From gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park to bird watching in Bigodi Wetland, game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and a boat trip along the Kazinga Channel, this 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali takes you through some of Uganda’s best wildlife encounters, from primates to a wide range of birds.
This Uganda safari tour covers some of the country’s most rewarding destinations.
6-Day Uganda Primates and Wildlife Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
- Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
- Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and evening boat cruise
- Day 4: Morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 5: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 6: Return to Kigali
Detailed 6-Day Uganda Primates and Wildlife Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast at your hotel, or pickup from Kigali airport, drive north. Time permitting, take a brief tour of Kigali city, including its shopping areas, the Genocide Memorial, and local craft markets.
Continue to Kibale Forest National Park via the Katuna border in Kabale, arriving in the evening.
Kibale holds a strong population of primates, including chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, and vervet monkeys. On a chimpanzee trek here, sightings often include chimps swinging through the trees or feeding on wild fruit.
Check in to your lodge on arrival for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
After breakfast, set out for the chimpanzee trek in Kibale Forest. The trek begins at 8:00 am after a 30-minute briefing, and typically lasts 2 to 5 hours, including one hour observing the chimps directly.
Beyond chimpanzees, the forest holds several other primate species, including baboons, bush babies, colobus monkeys, mangabeys, and various squirrels.
Return to the lodge for lunch, or take a picnic lunch at a forest campsite. In the afternoon, take a nature walk through Bigodi Wetland, home to a wide range of birds and plant life. Return to your lodge in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Evening Boat Cruise
Continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of Uganda’s best-known parks and a place where wildlife and local communities live side by side.
Arrive with time to spare for an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward.
The cruise brings sightings of resident and migratory birds, large mammals, big cats, and reptiles along the banks. Return to the lodge afterward to rest.
Day 4: Morning Game Drive and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Have coffee at dawn, then take an early game drive across the Kasenyi plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, with sightings of antelope, elephants, buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck, and a wide range of birds.
Continue with a game drive en route to the Ishasha sector to look for tree-climbing lions, along with other wildlife in the area. Afterward, drive to Bwindi, arriving in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Today is gorilla trekking day. Wake early and transfer from the lodge to the Ruhija starting point. Join the pre-trek briefing, with the trek beginning around 8:30 am.
Trek through the Bwindi forest until you find your assigned gorilla family, spending up to one hour with them, taking photos and observing their behavior.
After the trek, return to the starting point and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, in Kabale district. Formed by ancient volcanic activity, Lake Bunyonyi is Uganda’s deepest lake and the second deepest in Africa after Lake Tanganyika.
Spend the evening on a dugout canoe exploring some of the lake’s islands.
Day 6: Return to Kigali
Return via the Katuna border to Kigali, where the trip concludes in the late afternoon. Time permitting, explore the city and try some local food.
Depending on your flight time, you’ll be dropped at Kigali airport for your departure flight.
End of 6-Day Uganda Safari from Kigali.
