Uganda: Gorilla and Chimp Trekking

Hello and welcome to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa! We’ll kick things off in Entebbe, where you’ll meet your Trip Manager and new crew before we hit the road southwest. It’ll be a big drive day, but the views will do the heavy lifting — towns, roadside markets, rolling green hills, tea plantations and rural villages. We’ll stop for lunch en route, with a few short stops along the way. By evening, we’ll arrive near Bwindi, home to one of the last remaining wild mountain gorilla populations on Earth. Tonight, we’ll settle into our camps (that our lovely Camp Manager would've already set up for us), gather for an included dinner and get ready for tomorrow’s gorilla trek.

Ready to come face to face with a gorilla? We’ll start early with brekkie before heading into Bwindi with Local Guides and trackers. The trek can be short or challenging (depending on where the gorillas are wandering that day). When we find them, we’ll spend one hour observing a wild mountain gorilla family in their natural habitat. You'll watch them feed, interact and move through the forest. Plus, we've got a packed lunch along the way, then return to camp for dinner and a good night's sleep.

Bye-bye, Bwindi. After breakfast, we’ll head north, watching the scenery shift from dense forest to crater lakes and open savannah. By midday, we’ll arrive at Kalinzu Forest — one of Uganda’s top primate trekking spots, home to chimps, monkeys and hundreds of bird species. With Local Guides leading the way, we’ll follow forest trails, listening for calls in the trees for a chance to spot wild chimps moving through the canopy. After the trek, we’ll roll through Queen Elizabeth National Park on a transit game drive en route to our stay. Keep watch for elephants, buffalo and antelope (and maybe even big cats) before arriving for dinner.

Today's first stop? The Equator. We'll snap a few pictures at the Line and then continue on the road to Uganda's oldest and largest national park. By afternoon, we’ll enter Murchison Falls National Park and take a transit game drive to our accommodation. Be on the look out for monkeys, warthogs, elephants and more as we get our first taste of the wilderness then settle in at our stay.

Lions, elephants, giraffes, antelope and maybe even leopard - that's what we'll be on the search for on our sunrise safari this morning, while the park is at its most active. Later, we’ll cruise the Nile towards the base of Murchison Falls, watching for hippos, crocodiles and birdlife along the banks. After lunch and downtime at our stay, we’ll hike to the top of the falls before heading back out after dark for a night game drive.

Murchison, you were amazing. But we've got places to be. Today we'll journey east towards Jinja, with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary along the way. Safari on foot? Yep. We'll head out with experienced rangers to track Uganda’s only wild rhinos. It’s a rare chance to see these incredible animals up close while learning about the conservation work helping bring rhinos back to Uganda. After lunch at Ziwa, we’ll continue to Jinja, a relaxed riverside town known as the source of the Nile and East Africa’s adventure hub. Settle into your stays, enjoy dinner with your crew and get ready for the adventure that awaits us tomorrow.

We'll spend our last morning of the tour along the Nile, with the choice to raft its famous white-water rapids or take a more relaxed boat cruise to its source. After a quick walkabout lunch, we’ll freshen up and hit the road to Entebbe. And just like that, we’re back where it all began. Hop on your included airport transfer, swap one last round of stories, and say goodbye to the wonderful Ugandan wilderness.