Combining gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with Serengeti

Combining a gorilla-chimpanzee trek with a Serengeti National Park safari is like killing two birds with one stone by visiting the top tourist destinations in Uganda and Tanzania. You get to experience gorilla trekking, one of the top tourist activities carried out in Uganda, followed by chimpanzee trekking in Kibale, and what better way to add more fun to the trip than by going for a game drive around Serengeti National Park, which has the largest herd of wildlife in the country. A combined activity trip can take 5 to 8 days, depending on your budget and time spent on the safari.

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While on a combined gorilla and chimpanzee trek safari in Uganda and Serengeti, you get to participate in other safari activities, including a boat ride along Lake Bunyonyi, game drives through Queen Elizabeth National Park, cultural trips to the Masai people in Tanzania and Batwa in Uganda, primate walks, bird watching, exploring the beaches, relax on along the islands and enjoy the wildebeest crossings. All this depends on the time you have set aside for your safari.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is one of the most popular and well-known safari destinations in the world. It is located in the north part of Tanzania along the border of Tanzania and Kenya. Serengeti has the largest concentration of wildlife on the African continent. It is divided into three parts:

• The Serengeti plains (the park's most visited area).
• The northern corridor.
• The western corridor where the Grumeti River is located.

Serengeti came from the Masai word Siringet, which means endless plains due to its vast nature. A safari to Tanzania is complete with visiting and exploring Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park is home and the best place to watch the annual wildebeest migration as millions of wildebeests cross the Grumeti River as they migrate to Masai Mara.

There are a lot of activities that tourists can do while on a safari in Serengeti, and these include:

Game drives: Game drives in Serengeti are the best, divided into morning game drives, afternoon game drives, and night drives. The morning drives start early morning, before or after breakfast, depending on the arrangement of the tour guide, and this is considered to be the best time when almost all animal species are up and about searching for food. The afternoon drive starts after lunch, and the night drives are rare; however, they come at special requests and extra cost.

Enjoy hot air balloon rides and explore Serengeti from above, bird watching, where you have a variety of over 500 bird species to look out for, and a cultural trip to the Masai Mara to learn more about their culture and enjoy their traditional dances and songs.

The Park entry fees for Serengeti National Park are set by the Tanzania National Park Authority, which manages the park, and the charges are collected daily for tourists planning to visit the national park. The park entry fees are valid for only 24 hours for tourists staying inside the national park and for tourists staying outside. They expire the moment you check out of the park at the gate. The Park entry fees vary depending on the type of tourist you are, and below are the park entry fees, although they are liable to change at any time for any changes; keep on checking our website.

Children (5 to 15 years), adults

Foreign non-residents                     

$10                                                          

$60

Foreign residents                             

$10                                                           

$30

EAC citizens 3000 Tshs                                               

10, 000 Tshs

Gorilla trekking in Uganda

Uganda has two gorilla trekking destinations: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, located in southwestern Uganda near the border of Uganda with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda has the highest number of gorillas in the world, with half the population of the endangered species found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Mgahinga National Park has only one habituated gorilla family, the Nyakagezi gorilla family, and this can be trekked throughout the year. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, on the other hand, has 19 habituated gorilla families found in the four sectors within the national park: Ruhija, Nkuringo, Rushaga, and Buhoma.

Gorilla trekking is a top tourist activity in Uganda. The best way to enjoy this is to avoid inconveniences by booking the gorilla permit early, at least 6 to 9 months or even a year before the planned safari date. The gorilla permits are documents that give you access to the gorillas and are issued by only UWA. However, stakeholders like registered tour operators and AUTO can sell them to trekkers. The Uganda Wildlife Authority sets the trekking permit cost, and the price is constantly irrelevant to where you have purchased it. The permit cost is 300 000 UGX for East African citizens, $700 for foreign residents (you need proof that you are a foreign resident, like a work permit), and $800 for foreign non-residents. The gorilla habituation permit costs $1500 per person, giving you 4 hours with the primates. Gorilla habituation is only carried out in Bwindi in the Rushaga sector, allowing you to study the gorillas more.

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species, and because they are only found in three countries that is Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC, there are rules and regulations that the UWA has set to protect the gorillas while, at the same time, protecting the trekkers from the gorillas and any other dangers. Some of the rules and regulations that you need to follow while on a gorilla trek in Uganda include the following:

You are to spend only an hour with the gorillas after finding them. The maximum number of people allowed to trek with a gorilla family is 8, and the age limit for gorilla trekking in Uganda is 15 years. Limit your noise by turning off your phones and communicating in low tones, when trekking, follow the tour guide and avoid walking away from the group because the national park has other wildlife. Always ensure that the national parks are kept clean by not littering, attend the briefing so that you are reminded about the rules, you are not allowed to eat and feed the gorillas, do not make sudden movements when with the gorillas, and you are to keep a distance of 7 meters the gorillas.

Chimpanzee trekking

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is mainly carried out in Kibale National Park, home to the largest population of chimpanzees, amounting to about 1500. Other chimp trek destinations in Uganda are Kalinzu Forest, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi Forest, and Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park is carried out throughout the year in the morning and afternoon. Kibale also has the chimpanzee habituation process, where tourists spend more time with the chimpanzees, unlike the one hour spent on regular trekking.

