Are you wondering how to do 5 day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking tour in Uganda through Rwanda, you can follow the itinerary below. You get to cross from Rwanda into Uganda via Cyanika and Gatuna border using East African visa. The East African visa allows entering only two East African countries.
This Uganda safari happens in misty Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale National Park. You get to visit the best primate destinations of Uganda and enjoy the fresh breeze from that comes from them. Indeed, they regulate the daily atmospheric conditions of the areas around these tropical forest
For primate seekers, taking this five-day Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee safari immerses you into the homes of the largest primates in Africa.
The road trip duration from Kigali to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park may last 5 hour to 6 hours.
Summary Of 5 Day Gorilla And Chimpanzee Trekking Safari In Uganda Through Rwanda.
Day 1 drive from Kigali to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Cyanika or Gatuna border
Day2 gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 3 Drive to Kibale National Park
Day 4 Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park
Day 5 Departure
Detailed Itinerary Of 5 Day Gorilla And Chimpanzee Trekking In Uganda Via Rwanda
Day 1 Drive From Kigali To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Via Cyanika Or Gatuna Border
On arrival at Kigali airport or from your hotel in Kigali city, our driver guide will pick you and drive you through either Gatuna or Cyanika border. Enjoy the undulating hills of Rwanda where it gets the name the land of a thousand hills.
Rwanda has beautiful green cover and you can smell the freshness of the atmosphere as you drive through the countryside into Uganda.
Check into your lodge and relax as you prepare for gorilla trekking the next day.
Accommodation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs, Nkuringo Safari Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Gorilla Resort
Day2 Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After early morning breast, carry your gorilla trekking gears to the briefing point. Do not forget your packed lunch because you do not know your return time.
I case you need to service of a porter, you can arrange for it at this time. Porters are local people who earn a living by helping tourists carry their bags. The porter may give you a push when tired.
Request for a walking stick in case you may need extra support while moving in the forest. After briefing, you are subdivided into small groups of maximum 8 trekkers according to physical fitness level, age brackets and others then allocated to particular gorilla families.
On the way, look out for other forest inhabitants like monkeys, beautiful butterflies, huge tree trank with large buttress roots, sparkling water falls and so much more.
When mountain gorillas finally come into view, wear a clean mask as instructed by the ranger guide. Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas and in case they move closer, retreat stealthily.
Enjoy the company of the mountain gorillas that may seem to mind there own business as though not bothered by your presence. While taking photos, use flashless camera in order not to scare the mountain gorillas.
Just one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them because they are habituated to be in front of humans for just that time.
Retreat slowly back to your lodge to relax after a day with the mountain gorillas.
Day 3 Drive to Kibale National Park
Having completed your gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you can drive to Kibale National Park which is about 5 hours to 6 hours. Drive through Kigezi highlands and enjoy there stunning views.
Kibale National Park is the largest population of habituated chimpanzee in Uganda. At the moment, Kibale National Park has about 1500 chimpanzees as residents. The headquarters of Kibale National Park Are In Kanyanchu and Sebitoli as the secondary visitor center. Check into your lodge and relax.
Accommodation in Kibale National Park: Primates Lodge, Kibale Safari Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, CVK, Chimps Nest
Day 4 Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park
Rise up for chimpanzee trekking or attend the afternoon chimpanzee trekking session in Kibale national park. You head to the visitor center in Kanyanchu for briefing.
To do chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, you must wear a clean mask before facing the chimpanzees as a measure adopted after the corona virus pandemic.
In groups of maximum 6 trekkers, you are escorted into Kibale forest to start trekking a troop of chimpanzees. They are mobile primates that live in communities under the leadership of an alpha male who is democratically elected.
Kibale National Park is home to other primates like vervet monkeys, olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, l’hoest’s, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, potto, bush babies and others
Keen birders have a double opportunity to identify a number of birds from the huge list of residents birds of Kibale National Park. At the moment about 325 bird species are residents here. Some of the birds in Kibale National Park Include African Pitta, Yellow Spotted Nicators, Blue Breasted Kingfisher, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Crowned Eagles And Others.
When you locate the chimpanzees, only one hour is allowed with them so watch take photos and enjoy there charming company. As you watch, you will realized a lot that human have in common with the chimpanzees
Return to your lodge to relax
Day 5 Departure After Gorilla And Chimpanzee Trekking In Uganda Via Rwanda
After enjoying your gorilla and chimpanzee trekking experience in Uganda through Rwanda, you can depart via Entebbe airport or return to Kigali airport in Rwanda.
Transport From Kibale National Park To Entebbe Airport
The drive time from Kibale National Park to Entebbe airport is about 6 hours to 7 hours.
From Kibale National Park to Entebbe airport, you can take two routes that the northern route that is Kibale to Fort Portal to Mubende to Entebbe or the southern route that is Kibale to Kamwenge to Mbarara to Entebbe.
You can take daily domestic flights from Kasese airstrip to Entebbe airport in case you do not want road transport.
How To Book Gorilla And Chimpanzee Permits For Uganda
Select the days when you wish to do gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. When making the date choice, note that gorilla trekking takes a day and cannot be combined with chimpanzee trekking on the same day.
