The 16 days Uganda and Rwanda Safari is a perfect package suitable to meet, satisfy and exceed your travel expectations. This Safari will take you to unspoiled corners of Uganda and Rwanda to spot some of the Big 5; African lion, Elephant, Buffalo, and Leopard. Take Boat trips to explore more of the prolific bird-life and animals, primates trekking, Gorilla tracking in Uganda and Rwanda, Cultural walks, Forest walks, excellent bird watching, Mountain hikes, and photography among others. You will also have city tours in Kigali (Rwanda) and Kampala (Uganda). This tour starts and ends at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
Day 1: Arrival in Kampala
Upon arrival at Entebbe Airport, your Tour Guide / our company representative will be waiting for you. He will transfer you to Holiday Express Hotel / Kampala Forest Cottages for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Kampala – Murchison Falls National Park
Take early breakfast and depart for Murchison Falls National Park. We shall take a short excursion to the top of the falls before you check in at the lodge. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge / Red Chili rest camp.
Day 3: Game Drive and Boat trip in Murchison Falls National Park
Boat Cruiser to the Bottom of Murchison Falls
This is the day to explore the best of Murchison Falls Park. After a cup of tea/coffee in the morning, we shall embark on a game viewing drive in the park that will reward you with animals like elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, Uganda kobs, Oribis, and waterbucks. Return to the lodge for full breakfast as we wait for lunch. We shall later proceed for an afternoon launch cruise to the bottom of the falls. You will see a variety of crocodiles and hippos basking along the shores, many buffaloes and Elephants having a drink, plus birds on the river banks like Kingfisher, cormorants, bee-eater, and the rare shoebill stork. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Murchison Falls – Kibale Forest National Park
Take early breakfast and connect to Kibale forest while enjoying the scenic beauty of the Western arm of the rift valley and the Butiaba escarpments, have lunch in Fort portal town, and reach Kibale in the late afternoon. Check-in Ndali lodge or primates lodge, relax in the evening as we wait for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Kibale Primates trekking and Bird watching
Birding – Kibale Forest National Park
Wake up early morning and go search for chimpanzees in the Kibale forest. This will enable you to see other primates the colobus monkeys, Mangabeys, baboons, Red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Bush-babies, and many more. You will move with a guide who will make your walk informative and productive making it interesting. The Guide will provide information on both flora and fauna. Then return for lunch and in the afternoon, go for a nature walk to Bigodi sanctuary for plenty of birds and rare fauna and flora. Dinner and overnight at Ndali Lodge /Primates lodge.
Day 6: Cultural Excursion in Pygmy Villages
This will be the day to visit the pygmies in the pygmy villages located near the Ituri Rainforest. We shall start our drive early with packed lunch, which will take us 2-4 hours. The visit to the villages has proven to be an appealing cultural experience. You take a tour to the Hot Springs from where you will visit the Pygmies. You will transfer back to Fort portal for dinner and overnight at Hotel.
Day 7: Toro Cultural Tour, Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have an early breakfast and take a short excursion to Karambi Royal tombs including many cultural groups such as the Burungu community which is rooted in Traditional Toro culture that will entertain you with music, dancing, and storytelling. Later in the afternoon, you will transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park with game viewing en-route. For Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge or Simba safari camp.
Day 8: Game Drive and Boat trip in Queen Elizabeth National park
Boat Cruise Kazinga Channel
After a cup of tea/coffee, you will go for an early morning game drive along Kasenyi track and Queen’s mile in the park and expect to see Lions, Elephants, cape buffalo, Warthogs, leopard, hyena, mongoose, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, Topi and lots many small animals and birds. Return to the lodge for late breakfast, relax as we wait for lunch, after which we shall enjoy the unique afternoon 2-hour boat trip on the Kazinga Channel. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of Hippos, Nile crocodiles, and many animals are seen drinking at the water’s edge. This launch cruise offers an excellent platform for photography, bird watching, and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colorful and stupendous with well over 610 resident species. Return for dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 9: Queen Elizabeth – Ishasha sector – Bwindi Gorilla Park
Early morning after breakfast, depart for Bwindi, through the Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park; here expect to see the famous tree-climbing lions as they rest up in the large forest trees, reach Bwindi Forest by late afternoon, dinner and overnight stay in Kitandara Camps or Buhoma Bandas.
