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Uganda: Chimps, Gorillas and the Source of the Nile

10 days from Entebbe to Kigali: a boat to the source of the Nile at Jinja, chimpanzees in Kibale, two nights in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a gorilla trek in Bwindi with your permit included, and a night on Lake Bunyonyi.

10 days · Entebbe to Kigali · up to 12 guests

A ranger with trekkers in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Photo: USAID Biodiversity & Forestry, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USAID_Measuring_Impact_Conservation_Enterprise_Retrospective_(Uganda%3B_International_Gorilla_Conservation_Program)_(25422609497).jpg)

The facts

At a glance

Length
10 days, 9 nights
Start and end
Entebbe to Kigali
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Longest drive
7.5 h on day 3
Activity level

Active

The gorilla trek is the hard part: steep, muddy forest at about 1,200 to 2,600 m in Bwindi, from under an hour to more than five hours each way, with a porter to carry your pack and help on slopes. The Kibale chimp trek is 2 to 4 hours on mostly level but tangled, muddy trails. The Bigodi swamp walk is about 3 hours on boardwalks and paths, and you can sit it out. Day 3 has about 7.5 hours on the road, and days 7, 9 and 10 about 4 to 4.5 hours, partly unpaved.

Meals included
9 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 7 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 1,190 (estimated price)
Season
June to September and December to February

Highlights

Why this trip

  • A boat to the point where the Nile leaves Lake Victoria at Jinja
  • A morning with chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, among some of its 13 primate species
  • The Bigodi swamp on boardwalks with a guide from the village that protects it
  • A dawn game drive on the Kasenyi plains and an afternoon boat along the Kazinga Channel among hippos
  • The Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, known for lions that rest in fig trees
  • An hour with a mountain gorilla family in Bwindi, with your permit and a porter included
  • A late-afternoon boat among the terraced islands of Lake Bunyonyi
  • The Kigali Genocide Memorial on the way to your flight home

What makes this trip different

  • Short drives, all published

    Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 7.5 h, on day 3.

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 1,190 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

The longest drive is 7.5 h, on day 3.

UGANDARWANDADR CONGOKENYALake VictoriaLake EdwardLake George123456EntebbeDays 1 to 2JinjaDays 2 to 3KibaleDays 3 to 5Queen Elizabeth NPDays 5 to 7Kasenyi plainsDay 6IshashaDay 7Bwindi (Buhoma)Days 7 to 9Lake BunyonyiDays 9 to 10KigaliDay 10

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Entebbe

Entebbe International Airport to your hotel in Entebbe

  • Welcome dinner
  • Stay in Entebbe
  • Drive about 15 min

Fly into Entebbe International Airport (EBB), on the northern shore of Lake Victoria about 40 km south of Kampala.

Evening

A driver meets you in arrivals for the ten-minute ride to your hotel, so arrive when you like: nothing is planned before the evening. Entebbe is a quiet, green town on a peninsula, much calmer than the capital, and a gentle place to get over a long flight. If you land early, the Entebbe Botanical Gardens run down to the lakeshore, with black-and-white colobus monkeys and hornbills in the old trees. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead: how the chimp and gorilla permits work, what to wear in the forest, and how day 3's long drive is broken up. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner, often with tilapia from the lake, matoke (steamed green banana) and groundnut sauce.

Included

  • Pick-up at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • Welcome dinner

Optional experiences

  • Entebbe Botanical Gardens if you arrive early (small entry fee)

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

  1. Entebbe1 night
  2. Jinja1 night
  3. Kibale2 nights
  4. Queen Elizabeth National Park2 nights
  5. Bwindi (Buhoma)2 nights
  6. Lake Bunyonyi1 night
  7. Kigaliend
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: June to September and December to February are the drier months, with firmer forest trails and easier game viewing as the grass shortens. March to May and October to November bring heavier rain and muddy slopes, though chimps and gorillas are there all year and Bwindi, a rainforest, can rain any day. Entebbe, Jinja and Queen Elizabeth are warm; Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi, higher up, are cool in the mornings and evenings. Tree-climbing lions in Ishasha are a chance, not a promise.

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Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.

Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • Travellers who want gorillas and chimpanzees on one trip, with both permits taken care of
  • Those who prefer lodges and full board to camping
  • People who want a game drive and a boat trip between the forests
  • Solo travellers who want company on treks that are better shared

Not for you if you want

  • Anyone who cannot walk several hours on steep, muddy forest slopes: the gorilla trek is the point of the trip
  • Children under 15, the minimum age for gorilla trekking
  • Those who mind a long road day: day 3 has about 7.5 hours of driving
  • Travellers after a big-five safari: Queen Elizabeth is good for hippos, elephants, kob and lions, but it is not the Masai Mara
  • Rafting fans who want a full day on the White Nile, unless they add a night in Jinja

Minimum age: 15

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

9 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Entebbe1 night
  • Jinja1 night
  • Kibale2 nights
  • Queen Elizabeth National Park2 nights
  • Bwindi (Buhoma)2 nights
  • Lake Bunyonyi1 night

