6-Day Uganda Safari - Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi

Start the safari with a transfer to Kibale Forest National Park in the morning, aiming to have lunch in Fort Portal along the way. Stopovers in the countryside offer the chance to stretch in villages and around tea plantations as you continue toward the park, checking in to a lodge in a beautiful area close to a crater lake bordering the forest by the evening.

Distance: Road transfer from Entebbe/Kampala to Kibale, approx. 5-6 hours

Activity: Scenic drive with a lunch stop in Fort Portal

Accommodation: Lodge near Kibale Forest

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Kibale Forest is home to over 1,500 chimpanzees, the largest population in East Africa. On the morning trek, see them up close in their natural, often boisterous social moods. Nine other primate species share this forest, including red colobus and red-tailed monkey, alongside colourful birdlife such as the great blue turaco and superb black bee-eater. After the trek, transfer south toward Queen Elizabeth National Park, with the Rwenzori range often visible along the way.

Distance: Morning chimpanzee trek, then drive to Queen Elizabeth, approx. 2-3 hours

Activity: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer

Accommodation: Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

An early morning game drive brings the chance to see the Big Five alongside warthog, hyena and a wide range of birdlife in the wetland areas. After lunch, take the 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, where hippo, buffalo and crocodile gather along the banks.

Distance: Morning game drive, afternoon boat cruise

Activity: Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise

Accommodation: Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park (second night)

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Drive through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth on the way to Bwindi, an area known for its tree-climbing lions, with a chance to spot them resting in the branches of fig trees. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where the landscape shifts from flat savannah through cultivated hills to forest-covered mountains.

Distance: Drive via Ishasha to Bwindi, approx. 4-5 hours total

Activity: Tree-climbing lion search en route

Accommodation: Lodge near Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Bwindi is home to the mountain gorilla, and today you set off into the forest with a specialised guide to find them, spending an hour in the company of a habituated family once they are located. The forest is also rich in birds, butterflies and plant species, alongside forest hog and forest elephant. After the trek, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, one of Uganda’s most scenic lakes.

Distance: Full-day gorilla trek, duration varies with gorilla location

Activity: Gorilla trekking

Accommodation: Lodge near Lake Bunyonyi

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

After an early breakfast, begin the drive back to Kampala, with a stop at the Equator and lunch in Masaka, continuing through to Kampala or Entebbe to conclude the safari.

Distance: Road transfer to Entebbe/Kampala, approx. 7-8 hours with stops

Activity: Travel day with a stop at the Equator

Accommodation: N/A, end of safari

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Extend your trip

• Have an extra day? Our 7-Day Empire of Apes Safari covers the same three parks at a slightly more relaxed pace.
• Want to add Murchison Falls? See our 4-Day Murchison Falls and Chimpanzee Trekking as an extension.