13 Day Uganda Safari with Gorillas, Chimps & Tree climbing lions

Uganda packs a lot into 13 days. This private safari links Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, Lake Bunyonyi, and Lake Mburo in one long circuit. I like the range: you get chimpanzee tracking and a swamp walk, classic savannah game drives, two boat trips, a gorilla trek, and a final nature walk. I also like that the price includes the costly gorilla and chimpanzee permits, park fees, transport, meals, and drinking water.

The main drawback is the amount of time spent on the road. This is an ambitious route, not a slow holiday. Some days involve several hours in the vehicle, and the gorilla trek can last from two to seven hours over muddy, slippery ground. The private format helps, but you should still arrive ready for early starts, long drives, and changing conditions.

The tour costs $5,500 per person, which is a serious sum. Still, the included primate permits and full-board arrangements make the price easier to understand. The operator also uses safari vehicles with air conditioning, pop-up roofs, charging ports, refrigerators, Wi-Fi, and onboard water, according to the service details provided.

Five things to know before booking

• Murchison Falls combines rhino tracking, game drives, and a boat ride in Uganda’s largest national park.
• Kibale offers both chimpanzee tracking and the Bigodi swamp walk, with chances for several monkey species and many birds.
• Queen Elizabeth gives you three different wildlife outings, including game drives, Kazinga Channel, and a limited lion-tracking activity.
• Ishasha is the best-known stop for tree-climbing lions, though sightings are never guaranteed.
• The gorilla trek is the centerpiece, but Bwindi’s steep, wet forest makes it physically demanding.
• Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo soften the pace with canoeing, views, and a guided walking safari before your airport transfer.

Why this Uganda route works so well

Uganda is a strong choice if you want more than a standard Big Five safari. The country’s greatest strength is variety. In one trip, you move from open savannah to tropical forest, volcanic highlands, papyrus wetlands, lakes, and rolling farmland.

This route also gives you two very different primate experiences. Kibale is about active chimpanzees and smaller monkeys moving through the forest. Bwindi is quieter and more intense, with a long walk leading to a one-hour encounter with a gorilla family.

The schedule has a clear rhythm. The first half builds through wildlife parks and forest visits. The middle section focuses on Queen Elizabeth and its lions. The last part shifts toward gorillas, a lakeside break, and a walking safari.

You travel with a private group, so the driver guide can adjust the pace to your interests. That matters on game drives. If you are keen on birds, you can spend longer watching a secretary bird or black-chested snake eagle. If lions are your priority, you can make the most of the early drives in Queen Elizabeth.

Days 1 to 3: Entebbe and the Murchison Falls circuit

Your arrival day is simple. A Pamoja Tours and Travel driver guide meets you at Entebbe International Airport and takes you to Via Via Guest House for dinner and the night. An optional Kampala city visit is available for an extra charge, but I would treat it as a bonus rather than a fixed part of the plan.

The next day is one of the longest drives, roughly seven hours to Murchison Falls National Park. The stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary breaks up the journey with rhino tracking and lunch. This is an important detail: rhino viewing takes place at the sanctuary, while the rest of the Big Five search unfolds in the national parks.

You stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge on a full-board plan. A hot-air balloon safari is available at an extra cost, but the standard program already gives you plenty to do.

Day 3 begins with an early game drive across Murchison’s rolling plains. You might see lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. Birdwatchers should keep an eye out for the secretary bird and black-chested snake eagle, both specifically noted in the park description.

After lunch, the boat cruise travels toward the base of Murchison Falls. Hippos, crocodiles, and water birds gather along the river, giving you a close look at animals from a different angle. You can then hike to the top of the falls if you choose. The climb is described as strenuous, so bring sturdy footwear and do not treat it as a casual stroll.

This section is well designed, but it is busy. You cover a great deal of ground in a short time. If you prefer long, quiet stays in one park, this schedule may feel rushed.

Days 4 and 5: Chimpanzees and the Bigodi wetlands

Day 4 takes you toward Kibale National Park, with a drive of about four hours. The scenery changes noticeably. Villages, green countryside, hills, and tea plantations replace the broad plains around Murchison.

You stay at Isunga Lodge on a full-board basis. Kibale is best known for its primates, including chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and red-tailed monkeys. Even before the formal tracking activity, you may spot monkeys in the forest around the area.

On Day 5, you go to Kanyachu park headquarters for a briefing before entering the forest. Chimpanzees share about 98 percent of human DNA, and watching them feed, call, and move through the trees gives the statistics a real meaning. The forest is not a zoo, so sightings depend on where the groups are that day.