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 9 nights: 1 in Entebbe, 1 in Jinja, 2 at a lodge near Kibale National Park, 2 at a lodge near the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, 2 at a lodge at Buhoma on the edge of Bwindi, 1 at a lodge on Lake Bunyonyi
  • Hotels and lodges of at least a 3-star-plus standard
  • Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement

Transport

  • Pick-up at Entebbe International Airport (EBB) and drop-off at Kigali International Airport (KGL)
  • Our own 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and driver from Entebbe to the Rwandan border, and a vehicle and driver from the border to Kigali
  • Boat to the source of the Nile at Jinja
  • Kazinga Channel boat trip
  • Boat trip on Lake Bunyonyi

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from Entebbe to Kigali
  • Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and trackers on the chimp and gorilla treks and the game drives
  • A community guide at Bigodi and local guides at Jinja, Buhoma and Lake Bunyonyi
  • A porter for each guest on the gorilla trek

Activities

  • Boat to the source of the Nile, Jinja
  • Chimpanzee trek with permit, Kibale National Park
  • Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary walk, Bigodi
  • Dawn game drive on the Kasenyi plains, Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Kazinga Channel boat trip, Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Game drive in the Ishasha sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Mountain gorilla trek with one Uganda gorilla permit per guest, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
  • Buhoma village walk, Bwindi
  • Boat trip among the islands of Lake Bunyonyi
  • Kigali Genocide Memorial with an audio guide, Kigali
  • National park entry fees for every day in the plan

Meals

  • 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 8 dinners
  • Welcome dinner in Entebbe
  • Full board at the lodges in Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi
  • Packed lunch on the gorilla trek
  • Drinking water in the vehicle

Not included

  • International flights to Entebbe and from Kigali
  • Visas (the East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda and Rwanda)
  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever, and malaria tablets
  • Travel insurance, which should include medical evacuation
  • Dinner in Jinja on day 2
  • Drinks, except water in the vehicle
  • Tips for drivers, rangers, trackers, porters and lodge staff
  • Optional activities: White Nile rafting, the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, Kyambura Gorge chimps, a second gorilla permit, canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi
  • Laundry and personal expenses

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 1,190 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

What does the price include?

Nine nights in hotels and lodges, 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 8 dinners, airport transfers, our vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide, one Uganda gorilla permit, the Kibale chimp permit, a trek porter, park fees, three boat trips, three game drives, the Bigodi swamp walk and the Kigali memorial audio guide.

Is the gorilla permit included?

Yes, one Uganda gorilla permit per guest is in the price, along with the Kibale chimpanzee permit. We buy both in your name as soon as your trip is confirmed, because permits for the drier months sell out. Permits are non-refundable once bought, which our booking terms explain.

How fit do I need to be for gorilla trekking in Bwindi?

Fit enough to walk uphill on steep, muddy forest slopes for anything from under an hour to more than five each way, at about 1,200 to 2,600 m. A porter carries your pack and helps on climbs, and rangers try to give slower walkers a nearer family. If you can manage 3 to 4 hours on hilly trails, you will be fine.

What is the chimpanzee trek in Kibale like?

Easier than the gorilla trek. Rangers lead small parties along mostly level forest trails, often muddy and tangled, for 2 to 4 hours. Once the chimps are found you have an hour with them. Sightings in Kibale are frequent but not guaranteed, as chimps move fast and far through the canopy.

How big is the group?

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. Each gorilla family takes at most eight visitors a day, so on the trek the group splits across two families, each with rangers and trackers, on the same morning. The chimp trek is done in smaller ranger parties.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Entebbe airport pick-up to the Kigali airport drop-off. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and trackers lead the treks and game drives, a guide from the village leads the Bigodi walk, and local guides take the boats at Jinja and Lake Bunyonyi.

I am travelling solo. Do I pay more?

Only if you want a room of your own, from CAD 1,190 more, shown before you book. Otherwise you pay the same per-person price as everyone else and we pair you with a guest of the same gender where we can. Solo travellers join every part of the trip, including both treks.

When is the best time to visit Uganda for gorillas and chimps?

June to September and December to February, the drier months, when forest trails are firmer and the grass in Queen Elizabeth is shorter for game viewing. Gorillas and chimps are there all year, and Bwindi can rain any day. March to May and October to November are wetter; we run those months as private trips only.

Why is day 3 such a long drive?

Jinja is east of Kampala and Kibale is near the western border, about 410 km apart, and no flight shortens it much. We leave at about 7:30 am, stop for coffee, lunch and at Fort Portal, and arrive by about 5 pm. After that, no day has more than about 4.5 hours on the road.

Do I need a visa for Uganda and Rwanda?

Yes for Uganda, for US and Canadian passports, and the trip ends in Rwanda. The East Africa Tourist Visa, about USD 100 online, covers Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya on one document. Rwanda's own rules for your passport are confirmed when you book. Uganda also asks for a yellow fever certificate. We check your documents before you fly.

How does booking work?

Pick your start date and request to book. We confirm your trip within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Once confirmed we buy your gorilla and chimp permits straight away. The small group starts from CAD 7,000 per person sharing, permits included.

Can I travel privately or on my own dates?

Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 12,600 per person, which also suits permit dates that do not match ours. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote it.

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