About This Journey
This is Uganda for the adventurous traveller — a journey that pairs the country's two signature primate encounters with one of Africa's great mountaineering challenges. Over seventeen days you'll trek to a habituated gorilla family in Bwindi, track wild chimpanzees in Kibale, and spend ten days climbing into the Rwenzori Mountains, the fabled 'Mountains of the Moon' straddling the Uganda–DR Congo border.
The Rwenzoris are unlike anywhere else on the continent: equatorial snow and glaciers above 5,000m, giant lobelias and 'everlasting flowers' in an afro-alpine zone found almost nowhere else on earth, and — for those who complete the full ascent — Margherita Peak, Africa's third-highest summit. The Kilembe Trail climbs through five distinct vegetation zones, supported throughout by a professional mountain guide, porters, and cook.
This is a genuinely strenuous itinerary and good baseline fitness matters — multiple consecutive days of 5–8 hours' hiking at altitude, often in wet and cold conditions. We'll talk through preparation, kit, and pacing with you well before departure. Every leg of the trip is private and led by an expert guide, built around your dates.
Trip Highlights
- One unforgettable hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
- Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest, Africa's primate capital
- A ten-day trek along the Kilembe Trail into the Rwenzori Mountains
- A summit attempt on Margherita Peak (5,109m), Africa's third-highest point
- Pass through five vegetation zones — montane forest, bamboo, heather, afro-alpine moorland, and glacier
- Giant lobelias, 'everlasting flowers,' and rare Albertine Rift wildlife found nowhere else on earth
- A stopover at the Equator, standing between the northern and southern hemispheres
Day by Day
Welcome to Uganda! You're met by our company representative and transferred to your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe.
The rest of the day is yours to rest after your flight. In the evening, your guide joins you for a welcome dinner and briefing on the journey ahead.
- Overnight
- Lodge TBC — Kampala
- Meals
- Dinner
An early breakfast and a long, scenic drive south-west to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. En route you'll stop at the Equator to stand between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres for photographs.
The next morning, head into Bwindi — the bird-watcher's paradise, holding 348 recorded bird species and around 90% of all Albertine Rift endemics — for a day of gorilla tracking. After a briefing at park headquarters, trackers and rangers lead you through the forest to a habituated gorilla family for an unforgettable hour in their company.
- Overnight
- Buhoma Lodge
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Drive north to Kyanjuki and the trailhead town of Kilembe, on the eastern flank of the Rwenzori Mountains. This is your last night with a real bed and hot shower before the trek — rest up, and go through final kit checks with your mountain guide.
- Overnight
- Lodge TBC — Fort Portal / Semuliki
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Your Rwenzori trek begins at the Kilembe trailhead, climbing steadily through montane forest alive with birdsong, colobus, and blue monkeys en route to Sine Camp.
- Overnight
- Sine Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The trail climbs out of the montane forest into bamboo and giant heather, with the first real views back over the Kasese plains opening up as you reach Kalalama Camp.
- Overnight
- Kalalama Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A shorter day built in for acclimatisation, with an optional side trip up to Mutinda Lookout for sweeping views over the valley below. Overnight at Mutinda Camp, on the edge of the afro-alpine zone.
- Overnight
- Mutinda Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cross the Bamwanjara Pass into true afro-alpine moorland — the realm of giant lobelias and the extraordinary 'everlasting flowers' that give the Rwenzoris their otherworldly reputation — before descending to Bugata Camp.
- Overnight
- Bugata Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Descend through the tussocked wetlands of Bigo Bog into the dramatic Bujuku Valley, hemmed in by the peaks of Mounts Baker, Speke, and Stanley. Overnight at Bujuku Camp, beneath the glaciers proper.
- Overnight
- Bujuku Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A steep, rocky climb up to Elena Hut, the high camp beneath the Stanley Glaciers, in position for a pre-dawn summit push. Gear check, briefing, and an early night.
- Overnight
- Elena Hut (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The day of the climb. Setting off well before dawn, you'll cross the Stanley Plateau and the remaining glacier — via ferrata sections and fixed ropes assist the final scramble — to reach Margherita Peak (5,109m), Africa's third-highest summit, as the sun rises over the Rift Valley.
Descend to Kitandara Camp, beside its twin glacial lakes, for a well-earned rest.
- Overnight
- Kitandara Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cross the Scott Elliot Pass and begin the long descent, dropping back through moorland and heather to Guy Yeoman Camp.
- Overnight
- Guy Yeoman Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Back down through bamboo forest and the last of the high country to Samalira Camp, with legs and lungs feeling the previous day's descent.
- Overnight
- Samalira Camp (Rwenzori Kilembe Trail)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A final morning's walk brings you back down through montane forest to the Kilembe trailhead. Farewell your mountain crew, then transfer into Kasese or Fort Portal for a hot shower, a real bed, and a celebratory dinner.
- Overnight
- Lodge TBC — Fort Portal / Semuliki
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Continue to Kibale Forest National Park, just east of the Rwenzoris near Fort Portal — the primate capital of East Africa, with the highest density and diversity of primates on the continent.
Set out on foot to track a habituated chimpanzee community through the forest, and round out the visit with an afternoon swamp walk in Bigodi, rich in monkeys, birdlife, and other forest primates including Red Colobus, L'Hoest's Monkey, and the Black-and-White Colobus.
- Overnight
- Primates Lodge Kibale
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, drive back to Kampala or Entebbe for your onward or international flight — expedition complete.
- Meals
- Breakfast
What's Included
Included
- 16 nights' accommodation — lodges before and after the trek, full-board camping on the mountain
- All meals as indicated in the itinerary (B/L/D), including all meals during the trek
- Private English-speaking Ugandan driver-guide and 4×4 pop-up-roof vehicle for all road transport
- All fuel and bottled water in the vehicle
- 1 gorilla trekking permit per person (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park)
- 1 chimpanzee tracking permit per person (Kibale Forest National Park)
- Rwenzori Mountains National Park trekking permit, park fees, and rescue-fee contribution
- Professional mountain guide, porters, and cook for the full 10-day trek
- All camping equipment and hut/camp accommodation on the mountain
- All national park entrance fees for parks visited
Not Included
- International airfares
- Uganda entry visa
- Personal travel and medical insurance — must include high-altitude trekking and evacuation cover
- All drinks
- Meals and snacks not indicated in the itinerary
- Personal trekking gear (boots, sleeping bag, cold-weather clothing) and any equipment rental
- A porter for gorilla trekking (optional — carries your daypack)
- Optional Batwa community visit at Bwindi
- Tips and gratuities for your driver-guide and mountain crew (guide, porters, cook)
- Personal expenses — laundry, souvenirs, and items of a personal nature
Accommodation
Buhoma Lodge
Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda2 nightsElena Hut
Rwenzori Mountains (high camp)1 nightPrimates Lodge Kibale
Kibale Forest NP, Uganda2 nightsReady to Plan This Safari?
Every trip we run is private and tailored around you — your dates, your pace, your budget. Tell us what you have in mind and one of our safari planners will craft it into a detailed, costed proposal.
