Uganda gave us unforgettable experiences, from the gorillas in Bwindi to the wide savannahs and vibrant communities we met along the way.

In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, we hiked two hours uphill through thick, muddy forest to reach the mountain gorillas. Sitting with them was unforgettable - their calm presence filled the space. The giant male silverback moved with quiet strength, watching over the group, while the babies tumbled, climbed, and played with the older gorillas. Watching them interact felt like being invited into their world, and I left with a feeling of deep tranquility.

At Queen Elizabeth National Park, the savannah opened up: hippos with egrets perched on their backs, buffalo grazing in the distance, and an elephant walking toward us with ears flapping. A pride of nine lions crossed directly in front of our vehicle, disappearing into the tall grass. At night, hippos and elephants wandered through camp, reminding us how wild this place is.

Kibale, the primate capital of the world, was a contrast - trekking with chimpanzees who were fast, restless, and unpredictable compared to the gorillas' gentle pace.

And throughout the journey, we met Ugandans shaping their communities: a wood carving club teaching members to carve gorillas and other souvenirs, a husband-and-wife team improving access to medicine, and a fisherman sharing his stories. Uganda is more than wildlife - it's also about the people, their creativity, and their desire to keep improving their communities.

Here are the details of our itinerary: Our Uganda gorilla trekking and safari tour was 6 days and 5 nights. It included Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi, a safari in Queen Elizabeth NP, and Chimp Trekking in Kibale. And it was incredible!!!

We were picked up in Kigali, Rwanda and drove to Bwindi. The next morning we went gorilla trekking. We didn't make any special requests and are used to hiking in the mountains. We were assigned to a gorilla group with 16 gorillas and 2 silverbacks, about a 2 hour hike away, with quite a bit of uphill and some mud. We wore gaiters provided by our tour company, and I'm glad we did. We were also given gloves, but we never put them on. Chris used the hiking stick provided, but I didn't take one as I dislike hiking with poles or anything in my hand. We wore Goretex trail runners (our usual hiking shoes). The hike was enjoyable and the gorillas were absolutely fantastic!! So worth it!!

The next day we drove to Queen Elizabeth Park. We stayed there for 2 nights, and saw tons of hippos, elephants, a pride of 9 lions, and other animals.

On day 5 we drove to Kibale, called the primate capital of the world. Day 6 we went chimp trekking. We trekked about 30 minutes on mostly flat, but muddy terrain to find the chimps. Once we found them the chimps stayed up in the trees for over an hour. But our guide was patient and waited for them to come down. Eventually they did and we were able to get a better look at them. Chimps are much more active than gorillas, so when they came down from the trees, you have to be ready to follow them. After chimp trekking, we had a really long drive to Kampala, where we were dropped off.

Overall it was an amazing experience. I highly recommend it!!

We are not sponsored and paid the full price for our tour in Uganda. We do not endorse or promote the businesses we used, but are sharing them here if you'd like to know what we did.
https://www.semugorillasafarisandtours.com/ with guide Jimmy Mukasa (he was fantastic!)
https://buhomacommunityrestcamp.com/
https://engirigamelodge.com/
https://kibaleforestlodge.com/

I started working on a minor but important site redesign while we were in Rwanda, but didn't get it done before we left for Uganda. Our first 7 days in Uganda were quite busy, as you'll see soon when Emilie posts about it(!), so I didn't have a chance to work on it again until today.

But now it's ready, so please enjoy the new easier to read font and somewhat cleaner blog posts. Let us know on Instagram if you have any feedback!