How many days do you need for gorilla and chimp trekking in Uganda

How many days do you need for gorilla and chimp trekking in Uganda? Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is one opportunity that every tourist needs to experience when on a safari to Uganda. Combining the two activities is the best way to see the most gentle endangered mountain gorillas and the playful chimpanzees at the same time. The recommended number of days for a gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda is 54, although you can do it for 4 or 6 days.

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The four days will take you from Kampala or Entebbe to Bwindi after a drive to Kibale National Park before departing for Kampala after the safari. We are here to help you organize your chimp and gorilla trek safari with our expertise in organizing safaris in Uganda, and our team is always ready to help with any questions you might have about the safari.

4 days of gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda

Safari highlights and overview

The 4-day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari starts and ends in Entebbe International Airport or Kampala, depending on where you wish to be dropped off. It brings you closer to the Mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park. The itinerary is an opportunity to get closer to the primates in the best destinations. Bwindi has half the world's gorilla population, and Kibale National Park is the best place for chimpanzee trekking and habituation.

This is an all-inclusive tour, and you will get to visit some of the top tourist attractions in the country. Transportation is done using 4x4 safari vehicles. Accommodation is provided, and if you are planning an extra day before or after the safari, accommodation can be arranged at an extra cost. An experienced guide is part of the package, and the maximum group of people to travel is 

The detailed itinerary

Arrival day: You arrive in the country and are picked up by our driver guide from the airport. If you arrive a day earlier, you will be driven to your hotel, which comes at an extra cost.

If you have not booked extra accommodation, the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will commence after our guide's brief briefing and a welcome note. Your driver guide will make stopovers at the Equator in Kayabwe for a photo and shopping session, Mbarara town for lunch, and then drive through the beautiful scenery before getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park after 8 to 9 hours. Ensure you have proper and enough rest in preparation for the trek day.

Meals provided: Lunch and dinner with bottled drinking water

Accommodation: Trekkers Tarvan Lodge and Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge.

Day 1: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After Breakfast, you will be taken to the headquarters to meet other trekkers. After the briefing and assignment of the gorilla family to be trekked, you will head to the trek route to start tracking the gorillas. The trek can take 1 to 6 hours, and once you find the gorillas, you will be given an hour with them, taking photos and observing their behavior. After one hour, you will return to the park headquarters, where you will be awarded a gorilla trekking certificate confirming your participation. 

All meals, Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided.

Day 2: Travel to Kibale National Park

Day 2 starts with Breakfast in the morning, after which we check out of the hotel/lodge and prepare for our drive to Kibale National Park for chimpanzee trekking. The drive will take you through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can spot some wildlife species like antelopes, lions, and buffaloes. Cross several Rivers and the Equator at Kikorongo before proceeding to Kibale National Park, where we check in at our lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus bottled drinking water.

Accommodation: Isunga Lodge, Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.

Day 3: Chimp tracking in Kibale National Park

Breakfast is served early in the morning before driving to the headquarters, where they will tell you what to do and avoid while tracking the chimpanzees. After the briefing, you will then be divided into groups of 6, and with a lead guide, the trekking will begin, this takes between 30 minutes to 7 hours since the chimpanzees are always on the move. After locating the chimps, you are allowed only an hour with the primates before returning to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, you can engage in other activities, including the oincludinggodi wetland and spotting other primate species in the park. Drinking water is provided, as well as all meals.

Day 4: Departure to Entebbe or Kampala

This is the last day of the safari and starts with Breakfast at the lodge before checking out and driving back to either Kampala or Entebbe for your departure flight if you do not have any other safari plans with us.

There is no accommodation on the last day unless you pay an extra cost, and the meals provided include Breakfast and lunch with bottled drinking water.

End of the trip

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda

Chimpanzee trekking is one of the top tourist activities carried out in Uganda, and it is mainly done in Kibale National Park. It is mainly carried out in Kibale National Park. However, there are other chimpanzee trekking destinations in the country, which include:

Kibale National Park: Located in western Uganda, Kibale has the most significant number of recorded chimpanzees, about over 1500 chimpanzees, and other primate species: baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and vervet monkeys, among others. The trek starts early morning with a briefing from the guides, and for anyone planning a chimpanzee trek in Kibale National Park, you first need to purchase chimpanzee trekking permits. The cost of the permit is as follows.

Foreign non-residents $300

Foreign residents $250

EAC citizens 250, 000 UGX

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda can also be carried out in other central destinations, including Kalinzu forest, which is the second best chimpanzee trekking destination in Uganda, Budongo forest in Murchison Falls National Park, and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Chimpanzee habituation is also carried out in Kibale National Park, where the chimpanzees are studied, researched, and trained to get used to humans. With chimpanzee habituation, you spend almost half a day with the chimpanzees, giving you more time with the primates.

