Combining gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with Masai Mara

Combing gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with Masai mara safari in Kenya. A combined Kenya and Uganda safari is one of the best ways to explore two countries and enjoy the different safari activities carried out in these destinations. The trip will start from Masai Mara in Kenya, named one of the Seven Wonders of the World because of the wildebeest and the savannah plains, home to hundreds of wildlife species.

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Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda are top tourist activities in Uganda and combining a Masai Mara, gorilla, and chimpanzee trekking experience is a thrill from enjoying the biggest wildlife haven game drive to trekking through the rainforests in search of chimpanzees and gorillas.

Masai Mara National Reserve

Located in southwestern Kenya, Masai Mara is best known for the yearly wildebeest migration that sees millions of animals crossing from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Masai Mara in Kenya. Many tourists visit Masai Mara because of the wildlife variety that can be viewed throughout the year, including wildebeests, antelopes, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, and buffaloes, among others.

Park entry fees at Masai Mara gate Oloolaimutia, Narok, Sekenani, Musiara, and Talek.

EAC Residents

Children Kshs 500

Adults Kshs 1300

Students Kshs 500

Kenya Citizens

Children Kshs 300

Students Kshs 300

Adults Kshs 1000

Foreign non-residents outside park inside the park

Children $45 $40

Adults $80 $70

Students  $40

Masai Mara Nature Reserve is an experience that all tourists should experience, and some of the activities you can carry out in Masai Mara include wildlife viewing, enjoying the wildebeest migration, bird watching, and cultural trips to the Masai villages.

Gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi National Park

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi starts early morning, usually around 7:00 am, with a briefing. The briefing is when important information about the gorillas is shared, the rules and regulations to be followed when trekking, and the time when gorilla families are assigned. Bwindi is divided into four sectors, which include Rushaga, Ruhija, Nkuringo, and Buhoma, and this is where gorilla tracking is done. Each sector has several gorilla families that have been habituated, and these are trekked by a maximum of 8 people per day to limit tourists' access to conserve the mountain gorillas.

You will need to purchase a gorilla trekking permit to participate in the trek, and this needs to be done at least six months or more before because they are always in high demand.

The cost of the gorilla permit in Uganda is fixed and was set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Uganda used to offer discounts on gorilla permits during the low season, but at the moment, there are no discounts, and below is the cost of the permit per person. You must also remember that the permit is valid until you spend one hour with the gorillas.

East African citizens 300, 000 UGX

Foreign non-residents $800

Foreign residents $700

Gorilla habituation $1500

Gorilla trekking involves trekking rules and regulations that help in protecting the gorillas and these include: Tourists have an hour with the gorillas after finding them, Keep a distance of 7 meters from the gorillas, when you feel sick on the day of the trek, you will not be allowed to trek the gorillas, a maximum of 8 people treks the gorilla families per day so as not to tire out the families, limited or no noise should be made when with the gorillas, avoid touching the gorillas, when you feel like coughing or sneezing, you have to cover your mouth and nose and turn away from the gorillas, keep the sunglasses off after locating the gorillas and this is because they show the gorilla's reflection which might be interpreted as another gorilla looking for a challenge, you will not be allowed to eat or drink when with the gorillas but in cases where you are hungry, your guide will make stops at a convenient place for you to eat, keep the national park clean, and turn off the flash on the camera when taking photos of the gorillas.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale 

The best place to spot chimpanzees in Uganda is Kibale National Park, located in southwestern Uganda. Home to over 1500 chimpanzees, Kibale has the most significant number of chimpanzees that are very comfortable around humans due to the chimpanzee habituation introduced in the park. It is also the most convenient place for primate watching, with about 15 different primate species like grey-cheeked Mangabeys, L'Hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park: Kibale National Park, located in western Uganda, is the best destination for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda, with a population of over 1500 chimpanzees. The trekking is carried out throughout the year; however, the best time is during the dry months, June to September and October to November.

Just like gorilla trekking, you also need a chimpanzee trek permit, which also needs to be booked in advance, and it can be booked at the same time as the gorilla safari.

Foreign non-residents $300

Foreign residents $250

EAC citizens 250 000 UGX.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park is carried out in two sessions: morning and afternoon, and once you locate the chimps, you have an hour with the primates observing them closely.

Tourists can also get a chance to participate in the chimpanzee habituation process, where you spend more time with the chimps studying their behavior. The chimpanzee habituation process involves researching and studying the chimpanzees to learn more about them and their behaviors. However, you need to decide whether you will go for the chimpanzee trek or the chimpanzee habituation process because you cannot get both simultaneously, and you cannot exchange one permit for another.

Some rules and regulations must be followed when chimpanzees trek to avoid causing stress to the primates and transmitting diseases. Some of the rules and regulations that need to be followed during the chimpanzee trek include: Limited noise when trekking and after locating the chimpanzees, you spend an hour with the chimpanzees, eating, smoking, drinking, and flash photography are prohibited, You will be put in groups of 8 for the trek when sick volunteer not to trek and you are to keep a distance of 7 meters between you and the chimpanzees.