The standard chimpanzee tracking experience is followed by lunch and an afternoon Bigodi swamp walk. This is one of the smartest pairings in the program. The chimp trek focuses on one major species, while Bigodi adds birds, monkeys, and wetland scenery.

A chimpanzee habituation activity is available at extra cost. It is worth asking exactly how the timing, permit, and additional charge differ from standard tracking before you decide. The regular program is already a good introduction for most people.

Days 6 to 9: Queen Elizabeth, Kazinga Channel, and Ishasha lions

The drive from Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park takes about three hours. On a clear day, you may see the Rwenzori Mountains during the journey. These mountains provide a dramatic backdrop, though clouds can hide them.

After lunch at the lodge, you can relax or visit Lake Katwe. The salt-mining visit is optional, and the schedule leaves some room for a slower afternoon before the next early start.

Queen Elizabeth is the busiest wildlife section of the trip. Day 7 begins before sunrise, when animals are often active on the savannah. Elephants, buffalo, and antelope are common possibilities. Lions and leopards are possible too, but no responsible safari should promise either one.

The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is a major highlight. The channel links Lake George and Lake Edward, and its banks attract hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffalo, and many water birds. You will likely see more hippos here than on the earlier Murchison boat ride, but the two cruises feel different. Murchison is about the force of the falls and the river approach. Kazinga is about dense animal activity along the shoreline.

Day 8 adds an early morning lion-tracking experience in the Kasenyi plains. This activity has limited group sizes to reduce stress on the lions and improve the quality of the outing. It offers a more focused look at lion behavior than a normal game drive, while still allowing you to see other wildlife.

You return for lunch, then have the option of visiting Lake Katwe for a salt-mining experience. Your accommodation on this night is Bush Lodge.

Day 9 heads into the Ishasha area, famous for its tree-climbing lions. The stated chance of seeing them is about 70 percent, but that number should not become a guarantee in your mind. Lions can be difficult to locate, even in a small area known for this behavior.

The sight, if it happens, is unusual: a lion stretched across a fig or acacia branch, often resting above the heat and insects below. Ishasha also offers Uganda kob, Cape buffalo, elephants, and warthogs. You stay at Topi Lodge.

This four-day stretch gives the trip its strongest classic safari feel. The tradeoff is that Queen Elizabeth is not treated as a single, relaxed base. You change focus and accommodation, and the move to Ishasha adds more driving.

Days 10 and 11: Bwindi and the gorilla trek

Day 10 transfers you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, with about four hours on the road. The forest is home to mountain gorillas and a wide range of other species, including five other primate species, mammals, butterflies, and hundreds of bird species.

You stay at Gorilla Mist Camp on a full-board plan. This is a quiet preparation day, and that is useful. The gorilla trek is physically and emotionally bigger than the other activities, so having time to rest before it is welcome.

Day 11 begins with the trek into Bwindi. Expect forested slopes, thick vegetation, tangled vines, bamboo, and ground that can turn muddy and slippery. The walk may take two hours or seven hours, depending on where the gorilla family is located.

Your ranger looks for signs such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots. Once the family is found, you spend one hour observing the gorillas. That hour is the fixed core of the experience, while the walking time changes from day to day.

This is where you need to be honest about your fitness. The program says most people can participate, but that does not mean the trek is easy. The terrain and weather can make it strenuous. Bring suitable walking shoes, clothing that can get dirty, and patience for a search that may take most of the morning.

The gorilla permit is included in the tour price, which is one of the biggest reasons the package can offer reasonable value despite its headline cost. Permit availability is also a reason to confirm your dates early.

Day 12: Lake Bunyonyi, then toward Lake Mburo

After breakfast, you take a canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi. The lake is known for its many islands and is often called the Little Switzerland of Africa. After the canoe outing, you continue by road toward Lake Mburo National Park, stopping for lunch along the way.

This is an unusual transition day. Lake Bunyonyi provides calm water and rest after the demanding gorilla trek, but the later drive means you do not get a full resort-style lake day. You should think of the canoe ride as a refreshing break within a transfer, not as a separate long stay.

The program lists Eagles Nest Camp for the night and full-board meals. Check the exact accommodation location and transfer timing before departure, since the day combines a lake activity with a move toward another national park.

Day 13: Walking safari at Lake Mburo and the equator stop

The final morning replaces the usual vehicle safari with a guided nature walk led by an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger. You may encounter zebras, giraffes, eland, topi, antelopes, and Cape buffalo.

