5 Days Chimpanzee And Gorilla Habituation in Kibale And Bwindi

A safari to Uganda is a journey to observe its wildlife, primates and birds in their natural habitats. This 5 Days Chimpanzee And Gorilla Habituation safari can also include water bodies such as the source of the Nile River and lakes. A very important part of every African safari is the encounter of the BIG 5 which are the elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions, leopards and primates which include black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkey, velvet monkeys, baboons and the most important, the chimpanzees and the mountain gorillas.

A 5-day Kibale and Bwindi habituation safari will bring you to Bwindi impenetrable National Park located in the misty, dense and biologically diverse rain forests of Bwindi in the southwestern part of Uganda and it’s a home to almost half of the world’s most endangered species, the mountain gorillas which possess 98% of the human DNA and specifically to the Rushaga sector since the only sector in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where gorilla habituation takes place. This safari also leads you to Kibale National Park which is a place known for having a large number of the second most visited primates in Uganda, the chimpanzees. While gorilla habituation takes place in only the Rushaga sector of Bwindi, Chimpanzee habituation takes place in only Kibale National Park.

gorilla trekking

Itinerary overview

• Day 1: Transfer from Kampala to Kibale National Park
• Day 2: Chimpanzee habituation
• Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Rushaga sector
• Day 4: Gorilla habituation
• Day 5: Transfer to Kigali

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1: Transfer from Kigali to Kibale National Park

A professional English-speaking driver guide will pick you up from Kigali in a safari vehicle and the 348km journey to southwestern Uganda will begin as you enjoy the beautiful landscapes, the clean and organized streets of Kigali as well as the beautiful vegetation en route. This journey will come to a halt with your arrival in Kibale National Park, a place that is best known for its chimpanzee safaris and the only national park in Uganda where chimpanzee habituation takes place.

Day 2: Chimpanzee habituation

Chimpanzee habituation is the process of making chimpanzees used to human presence in preparation for chimpanzee trekking. During chimpanzee habituation, a group of 4 individuals including researchers, and rangers with trackers follow a large group of chimpanzees for a period of between 2 to 3 years.  For a traveler interested in this activity, this activity gives you half a day of being in close range with the chimpanzees and see them go by their daily activities and this usually starts at 6:30 am so that you start the day with the chimpanzees from the time they leave their nest.

On the habituation day, a nourishing breakfast will be served very early in the morning after which you will head to the forest for chimpanzee habituation. This activity will start at 6:30 am from the place where chimpanzees built their nest the previous day or where they were last seen so that you find the chimpanzees leaving their nest and follow them as they go about their day-to-day activities such as nest building, breastfeeding their babies, feeding, hunting, and building their new nests, and are encouraged to carry a packed lunch for this activity.

The best time for chimpanzee habituation in Kibale National Park is during the rainy season since in the dry season they tend to move deeper into the forest, and this activity costs 300 USD.

After this activity, you will return to the lodge in the afternoon for relaxation and an overnight stay. Additional activities that you can do on your visit to Kibale National Park include Nature walks, chimpanzee trekking, Hiking, Bigodi swamp walk, Birding, and the crater lakes tour.

Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Accommodation; Isunga lodge

Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale National Park

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Rushaga

A delicious morning breakfast will be served then you embark on your scenic drive to Rushaga in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park while enjoying the beautiful vegetation, tea plantations, and various wildlife en route. You will have a lunch stopover in Mbarara then proceed to Rushaga in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Drive time 7 hours

Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Accommodation; Ichumbi lodge

Day 4: Gorilla habituation

Breakfast will be made available very early in the morning so that you head out into the forest for the gorilla habituation process since the gorilla family to be habituated is chosen the previous night by your driver guide based on the credentials you made available for him, and briefing is also done the day before the habituation.

Gorilla habituation is the process of making gorillas used to human presence in preparation for gorilla trekking. A gorilla habituation experience in Uganda will bring you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, specifically in the Rushaga sector, the only place in Uganda that carries out gorilla habituation. Gorillas in the morning are located based on where they were seen the day before or by following their trails. Just like chimpanzee habituation, gorilla habituation also takes 2-3 years and is done in groups of 4 people including researchers and rangers. You are allowed 4 hours with the gorillas watching them go about their day-to-day activities such as feeding, building new nests, and hunting among others. After this activity, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation in the afternoon. In the evening dinner will be served after which you can take your night’s rest.

Meal plan; Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Additional activities you can do on your visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include; gorilla trekking which is carried out in all 4 sectors of Bwindi which are Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Ruhija, birdwatching, Batwa cultural experience, Hiking, mountain biking, Buhoma community walk, and lake Mutanda visit.

gorilla habituation in Bwindi

Day 5: Transfer to Kigali for the flight back

A nourishing breakfast will be provided in the morning. After breakfast, you will park out of the lodge and embark on your journey to Kigali with a packed lunch crossing the Uganda-Rwanda border as you enjoy the scenic view and the magnificent land of a thousand hills. Drive time 6 hours

This will mark the end of your 5 days chimpanzee and gorilla habituation safari to Uganda.

Things included;

• Professional English-speaking driver guide
• Chimpanzee habituation
• Gorilla habituation
• Meals
• Accommodation
• Fuel
• 4×4 safari vehicle
• Bottled water
• Things excluded
• Porters
• Tips
• Drinks
• Extra activities
• Cigarettes
• International flights and Visas

Note:  The trip can start either from Uganda or Rwanda