ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
9-Day Uganda Primates & Kidepo Safari

Uganda - Fly-in safari

9-Day Uganda Primates & Kidepo Safari

Duration
9 days
Countries
Uganda
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 16,280

The journey

Most Uganda programmes stop at the gorillas. This one adds the part of the country almost nobody reaches. Kidepo Valley sits in Karamoja, hard against the South Sudan border, 700 kilometres from Entebbe by air and effectively unreachable by road in the time most travellers have. It is 1,442 square kilometres of open savannah under the Morungole range, and it holds animals found nowhere else in Uganda: cheetah, greater and lesser kudu, ostrich and Bright's gazelle. Fewer than four thousand foreign visitors go each year. From Kidepo you charter south-west to the crater lakes above Fort Portal and Kyaninga Lodge, an hour from Kibale, which carries thirteen primate species and around 1,500 chimpanzees, the densest primate population in Africa. The programme ends in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site holding close to half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, where you stay at Volcanoes Safaris' Bwindi Lodge above the Munyaga valley. Run it between June and September or from December to February, when the forest tracks are firmest and the Narus Valley game concentrates around its last water.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Arrival on Lake Victoria

You land at Entebbe and drive ten minutes to Karibu Entebbe, a small hotel in gardens above the lake shore. Dinner on the terrace with the fishing boats going out, and an early night: the Kidepo aircraft leaves at midday tomorrow and the baggage limit is 15 kilograms in a soft bag. Your guide runs through the week over coffee.

Stay 2

North to Karamoja

The Aerolink flight north crosses Lake Kyoga and the Karamoja plains before dropping onto Apoka airstrip. Apoka Safari Lodge has ten stone cottages hand-quarried from the rock behind it, each with a bed that rolls out onto the terrace. Your first game drive works the Narus Valley below, where buffalo herds several hundred strong come down to the last water.

Stay 3

The Narus Valley

A full day in Kidepo with a private vehicle and guide, so you set the pace. The Narus holds the park's permanent water and the lion here climb the sausage trees and the rock kopjes. Kidepo is the only park in Uganda with cheetah, greater and lesser kudu and ostrich. Breakfast is laid out under a borassus palm, lunch back at the lodge.

Stay 4

Hot Springs and Manyattas

Drive north up the dry Kidepo riverbed, an hour and a half through borassus palm forest, to the Kanangorok hot springs within sight of the South Sudan border mountains. On the way back, visit a Karamojong manyatta, a thorn-fenced homestead where cattle still measure a family's standing. Evening walk from the lodge with an armed ranger as the light goes.

Stay 5

Charter to the Crater Lakes

A private charter lifts off Apoka after breakfast and flies the length of the country to Kasese, then a road transfer climbs through the Rwenzori foothills to Kyaninga Lodge. Nine hand-built log cottages stand on the rim of Kyaninga crater lake, linked by a kilometre of raised walkway, with the Mountains of the Moon behind. Swim in the crater before dinner.

Stay 6

Chimpanzees in Kibale

Leave at first light for Kanyanchu and the 08:00 tracking party. Kibale carries thirteen primate species and around 1,500 chimpanzees, the densest primate population in Africa, and you get one hour with the group once the trackers find them. Afternoon at Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, run by the community since 1992, for red colobus and great blue turaco.

Stay 7

Into the Impenetrable

A short Aerolink hop south to Kihihi, then an hour and a quarter on the escarpment road down to Buhoma and Bwindi Lodge. The eight bandas look across the Munyaga valley straight into the forest, and habituated gorillas walk through the lodge gardens often enough that the staff keep a log. Afternoon at the Batwa community trail behind the lodge.

Stay 8

An Hour with the Gorillas

Briefing at Buhoma at 07:30, then into the forest with rangers and trackers. Bwindi holds close to half the world's mountain gorillas across 331 square kilometres, and the walk to your family can take one hour or six. You are allowed one hour with them, at seven metres, close enough to hear a silverback chew. Porters carry your pack.

Stay 9

Kihihi to Entebbe

Breakfast looking into the forest one last time, then the road back up to Kihihi and the Aerolink flight to Entebbe over the tea estates and the Kazinga Channel. Encounters Africa holds a day room at the lake for the hours before your evening international departure, with a late shower and lunch before the airport transfer.

