An 8 Days Uganda Safari through Rwanda and Uganda. This safari offers you an opportunity to see the gorillas in Volcanoes national Park, a home to the mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Rwanda and then Bwindi impenetrable national park in Uganda, home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and a UNESCO world heritage site. You will also track the chimpanzees in Kibale Forest national park, which is regarded as a primates capital with 13 primates species. You will have a game safari in Queen Elizabeth national park with a boat safari on the the Kazinga Channel which connects lakes George and Edward.
Brief Itinerary.
Day 1: City tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 2: First Gorilla tracking and cultural walk.
Day 3: Golden monkey tracking and transfer to Bwindi National Park.
Day 4: 2nd Gorilla tracking and cultural walk.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Boat safari.
Day 6: Game drive and transfer to Kibale National Park.
Day 7: Chimpanzee tracking and nature walk.
Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe/Kigali and departure.
End of Safari.
Detailed Tour Itinerary
DAY 1: City tour and Transfer to Volcanoes NP
Your tour guide/driver will pick you from the airport on arrival or Hotel in Kigali and give you briefing about the tour expectations. You will go for an optional Kigali city tour where you will visit the genocide memorial, local markets among others. You will then set of a two hours drive northwards to Volcanoes National park with a spectacular scenic view of the Virunga Mountains enroute, reaching the park in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/ Five Volcanoes Boutique (Luxury)/ Le bambou Gorilla Lodge/ Davinci Gorilla Lodge(Deluxe)/ Sabinyo Silverback Lodge/Virunga Inn/Bisate Lodge or similar(High end)
DAY 2: Gorilla Tracking Adventure and cultural walk
Early morning at 6am, you will set up for your breakfast before reporting to the park headquarters by 7am for the compulsory pre tracking briefing about the dos and don’ts while with the gorillas. You will be grouped in the groups of maximum 8 people and be allocated the gorilla family per group. By 8:30am, you will head out to the starting points in the forest to begin the search for the gorillas. The ranger guides will aid in the gorilla trekking adventure by clearing the bushes and communication with the other rangers in the forest. This exercise takes 1-6 hours depending on the movement of these gentle giants in their natural environment. You will stay with the gorillas a maximum of one hour once you encounter these giants, which is enough to take photography and observe their behaviour. You will descend back to the starting point and your guide will transfer you back to the lodge for relaxation. In the evening, you may go for cultural walk to Ibyu’wachu where you will learn more about the Banyarwanda tradition, or you will visit Dian Fossey museum at Ellen DeGeneres campus. Dinner and overnight stay at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/ Five Volcanoes Boutique (Luxury)/ Le bambou Gorilla Lodge/ Davinci Gorilla Lodge(Deluxe)/ Sabinyo Silverback Lodge/Virunga Inn/Bisate Lodge or similar(High end)
Day 3: Golden monkey tracking and transfer to Bwindi NP.
In the morning after an early breakfast, you will gather at the Volcanoes park headquarters for briefing before going for golden monkey tracking where you will enjoy them play in the forest in search of food. On return, you will have lunch and setoff to Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda crossing via Cyanika border. Bwindi impenetrable national park isn the home to the world’s remaining mountain gorillas with four different sectors. Dinner and overnight at Bakiga Lodge/Gorilla Mist camp(deluxe)/ Kiho Gorilla safari Lodge(Luxury) or similar in other sectors.
Day 4: 2nd Gorilla tracking and cultural walk.
Early morning after breakfast, you will gather at the park headquarters for briefing and gorilla family allocation. With your parked lunch and gorilla trekking gear, you will enter the forest by 8:30am to begin the search for the gorillas. This 1-5 hours experience will take you through the slopes and valleys through the thick bushes which will be cleared by the rangers as you walk through. After an hour with the gorillas, you will embark to the lodge for refreshing and in the evening, an optional cultural walk to the Batwa community will entertain you with the traditional dances and also learn more about the lives of the former “bushmen”. Dinner and overnight stay at Bakiga Lodge/Gorilla Mist camp(deluxe)/ Kiho Gorilla safari Lodge(Luxury) or similar in other sectors.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After your breakfast, you will set off to Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will have game drive through Ishasha sector in search of the rare tree climbing lions, which are always spotted in the fig trees relaxing. Proceed to kazinga channel for afternoon boat safari which will reward you with game as hippos, crocodiles, lots of bird species among others. Dinner and overnight at Buffalo safari Lodge/ Enganzi Lodge(deluxe) /Mweya safari lodge/Katara Lodge/ Elephant Plain Lodge(Luxury) or similar.
Day 6: Game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest NP
Early in the morning, you will go for more game drives to the Kasenyi sector to catch up with early risers before returning to their hiding places. You will encounter game as lions, hyenas, bushbucks, elephants among others. On return, you will drive to Kibale Forest National Park, a primates capital reaching early for lunch. In the afternoon, you may go for a nature walk to the Bigodi wetland sanctuary or to the crater lakes. Dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge/ Turaco Treetops(deluxe)/Primates Lodge Kibale/Chimpundu Lodge(Luxury) or similar
Day 7: Chimpanzee tracking and nature walk.
Have an early breakfast and report at the park headquarters by 7:30am for briefing about the chimpanzee tracking adventure. By 8:30am, you will be heading out to the forest in search of the chimpanzees, which will be identified through hooting and noise they make in the forest. A maximum of one hour is allotted to stay with the chimpanzees once you encounter them.
Alternatively, you can opt for chimpanzee habituation experience where you stay the whole day with the chimpanzees from 6am to 6pm observing their behaviour from morning to evening. You will embark to the lodge for dinner and overnight at Chimpanzee Forest Lodge/ Turaco Treetops(deluxe) /Primates Lodge Kibale/Chimpundu Lodge(Luxury) or similar
Day 8: Transfer back to Kigali or Entebbe and departure
In the morning after a relaxed breakfast, you will Either set off back to Kigali crossing voa Katuna border, reaching early in the evening for your departure flight if on schedule, or set off to Entebbe airport in Uganda passing via Mubende-Mityana, reaching Entebbe early in the afternoon and check in at the airport for your departure flight.
End of Tour.
