A gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Uganda pairs a chimp trek in Kibale Forest with a mountain gorilla trek in Bwindi, and five days by road is the usual minimum. Most trips start in Entebbe or Kampala, some begin in Kigali, and flying one leg cuts the long drives. Both parks lie in western Uganda, which holds the country’s most reliable habituated chimpanzee communities and close to half the world’s mountain gorillas.
Two great apes in one trip sounds rushed. Each trek takes a single morning, though, and the pairing works because the apes behave so differently: gorillas sit and feed, chimps shout, run and vanish up trees.
How a Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari in Uganda Fits Together
Geography sets the pattern of every primate safari here. Kibale lies near Fort Portal, five to six hours west of Entebbe on tarmac. Bwindi sits far to the southwest, six or seven hours further on, and Queen Elizabeth fills the gap, so the transfer doubles as a game drive.
That gives the rhythm: travel, chimps, transfer, gorillas, travel. Packages on sale run from four days to over a fortnight, and the longer ones simply add parks around the same two treks. Start with the gorilla permit. It is issued for one date, one Bwindi sector and one family, and it sells out long before the chimp sessions do.
Chimpanzee Trekking Sites for a Uganda Gorilla Safari
Kibale is the default for chimpanzee trekking on a gorilla trip, but not the only forest, and the choice changes the route and the odds.
For a first trip, Kibale wins on reliability. The Kibale chimpanzee trekking guide compares the sites in more depth.
5 Day Gorilla and Chimp Safari Itinerary by Road
This is the 5 day gorilla and chimp safari most operators sell. It suits a Buhoma or Ruhija gorilla permit best.
Day five is the weak spot. Many travellers fly out of Kihihi, about an hour from Buhoma, and land in Entebbe around midday. Others leave through Rwanda, since Kigali is four to six hours from the southern sectors.
Shorter and Longer Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tours: 4 to 12 Days
Beyond the five day loop, these gorilla and chimpanzee tours come up most.
A sixth day changes the trip more than any other addition, turning the transfer into a proper stay and taking the pressure off the final drive. Want gorillas without chimps? The 4 day gorilla safari page covers that, and the guide to getting to Bwindi sets out every road and air option.
Gorillas First or Chimps First on a Primate Safari
Which ape comes first is the main decision on a gorilla and chimp tour, and published itineraries split both ways.
Afternoon arrival? Go chimps first. Evening flight home on the last day? Go gorillas first or fly out of Kihihi. Travellers who crammed too much in tend to say the same afterwards: protect the gorilla morning and the final evening.
Chimpanzee Tracking Safari Day in Kibale and the Bigodi Wetland Walk
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale starts at the Kanyanchu visitor centre with a ranger briefing, then straight into the forest. The trails are flatter than anything in Bwindi, and the search can take thirty minutes or close to four hours. Take the 8am slot if you can, since chimps feed lower and call more in the morning.
The hour itself is nothing like a gorilla visit. Chimps move fast and climb out of sight without warning, so you may spend it looking straight up, then suddenly jog after the guide because the group has dropped to the ground and moved on. A few visitors each year see them only high in the canopy. Tuck your trousers into your socks, because safari ants on the trail cost people time every day.
Chimpanzees share about 98 percent of their DNA with humans, and it shows in the tool use and the noise. Kibale holds 13 primate species, so red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and grey cheeked mangabeys often turn up too.
The afternoon belongs to the Bigodi wetland walk, a three hour loop through papyrus swamp run by a village association, where great blue turacos are close to a sure thing. The Bigodi wetland guide explains where the fees go. A spare morning suits the crater lakes or Nyakasura Falls near Fort Portal.
Queen Elizabeth Game Drive Safari: Kasenyi, Kyambura and Ishasha
The transfer is the game drive safari that turns a primate trip into a full Uganda safari. The road drops off the plateau past Kasese, with the Rwenzori Mountains behind you on a clear morning, and runs through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where kob, buffalo, elephants and topi are seen from the road.
South of the Kazinga Channel bridge lies Ishasha, known for lions resting in fig trees. They are a bonus, not a promise; people passing through in an hour see empty branches more often than not, as our page on tree climbing lions in Uganda explains. From Ishasha it is about 65 kilometres to Buhoma.
Longer trips slow down here. A night at Mweya allows the two hour Kazinga Channel launch and a dawn drive on the Kasenyi plains, the park’s best lion country, with Kyambura Gorge and the bat cave in Maramagambo Forest close by. The Queen Elizabeth National Park safari guide covers sectors and lodges.
Gorilla Trekking Safari Day in Bwindi After the Chimps
The gorilla trekking safari morning starts at the ranger post before 8am. Rangers assign up to eight visitors to each family; if knees or fitness worry you, say so, and you will often get a closer family.
After Kibale, Bwindi feels like a different forest. Steeper, wetter, darker. A trek can take twenty minutes or most of the day through vines and stinging nettles, which is why gardening gloves keep turning up in trip reports. Hire a porter: travellers on long Rushaga and Nkuringo days often say they could not have managed without one.
Where chimps rush, gorillas settle: a silverback feeding, juveniles tumbling, a mother with an infant a few metres off. Rangers keep you 10 metres back and ban flash and eating near the family, and anyone with a cold should stay behind, since gorillas catch human illnesses. People who have seen both apes often say the chimp hour was louder and the gorilla hour was the one they remember.
Is it ethical? Each family receives one group a day, and permit income pays for ranger patrols and community projects; the gorilla population has grown under this system. Buhoma suits this route, while Rushaga and Nkuringo suit a Kigali start, and Mgahinga further south has a single trekking family. See the guides for Buhoma, Ruhija and Rushaga, and the Uganda gorilla trekking guide for the full day. With a spare day, a second permit for another family is the upgrade people who have done it recommend.
