This 11 Days safari takes you to both Uganda and Rwanda for an exploration journey through some of Africa’s most extraordinary landscapes.Go gorilla trekking in both Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, explore the dramatic volcanoes and enjoy game viewing in savanna national parks. The hike in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a heart-pounding experience and the experience of seeing the mountain gorillas in the wild is of a lifetime. An exciting big-game safari across the savanna parks is rewarding with sightings of several wildlife that include elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, hippos and crocodiles among others.
Trip Highlights
Day 1: Arrive in Entebbe(Uganda) and transfer to Kampala
Day 2: Kampala – Kibale Forest NP
Day 3: Chimp tracking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 4: Game drive and Afternoon Boat cruise
Day 5: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Day 6: Gorilla tracking in uganda and an optional community walk
Day 7: Bwindi, Uganda – Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
Day 8: Gorilla tracking in Rwanda
Day 9: Golden monkey tracking and an optional community walk
Day 10: Parc National des Volcans – Kigali
Day 11: Departure
Day 1 Arrive in Entebbe (Uganda) and transfer to Kampala
Today we arrive at Entebbe International Airport (Uganda) and transfer a short distance to Kampala; the country’s capital for refreshment, Dinner and Overnight.
Day 2 Kampala – Kibale Forest National Park
Early morning, your guide will pick you and take you for a brief tour of Kampala including the Kasubi Tombs, Ugandan Museum, Namugongo shrines, Basilica, and Hindu Temples. We then head out by road to Kibale Forest National Park, famous for its families of habituated Chimpanzees. The park is home to an astonishing number of 13 species of primates, the highest density for any single destination in the World! The journey to the park affords you an opportunity to visit Nakayima tree; an ancestral shrine for the Baganda traditionalists worshiping their goddess Nakayima at a tree believd to be more than 400 years old, en route in Mubende. You may have lunch there or proceed to have it Fort Portal at the back drop of the Rwenzori mountains as you get a chance to glance at the glacial peaks at a distance if the day is clear. If you have time, you may also visit the King’s palace and the Amabeere caves before proceeding to Kibale forest NP for overnight and dinner.
Day 3 Chimpanzee tracking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
This morning, take breakfast and gather at the park headquarters for briefing about chimp tracking by the senior park ranger guide. Proceed into the forest that has been branded the ‘Primate capital of the World’ due to its enormous primate species. The trek will not only reward you with the sights of Man’s closest relative; the chimpanzee, but also other primate species like the blue monkey, the red tailed, the black and white colobus, the red colobus, the vervet monkeys among others. The park’s enormous bird population will facilitate your trek with a fabulous misical tone. Return for lunch at the lodge before going for a guided walk through the Bigodi Swamp. The Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development Organisation 
manages Bigodi sanctuary wetland and was formed in 1992 with the aim of achieving social and economic development for local communities. While on your guided walk around the swamps, you can distinguish many from the approximately 137 bird species found here, including the Snowy Headed Robin Chat, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Emerald Cuckoo and a variety of weavers, warblers, green buls and sunbirds. There is also an abundance of butterflies, and rich vegetation, such as wild palms, polita figs and the dominant papyrus. You have an opportunity to support any of the community projects at Bigodi by doting or buying a souvenir. You will then depart Kibale by road for Queen Elizabeth National Park with en route views of the Rwenzori snow peaks punctuating the sky line. The varied ecosystems of this park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for Humanity, support a wide variety of species including elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard. Overnight in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Mweya Lodge or similar.
Day 4 Queen Elizabeth National Park
Early this morning, take breakfast and leave for a game drive in open savannah covered by acacia trees along the Kasenyi on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley. Expect to see wildlife like lions, leopards, hyenas, jackals as they return from the night hunt as well as savannah grazers like elephants, buffalos, kobs, water bucks, bush bucks among others. Return for lunch at the lodge before embarking on a cruise up the Kazinga Channel, a narrow band of water connecting lakes Edward and George. This is one of the most memorable experiences of a visit to Uganda, offering an opportunity to cruise amid members of Africa’s largest hippo and crocodile populations. In addition to these giant semi-aquatic mammals, the launch affords unique opportunities to view other mammals and birds as they come to the water’s edge to drink and bathe. Birding is excellent, and you may expect to see species ranging in size from the tiny, brilliant Malachite Kingfisher to the giant Goliath Heron. Return in the evening to your lodge for dinner and overnight. Mweya Lodge or similar (FB)
Day 5 Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast, you will have a morning road trip through the Ishasha Plains as you search for the typical tree climbing Lions (among other things), a population which is found only in this part of the country. It is impressive to see the animals while they are resting on top of the fig trees. You will then have en route lunch and proceed to Bwindi, arriving in the evening for dinner and overnight. . All meals.
