12-day Uganda Rwanda Safari: Trekking for mountain gorillas is understandably heralded as one of the most exhilarating wildlife experiences in the world.

But did you know that you can trek for mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, and a variety of other unique primate species in one safari encompassing the neighboring countries of Uganda and Rwanda? This thoughtfully pieced-together 12-day Uganda Rwanda Primates & Wildlife Tour is for those who seek out extraordinary experiences.

The safari adventure is dedicated to those who WANT something unique. You will have epic primate encounters in the lush tropical forest jungles of Kibale National Park (Uganda), Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda), and Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda).

And the unforgettable experiences don’t stop there. You will set out on safari boat cruises and thrilling wildlife game drives in the wildlife-rich Queen Elizabeth National Park of Uganda.

You will also enjoy many cultural activities, tour the Kigali Genocide Memorial, visit Milles Colinnes Hotel, made famous by the film, Hotel Rwanda, and interact with members of local community-based initiatives, such as the Omwani Women’s Coffee Cooperative.

The cherry on top of this incredible 12-day Uganda-Rwanda safari itinerary is the comfortable properties you’ll be staying in throughout the tour. Expect excellent service, friendly staff, fine dining, and every creature comfort you would need on a perfect safari getaway.

Summary

Day 1: Welcome to the Pearl of Africa!

Day 2: Travel to Kibale Forest National Park & Crater Lakes Hike

Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest & Bigodi Wetland Walk

Day 4: Cross the Equator into Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drive

Day 5: Morning Game drive in Kasenyi Plains & Afternoon Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

Day 6: Morning Crater Drive & afternoon coffee tour experience

Day 7: Track tree-climbing lions & transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable; Optional Batwa Cultural Experience

Day 9: Transfer to Rwanda – Volcanoes National Park & tour Iby’iwacu Cultural Village

Day 10: Gorilla trekking or golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park

Day 11: Diane Fossey’s Grave hike & transfer to Kigali City

Day 12: Kigali City Tour & Departure

Details

Day 1: Welcome To The Pearl Of Africa!

Your fantastic 12-day Uganda Rwanda Primates & Wildlife Tour starts as soon as you touch down at the Entebbe International Airport.

You’ll be met by our company representative who will help load the bags into our comfortable vehicle before you set off for your booked hotel situated nearby.

Depending on your time of arrival, there might be a chance for an optional excursion to one or more of the nearby attractions. These include the extensive National Botanical Gardens, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, and the Uganda Reptiles Village.

The National Botanical Gardens is a lakeside paradise of blooms, lush vegetation, gnarled old trees native to Uganda, birds, and troops of stunning colobus monkeys.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Hotel No. 5/ Lake Victoria Serena/ Protea Hotel

Midrange: The Boma Hotel / 2 Friends Beach Hotel /Karibu Guesthouse

Budget: Airport Guesthouse

Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 2: Transfer To Kibale Forest

After breakfast at the hotel, your private transfer vehicle will take you on a scenic drive of about 5 hours to your next destination. Travel through the central part of Uganda, passing the rural towns of Mityana, Mubende, and Kwenjojo on the way.

You’ll arrive at the town of Fort Portal, situated at the base of the legendary Mountains of the Moon. After lunch, you continue along the rolling hillside past beautiful Crater Lakes and tea plantations to your lodge/camp near Kibale Forest in the afternoon.

In the afternoon you set off on a scenic walk in the crater lakes area of the park. Walking in this tranquil area provides beautiful views of the forests, plantations, and mountains, and maybe even sightings of monkeys and other creatures.

You walk to a local village where you are treated to a unique cultural experience in the evening. Dinner is served back at our accommodation, followed by leisure time to soak up the peace and quiet.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge/Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge

Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge Cottage/Kibale Forest Camp Self-Contained Tents

Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge Main house/Kibale Forest Camp non-elf-Contained Tents

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 3: Chimp Trekking & Bigodi Swamp Walk

After an early breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the Kibale National Park visitor center for a briefing about your chimpanzee trekking.

The trek departs from Kanyanchu at 8.00 am, and while it’s not guaranteed you’ll see the chimps, there’s a 95% success rate of seeing them is far higher than any other location which offers chimpanzee trekking in Uganda or Rwanda.

On your forest hike, you’ll have good chances of seeing red-tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, Vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and a variety of rare forest birds on the way.

