8 Day Gorilla and Chimpanzee Habituation Safari Experience

A Bamboo Ecotours representative will pick you up in Kigali in the morning and start driving northwards towards Uganda. The driver goes through spectacular landscapes of Rwanda via the northern town of Musanze/Ruhengeri. From Musanze, you take an additional few minutes before you arrive at the Uganda/Rwanda boarder. Here you will process the Uganda entry visa and proceed directly to Bwindi forest for overnight. The entire journey from Kigali to Bwindi should take about 4 – 5hrs.

You will take breakfast early in the morning and then head to the Bwindi forest gate to prepare for the gorilla trek. The Uganda Wildlife Authority guide will orient you on what to expect during the trek. The trek can take few to many hours depending on the exact location where the gorillas are on that day. This will be an adventure of a lifetime!

Transfer from Rushaga, Bwindi in the morning to Lake Bunyonyi in the nearby Kabale district. Here where you will have options to enjoy canoeing, bird watching, and local cultures in the afternoon. Lake Bunyonyi is about 2 hours drive from Bwindi. Spend the afternoon enjoying the cold breeze and breathtaking taking views at the lake.

In the late morning we will commence the journey from Lake Bunyonyi to Queen Elizabeth national park. The drive should take 6 – 7 hours. The drive goes through the amazing scenery of the Kigezi highlands via the town of Kabale. You will then head westwards via Ishaka and Bushenyi towns and descend into the western rift valley as you approach the Queen Elizabeth national park plains.

You will start the day with early morning breakfast at the lodge. Afterwards we proceed to the famed Kasenyi plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park to spot various species of wild animals. Kasenyi plains dwell in the vast savannahs of the Albertine rift in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It will be a morning full of adventure! Expect to encounter lions, herds of buffalos, elephants, Uganda kobs, topi, and bushbucks. While it is not guaranteed to spot the “Big Five” in the park, on a luck day you may site leopards to make it the “Big Four”. We will return to the lodge for lunch.

Starting in the late morning, we will drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park and head to Kibale Forest National Park to prepare for the chimp habituation experience the next day. If you arrive early in the afternoon, join a community walk in the neighborhood of the park.

Starting in the morning at Kibale National Forest Park, you will go into the jungle to experience the chimpanzee habituation experience. This will be a whole day experience of learning about how the chimps are trained to get familiar with human experience. You will be guided in the trek by Uganda Wildlife Authority staff.

If time permits after the trek, there are complimentary activities to do including community walks and visiting the Bigodi swamp sanctuary.

This is the last day of the trip. You can choose between transfer to Kigali city or Kampala.