Day 10: Bwindi Gorillas Tracking Excursion
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi National Park
After early breakfast, we shall proceed to park offices with packed lunch for a briefing about the Dos and ~Don’ts while with gorillas. Tracking can take 2-9 hours depending on their movements. You will stay with these Giant apes for 1 hour for observation and photography. If the evening is free, we can take a cultural walk to nearby Batwa communities. Dinner and overnight stay in Kitandara Camps or Buhoma Bandas.
Day 11: Cross to Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park)
After breakfast, depart for Rwanda for another gorilla tracking excursion in Volcanoes Gorilla Park, arrive at the Bisate Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, or La Bambou Lodge by late afternoon. Your guide will brief you about the gorilla trek for the next day as you wait for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Golden Monkeys or Gorilla Tracking Rwanda
An early breakfast after which you proceed to Kinigi park station for a 30 minutes briefing about Gorilla tracking, then continue on for the trek with packed lunch and water. If time allows, you take an excursion to Dianne Fossey graves. Return for dinner and overnight at the lodge
Day 13: Historical / Cultural Excursion
Take breakfast and start our hike to the famous Dian Fossey research center and graveyard where she spent close to 20 years habituating, studying, and conserving the endangered mountain Gorillas. The trek to the site is quite spectacular, passes through bamboo forest and afro-montane habitats, crisscrossed trails with tracks of forest buffaloes and elephants. You may see all sorts of wildlife as you make your way up and down to Karisoke, nestled between the volcanic peaks of Karismbi and Visoke. Overnight as on DAY 12.
Day 14: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park
Have breakfast then transfer to Nyungwe forest, lunch en-route. Nyungwe forest inhabits a variety of habitats including montane forests, bamboos, grasslands, and swamps. This is a home to 13 primate species such as Chimpanzees, endangered Golden monkeys, Blue Monkeys, colobus, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-checked mangabeys. There are also about 300 bird species. Relax in the evening as we wait for dinner and Overnight at Gisakura Guest House, Nyungwe Hill Top View Lodge, or One and Only Nyungwe Lodge.
Day 15: Chimpanzee trekking Expedition
Take early breakfast and enter Nyungwe forest for Chimpanzee trekking. Along the trek, you will encounter other species of habituated Golden monkeys and Grey-cheeked Mangabey, blue monkey, L’hoest’s monkey, Angolan colobus monkey, and Owl-faced colobus monkey as well as over 300 bird species. Relax after lunch as you wait for dinner and overnight at Gisakura Guest house or Nyungwe Forest lodge.
Day 16: Nyungwe – Butare – Kigali
This is your last day on the Rwanda tour! Depart for Kigali after breakfast, stop in Butare to visit Murambi Genocide memorial site, the National Museum in Butare, proceed to Kigali, and if time allows, go for a city tour before connecting to the airport for your scheduled flight. You may visit the Gisozi genocide memorial center, the local art and crafts shops, and local fruit markets where you can interact with local people.
End of the Tour
The tour quotation Includes:
– Gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking permits
– Ground transport in a comfortable 4WD safari van equipped for game viewing, photography, and touring
– Full board accommodation
– All park entrance fees to include government taxes
– Full-time English speaking professional driver/guide
– All tour activities as detailed in the itinerary
– Bottled water while on safari
– Airport transfers
The tour quotation excludes:
– Tips
– Laundry services
– Beverages/Drinks
– International flights
– Visas
– Items of a personal nature
-Optional activities and any other extras not detailed in the above itinerary
