing at Kanyanchu, then tracking a habituated chimpanzee community through the forest, with one hour once you find them. The afternoon is free to relax by the crater lakes. A flexible day around Kibale. Choose a full-day chimpanzee habituation experience, a crater-lakes walk and visit to Fort Portal, or a day trip to the Sempaya hot springs in Semuliki National Park.

Continue Your Journey To
Entebbe

Day 10

Entebbe

Return to Entebbe. About six to seven hours by road back to Entebbe, arriving in time for evening international flights.

Your Safari Ends in Entebbe

What's Included

Your quoted price covers accommodation for every night on the route, all ground transport in a private 4x4 with an experienced driver-guide, and park entry fees for each park visited, including the gorilla trekking permit and the chimpanzee tracking permit. Fuel and the driver-guide's costs across the full route are built into the quoted price rather than billed separately.

Excluded, as with every Uganda itinerary we quote: international flights, visa fees, travel insurance, tips for your driver-guide and gorilla trekking porters, and personal spending such as drinks and souvenirs. We itemise all of this clearly when we send your formal quote, so nothing arrives as a surprise once you're on the ground.

Lodging across the route is mid-range by default — the properties can be swapped for budget or luxury alternatives at the same locations without changing the underlying route, activities or duration. Tell us which tier fits your trip and we'll send a revised, fully itemised quote.

Who This Itinerary Suits

Travellers who want both great apes and a proper savannah safari, and who prefer a steady pace to cramming. The extra days compared with our 7-day safari add a whole new ecosystem rather than more driving: Kibale’s tropical forest and its chimpanzees feel very different from Bwindi’s gorillas. You need to be at least 15 for gorilla trekking and 12 for chimp tracking. With two weeks to spare, the 14-day itinerary adds Murchison Falls in the north.

Gorillas and Chimpanzees on One Trip

The two primate experiences complement each other. Gorillas are calm and often close: you watch a family feed and rest for an hour. Chimpanzees are fast, noisy and often high in the trees, so tracking them is more of a chase, with sudden bursts of calls and drumming. Doing gorillas first, as on this route, means the most demanding trek comes early while you have the most energy. Read more in chimpanzee tracking vs gorilla trekking and our chimpanzee tracking guide.

Getting Around and Drive Times

Every leg is planned so that long drives and demanding activities fall on different days. The longest drives are the first legs south and the final return to Entebbe; between the parks, transfers are three to six hours, with stops for photos and lunch. Main roads are paved, with slower dirt sections near the parks. To save time at either end, scheduled flights connect Entebbe with airstrips near Bwindi and Kasese, close to Queen Elizabeth and Kibale.

Where You Will Stay

One night near Entebbe, one at Lake Mburo, two in Bwindi, two in Queen Elizabeth and three around Kibale, where lodges on the crater lakes make a peaceful base. We book lodges at your preferred level and, in Bwindi, in the sector where your gorilla permit is issued. Our Kibale National Park guide describes the area around the forest.

How Much Does a 10-Day Uganda Safari Cost?

Two permits are fixed costs: the gorilla permit (currently US$800 per person for foreign non-residents) and the Kibale chimpanzee permit (around US$200–250). The rest depends on your lodges and group size. As a planning guide, for one person sharing a room the total comes to roughly US$2,500–3,500 on a budget, US$4,000–5,600 at mid-range level and over US$7,000 in luxury lodges, before international flights, visa, insurance and tips. See the Uganda safari cost guide for how this is built up.

Ways to Adapt This Route

  • Swap Day 9 for the chimp habituation experience: a full day with researchers following a chimpanzee community from their nests at dawn. See the chimp habituation experience.
  • Add a rest day at Lake Bunyonyi after the gorilla trek — popular with couples.
  • Add a second gorilla trek in another Bwindi sector, or golden monkeys in Mgahinga.
  • Shorten it to eight days by leaving out Lake Mburo and the flexible day.
  • Fly one way to save a long road day at the start or end.

Best Time for This Safari

The route runs all year. The drier months of June to September and December to February give the easiest forest trails and the best game viewing; book gorilla permits four to six months ahead for those dates. In the wetter months the forests are greener and quieter, and some lodges charge less. See the best time to visit Uganda.

Start Planning

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Good To Know

10-Day Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Queen Elizabeth Safari FAQs

Ten days covers the south-west properly: gorillas, chimpanzees and two savannah parks. Murchison Falls and Kidepo in the north need more time or a separate trip.

Yes. Each is issued separately by the Uganda Wildlife Authority for a specific date, so we book both together to keep your route in the right order.

Lions, elephants, buffalo and, with luck, leopards are found in Queen Elizabeth. There are no rhinos on this route; they are seen at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on the way to Murchison Falls.

Yes, if all children are at least 15 for gorillas and 12 for chimps. Families with younger children can join the savannah days and Bigodi walk while older members track.

Yes. Starting in Kigali shortens the drive to Bwindi’s southern sectors; the route then finishes in Entebbe or loops back to Rwanda.

Plan Your 10-Day Safari

Tell us your dates and the kind of lodges you prefer. We will check gorilla and chimp permit availability, fit the route around your flights, and send an itemised quote that you can adjust day by day.

  • ● Day 1: Entebbe
  • ● Day 2: Lake Mburo NP
  • ● Days 3–4: Bwindi Impenetrable NP
  • ● Days 5–6: Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • ● Days 7–9: Kibale National Park
  • ● Day 10: Entebbe