Rwanda and Uganda are often-overlooked East Africa safari destinations – but if you are an adventurous traveler, you won’t want to miss this 10-Day Rwanda and Gorillas of Uganda Safari through their wild landscapes, rich in history and wildlife. You will learn about the devastating events that took place in Rwanda, a beautiful country that’s continuously striving to move forward. Combine this with the incredible scenery and diverse animal life of Uganda and an unforgettable adventure searching for wild mountain gorillas and Chimpanzees, and you will experience the full spectrum of emotions and physical challenges.
Highlights
- Track rare mountain gorilla through Uganda’s steamy forests and spend an unforgettable hour with them.
- Learn about Rwanda’s tragic history with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, and see what life looks like today with a tour of Kigali city’s most lively neighbourhoods.
- Discover the diverse wildlife of Queen Elizabeth National Park on a 4×4 game drive and a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel.
- Visit The Gorilla Doctors HQ and learn about how they are saving the species one gorilla patient at a time, knowing that a proportion of your trip cost goes back to supporting the important work they do.
- Track wild chimpanzees on foot in Kibale Forest
Itinerary
Day 1: Kigali
Welcome to Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda since it gained independence in 1962. Most associate Rwanda with the tragic 1994 genocide, but this is a country that has been striving to rebuild its economy for years and offers so much to the adventurous traveller. And though the past won’t, and shouldn’t, be forgotten, the future of tourism in Rwanda is looking bright because it’s welcoming people, an abundance of lakes, mountain gorillas, and the beautiful Virunga Volcanoes.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: The Retreat/Kigali Serena Hotel/Heaven Boutique Hotel
Midrange: Hotel Chez Lando
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Musanze
After a good breakfast this morning, your tour guide will take you to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, which was opened in 2004 to mark the 10th commemoration of the horrific genocide against the Tutsi tribe. The centre serves as a museum detailing the history and consequences of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and a place for people to grieve for lost family and friends.
In afternoon, you will embark on a 3 hour drive to Musanze Town– the gateway to the legendary Volcanoes National Park, the home of mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. On arrival, you will visit The Gorilla Doctors Offices; the only organisation in the world dedicated to saving the endangered Mountain Gorilla and Eastern Lowland Gorilla species one gorilla patient at a time using veterinary medicine and science. The Gorilla Doctors monitor the health of gorilla families to ensure the early detection of injury and disease, and stage medical interventions when gorillas suffer from human-induced or life-threatening disease or trauma.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Singita Kwitonda Lodge/Bisate Lodge/ Sabyinyo Lodge
Midrange: Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge/Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Musanze
After a relaxed breakfast, you will take a tour to The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. This research centre also leads the world in protecting and studying gorillas while helping communities build their conservation capabilities. Learn about the life of Dian Fossey and the conservation of endangered the highly mountain gorillas of Rwanda.
There are a variety of optional activities to do in Musanze, including tracking Golden Monkeys in the Virunga Mountains, hiking Mount Bisoke, trekking to Dian Fossey Grave site, trekking Mountain Gorillas, Cave exploration, canoeing on the Mukungwa River or visiting the Gorilla Guardian Village (Iby’iwacu Cultural Village). You can even visit Redrocks Rwanda, where you will learn about how local banana beer is made and be treated to some dancing, drumming and basket-weaving demonstrations.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Singita Kwitonda Lodge/Bisate Lodge/ Sabyinyo Lodge
Midrange: Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge/Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After early breakfast today, you will depart Rwanda and cross the border into Uganda, making your way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. This will be a drive of about four hours. When you arrive at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, you will be based in a lodge/camp which provides access to 24 different gorilla families in the forest.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge/Gorilla Heights Lodge
Midrange: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Mist Camp
Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp/Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Join a local guide and trackers as you hike through the rugged, mountainous terrain of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in search of mountain gorillas. A quick lock of eyes with these Great Apes is a truly primal moment and visits are strictly controlled to minimize disturbance.
Make no mistake, gorilla trekking is no walk in the park – it is called Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for a good reason. It can be wet, muddy, difficulty and uncomfortable, but the indescribable excitement at coming across a family of mountain gorillas is worth the effort. Spend a mesmerizing hour with the gorillas as they groom, eat, play, and sleep, as the male silverback watches over them, then return to the lodge for dinner and to reflect on this incredible experience.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge/Gorilla Heights Lodge
Midrange: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Mist Camp
Budget: Gorilla Conservation Camp/Buhoma Community Rest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park
It is with very intense memories that you leave Bwindi Impenetrable Forest behind you. Not only will the experience with the protégés of Dian Fossey (‘Gorillas in the mist’) be remembered for life, but also the beauty, strength and unique appearance of Central African nature.