Chimpanzee trekking also involves purchasing the trekking permits that the UWA issues and they also need to be purchased in advance because of their high demand. The licenses cost 250,000 UGX for EAC citizens, $300 for foreign non-residents, and $250 for foreign residents.

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda involves rules and regulations to be followed throughout the trek. When with the chimpanzees, these include: Each group of trekkers gets to spend an hour with the chimpanzees, the maximum number of people allowed to trek a chimpanzee family is 8, the chimp trek age limit in Uganda is 15 years, trekkers are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke and feed the chimpanzees, the national park is to be kept clean throughout your trek, minimize on the noise made when you are trekking and after locating the chimpanzees, do not get close to the chimpanzees by keeping a distance of 7 meters between you and the chimps, do not take photos with the flash on, and when you feel sick, you will not be allowed to join the trek. 

When to go for a combined primate trekking safari in Uganda with Serengeti National Park

The combination of gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with Serengeti can be done any time of the year, depending on when you wish to visit the two countries of Uganda and Tanzania. Your traveling budget also determines when you travel because the peak season, also known as the dry season, is much more expensive than the wet season of October to November and March to May.

The dry months of December to February and June to September are the best to travel to Uganda and Tanzania, with little or no rainfall to hinder your safari activities. The dry season has drier routes and less vegetation which makes spotting the wildlife easy, it however comes at an expense because many tourists visit the national parks a lot which is why you need to book for the safari early enough. The trekking trails and roads within Serengeti and Mgahinga or Bwindi are muddy and slippery during the wet season, and you might get stuck when performing some safari activities.

Itinerary for seven days: Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda with Serengeti 

The seven days will take you to the two most visited national parks, and the trip will include meals, accommodation, an experienced tour guide, bottled drinking water, and transport. It, however, does not have visas, premium drinks, anything not included in the itinerary, international flights, or loss of personal belongings.

Day 1: Arusha to Serengeti National Park

The first day starts with you being picked up from Arusha at the airport or a hotel in Arusha. After a small briefing about the whole trip, we shall begin the drive to Serengeti National Park in the northern corridor. The game drive will take you through the Great Rift Valley, Ngaruroro Crater, home to hundreds of wildlife, and after a brief stop at the Ngorongoro Crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The game starts when you get to Ngorongoro Crater, where many animals gather because of the pasture and water. Some of the animals you see while here include hyenas, gazelles, wildebeests, elephants, hartebeests, elands, buffalos, lions, rhinos, zebras, baboons, and cheetahs. After the drive, you will be taken to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 2: Game drive around Serengeti

After breakfast, morning drives can start as early as 6:30 am to catch sight of some of the early bird animals. The park is more active during the morning hours, and this is the best time to spot the nocturnal animals as they go about their last hunt and bird watching. The morning drives take about 2 hours and a half, and you get to spot wildlife like elephants, cheetahs, hyenas, lions, and wildebeests. The afternoon drive starts immediately after lunch, and this is to spot all the animals you might have missed out on during the morning drive. Drive back to the accommodation for dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Day 3: Serengeti to Entebbe International Airport

Day 3 starts with an early morning breakfast, after which you will have a short drive through Serengeti and then drive back to Arusha to catch your flight to Entebbe International Airport. After a warm welcome, refreshments, and a briefing about the trip, you will be driven to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with stopovers at the Equator, lunch in Mbarara, and then go to the accommodation for an overnight stay and dinner.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking day

This day starts with a briefing about what to expect on a gorilla trek safari, what to do, and what to avoid, and then you will assigned a gorilla family in the sector you were given. In groups of 8, the gorilla trekking starts taking between 1 hour to 6 hours depending on the location of the family, and after finding it, you have one beautiful hour with the gorillas. After the hour, we head back to the lodge for lunch and relax throughout the evening, enjoying activities like the Batwa trail as you learn more about their culture. You then head back to the lodge for dinner.

Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park

After breakfast, check out of the lodge and prepare for the drive to Kibale National Park. The drive goes through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can spot some wildlife, and after checking into your lodge at Kibale, you enjoy the rest of the day with a guided primate walk, dinner, and an overnight.

Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park starts early morning with breakfast and a briefing at the park headquarters about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After being grouped, the lead guide will take you through the forest, where you can spot other primates, including vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, baboons, and black and white colobus monkeys. The trek is unpredictable, and the amount of time will depend on the location of the chimp family. It can take 1 to 6 hours. After finding the chimpanzees and spending an hour with them, you will return to the lodge for lunch and take a walk to the Bigodi wetland after lunch. Return to the lodge and have dinner.

Day 7: Transfer to the airport

Wake up to a beautiful breakfast surrounded by beautiful scenery, and after check out of the lodge for your return journey to Kampala or Entebbe if you are flying back home. This marks the end of the Tanzania and Uganda safari.

For more information about prices and accommodation, kindly contact us so we can give you a detailed itinerary.