Day 6 Gorilla tracking in Uganda
Bwindi, a World Heritage Park, is home to just over half of the world’s last surviving mountain gorilla population of now 880 individuals. With an early breakfast, you will report to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing by the senior park guide before setting off for the trek in one of Africa’s most ancient forests. The trek can take from one to six hours, sometimes more, at elevations in excess of 2270 m (7,500 ft) and over rough terrain. Travelers should be aware that if they turn around due to fatigue, illness or any other reason the remainder of the group will go on. The returning traveler will be escorted by a local guide or porter. Although the hike can be PHYSICALLY DEMANDING, the anticipation of the exciting experience ahead is invigorating, and the beauty of the forest and its inhabitants is fascinating. For more info, go to www.uwa.or.ug. Your gorilla permits are included in the tour price ($600 per person). The area around Buhoma is an excellent place for watching primates and birds and you may catch a glimpse of the noisy but evasive Chimpanzees or the beautiful Horn bills and Turacos. The forest is home to 120 species of mammals, 346 species of birds, 202 species of butterflies, and 163 species of trees, making it one of the richest ecosystems in Africa. *NOTE: Group participants MUST have a medical questionnaire signed by a physician indicating their fitness to undertake such an activity. This form will be included with your confirmation package and MUST be returned to us before your final documents are issued. Overnight at Bwindi. All meals.
Day 7 Bwindi, Uganda – Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
Today we travel by road for about 6 hours via Kisoro to Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda, a journey that takes us through the beautiful terraced hillsides that characterize much of Uganda-Rwanda boarder We pass through high, forested hills and through deep-farmed valleys. The drive is reminiscent to what one would experience driving through central Europe. "In the heart of Central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat," wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey, "are great, old volcanoes towering up almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest – the Virungas". Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the Parc des Volcans protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range, home of the rare mountain gorilla and a rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath. Overnight near Parc National des Volcans. Gorilla’s Nest. All meals.
Day 8 Gorilla tracking in Rwanda
Early this morning we drive to the park headquarters where we are briefed by the guides of the Parc des Volcans before we start our gorilla trek. This 13,000-hectare national park protects the Rwanda sector of the Virunga Mountains, a range of six extinct and three active volcanoes which straddle the border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bamboo forest is interspersed with alpine moorland, grassland and marsh. Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience. If you are lucky you will get to the gorillas, spend an hour with them, and be back at the base in time for a late lunch. Some gorilla families however are more elusive, and tracking can take a full day… especially when wet and muddy. The Mountain Gorillas in the Parc National des Volcans are part of a worldwide population of just 880 individuals. The gorillas we are allowed to track belong to one of 10 habituated family groups. For up to five years each, these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually brought them to tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day and allowed a few privileged visitors to interact with them in the wild. The gorillas are by no means tame, and are completely wild animals. However, experienced guides will accompany you on your tracking, many of who have been involved in the habituation process themselves. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habits and information from the previous day to locate the group’s whereabouts. Because of this, the time taken to track the gorillas varies enormously, from as little as 1 hour to as much as 8 hours before one returns to base. Once the gorillas are located, our group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Please remember that the mountain gorillas are wild animals and are not enclosed in any form and free to move as they please. For this reason actual sightings of the gorilla groups cannot be guaranteed. Overnight near Parc National des Volcans. Mountain Gorilla’s Nest. All meals.
Day 9 Diana Fossey hike / Golden monkey tracking
Today is a day of options. You may choose to trek the Golden Monkeys (optional, US$100 per person) OR take a trek up to the grave of Dian Fossey and the remains of the Old Karisoke Research Station (optional, US$90 per person). It is strongly advised that these options are pre-booked and confirmed at time of purchase of the main tour to ensure availability. For those who loved the book and/or the movie ”Gorillas In The Mist” the Dian Fossey trek could be a good option. Over the course of the morning you follow in her footsteps as you trek to Dian Fossey’s grave and the many graves belonging to the poached gorillas, including that of Digit; her favorite gorilla friend. For a more leisurely experience, trekking to the Golden Monkeys is highly recommended. In June 2003 the National Parks department first allowed permits to trek these rare primates. A short walk to the edge of the forest to see the endangered Golden Monkeys is a rare treat. Watching these unique primates play and perform in the forest is mesmerizing. After tracking the golden monkeys, you may choose to go for an optional visit to the Banyarwanda community as you have a taste of their lifestyle and culture. Listen to their stories, taste their dishes, dance their traditional dances and become one of them for a moment as you get a chance to participate in their daily life activities. Overnight near Parc National des Volcans. Gorilla’s Nest. All meals.
Day 10 Parc National des Volcans – Kigali
Today you will drive back to Kigali after your breakfast at the lodge. In Kigali we shall have a brief look at Kigali and the Genocide Museum, opened in 2004 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. While the genocide occurred as a result of a complex series of factors, it can only be seen as an absolute tragedy to Rwanda and its people. Time spent at the Genocide Museum is moving and important in understanding the sheer courage and resilience of this beautiful, tiny nation. In the afternoon, you may transfer to L. Kivu for a boat cruise on the lake and later relax at the sunny beaches of this scenic lake. Overnight and dinner Kibuye.
Day 11 Departure
Take breakfast and go for the last minute shopping as your guide transfers you to the airport for departure.
END OF THE SAFARI IN UGANDA AND RWANDA
Included in this tour package;
- Gorilla Permit.
- Cultural entertainment
- Park Ranger Fees
- Relevant Government Taxes.
- Full Board Accommodation (2 nights) and en-route meals as indicated in the itinerary.
- Full time English speaking Driver/Guide
- Ground Transportation by a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Airport transfer, as long as your flight is on the same day on which the safari ends.
Exclusions:
- Airfares
- Visa Fees
- Personal Insurance
- Expenses of personal nature such as; drinks, tips, laundry, telephone, cigarettes, accommodation & meals not indicated in the itinerary and optional activities.
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