Safari highlights

  • Three nights at Apoka Safari Lodge in Kidepo Valley
  • Cheetah, kudu and ostrich found nowhere else in Uganda
  • Private charter from Kidepo to the Rwenzori crater lakes
  • Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, Africa's densest primate forest
  • A gorilla permit and one hour with a habituated family in Bwindi
  • Private vehicle and guide throughout Kidepo and Kibale

What is included

Included

  • 8 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Aerolink light aircraft Entebbe to Apoka (Kidepo), Kasese to Kihihi, and Kihihi to Entebbe
  • Private charter aircraft Apoka (Kidepo) to Kasese, shared by your party
  • Road transfers Entebbe airport, Kasese to Kyaninga, and Kihihi to Buhoma
  • One Bwindi mountain gorilla permit and one Kibale chimpanzee permit per person
  • Kidepo Valley and Kibale park entry fees and the Bwindi Lodge community conservation levy
  • All meals, house drinks and laundry at Apoka Safari Lodge and Bwindi Lodge; full board at Kyaninga Lodge
  • Private vehicle and guide in Kidepo Valley and around Kibale, plus a Karamojong manyatta visit
  • Emergency medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Uganda visa or East Africa Tourist Visa, applied for online before travel
  • Travel insurance, including medical and cancellation cover
  • French champagne, reserve wines and premium spirits
  • Gratuities for guides, pilots, porters and lodge staff
  • Items of a personal nature, spa treatments and shop purchases
  • A second gorilla permit, from USD 800, if you want to trek twice

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 9-day Uganda safari with gorillas, chimps and Kidepo cost?

From USD 16,280 per person sharing, rising to about USD 17,880 in peak season. That covers 8 nights at Karibu Entebbe, Apoka Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge and Bwindi Lodge, all four internal air sectors including the private charter out of Kidepo, one gorilla permit, one chimpanzee permit, park fees, road transfers, meals and a private vehicle in Kidepo and Kibale.

Are international flights included in the price?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded, so the price runs from Entebbe International Airport. Entebbe is roughly 8 hours 30 minutes from London and about 16 hours from New York via Europe or the Gulf. Everything inside Uganda is included: airport transfers, all three Aerolink sectors and the private charter from Kidepo to Kasese.

How much is a Uganda gorilla permit in 2026?

USD 800 per person for foreign non-residents, set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and unchanged under the 2027 tariff. In April, May and November it drops to USD 600. The permit covers park entry, ranger guides and one hour with a habituated gorilla family, in a group of no more than eight trekkers. One permit per person is included in this programme.

How much does chimpanzee tracking in Kibale cost?

The Kibale chimpanzee permit is USD 250 for foreign non-residents on the current tariff and rises to USD 300 from 1 January 2027, with a low-season rate of USD 200 in April, May and November. It includes park entry and one hour with the chimpanzees. This programme costs the 2027 rate. Habituation days are priced separately.

How do you get to Kidepo Valley National Park?

By air. Kidepo is about 700 kilometres from Entebbe and the road takes ten to twelve hours in good conditions. Aerolink flies Entebbe to Apoka airstrip on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes with a minimum of seven passengers, and private charters run daily. This programme uses the scheduled service in and a private charter out.

Is Kidepo Valley worth the cost of the flights?

Kidepo takes fewer than four thousand foreign visitors a year against tens of thousands in Bwindi, so you have 1,442 square kilometres largely to yourself. It is the only Ugandan park with cheetah, greater and lesser kudu, ostrich and Bright's gazelle, and its 475 bird species include the black-breasted barbet. The flights are the largest single line in this itinerary, at roughly USD 2,880 per person.

Do I need malaria tablets and a yellow fever certificate for Uganda?

Yes to both. Uganda is a malaria area throughout, including Bwindi and Kibale at 1,500 metres, so prophylaxis is recommended for the whole trip. A yellow fever certificate is a legal entry requirement for all travellers over one year old. Trekkers must also be free of flu or a cold on gorilla trekking day, as the animals catch human respiratory illness.