This is due to the connecting time from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to Kibale National Park which is about 6 hour to 7 hours.
When you send us an enquiry about wishing to do gorilla or chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda through Rwanda, our safari consultant checks availability from Uganda Wildlife Authority list.
In case availability is positive, it is best to purchase your permits as soon as possible to avoid last minute panic when permit slots are slim. Mountain gorilla permits are limited to maximum 8 per day for every gorilla family. Uganda currently has 19 gorilla families open to public booking.
Forward some personal passport details like full names as indicated on the passport, nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date as identification details filled on your gorilla and chimpanzee trekking permit card.
What is the cost of Uganda Gorilla Permit?
The cost of Uganda gorilla permit is currently
$700 per person for foreign nonresidents
$600 per person per trek for foreign residents
250000 shs for East Africa Residents
What is included in the Cost of Uganda Gorilla Permit?
Gorilla conservation support
Park entrance fees
Security
One hour in company of the fully habituated mountain gorilla family
Ranger guide professional service fee
Certificate after completing the gorillas trek
20% of the annual proceeded accrued from gorilla safaris is given to the Local community every year.
What is excluded from the cost of Uganda Gorilla Permit?
Porter cost. As porters are locals who earn a living by assisting tourists with their gorilla trekking gears and give a push to you when tired. This is one of the most direct way to contribute to the local community. They use the money to pay school dues, support health care and other.
Other gorilla permit cost exclusions tips, transport to the destination, accommodation, snacks and any other items of personal nature.
What is the cost of Uganda chimpanzee permit?
The Kibale National Park chimpanzee permit costs $200 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $150 for foreign residents and 150,000shs for East African residents.
Inclusions of a chimpanzee trekking permit are park entrance fees, security during chimpanzee trekking, ranger guide fees, one hour with the chimpanzees, chimpanzee conservation, support to the local community
Exclusions of chimpanzee trekking permit are tips, transport, accommodation, gorilla trekking gears and any other items of personal nature.
Where can I buy Uganda gorilla and Chimpanzee Permits?
In Uganda, you can use an accredited tour operator like Arch Safaris And Tours to book the chimpanzee permit on your behalf or book directly with Uganda Wildlife Authority.
You need to do prior purchase for your gorilla and chimpanzee permit atleast 3 months in advance especially the peak season permits. The Uganda peak safari season is normally June, July, August, September, December and January.
Mountain gorilla and chimpanzee permits of this season are sold off in the earlier months yet with limited supply of maximum 8 gorilla permits per family and 6 chimpanzee permits per troop.
When Is The Best Time For Booking Gorilla And Chimpanzee Trekking Safari In Uganda Through Rwanda
Booking your gorilla permit at least 6 months to a year is super but last minute booking would be 3 months before gorilla trekking. This is especially for the peak season when safaris are on high demand. Prices for amenities that support gorilla trekking are high due to competition from other Uganda safaris in the peak season.
Last minute gorilla or chimpanzee trekking permits may be available in the low Uganda tourism period which is March, April, May and November. This however is not a guarantee as tourists travel all year round for Adventure experiences in Africa.
Is Gorilla and chimpanzee Safari in Uganda Safe?
Although the mountain gorillas and chimpanzees live in the wilderness, they are first habituated to human presence for a reasonable period before being opened to the public.
Gorilla or chimpanzee habituation is a process where wild gorillas or chimpanzees are helped to get used to human presence without altering there nature.
Uganda wildlife Authority has well trained ranger guides who escort tourists into the jungle to do gorilla trekking or chimpanzee trekking. A ranger guide holding a machete to use in case need for trimming creepers along trails comes escorts each trekking group. Another ranger guide carries a rifle just in case there is a need for defense while searching for the mountain gorillas or chimpanzees.
Other uganda security agencies also support the ranger guides in keeping law and order in the gorilla or chimpanzee trekking destinations.
What is the safari cost for 5 day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in uganda through Rwanda
At Arch safaris and Tours we package our safaris according to luxury, Mid-Range and Budget. The overall cost of 5 day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari for Uganda through Rwanda includes a constant cost of the gorilla or chimpanzee permit. This cost is universal and cuts across all gorilla or chimpanzee trekking packages.
Other factors from which the 5 day gorilla and chimpanzee safari is costed include
The number of people travelling with
Time for booking the gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Uganda through Rwanda
Number of other activities to combine with gorilla and chimpanzee trekking
Means of transport to use on gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari.
The package you choose for the gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Uganda via Rwanda
What Can I Carry For 5 Day Gorilla And Chimpanzee Trekking Safari In Uganda Via Rwanda
Safari boots
Insect repellant
First aid kit with emergency treatment
Long sleeved shirt and trousers
Safari foldable hat or cap
Light shoe bag
Long sleeved shirt and convertible trouser
Poncho or sweater
Rainproof gears
Torch
Duffel bag
Some hard cash
Drinking foldable water bottle
Camera
Binoculars
Toiletries
Snacks or energy bites
Extra relevant changing clothes