The walk also climbs toward the top of the hills. From there, you can see Lake Mburo and, in clear conditions, nine of the twelve lakes surrounding the park. This is a fine closing activity because it lets you move at walking speed and notice details that are easy to miss from a safari vehicle.

After breakfast and checkout, you drive to Entebbe. The route includes an equator stop for lunch and souvenir shopping before the airport drop-off. The listed activity time is about two hours, but the full transfer to the airport is naturally longer, so do not schedule a tight onward flight without confirming the expected arrival time.

What the $5,500 price includes

The package includes:

• Park fees for non-residents
• Gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits
• All transportation except optional activities
• Drinking water each day
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all 12 nights

That is a strong list of inclusions. Gorilla permits and chimpanzee permits are expensive components, and full-board meals reduce the number of daily costs you need to manage. The private vehicle is another benefit because you are not sharing the schedule with a large mixed group.

The value depends on how much you want from one trip. If you are mainly interested in gorillas, a shorter Bwindi-focused visit will cost less and involve fewer long drives. If you want gorillas, chimps, classic wildlife, tree-climbing lions, boat cruises, and rhinos in one journey, this package covers an unusually broad section of Uganda.

International flights, extra accommodation before or after the safari, travel insurance, visas, souvenirs, and tips are not included. A tipping guideline of $10 per person per day is provided, so budget for that separately.

Guides, vehicles, and the practical side

The operator can arrange airport pickup, and the tour is private for your group. That gives you more control than a fixed-seat group departure, especially during game drives and optional activities.

Names praised in the service material include Amos, Ben, and Rita. Amos is specifically associated with strong guiding, calm service, and good wildlife skills. You cannot assume one of these guides will be assigned to your booking, but it is sensible to ask who your guide will be before you travel.

The safari vehicles are described as four-wheel drive models with air conditioning, pop-up roofs, charging ports, refrigerators, Wi-Fi, and onboard drinking water. Those details matter on long road days. The pop-up roof is especially useful for game viewing, while charging ports help if you are carrying cameras and phones.

The schedule is active. You should expect early breakfasts, rougher park roads, forest walking, and long drives between parks. The tour data says most people can participate, but the gorilla trek remains the part that demands the most physical preparation.

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Cancellations or changes made later are not refunded, and the operator may offer a new date or a full refund if the minimum number of participants is not met.

Who should book this safari?

I would recommend it to you if you want one large Uganda experience rather than a single-park holiday. It suits people who value wildlife variety, primates, guided activities, and a private vehicle more than long lie-in mornings.

It is especially good for photographers, birdwatchers, first-time visitors to Uganda, and anyone who considers gorillas the main goal but still wants a full safari around that centerpiece. The combination of forest, savannah, wetlands, lakes, and walking activities keeps the trip from feeling repetitive.

I would hesitate to recommend it if you dislike long transfers, muddy trails, early starts, or changing lodges. You may also want a slower custom itinerary if you prefer two or three nights in each place with more time to rest.

Should you book the 13-day Uganda safari?

Book it if you want breadth and major wildlife experiences in one trip. The gorilla and chimpanzee permits, private transport, full-board meals, and wide range of activities make the $5,500 price easier to justify.

Before paying, confirm your gorilla permit date, the exact lodge sequence, your assigned guide, and the timing of the final airport transfer. If Amos, Ben, or Rita is available, you can request one of those experienced guides, but availability should be confirmed.

The route is ambitious, sometimes tiring, and not built around luxury downtime. For an active visitor who wants gorillas, chimps, rhinos, boat cruises, lions, and a walking safari, that packed schedule is the point.

FAQ

How long is the Uganda safari?

The safari lasts approximately 13 days, beginning with airport pickup in Entebbe and ending with a drop-off at Entebbe International Airport.

Is airport pickup included?

Yes. Pickup is offered, and the tour begins with a transfer from Entebbe International Airport to the first accommodation.

Are gorilla and chimpanzee permits included?

Yes. Park fees for non-residents and both gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits are included.

Are meals included?

Yes. The package includes 12 breakfasts, 12 lunches, and 12 dinners. Most listed lodges provide full-board accommodation.

Is the safari private?

Yes. This is a private tour, and only your group participates.

Are optional activities included?

No. The hot-air balloon safari, Kampala city visit, chimpanzee habituation, and some Lake Katwe activities are optional and cost extra.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.