This fly-in itinerary lets you experience Uganda’s two premier primate destinations without spending long days on the road. By using scheduled domestic bush flights between Entebbe, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Kibale Forest National Park, you trade nine-hour highway drives for scenic one-hour flights over Lake Victoria, terraced highlands, and volcanic crater lakes. Over five unhurried days, you will stay in handpicked luxury forest lodges, hike through ancient mist-covered jungle to spend an hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family, and track wild chimpanzees through Kibale’s tall tropical canopy before flying smoothly back to Entebbe.
Tour Highlights
- Scenic domestic bush flights
- Luxury forest lodge stays
- Bwindi mountain gorilla trek
- Kibale wild chimpanzee tracking
- Bigodi wetland community walk
- Crater lakes scenic views
Day by day 5-Day Luxury Gorilla and Chimp Fly-In Safari itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Entebbe Airport for your domestic flight to Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrip
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 3: Domestic flight to Kasese Airstrip and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park for overnight
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and community walk
Day 5: Drive back to Kasese Airstrip for your domestic flight back to Entebbe for drop-off at the hotel or airport to end the trip
Detailed 5-Day Luxury Gorilla and Chimp Fly-In Safari itinerary
Day 1: Pick Up and Transfer to Entebbe Airport for Your Domestic Flight to Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrip
Your private driver-guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe and transfer you to Entebbe International Airport in time for your morning scheduled flight. Depending on which sector of Bwindi your gorilla permit is booked for, you will fly south to either Kihihi Airstrip (for Buhoma and Ruhija) or Kisoro Airstrip (for Rushaga and Nkuringo). The flight takes roughly an hour and fifteen minutes, offering sweeping aerial views of Lake Victoria and the terraced green hills of southwestern Uganda. Upon landing, your safari vehicle and guide will meet you on the runway for a scenic transfer up into the hills to your luxury forest lodge, where you will settle in, enjoy lunch, and spend a quiet afternoon before tomorrow's trek.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After an early breakfast, your driver will take you to the park headquarters to meet the Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers for a morning briefing on trekking protocols and forest safety. You will then step into the dense, ancient rainforest alongside your ranger guide and local trackers to follow fresh signs of your assigned mountain gorilla family. The hike takes anywhere from two to six hours across steep, mossy ridges and thick undergrowth, depending on where the family nested the night before. Once you locate them, you get one full hour watching a silverback keep watch, mothers tending to their infants, and juveniles playing in the vines just meters away. Afterward, you will hike back out to collect your trekking certificate and return to your lodge for a massage, hot shower, and relaxed dinner.
Day 3: Domestic Flight to Kasese Airstrip and Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Enjoy a slow breakfast overlooking the Bwindi forest canopy before checking out and driving back down to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip. From there, you will board a short connecting bush flight north to Kasese Airstrip, flying right past the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Your guide will meet you at Kasese and drive you roughly one and a half to two hours north through the scenic Ndali-Kasenda crater lakes region into Kibale Forest National Park. You will arrive at your luxury lodge in time for a late lunch, leaving the rest of the afternoon free to unwind on your private veranda or take a gentle stroll around the lodge grounds.
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Community Walk
Following an early breakfast, you will transfer to the Kanyanchu Visitor Center for your chimpanzee tracking briefing. Accompanied by an experienced ranger guide, you will walk into Kibale’s tall tropical rainforest, listening for the loud pant-hoots and drumbeats that give away the troop's location. Unlike the steeper slopes of Bwindi, Kibale’s terrain is mostly flat, making for a comfortable walk as you follow chimpanzees feeding in the fig trees or moving along the forest floor, often spotting red colobus and L'Hoest's monkeys along the way. After lunch back at your lodge, you will spend the afternoon on a guided community walk through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary and nearby village, learning about local coffee production, traditional homesteads, and wetland birdlife.
Day 5: Drive Back to Kasese Airstrip for Your Domestic Flight to Entebbe
On your final morning, enjoy a leisurely breakfast while listening to the forest wake up around your lodge. Once you pack up and check out, your guide will drive you back south to Kasese Airstrip in time for your scheduled return flight to Entebbe. After a smooth one-hour flight back across central Uganda, you will land at Entebbe International Airport, where our team will assist with your luggage and transfer you to your local hotel or straight to the international departures terminal for your onward flight home.
Tour Includes
- 🦍 Uganda mountain gorilla permit
- 🐒 Kibale chimpanzee tracking permit
- 🛩️ All domestic scheduled flights
- 🏨 Four nights luxury accommodation
- 🚙 Private 4x4 safari vehicle
- 🧑✈️ Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- 🍽️ All daily safari meals
- 🌿 Bigodi wetland community walk
- 💧 Bottled drinking water onboard
Tour Excludes
- ✈️ International flights to Entebbe
- 🛂 Uganda entry visa fees
- 🛡️ Personal travel medical insurance
- 💵 Porter fees and tips
- 🍷 Premium imported alcoholic drinks
- 🧳 Personal items and laundry
- 🎭 Optional extra lodge activities
