Duration
10 days / 9 nights
Countries
Uganda
Difficulty
Moderate
Best season
June–September, December–February
From
$7200 pp
Prices are indicative guidance only. Final quotes depend on season, lodge selection, and group size.
Discover southern and central Uganda on a classic primate safari: chimpanzees in Kibale, lion monitoring and savanna game drives in Queen Elizabeth, a scheduled flight to Kisoro for mountain gorilla trekking at Nkuringo, Nombe forest birding and Batwa community experiences, then Lake Mburo game drives, boat trip, and guided walks—with community tourism that supports sustainable initiatives.
Keep in mind
- Tour starts and ends in Entebbe, Uganda
- You visit Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, and Lake Mburo national parks
- Includes scheduled flight Kasese–Kisoro and private 4×4 from day 2
- Optional Mabamba shoebill excursion on arrival day
Day by day
Arrive Entebbe, transfer to your hotel, and safari briefing; optional afternoon shoebill excursion at Mabamba Wetland on request.
After breakfast, drive via the southern bypass to Kibale Forest with a stop at the “top of the world” crater-lake viewpoint and Rwenzori views en route to Chimpundu Lodge area.
Morning chimpanzee trek in Africa’s primate capital, then an afternoon Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary walk—community-based ecotourism with exceptional birds (including Great Blue Turaco) and monkeys.
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park after lunch, then an afternoon launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel among hundreds of hippos, elephants, and waterbirds toward Lake Edward.
Pre-booked dawn lion tracking/monitoring with researchers on the Kasenyi plains (limited slots), learning predator habits alongside other carnivores and herbivores, then an afternoon game drive back to lodge.
Breakfast, transfer to Kasese airstrip for your scheduled flight to Kisoro, gentle dugout canoe on Lake Mutanda, then road transfer to Nkuringo with optional community walk at “Top of the World” viewpoint.
Briefing at park headquarters, then guided gorilla tracking in Bwindi’s dense forest (Nkuringo or Rushaga sector per permits)—one hour with mountain gorillas after a trek of variable length and terrain.
Morning birdwatching in Nombe Pocket Forest, lunch at lodge, then afternoon Buniga Forest Trail and Batwa heritage walk with community visits to traditional herbalist and blacksmith.
Drive through Kigezi hills with Lake Bunyonyi views, lunch at Igongo Culture Centre (Ankole cattle and kingdom heritage), and afternoon arrival at Lake Mburo for a game drive.
Guided morning walk to the salt lick, afternoon game drive and one-hour Lake Mburo boat cruise, then transfer to Entebbe with an equator photo stop—end of services or international flight.
Lodge tiers
Classic
Forest and savanna lodges across Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, and Mburo
Premier
Primate Lodge Kibale, Mweya Safari Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Mihingo Lodge
FAQ
This route adds lion tracking, a fly-in leg to Nkuringo, Batwa and Nombe forest experiences, and a fuller Lake Mburo boat and walking day—ideal if you want the most complete western primate circuit in ten days.
The 7-day fly-in safari compresses time between parks. This classic primate journey spends more nights in Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Nkuringo, and Mburo with road and air links.