If you’re lucky to find yourself in the company of the chimps, you’ll spend an hour with these majestic primates as you marvel at how similar they are to humans.

After your amazing Chimp trek, you’ll return to the starting point where you’ll enjoy your packed picnic lunch. After lunch, you will go for a community-based guided tour of the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. During this walk, you’ll learn more about this community-run initiative that aims to conserve the unique biodiversity and environmental values of the wetlands.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Crater Safari Lodge/Ndali Lodge/Primate Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge

Midrange: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge Cottage/Kibale Forest Camp Self-Contained Tents

Budget: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge Main house/Kibale Forest Camp non-elf-Contained Tents

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 4: Cross The Equator Into Queen Elizabeth National Park

It’s only a 3-hour drive from Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park, so have a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast, and then get on the road again. Pass through rich farmland, traveling on the slopes of the Ruwenzori Mountains – Africa’s tallest mountain range.

Cross the equator before reaching the renowned Queen Elizabeth National Park. “Queen”, as the locals and those in the know call the park is Uganda’s premier wildlife destination, with 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species calling the region home.

When you arrive check in to your hotel, have lunch, and relax for a bit before heading into the park for an afternoon game drive.

Soak up the stunning landscapes, and there’s an excellent chance you’ll see amazing wildlife including masses of elephants, buffalos, antelopes, and possibly if you’re lucky, a leopard.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Elephant Plains Camp/Kyambura Gorge Lodge/ Mweya Safari Lodge

Midrange: Park View Safari Lodge/Bush Lodge/ Enganzi Game Lodge

Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge non-self-contained tents

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 5: Game Drive & Boat Cruise

A morning game drive through the park’s Kasenyi Plains is most rewarding, with elephants, buffalo, leopards, Uganda kobs, spotted hyenas, and lions being regular sightings. Thrilling game drives aren’t the only way you get to explore this famous Uganda national park.

The Kazinga Channel is the lifeblood of Queen Elizabeth National Park and attracts a varied range of wildlife to its water, including one of the world\s densest concentrations of hippos year-round. An afternoon Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise is included in your safari itinerary, providing a great game-viewing alternative.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Elephant Plains Camp/Kyambura Gorge Lodge/ Mweya Safari Lodge

Midrange: Park View Safari Lodge/Bush Lodge/ Enganzi Game Lodge

Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge non-self-contained tents

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 6: Crater Drive & Coffee Tour Experience

After breakfast at 7.00 am, embark on a scenic crater drive. Drive around the rims of extinct volcanic explosion craters that are filled, with lakes, forests, and grassland. Explore the Katwe Salt Lake where a local community has been extracting salt for over 600 years.

Lake Katwe salt extraction project is one of the living examples of man and biosphere reserves or conservation areas in the whole world where man harmoniously co-exists with wildlife. Learn about the traditional salt mining process before heading back to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation.

In the afternoon, go for another cultural experience at Kyambura. Visit the Omwani Women’s Coffee Cooperative – a community-based initiative that offers vocational training and an alternative, but sustainable, source of income to local women and their families.

A highlight of this cultural experience is sure to be sampling the best cup of coffee in Uganda, the beans of which are grown, harvested, and processed by these amazing women.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Elephant Plains Camp/Kyambura Gorge Lodge/ Mweya Safari Lodge

Midrange: Park View Safari Lodge/Bush Lodge/ Enganzi Game Lodge

Budget: Pumba Safari Cottages/Bush Lodge non-self-contained tents

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 7: Track Tree-Climbing Lions & Transfer To Bwindi

Day seven of the 12-day Uganda Rwanda Primates & Wildlife Tour takes you south through one of the most stunning parts of Uganda on the way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Leave your lodge and travel via the Ishasha section of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You have a short game drive of about 1-2 hours in search of the tree-climbing lions Ishasha is famous for, keeping an eye out for huge herds of buffalos, a variety of birds, and other wildlife as you go.

Then, drive up into the highlands, a fertile region of tea plantations and rainforest-covered mountains and gorges.

It is here in the ancient Montane rainforest that half of the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas survive today. These incredibly lush highland rainforests are home to an amazing array of primates, insects, small creatures, and exotic birds.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge/Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge

Midrange: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Mist Camp/Agandi Eco-Lodge

Budget: Trekkers Tarven Cottages/Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 8: Gorilla Trekking

After breakfast, you’ll take a short drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s office headquarters, where you’ll meet the excellent local guides and trackers leading you into the forest on your gorilla trekking encounter. Beforehand, you’ll be given an informative talk on trekking etiquette, and you’ll be assigned a mountain gorilla family.

