Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

For Bucket Lister + Trips, you will meet your Bucket List Leader at the airport and fly out as a group. If you have booked a Bucket Lister Trip we will see you in Uganda soon!

If you have transfers with us we will take you to the hotel. For those making their own way, we will see you in Kampala.

Note: this trip starts in Kampala, Uganda and ends at Kigali International Airport in Rwanda.

After breakfast, head out on a sightseeing tour of Kampala. Experience the hustle and bustle of the city of Kampala on a hair-raising walking and vehicle tour. Get to visit the oldest food market in the city, the bus terminal, the king’s palace, and other attractions in the city. Round off the tour with a taste of local cuisine at a restaurant downtown.

In the afternoon, head to a slum and participate in a food pantry. The visit to the slums brings you up close to slum life and allows you to make a difference by serving food to street children. After that, head back to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

It’s an early start for a five-hour drive to Fort Portal, west of Kampala. The city of Fort Portal is close to many attractions, including Kibale National Park, the home of chimpanzees. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon relaxing or take an optional tour of a nearby village or surrounding crater lakes.

After breakfast, head to Kibale National Park, home to one of the highest populations of chimpanzees globally, and one of the best places to encounter chimpanzees in the wild. The forest is also home to many other primates and wildlife species. Take a guided walk through the forest with the help of a ranger and track down one of the chimpanzee families. This four-hour adventure offers an exhilarating and insightful experience of chimpanzees in the wild. Head back for lunch and a leisurely afternoon at the lodge. Later in the afternoon, take a walk through the Bigodi swamp connected to Kibale Forest and witness various species of birds and monkeys. Return to the lodge for dinner and rest.

After breakfast, make your way south and into the Rift Valley. The three-hour journey ends with arrival at your lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, in time for lunch. After lunch, take a two-hour boat safari on the Kazinga channel. This water channel connects two Rift Valley lakes  (Lake George and Lake Edward) and is home to several wild animals, including hippos, Nile crocodiles, antelopes, and elephants. After the safari, head back to the lodge for dinner and an evening at leisure.

Start your day at 5 am and head out for an experiential learning tour with a lion conservation researcher. With the help of GPS, track down collared lions and learn about lion conservation and behaviour. Continue on a two-hour game drive for sightings of other wildlife. Queen Elizabeth is home to various mammals, including the Big Four, but it’s most famous for its herds of elephants and tree-climbing lions. Return to the lodge for breakfast.

Spend the afternoon at leisure at the lodge.

Later in the evening, head back for a second game drive; with the help of your guide, you’ll scout for wildlife you may not have seen in the morning. Return to the lodge for dinner and rest.

Set off at 7 am and head south to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The six-hour journey is a scenic drive up and down rolling hills through lush gardens, quaint towns, and villages. Arrive at your lodge in time for lunch.

In the afternoon, take a walk through a nearby village. Get to engage with locals in the community, and learn about their traditions and way of life. Spend the evening at leisure at the lodge.

Have breakfast at 7 am, then head to the Bwindi forest park headquarters for a briefing from the head ranger before starting your gorilla trekking expedition. The trek takes anywhere between two and eight hours, depending on where the gorillas are on a particular day.

Bwindi is at a high altitude, averaging 2000m above sea level, with a rugged terrain of steep slopes and narrow ridges. Hence why the forest is commonly dubbed “impenetrable.” The hike is physically challenging but, with the forest being home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, it’s worth the effort. Get to immerse yourself in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with colourful bird calls. Upon sighting the gorillas, spend a full hour with them as they go about their daily life, feeding, playing, and raising their young. Coming face to face with these magnificent creatures is one of wildlife’s greatest fairy-tale moments.

This marks the end of our Ugandan adventure.

Note: flights from Kigali will be late evening, to allow time for the transfer and for potential queues at the border crossing.