 A Kenya and Uganda Masai Mara, gorilla, and chimpanzee trekking experience is the best, and our team has more experience. It will ensure an incredible, adventurous, fulfilled safari through Uganda and Kenya.

8 Day Gorilla, chimpanzee trekking, and Masai Mara safari

The 8-day safari is packed with lots of activities in a short period. The safari gives you a chance to explore two countries, each having the best to show when it comes to safaris like the wildebeest migration in Masai Mara, the big five in Masai Mara Kenya, and primate tracking: Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda. You can carry out many activities on the safari, from cultural trips to game drives, bird watching, and primate tracking, and enjoy the largest wildebeest migration.

Summary of the safari

Day 1: Drive to Masai Mara National Park from the airport

Day 2: Wildlife/game drives in Masai Mara

Day 3: Game drives, nature walks, and cultural encounters

Day 4: Transfer from Masai Mara to Bwindi

Day 5: Gorilla trekking

Day 6: Drive to Kibale National Park

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking

Day 8: Departure to Entebbe International Airport

Day 1: Drive to Masai Mara National Park from the airport

Day one is the start of the 8-day Kenya and Uganda safari. Upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport, our guide will be ready to pick you up and brief you about the safari and what to expect. After a brief tour in Nairobi, we drove to Masai Mara Nature Reserve, had lunch, took a guided nature walk around the national park, and had dinner and rest for the night.

Day 2: Wildlife/game drives in Masai Mara: After resting and having breakfast, you set out for our game drive around Masai Mara. During the drive, you will see a wide variety of animals in the national park and over 450 bird species, 57 of which are birds of prey. You can enjoy the wildebeest migration when you visit Masai Mara during the dry season.

Day 3: Game drives, nature walks, and cultural encounters

Day 3 is for extensively exploring Masai Mara, and we start the day with breakfast, early morning game drives with a lunch break before resuming with the afternoon guided nature walks and a visit to the Masai villages to learn about their culture, enjoy some traditional dances and songs and sometimes participate in their daily activities. We then get back to the hotel for an overnight and dinner.

Day 4: Transfer from Masai Mara to Bwindi

Drive around the national park again after checking out of our lodge and breakfast, and then head to the airstrip for the flight back to Kisumu. We continue to Entebbe International Airport and onwards to Bwindi for gorilla trekking. We arrive at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening, have dinner, and spend the night at our hotel/lodge as we prepare for the gorilla trek safari the next day.

Day 5: Gorilla trekking

With a packed lunch and an early morning breakfast at the lodge, we head to the park headquarters for a briefing about what to expect throughout the day. You will allocate a gorilla family after the briefing, which is usually based on the fitness and age of the trekkers. This is also the best time to air out your concerns about the trek or hike if you have any, and after that, we will start the trek on our assigned gorilla families.

Once you find the gorillas, it is strictly an hour with them, taking photos and observing them before returning to the lodge. Gorilla tracking can sometimes be strenuous, and if you are not feeling well, we advise that you talk to your guide about it. After lunch, there are other activities that you can engage in, like taking a Batwa trail, where you learn more about the Batwa and Bakiga cultures. We then get back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Drive to Kibale National Park

Day 6 is when you are transferred from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Kibale National Park in preparation for the chimpanzee tracking. The journey starts after breakfast and takes us through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can spot other wildlife species, like tree-climbing lions and antelopes, as you drive through. Cross the equator, have lunch, and go to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking

We have breakfast early in the morning and drive to Kibale National Park for the early morning briefing about the rules and regulations that need to be followed when trekking. After grouping you in a maximum of 8s, the trek starts. It takes between an hour to 6 hours, and all this depends on the location of the chimpanzees. During the briefing, trackers are sent out to find the last place the chimpanzees were seen, and these are always in contact with the guides. After finding the chimpanzees, you will be given an hour with the primates before returning to the lodge for lunch and to rest a bit. After lunch, we take a walk to the Bigodi village for a cultural trip.  

Day 8: Departure to Entebbe International Airport

This is the last day of the trip, and after breakfast, you check out of your hotel, and our driver guide will take you to Entebbe International Airport for your flight back home. If you have other plans, you will be dropped off at your desired destination, marking the end of the 8-day Masai Mara, gorilla, and chimpanzee trekking safari.

The best time to go on the Masai Mara and Gorilla safari

The best time to go and enjoy a gorilla, chimpanzee, and Masai Mara experience in Uganda and Kenya is during the dry season in June to September and December to February. The drier months have bearable weather and are the easiest time to spot the wildlife in Masai Mara due to the vegetation thinning out and the animals moving around the park in search of water to cool down. You will also be able to spot the famous Mara Crossing. It is also the best time for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking because the track routes are more accessible, unlike in the wet season when it is muddy and slippery.

March to May and October to November are wet, although they are the best time for a birding safari. One can still enjoy Masai Mara, gorilla, and chimpanzee tracking, but it is a bit harder with the overgrown vegetation, the routes are more challenging, and the rain makes it hard to trek through the forests.

A combined safari gives you a chance to explore a variety of wildlife and nature. Contact us to plan your safari today.