Day-by-day itinerary

What the operator has planned, day by day, across 3 days.

1. Day 1

   Kampala to Kibale and the Bigodi Community Walk

   You leave Kampala early for the drive west to Kibale Forest National Park, passing local homesteads, tea farms and banana plantations on the way, and take lunch at your lodge. The afternoon is given to the Bigodi village and community tour, a walk through the homesteads close to the park led by a local guide who can explain the customs and cultures of the different tribes living there. The walk goes door to door and takes in the churches and community schools, giving a picture of village life in this part of the country. You return to your lodge for dinner and the night. Accommodation runs from Rwenzori View Guest House or Chimpanzee Guest House at budget level, through Bush Lodge or Chimps Nest Lodge, up to Mountains of the Moon or Primate Lodge, with Kyaninga Lodge at the top.

2. Day 2

   Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale and the Bigodi Swamp Walk

   Breakfast comes first, then you set out to track the chimpanzees in the forest. Besides the chimpanzees and the other primates there are plenty of birds and butterflies to watch for. You return to your lodge for lunch before the afternoon walk in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a guided route through the swamp that is nearly as popular as the chimpanzee trek itself; the operator advises comfortable walking shoes because parts of it are muddy. With luck you may pick out the shoebill or the hard-to-see sitatunga antelope, and there are several primates along the way, with chimpanzees turning up occasionally. Dinner and the night are at your lodge, with the same choice of accommodation.

3. Day 3

   Return to Kampala

   After a substantial breakfast you drive back to the capital, stopping for lunch on the way. You arrive in Kampala in the late afternoon, which ends the three-day chimpanzee trek.