Today’s drive is truly beautiful and typifies the diversity of Uganda. You drive past rainforests, crater lakes and coffee plantations until you arrive at the savannah of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The southern part (Ishasha) is known for its tree-climbing lions and of course you will make a short safari in this area before driving to the northern part of the park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to over 600 bird species, 10 species of primates – including chimpanzees, and 95 different species of mammals. The drive to your accommodation in the northern sector may feel like an unofficial safari game drive. Keep a look out for African buffalos, African bush elephants, hippos, Common warthogs, Nile crocodiles, Leopards, Spotted hyenas, Giant Forest Hogs, Lions and Monkeys.
Optional Activity:
If time allows, you will have a chance to meet some locals near Ishasha to learn more about African rural life in Uganda. You will visit a local organic farm, medicine garden and homestead and learn how its owner is tackling human-wildlife conflict with his anti-crop raiding techniques. You can also meet a local Mukiga woman who will share her story while showing you how to sort, pound and grind millet to make porridge and other Bakiga meals.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Elephant Plains Camp/Mweya Safari Lodge
Midrange: Park View Lodge/Enganzi Lodge/Bush Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wake up for another thrilling day in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park with another 4×4 Game Safari Drive. Be on the lookout for any sightings you may have missed yesterday, and if you are really lucky, you might be able to spot Giant Forest Hogs, Leopards or Lions.
In afternoon, you will have the chance to see the park from a different perspective with a boat cruise down the Kazinga Channel, linking Lake Edward to Lake George. This channel of water is home to some of the world’s densest concentration of hippos and countless waterbirds.
You will be joined by a local guide who will fill you in on everything you could want to know about the landscape and the animals who live within it.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Elephant Plains Camp/Mweya Safari Lodge
Midrange: Park View Lodge/Enganzi Lodge/Bush Lodge
Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Safari in Queen and transfer To Kibale Forest
In the morning, after breakfast, you will take another safari and then set sail for the Kibale Forest National Park. You drive a beautiful route past banana plantations, villages and a constant view of the Rwenzori Mountains. Kibale Forest is one of the most primate-rich rainforests in Africa. There is 13 different species of primates that live in the primeval forest, including over 1500 chimpanzees – our closes genetic ancestors. The protected nature reserve is located at an average altitude of 1300 meters and is surrounded by tea plantations in the north and papyrus swamps in the south. In addition to the primate species, there are also many special bird species in the forest and swamp of Bigodi.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge/Crater Safari Lodge/Primate Lodge
Midrange/Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge/Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
It’s chimpanzee tracking day! Be at the park visitor centre for 8 am for your briefing, and then head out into the Kibale Forest with your ranger guide for this incredible chance to see chimpanzees in the wild. If you are lucky, they will come down to the forest floor, and you will be able to get within just a few metres of them. Read about the experience in full in What Happens on a Chimpanzee Trekking Safari in Uganda.
If you just do the morning, then in the afternoon you can relax at your hotel, take a walk around the area, or if you are still hungry for more wildlife, head into the community-run Bigodi Swamp Sanctuary for a nature hike and a chance to see more African birds and monkeys.
Accommodation Options
Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge/Crater Safari Lodge/Primate Lodge
Midrange/Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge/Kibale Forest Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: Last Day in Uganda
Enjoy one last breakfast at Kibale Forest before making the journey to Entebbe. This will be a drive of about 5 hours. In Entebbe you can eat a pizza (at Lake Victoria) before you are dropped off at the airport for the return flight. If you would like to spend more time here, just speak to us.
Accommodation: Not Included
Meal Plan: Breakfast
End of 10-Day Rwanda and Gorillas of Uganda Safari
Inclusions
- Meals: 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 9 dinners
- Transport: 4WD vehicles
- Accommodation
- Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre tour
- Musanze – Visit to the Gorilla Doctors HQ
- Queen Elizabeth National Park – 4×4 Game Drive
- Ishasha – Community Tourism Project Visit
- Bwindi National Park – Mountain Gorilla Permit & Trek
- Queen Elizabeth National Park – Kazinga Channel boat cruise
- Kibale Forest – Chimp Trek
- Airport transfers
Exclusions
- International Flights
- Visa
- Tips
- Optional activities
