14 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari offering gorilla Trekking both Rwanda’s volcanoes national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest. Other activities for this safari include, cultural tours, wildlife viewing in Queen Elizabeth, chimpanzee tracking tour and so much more.
Tour Itineraries
Day 1: Kigali tour – Volcanoes national park
Have breakfast and be ready for pick up by our company tour tour guide from you hotel in Kigali for a tour of Kigali city. Kigali is a beautiful and modern city, ranked to be among Africa’s top cleanest cities. For city tour you will visit the Gisozi genocide site, craft shops and local markets. Have lunch and later hit the road driving north-wards to Volcanoes national park in Musanze province. Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Luxury), Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge / La Palme (Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel (Basic).
Day 2: Gorilla Tracking – Ibywacu Cultural Village
Be up early for breakfast at your hotel, drive to the park head offices with your tour guide. Assemble for briefing by 7:30 about the do’s and don’t when you meet gorillas. This is a standard precaution to protect the health of the mountain gorillas and the visitors. You will also be divided in groups of 8 people depending on your level of fitness.
After the Briefing and assigning a gorilla group to trek, you will drive to the head trail of your gorilla group where the trek will begin. At this point you will descend into the forest with a lead from an experienced local guide who will be in position to answer all your question as you trek in search for your gorilla family. This trek can last from 30 minutes to 6 hours hiking through bamboo trees. The length of your trek depends on how far into the forest your gorilla group has moved. You Once you meet the gorillas, only one hour is allowed with the gentle species so as not to exhaust them. In this one hour, you are allowed to take pictures, video recording but don’t forget to take time and take in this magical moment!
Once the hour is done, descend back to the head trail where you entered the forest from.
In The afternoon have an optional tour of the Lake Burera and Ruhondo located within the vicinity of Volcanoes national park.Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge(Luxury)/La palme Hotel(Deluxe)/Muhabura Hotel(Budget)
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Kivu
Start your day with breakfast at your hotel and embark on a journey with your guide to Lake Kivu. This is the largest fresh water Lake in Rwanda and provides a perfect relaxing place when in Rwanda. En route visit the Murambi Genocide Memorial Site and the King’s palace reaching Lake Kivu in the evening to relax along the lake shores. Dinner and overnight at Lake Kivu Serena hotel (Luxury)/ Palm gardens resort (Deluxe)/ Paradise Marahide (Budget)
Day 4: Boat Ride to Nyamirundi Island – Transfer to Kigali
Breakfast at the lodge and enjoy a beautiful boat ride along to the Nyamirundi coffee island. Here you will learn how coffee is processed in Rwanda. In the afternoon drive back to Kigali for dinner and Overnight at Kigai Falme Tree for Midrange
Day 5: Kigali City Tour – Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, you will transfer back to Kigali. Upon arrival, you will have a city tour and visit the Genocide memorial grounds, local markets, museum, craft shops in the afternoon be ready to drive to Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda with beautiful sceneries of the Kigezi rolling hills.. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Overland camp (budget)/Bunyonyi safari resort (mid range)/ Bunyonyi overland resort (luxury)
Day 6: Morning Boat Ride – Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Have a beautiful breakfast in Lake Bunyonyi overlooking breathtaking views of the Lake, proceed for a launch cruise along Lake Bunyonyi. This place is a birder’s paridise with so much bird species. On Return, have your lunch and be ready to transfer to Bwindi imoenetrable national park, where you will visit mountain gorillas. Dinner and overnight at Bakiga Lodge/ Gorilla Mist, Ruhija Forest Lodge (Luxury)
Day 7: Second Gorilla tracking in Uganda
Today is your gorilla trekking day. Wake up early for breakfast and with a packed lunch at your hotel, set off with your guide to the park head offices where you will attend a briefing session from a head guide. Trekking for gorillas in Bwindi requires visitors to be physically fit as it involves hiking for long hours. Time taken to finally meet your group may last from 1 – 8 hours depending on the movement of your group. Once you meet the gorillas, only one hour is allowed during which you get to observe, take pictures, and study how they interact with one another.
Later return back to your lodge for relaxing and later head out for a cultural visit to the Batwa pygmies’ community. The Batwa were the original forest inhabitants before they were forced away from the forest to conserve home for the endangered mountain gorillas. Dinner and Overnight at the lodge
Day 8: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park
In the morning, you will set off to Queen Elizabeth national park passing via the Ishasha sector where you will have game drives to view tree climbing lions. Reach the park early enough for lunch. In the afternoon, gather at the Kazinga channel for a boat cruise along the channel where you will be rewarded with view of wildlife concentration like hippos, crocodiles, buffalos, elephants as well as a variety of birds species. Dinner and overnight at Budget: Kingfisher Lodge, Mid-range: Ihamba safari lodge, Luxury: Mweya safari lodge.
Day 9: Game Drive – Chimpanzee Tracking in Kalinzu Forest Reserve
Today wake up early for game drive to catch the early risers. This game drive offers you an opportunity to see wildlife such as Lions, Leopards, Giant Forest Hogs, Cape Buffaloes, Elephants, Defassa Waterbucks, Uganda Kobs, Topis, Bush bucks and many more. Return to your lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon drive to Kalinzu forest reserve for habituated chimpanzee tracking. Dinner and overnight at your hotel
Day 10: Transfer to Fort Portal – Visit the King’s Palace
After an early breakfast, and be ready to drive to Fortport, a Tooro Kingdom territory were the king’s palace is situated. Yu will visit the Tooro kingdom and learn more about the Bunyoro culture. You will also tour Fortportal town with beautiful views of the Rwenzori mountains. Dinner and overnight at your hotel. Chimpanzee guest house (budget), Crater safari lodge (mid range), Kyaninga lodge (luxury)
Day 11: Chimpanzee Tracking And A Visit To Bigodi Wetland
Start your day with breakfast at your lodge and with your guide drive to Kibale park offices for briefing before entering the forest in search for chimpanzees. Kibale forest national park is called the primate capital of east Africa because of the high primate population it has. It’s the only national park in east Africa where one can have the best primate tracking viewing the chimpanzee man’s closest primate and many other primates like monkeys plus a number of bird species.
After have lunch, and in the afternoon head to the Bigodi wetlands if you are interested in birding or visit the Bigodi community for community tourism and later return to your lodge
Meals and overnight at your hotel
Day 12: Transfer to Murchison Falls
Drive northwards to Murchison Falls National Park after breakfast. The park is located in the north-western part of the country, have a lunch stop over at Masindi town and then proceed to the Murchison Falls, the most beautiful falls on the river Nile. On arrival you will drive to the top of he falls where you will have a tour around the falls, hear the roaring thunder of the river Nile. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, Pakuba Lodge and Red Chili Rest Camp.
Day 13: Game drives and a boat cruise
After breakfast, go for a morning game drive on the southern banks of the river. The morning drive will take you through different habitats. On the drive, you will clear to see different animals which include giraffes, Hartebeest, Elephants, Bushbucks, Lion, Jackal and many others. After lunch, you will carry out a launch cruise and will view concentration of Hippos on the banks of the river. For the birders, a variety of birds will be present such as the Pel’s Fishing-Owl, king fishers. Overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge and Red Chili Rest Camp.
Day 14: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and a return to Kampala
Depart from the park and head to Kampala. Along the way, you will carry out a chimpanzee tracking in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest with in Budongo Forest. You will have an overnight at Cassia Lodge or Holiday Express Hotel.
End of Safari