Community and Conservation Tours on a Gorilla and Chimp Trip
Longer itineraries fill spare afternoons with community tours and conservation visits, which show where the permit money goes.
None needs booking months ahead, but ask the operator to name them in the quote so they are not sold as extras on the day.
Lodges for a Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tour, Forest Camps to Luxury
Every gorilla and chimp safari uses at least two lodges, and both should sit near the trailhead: the Kanyanchu and Bigodi side of Kibale for an 8am start, and the same Bwindi sector as your permit.
A lodge two sectors away from your permit means a 4am start and a real risk of missing the briefing. Vegetarian and vegan meals are routine if your operator passes them on in advance. Our Bwindi lodges guide lists every option by sector.
What a Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari Package Should Include
A gorilla and chimpanzee safari package carries two permits and several big drives, so there is more room for a quote to leave something out.
Tips go to the driver guide, rangers, trackers and porters, four or five people on each trek day, and some travellers on combined trips found the tipping felt like pressure, so agree what is normal beforehand. Ask too what time you will realistically reach Entebbe on the last day.
Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari Cost in Uganda: Permits and Package Ranges
The two permits set the floor of any gorilla and chimp safari cost. The Uganda Wildlife Authority charges US$800 for a gorilla permit for foreign non residents, US$700 for foreign residents and UGX 300,000 for East African citizens, dropping to US$600 and US$500 for the foreign categories in April, May and November. Low season permits are paid in full at booking and cannot be rescheduled.
Kibale chimp tracking costs US$250 for foreign non residents and US$200 for foreign residents, or US$200 for foreign non residents in the low season. Chimp habituation is quoted at US$300 and gorilla habituation at US$1,500, with a rise to US$1,800 for foreign non residents announced by UWA; chimp increases have been announced too, so confirm both rates for your dates.
For a five day road trip with both permits, four nights, meals and a private vehicle, operator quotes commonly fall around US$2,000 to US$2,700 per person for two sharing at budget to midrange lodges, and US$3,300 to US$4,400 at luxury lodges. Solo travellers carry the whole vehicle and often a single supplement; groups of four to six pay less each. These are typical ranges, not fixed prices, and the gorilla trekking cost guide breaks down the gorilla side line by line.
Best Months, Fitness and Packing for Gorilla and Chimp Trekking
Gorilla and chimp trekking run all year and neither ape migrates. The months change the mud, the crowds and permit availability.
See the best time for gorilla trekking in Uganda for month by month detail. Kibale is a moderate forest walk; Bwindi is steep hill walking at altitude. If you can manage three or four hours uphill with a porter and a stick, you can do both.
The same kit covers both treks: waterproof boots for gorilla trekking, trousers tucked into socks, a long sleeved top in muted colours, a rain jacket, gloves and two litres of water. Kibale’s forest is dark, so a camera that handles high ISO helps more than a long lens. The Uganda gorilla trekking packing list has the full kit, and the chimpanzee trekking packing list adds what changes for Kibale.
Adding Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania to a Uganda Primate Safari
Rwanda offers chimps in Nyungwe Forest and gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, at a higher permit price; our Rwanda gorilla trekking guide and the Nyungwe Forest page compare them. Within Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park breaks the drive back to Entebbe, golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga suits a southern permit, and the Uganda safari guide sets out routes with Murchison Falls and the Rwenzoris. Many travellers then fly on to the Masai Mara or a Tanzania safari for the big savannah game.
Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari Uganda: Your Questions
How much does a gorilla safari cost in Uganda?
The gorilla permit alone is US$800 for foreign non residents, or US$600 in April, May and November. A short gorilla only trip by road with midrange lodges commonly comes to about US$1,700 to US$2,500 per person for two sharing, and adding Kibale chimps brings a five day trip to around US$2,000 to US$2,700, or US$3,300 to US$4,400 at luxury lodges. These are typical operator ranges, not fixed prices.
Is it better to see the gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda?
The gorillas and the hour with them are the same. Rwanda is quicker to reach from Kigali and its permit costs US$1,500. Uganda’s permit is far cheaper, its forest wilder and steeper, and it is the better choice if you also want chimps and a game drive in one trip. The Uganda and Rwanda comparison goes further.
Is it safe to gorilla trek in Uganda?
Gorilla and chimp treks run under armed ranger escort, and the large majority of visitors have no problems. Western Uganda’s parks sit near the Congo border, though, and several governments currently advise extra care or against travel, so read your own government’s advice before booking and again before you go. Our Uganda safety guide summarises the advisories.
What is the best time of year to see gorillas in Uganda?
June to September and December to February, when trails are driest. Gorillas and chimps are seen year round, though, and April, May and November bring fewer visitors and cheaper permits.
Is five days enough for a gorilla and chimpanzee safari?
Yes, for one trek each, with two long drives. Add a day for the Kazinga Channel or a buffer before your flight, or fly one leg to do it in four.
What is the minimum age for gorilla and chimp trekking?
Gorilla trekking has a minimum age of 15. The UWA tariff states 12 for chimp tracking, though some operators quote higher ages, so confirm when booking. Younger children can do the Bigodi walk and the game drives, and many lodges offer child rates.
How likely am I to see chimps and gorillas?
Very likely for both, though neither is guaranteed. Gorilla families are found on almost every trek because trackers start from the previous night’s nest, and Kibale guides quote chimp sighting rates above 90 percent.
How far ahead should I book a gorilla and chimp safari?
Three to six months for most dates, earlier for June to September and Christmas. Secure the gorilla permit first, then the chimp session, then the lodges. Our gorilla permit booking guide explains how, and the Kigali route guide covers starting in Rwanda.
