What to Do on a One-Week Safari in Uganda: A week in Uganda is enough time to experience the best the country has to offer. You can trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest, go on a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and still have time for a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. Here is a day-by-day guide to making the most of seven days in the Pearl of Africa.
Safari Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1 – Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 2 – Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
- Day 3 – Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 4 – Game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth
- Day 5 – Drive to Kibale National Park
- Day 6 – Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale
- Day 7 – Departure, with an optional stop at Lake Mburo
Day 1: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
What to Do On a One-Week Safari in Uganda. Your driver-guide picks you up early from your Kampala or Entebbe accommodation and heads southwest toward Bwindi. The drive covers about 530 kilometers and takes between 8 and 9 hours, excluding stops. Expect some bumpy stretches along the way — a 4×4 vehicle handles them comfortably, but the road is not smooth throughout.
Along the way, stop at the Equator crossing at Kayabwe for a photo and a short break. Ugandans along the roadside are famously friendly, and you will likely get waves and smiles from locals as you pass through villages and trading centers. As you approach Bwindi, the air cools noticeably, and the landscape turns into deep, dense rainforest.
Check into your lodge and rest. Accommodation options in Bwindi range from budget guesthouses to luxury lodges,s including Clouds Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs, and Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Wake up early, have breakfast, and collect your gorilla trekking gear. Carry a packed lunch — you may be in the forest past midday. Head to the ranger station for document verification and a briefing, where rangers explain the trekking rules and assign each group to a gorilla family.
The trek through Bwindi’s ancient forest can take anywhere from two to six hours, depending on how deep the gorillas have traveled. On the way, you may spot chimpanzees, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, and many of Bwindi’s 350-plus bird species. Watch for footprints, freshly chewed foliage, and listen for sounds — finding gorillas is a collective effort between your group and the rangers.
When you find the gorilla family, put on your mask and follow all trekking rules carefully. You have one hour with the gorillas. Use it fully — watch the silverback, observe the mothers with young ones, and take as many photos as you can. It is an experience that stays with you long after you leave.
Return to your lodge for lunch and an afternoon to relax.
Day 3: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, check out and drive north toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. The distance from Bwindi to the park’s Ishasha sector is about 64 kilometers, and onward to Mweya headquarters is around 160 kilometers.
Consider a game drive through the Ishasha sector en route. This southern section of Queen Elizabeth is famous for its tree-climbing lions, often spotted resting in large fig trees — a behavior rarely seen in lions elsewhere in Africa. The Edward Flats along this route also offer good chances of spotting topi, buffalo, and an anand waterbuck, including the impressive saddle-billed stork.
Check into accommodation at Mweya. Options include Mweya Safari Lodge, Bush Lodge, Jacana Lodge, and Simba Safari Camp.
Day 4: Game Drive and Boat Cruise in Queen Elizabeth
Start early with a game drive on the Kasenyi trail, one of the best routes in the park for spotting lion prides that hunt Uganda kob on the open savanna. You may also see herds of elephants, buffalo, waterbucks, bushbucks, hyenas, and mongoose as you drive across the Rift Valley floor.
The crater lake area of the park adds scenic drama to the morning. Look out for Lake Nyamunuka, Lake Katwe — an ancient salt mining site — and other striking crater lakes dotting the landscape.
After lunch, join a two to three-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. The channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and is one of Africa’s best places to see hippos, Nile crocodiles, and a remarkable variety of birds at close range. Elephants and buffalo regularly come to the northern banks to drink in the afternoon, making the cruise a highlight of the entire safari.
Return to your lodge for dinner and rest.
Day 5: Drive to Kibale National Park
After breakfast, drive to Kibale Forest National Park in western Uganda. The park covers 795 square kilometers of tropical rainforest and is home to over 1,500 chimpanzees. It also supports 13 primate species in total and more than 325 bird species. Check into your Kibale accommodation — good options include Primate Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, and Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale
Head to the park headquarters at Kanyanchu for a morning briefing. After being assigned a ranger guide, follow the established forest trails in search of the chimpanzee community. You may hear the chimps calling to each other through the trees long before you see them. Along the way, watch for black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, and olive baboons.
When you find the chimpanzees, you have one hour with them. They are energetic, loud, and endlessly entertaining. Return to your lodge for lunch and a well-earned rest.
Day 7: Departure with an Optional Lake Mburo Detour
What to Do On a One-Week Safari in Uganda. After breakfast, drive back toward Kampala for your departure flight. If time allows, stop at Lake Mburo National Park along the way. The park is compact and easy to explore in a few hours, with impalas, giraffes, waterbucks, reedbucks, and buffalo commonly seen. It is a relaxed, crowd-free finish to an action-packed week.
When to Go and What It Costs
What to Do On a One-Week Safari in Uganda. The dry season — June to October and December to January — offers the best conditions across all destinations on this itinerary. Animals are easier to spot, trails are firmer, and game viewing in Queen Elizabeth is excellent with shorter grass.
Key permit costs: gorilla trekking starts at $800 per person for foreign non-residents, and chimpanzee trekking at $250 per person. Total safari costs vary with accommodation category and group size.
Contact Anthill Safaris to get a tailored quote and start planning your one-week Uganda safari today.