Kyambura Gorge: Kyambura Gorge is popularly known as the Valley of Apes and is a chimpanzee tracking destination in Uganda. This is the third tracking destination, and although it has only 17 chimpanzees, the sights are rewarding. The chances of spotting the chimpanzees are about 60%, and after tracking them, you can enjoy a game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth, where you get to spot the Ishasha tree-climbing lions and other wildlife species. You must purchase a chimpanzee trekking permit at 30,000 UGX for EAC citizens and $50 for foreign non-residents per person.

Kalinzu forest: This is Uganda's 2nd best chimpanzee trek destination after Kibale National Park. Kalinzu forest has over 320 chimpanzees with 50 habituated families. Trekking in Kalinzu is carried out in two sessions: one in the morning and the second one in the afternoon.

Budongo forest: Located in Murchison Falls National Park, chimpanzee trekking can also be carried out in Budongo forest. Although the population of chimpanzees is small compared to other tracking destinations, the forest is also home to other primates apart from chimpanzees, including baboons, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and bird species, among others.

Gorilla trekking in Uganda

Mountain gorillas in Uganda are trekked in two places which are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to the highest number of Mountain gorillas in the world (half the remaining population). It is considered to be the best destination for gorilla trekking. Bwindi has 19 habituated gorilla families that are trekked in the four sections that are found in the national park. When booking for the gorilla permit, you will be assigned a family, but not a gorilla section, and the sectors in Bwindi include Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Buhoma sector. Gorilla habituation is also carried out in Bwindi. Unlike gorilla trekking, where you get to spend an hour with the gorillas, with gorilla habituation, you get to spend 4 hours with the gorillas.

Mgahinga National Park is the 2nd gorilla trekking destination in the country with one habituated gorilla family known as the Nyakagezi gorilla family. There are several other activities that you can carry out in Mgahinga after trekking, and these include golden monkey trekking, enjoying the Batwa trail, and bird watching.

You need to purchase a gorilla permit to track gorillas in Uganda, and the permit cost is the same. Uganda does not offer discounts on the gorilla permit; below is how much each tourist category pays.

EAC citizens 300 000 UGX

Foreign residents $700

Foreign non-residents $800.

What to pack for a chimpanzee and gorilla trek safari in Rwanda

The packing list for what to bring for your chimp and gorilla trek in Uganda includes the following:

• Ankle-length hike boots. These should be comfortable and waterproof.
• Neutral-colored clothes to easily blend in with the environment. Bright colors attract a lot of attention, black absorbs a lot of heat, and blue attracts tsetse flies.
• Garden gloves to protect your hands from blisters during the trek
• If you need a walking stick, it will be provided on the trek day.
• Snacks, energy bars, and a refillable water bottle. You need plenty of water for the hike.
• A camera, extra batteries, and lens.
• Sunscreen and insect repellent

Chimpanzee and gorilla trekking rules in Uganda

Gorilla trekking rules and chimpanzee trekking rules are similar, with a few differences. All trekkers are supposed to follow these rules because failure to do so leads to visitors being stopped from trekking. The rules and regulations set to protect the trekkers and primates include the following.

• The minimum age for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is 15 years. It was previously 15 years and was changed in 2023 to include more children in the activity. Anyone under the age of 15 will not be allowed to trek with the gorillas and chimpanzees.
• A distance of 7 meters is to be kept between the chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans. The distance keeps humans safe and gives the gorillas and gorillas the ability to move around and about their daily behaviors without disturbance from the humans. It is also to prevent human to primate infections.
• The national parks are not supposed to be littered, meaning you have to carry all the rubbish with you and dispose of it in the designated dustbins.
• You are not under any circumstances to feed the chimpanzees and the gorillas.
• After tracking the gorillas and chimpanzees, you spend an hour with the primates studying their behaviors.
• No one is allowed to trek the gorillas and chimpanzees when sick. And when you feel like coughing and sneezing, turn away from the primates and cover your mouth and nose.
• 6 people are allowed to trek the chimpanzee families daily to avoid tiring the chimpanzees and reduce the large crowds.
• A maximum of 8 people are allowed to trek gorillas in Uganda, and the grouping is carried out on the morning of the trek after briefing.
• You will be trekking through the jungle, so there are no toilets, but in case you feel like using one, you will have to dig a hole of 30 cm with a machete from the guide and, after using it, cover it up well to protect the gorillas and chimpanzees.
• Flash photography is not allowed in both chimpanzee and gorilla trekking in Uganda, so turn it off before the start of the trek so that you do not forget.

Get in touch with us to help you plan your safari efficiently and give any advice on what to do and how to have a successful and fun chimp and gorilla safari in Uganda.