Bwindi, Uganda
4-day budget gorilla safari
A shared 4x4 and community-run lodges on the forest edge. The permit price is set by the park — everything around it is where the savings live.
4 daysfrom US$1,290 pp
Bwindi & Kibale, Uganda — by air · 4 days · from US$3,690 pp
4-day fly-in gorillas and chimpanzees
two great apes, no long drives
- Duration
- 4 days, 3 nights
- Starts & ends
- Entebbe International Airport
- Flights
- Entebbe ⇄ Kihihi and Kasese
- Permits
- Gorilla US$800 and chimpanzee US$250, included
- Parks
- Bwindi and Kibale
- Baggage
- 15 kg per person in soft bags
Kibale Forest holds the highest density of primates in Africa and a chimpanzee tracking success rate around 95%. Bwindi holds half the world's mountain gorillas. By road they are a full day apart; by air they are forty minutes.
This is the itinerary for travellers who want both encounters and cannot give up a week to get them. It is also, hour for hour, the most concentrated wildlife trip we sell.
Day by day
The 4 days
- Day 1
Fly Entebbe to Kihihi
A morning flight of around 1 hour 15 to Kihihi airstrip, then an hour by road to Buhoma on the northern edge of Bwindi. Afternoon at the lodge or on the community walk.
- Day 2
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Briefing at 07:00 and your trek — two to five hours of walking and one hour with a habituated family. Afternoon free.
- Day 3
Fly to Kasese for Kibale
A short morning flight north, then a transfer through the crater lakes to Kibale Forest. Afternoon on the Bigodi Wetland boardwalk for swamp birds and red colobus.
- Day 4
Chimpanzee tracking, fly home
Morning briefing at Kanyanchu and two to four hours with a chimpanzee community — loud, fast and nothing like a gorilla visit. Afternoon flight back to Entebbe.
US$3,690per person sharing, from
US$3,690 per person sharing in mid-range lodges, including all internal flights. US$6,400 at the top lodges in both parks.
What's included
- All scheduled domestic flights
- Gorilla permit (US$800) and chimpanzee permit (US$250)
- All park entrance fees
- 4x4 and driver-guide in each region
- Three nights' accommodation, full board
- All airstrip transfers, water and taxes
Not included
- International flights
- Uganda visa (US$50)
- Travel insurance
- Porters and tips
- Excess baggage above 15 kg
- Drinks
Who it suits. Travellers with four days who refuse to choose between gorillas and chimpanzees.
Questions about this trip
Is chimpanzee tracking harder than gorilla trekking?
Different rather than harder. Kibale is flat, so the walking is easy — but chimpanzees move fast and you often move fast with them. The hour is noisier and less contemplative.
Can I upgrade to chimpanzee habituation?
Yes. Kibale's habituation experience is US$300, starts at 06:00 and runs four hours with researchers. On a trip this short it makes day four a very early morning, but it is exceptional.
You might also consider
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Gorillas in Bwindi, then golden monkeys in the bamboo of Mgahinga — an endangered primate found only in the Virungas, and the best value hour in Uganda.
4 daysfrom US$1,980 pp
Volcanoes NP, Rwanda
4-day Rwanda gorillas, golden monkeys and Dian Fossey
A gorilla trek, an hour with golden monkeys in the bamboo, and the climb to Dian Fossey's grave at Karisoke — where all of this began.
4 daysfrom US$3,290 pp
Enquire
Request the 4-day fly-in gorillas & chimps
Send your dates and we will confirm what permits exist, then come back with a costed, dated version of this itinerary.
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