Uganda and Rwanda Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe – Transfer to Hotel

Meet your professional driver-guide upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala for relaxation and overnight.

Accommodation: Luxury / Mid-range / Budget

Day 2: Entebbe – Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Murchison Falls National Park

Drive north with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for guided rhino tracking. Continue to Murchison Falls National Park for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise

Morning Game Drive and Nile Boat Safari in Murchison Falls National Park

Begin your day with an exciting morning game drive towards the Albert and Victoria Nile, one of the most rewarding wildlife areas in Murchison Falls National Park. This scenic drive offers excellent opportunities to spot a wide range of wildlife and bird species in their natural habitat. Expect to see large herds of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and various antelopes, with chances of encountering lions along the open savannah plains. Bird lovers will also enjoy sightings of numerous resident and migratory bird species.

After lunch, proceed for a 3-hour launch cruise on the Nile from Paraa to the base of Murchison Falls, one of the park’s signature experiences. This relaxing boat safari brings you close to the riverbanks, where you are likely to see hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, and an impressive variety of birdlife, including the iconic African fish eagle.

The day concludes with a guided hike to the top of Murchison Falls, where the Nile dramatically forces its way through a narrow gorge. From the top, enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the powerful falls, the river below, and the surrounding flora and fauna, making this a truly memorable safari experience in Uganda.

Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

Scenic drive through western Uganda to Kibale Forest, home to the highest concentration of primates in Africa.

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking & Bigodi Community Walk

ou will start the day early with a quick breakfast before transferring to the park headquarters for a mandatory briefing on chimpanzee tracking guidelines and conservation rules. After the briefing, you will enter the forest with an experienced ranger guide to begin your chimpanzee trekking adventure in Kibale Forest National Park, famously known as the Primate Capital of the World.

As you track the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, you will encounter a rich variety of forest wildlife. Expect sightings of L’Hoest’s monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, baboons, and other primate species. The highlight of the experience is spending up to one hour observing chimpanzees as they feed, play, groom, communicate, and move through the forest canopy.

Kibale Forest is also a paradise for bird lovers and nature enthusiasts. Along the trek, you may spot rare and colorful species such as the African broadbill, Ross’s turaco, great blue turaco, butterflies, and diverse forest flora.

After the trek, you will enjoy lunch either as a picnic within the park or back at your lodge, depending on your preference. In the afternoon, your driver-guide will take you for an evening Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary tour, a community-run nature walk located near Kibale Forest. This wetland is renowned for colobus and blue monkeys and exceptional birdlife, including the African broadbill and great blue turaco.

After this rewarding day of wildlife and nature encounters, you will return to your lodge to relax and enjoy dinner.

Day 6: Kibale – Queen Elizabeth National Park

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, enjoying views of the Rwenzori Mountains along the way.

Day 7: Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Early in the morning set off for the morning game drive in the Northern crater area where there is a lot of dark holes called the black craters with no water. You may be able to see a lot of animal species such as the Elephants, lions, buffaloes, Leopards, monkeys such as the black and white colobus, vervet, patus, red-tailed and the blue monkeys. Other animals that can be seen are the bush pigs and the warthogs, antelopes. This side of the park provides a good view of numerous craters. The activity takes 3-4 hour. Return for lunch at the lodge and in the afternoon go Later after lunch, you will embark on a boat cruise on Kaziga channel. This is very rewarding with the aquatic animals like crocodiles, hippos and many bird species like black bee carmine bee eaters and black bee eaters, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, Striated Heron among others.

Day 8: Queen Elizabeth – Ishasha Sector

Drive to Ishasha for a game drive focused on spotting tree-climbing lions.

Day 9: Ishasha – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Transfer to Bwindi through rural villages and scenic hills. Prepare for gorilla trekking.

Day 10: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

A once-in-a-lifetime mountain gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Day 11: Bwindi – Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast, we will make our scenic journey through the beautiful terrain of the rolling hills with terraced landscape to lake bunyonyi, Given the inevitable rigorous day at Bwindi, most clients will cherish some relaxing moments on the shores of this peaceful lake. You will enjoy an evening canoe ride on the lake. dinner and peaceful overnight stay at the lodge besides lake Bunyonyi.

Day 12: Lake Bunyonyi – Rwanda Border – Volcanoes National Park

Cross into Rwanda and transfer to your lodge near Volcanoes National Park.

Day 13: Gorilla Trekking OR Dian Fossey Hike

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

After an early breakfast, your driver/guide will transfer you to the headquarters of Parc National des Volcans for an unforgettable gorilla trekking adventure in Rwanda. This experience is one of the most rewarding wildlife encounters in Africa, especially when combined with a visit to the Dian Fossey Tomb.

About Dian Fossey:

Dian Fossey was an American zoologist dedicated to gorilla conservation and habituation in Rwanda. She is best known for her pioneering work with mountain gorillas, famously portrayed in the movie “Gorillas in the Mist.” Tragically, she was murdered in the Volcano Mountains, reportedly by poachers. Fossey was laid to rest in a cave beside her beloved gorilla friend, Digit, who died in 1977. Visiting this historic site adds a meaningful cultural and conservation perspective to your safari.

Gorilla Trekking Experience:

Following a detailed briefing by the park rangers, your trekking adventure will begin through the lush mountain forests of the Virunga Volcanoes. You will carry a packed lunch for the journey. Gorilla tracking can take anywhere from 1 to 8 hours, depending on the gorillas’ location and your hiking stamina. The experience is physically engaging but incredibly rewarding as you observe gorillas in their natural habitat.

After the trek, your driver will return you to your lodge for a delicious dinner and overnight stay, reflecting on a day filled with one of Rwanda’s most iconic wildlife experiences.

Day 14: Volcanoes National Park – Lake Kivu

Drive to Lake Kivu for relaxation along Rwanda’s scenic lakeshore.

Day 15: Full Day at Lake Kivu

Enjoy leisure time, swimming, optional boat rides, or beach relaxation.

Day 16: Lake Kivu – Kigali City – Departure

Transfer to Kigali, enjoy a city tour if time allows, then proceed to the airport for departure.