Planning
How many days do you need?
Long enough for the trek, and one day either side of it. Our shortest safari is 2 days and it is in Rwanda, where Volcanoes is close to Kigali; the shortest that includes Uganda is 6 days, because Bwindi is a long drive from Entebbe. A week buys gorillas and one other headline. Ten to fourteen days is where most travellers land, and the 28-day routes exist for birders and for anyone crossing more than one country.
What each length buys you
Every itinerary we run, grouped by how long it takes. The lengths are days on the ground — international flights sit on top.
2–4 days
One encounter, and little else. At this length the trek is the trip: you fly in, track, and fly out.
5–8 days
Gorillas plus one more thing — chimpanzees, a savannah park or a lake — without the days feeling rushed.
9–13 days
The classic circuit. Enough time for forest and savannah both, or for a dedicated birding route.
14–20 days
One country in depth, or two at a sensible pace, with travel days that are part of the trip rather than lost to it.
- 14d14 Days Kenya Wildlife and Beach SafariKenya
- 14d14 Days Forest Birding SafariUganda
- 14d14-Day Amazing Safari in UgandaUganda
- 15d15 Days Kenya and Tanzania SafariKenya & Tanzania
- 15d15 Days Uganda TourUganda
- 16d16 Day Uganda Rwanda SafariUganda & Rwanda
- 17d17 Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla SafariUganda
- 17d17 Days Primates & Uganda Natural HistoryUganda
- 18d18 Days Kenya Safari & Coastal HolidayKenya
21+ days
The grand tour — several countries, or a serious list, with room for the weather and the wildlife to not cooperate.
Common questions
- What is the shortest gorilla trekking trip possible?
- Ours is 2 days, and it is in Rwanda — Volcanoes National Park is close enough to Kigali to make that work. The shortest we run that includes Uganda is 6 days, because Bwindi sits a long way from Entebbe and the drive has to be part of the plan. If your time is genuinely fixed at two or three days, Rwanda is the answer.
- How many days do I need to see gorillas and chimpanzees?
- A week is the realistic floor for both, and most of our itineraries that pair them sit between seven and eleven days. Gorillas and chimpanzees live in different forests several hours apart, so the second primate costs you a travel day as well as a tracking day.
- Is one week enough for Uganda?
- For gorillas plus one other headline — chimpanzees in Kibale, or the Kazinga Channel and a game drive in Queen Elizabeth — yes. It is not enough to cross the country. Uganda's parks are far apart and the roads are the reason our longer routes exist.
- What does a longer trip actually add?
- Range rather than repetition. The 28-day route reaches Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and the long birding itineraries exist because a serious list needs the western forests, the swamps and the savannah, which cannot be done in a week.
- How long should I allow for travel either side?
- Add the international flights on top of every length quoted here. Our itineraries are counted from arrival at the airport to departure, so a ten-day safari is ten days on the ground, not ten days door to door.
Still deciding between the two countries? Uganda or Rwanda for gorilla trekking compares permits, access and terrain. For the month you travel, see best time to visit.
Tell us how long you have
Give us your dates and what you most want to see, and we will tell you what genuinely fits — including when it does not, and what we would drop.