13 days Uganda and Rwanda

These 13 days will give you a chance to visit two countries on a single tour. You will have a chance to visit some of the most popular destinations in Uganda for wildlife and gorilla tracking then after cross to Rwanda for golden monkeys, relaxation at Lake Kivu and lastly a city tour.

Day1: Transfer to Murchison Falls national park

You will be picked from hotel/airport in Entebbe and together with your expert guide will drive to Murchison falls national park. You will have a stop at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino trekking which takes about 1-2 hours. Have a lunch and proceed to Murchison falls national park. On arrival you will visit the top of the falls and proceed to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Fort Murchison lodge

Day 2: game drive and boat cruise

On this day you will have an early morning game drive in the park in search of wildlife such as lions, leopards, giraffes, buffalos, kobs and other antelopes depending on your luck. The game drive takes s about 3 to 4 hours depending on the arrangement of the day with your guide. You will later go for a boat cruise along the river Nile where you may have chance to see other wildlife such as hippos, crocodiles and several bird species. You will also have a chance to see a different angle of the waterfalls. After the boat, you will do a short evening game drive as you head to the lodge.

Accommodation: Fort Murchison lodge

Day 3: drive to Kibale national park

After breakfast you will drive to Kibale national park through Bulisa district where you will have a chance to see the Great Rift Valley escarpments along Lake Albert. You will also have a chance to see beautiful landscapes and you traverse through tea plantations towards Fort portal city. Lunch enroute as you drive to the lodge.

Accommodation:  Chimpanzee forest lodge

Day 4: Chimp tracking and community walk

After your breakfast, your guide will drive you to the park for registration and briefing. You will arrive in time to register and attend a briefing about the whole activity after which you will head to the forest.  Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat while trekking through the forest following their tracks and learning more about their lives, you will then be awarded one hour with the chimpanzee and this will be your opportunity to take photos, learn and get to know more about these apes. Have lunch and later embark on a community tour through the bigodi community where you will visit different families as they demonstrate different activities. You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Chimpanzee forest lodge

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Wake up in the morning to your served breakfast, your guide will the drive you through beautiful hills with great views of the crater lakes as you head to Queen Elizabeth national park. You will reach in the park early afternoon to check in at the lodge for lunch as you prepare for the afternoon boat experience.

After lunch, you will take a 2 hour boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. The boat cruise gives you an opportunity to see aquatic animals such as hippos and crocodiles as well as other animals such as elephants and buffalos hat come to the channel to take water and cool down their temperatures from the hot afternoon sun. After the boat cruise, you will head to the park for an evening game drive with hopes of seeing different animals such as lions, leopards, kobs and buffalos among others. Return at the lodge for dinner an overnight stay.

Accommodation: bush lodge

Day 6: game drives

Another day in the savanna as you explore Uganda’s second biggest national park, you will have a morning game drive in the kasenyi plains of queen Elizabeth national park as you search for more wildlife. This gives you more interaction with wildlife. While on the safari, look out for lions, leopards, buffalos, elephants and antelopes. Return to the lodge for lunch; relax at the lodge as you prepare for evening game drive. In this evening game drive you can change the tracks depending on the game tracks you may have done earlier.

Day 7: transfer to Ishasha

You will transfer to Ishasha sector after breakfast, the journey goes through the park and you may have a chance to see some animals along the way to the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Reach Ishasha in time for lunch and later embark on a late afternoon game drive in search of the tree climbing lions and other animals such as topis that you may have not seen in the precious parks.

Accommodation: Embogo lodge

Day 8: early morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi

Morning game drive in the park in search of more animals such as the hyenas, leopards among others before you drive to Bwindi. After the game drive you will drive to Bwindi and have a relaxed evening at the lodge as you prepare for the next day’s activity.

Accommodation: four gorillas lodge

Day 9: Gorilla Tracking

After an early breakfast, your lodge will provide you with a packed lunch and you will then be driven to the briefing point in the park where you will check in. The briefing begins at 8:00am; however guests are requested to arrive by 7:30 am for the safety briefing. With your assigned ranger guide and small group, you will then begin your trek into the Impenetrable Forest in search of the gorillas. Depending on where the gorillas slept the previous night, this trek can take 4 hours or more. Once you locate the gorilla family, you will have one hour to photograph them and observe their behavior, after which you will hike back to the ranger station to receive your gorilla tracking certificate. Drive back to the lodge for relaxation Dinner and overnight

Accommodation: four gorillas lodge

Day 10: transfer to volcanoes national park

After breakfast in the morning, you will drive to the Rwanda via kyanika border. You will clear with immigration and then proceed your way to volcanoes national park. On reaching you will check in at the lodge and then have lunch. After lunch you may opt to go to Dian Fossey museum or visit the gorilla guardians’ village.

Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge

Day 11: golden monkey tracking and drive to Lake Kivu

After breakfast in the morning, your guide will drive you to the park offices for registration and briefing. After briefing, you will be assigned a group and a ranger guide who will take you through the experience. You will then start the trek to the forest and on finding these monkeys, you will be allowed to take photos and view these monkeys for 1 hour. These monkeys will ignite your primate love even more and after the trek, you will drive back to Lake Kivu for your relaxation.

Accommodation: Paradise Malahide

Day 12: full day relaxation

You will have a lazy breakfast in the morning and have a full day relaxation at the lodge; however you can do optional activities at the lodge.

Accommodation: Paradise Malahide

Day 13: transfer to Kigali

After breakfast in the morning, you will drive to Kigali city for a city tour. The city tour takes you to the Kigali genocide memorial and after you will visit a local market and a local restaurant for lunch before you drive to the airport for your flight back. 

End of safari

Included

·         All accommodations as per the itinerary

·         All activities unless indicated as optional

·         Transportation

·         Professional guide

·         Meals as per itinerary

·         Drinking water

·         Gorilla and chimpanzee permits

·         Golden monkey permit

Excluded

·         Additional accommodation before and after the tour

·         Visa

·         International flights

·         Tips

·         Other drinks apart from water.