Day-by-day itinerary

What the operator has planned, day by day, across 5 days.

1. Day 1

   Travel to Kibale Chimpanzee Forest National Park

   After an early breakfast you head west on the Mityana to Fort Portal road, running through farmed countryside, past traditional homesteads and cattle farms. The route passes through Fort Portal, which sits in the foothills of the Rwenzori, before reaching Kibale National Park. Dinner and the night are at the lodge. Driving time is roughly seven hours on full board, with Ndali Lodge or Kyaninga Lodge at the top end, Primates Lodge in the middle and the Chimpanzee Guesthouse as the basic option.

2. Day 2

   Chimpanzee Tracking, Birding and a Bigodi Wetland Walk

   You go early to the park headquarters, where the rangers brief you on chimpanzee tracking. The activity starts at 8.00am and can take half the day, spent looking for chimpanzees and for other primates including l'Hoest's monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys moving through the forest, with birds, butterflies and small insects along the way; the ranger explains the primates and the surrounding plants and animals as you walk. After lunch you visit the Bigodi wetland eco-tourism site, which supports a good deal of wildlife, particularly the water-associated species. The meal plan stays full board and the lodging options are unchanged from the first night.

3. Day 3

   Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

   Breakfast is early, and the day is given over to the drive from Kibale Forest National Park south to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, with lunch taken on the way. Driving time is about five hours on full board. Lodging is at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge or Mahogany Springs (luxury), Gorilla Mist Camp or Silver Back Lodge (mid-range), or Wagtail Eco Lodge or Buhoma Community Bandas (basic).

4. Day 4

   Gorilla Tracking and Cultural Entertainment

   An early breakfast is followed by a briefing from the guides at the park headquarters, after which you set off into Bwindi to look for the gorillas. How long the tracking takes cannot be predicted, since it depends on where the family has moved, but the time spent watching them is what the trip is built around; the gorillas are shy and peaceful, and you are free to watch and photograph them as they play and interact. You set out with a packed lunch and enough drinking water, and the operator advises strong comfortable boots and a light rain jacket because Bwindi weather is unpredictable; the rangers supply walking sticks, brief you on how to behave near the gorillas, and hold visits to one hour for conservation reasons. In the evening there is a cultural walk to the village to meet local people and watch traditional performances by women's groups or orphan-children groups, with the fees going directly towards the welfare of families around the park. Lodging is at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (luxury), Lake Mutanda Chameleon Hill Lodge (mid-range) or Wagtail Eco Lodge or Buhoma Community Bandas (basic), on full board.

5. Day 5

   Return to Kampala

   After an early breakfast you start the drive back to the capital, with lunch taken on the way through the countryside. Driving time is around seven to nine hours, and the meal plan covers breakfast and lunch.