The terrain in Bwindi can be wet, muddy, steep, and slippery, but your experienced leader will ensure that the group progresses at a pace that is comfortable for everyone.

There will also be frequent stops to take in the views, hydrate, rest, take plenty of photographs, and generally just enjoy yourself. All fatigue will be forgotten once the gorillas are found, and you watch in awe while these gentle giants go about their daily routine.

After 60 minutes fly by, you will step away from their realm, have a picnic lunch, and trek back to the park offices where you will be rewarded with a gorilla trekking certificate. After that, you will return to the lodge for a shower, a change of clothes, and a well-deserved relaxing afternoon. In the late afternoon, you may opt to visit the nearby community of Batwa people, the original dwellers of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Gorilla Forest Camp/Buhoma Lodge/Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge

Midrange: Haven Lodge Buhoma/Gorilla Mist Camp/Agandi Eco-Lodge

Budget: Trekkers Tarven Cottages/Buhoma Community Rest Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 9: Drive to Volcanoes National Park

Wake up to the beautiful views of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you came face-to-face with the endangered mountain gorillas the day before.

You’ll have breakfast in this lush and peaceful setting, before crossing from Uganda into Rwanda. Your picturesque drive will take you through the undulating hills of Rwanda, known as ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills’.

En route, you will stop to admire the serene twin crater lakes Burera and Ruhondo. After this, it will be time to head to the town of Ruhengeri, now called Musanze, and your lodge for the next two nights.

In the evening, you will visit Iby’iwacu village, where the villagers have convinced a group of ex-poachers to turn their back on their former lifestyle and create a traditional dance group that performs for visitors on a cultural village tour.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Bisate Lodge

Midrange: Da Vinci Lodge

Budget: Muhabura Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 10: Gorilla or Golden Monkey Trekking

There are only 3 places in the world where you can encounter rare mountain gorillas face-to-face. Uganda and Rwanda are the best destinations to do so.

And since you got to experience trekking gorillas in Uganda, it’s only right that you get to tick it off in Rwanda too. Gorilla trekking expeditions in Volcanoes are one of the best wilderness adventure activities on the African continent.

You may also choose to do golden monkey tracking instead of gorilla trekking. Golden Monkeys are a little harder to track down, but there’s no better feeling of accomplishment than when you finally spot these sprightly endangered creatures as they leap from tree to tree.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Bisate Lodge

Midrange: Da Vinci Lodge

Budget: Muhabura Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 11: Diane Fossey Hike & Transfer To Kigali

History fans, animal lovers, and conservationists alike will love hiking through Volcanoes National Park to visit the Diane Fossey Grave, as well as her former Karisoke Research Center.

Not only you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the incredible life of Diane Fossey and her unwavering passion for gorillas, but you’ll also be rewarded with wonderful views of Volcanoes.

On your return, you’ll stop at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund before departing for the final destination on this epic 12-day Uganda Rwanda Primates & Wildlife Tour; Kigali. You’ll arrive in this beautiful city in time for lunch and relaxation.

Accommodation options to choose from:

Luxury: Serena Hotel Kigali/Radisson Blu/Milles Collines Hotel

Midrange: Hotel Chezlando

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 12: Kigali City Tour & Departure

After a leisurely breakfast, you will check out from the lodge to start your morning Kigali city tour. You’ll visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn more about this tragic event in Rwanda’s history, as well as pay respect to those who lost their lives.

Keeping with the theme of the day, your trip will continue to Milles Collines Hotel – film connoisseurs and history buffs will recognize it as the historic hotel in Hotel Rwanda.

It was in this very hotel that 1,268 Rwandans were saved from the genocide taking place throughout the country. After lunch here, you will be transferred to Kigali Airport to catch your departure flight home. Safe Travels!

End Of The Safari

Inclusions:

Airport transfers on arrival and departure days.
Accommodation
All meals mentioned in the itinerary
An unlimited supply of mineral water during transfers
All trekking permits, park fees, museum entrance fees, and activities mentioned in the itinerary
All ground transportation is in a 4 WD vehicle, with fuel provided, and the services of our English speaking tour guide/driver.
Driver and guide fees
24/7 office support