Safari Overview
16 days Uganda gorillas and Rwanda wildlife safari is an amazing safari, quite long but rewarding. This safari is mainly focusing on Uganda wildlife safari and Rwanda national parks. When you book this safari, you will be sure to track chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park in Uganda, you will engage in Uganda gorilla trekking experience and these are the itinerary highlights. You will visit Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Nyungwe forest national park, Akagera national park, historic sites and many more fun.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to the hotel in Kampala
Upon arrival, our driver guide will pick you from the Airport, he will take you through the itinerary and then transfer you to the booked hotel in Kampala where you will spend your night acclimatizing.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
You will wake up on a scrumptious breakfast, check out of the hotel in Kampala, meet your driver guide and head to Murchison falls national park. You will drive in the country side through Luweero and proceed to Nakasongola where you will have an en-route to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for tracking rhinos and this will take about 2hours. You will have lunch and then embark on the journey to the Murchison falls national park, you will arrive in the evening at around 4pm, you will check in, relax and then have dinner and overnight stay in the jungle.
Day 3: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
You will unfold your day with a delicious breakfast, meet your driver guide and head to the park headquarters where you will register and get a ranger guide and proceed to the park. Expect to have great encounters with lion prides, elephants, buffaloes and leopards and by now you will have covered Africa’s Big 5. Which are lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and Rhinos. You will spot other animals for example; hyenas, giraffes, hartebeests, kobs, bushbucks, baboons and many more. Murchison falls national park and this is the largest national park in Uganda and it is famous for hosting the strongest waterfalls in the world. You will later head back to the lodge for lunch, relax and then in the evening you will go for a launch cruise to the bottom of the falls. Cruising through a school of hippos, buffaloes will also be swimming and elephants will be playing raising waters with their trunks and this is an amazing experience that will make your evening. You will later visit top of the falls to have the clear view of the waterfalls from above. You will take so many pictures and videos and thereafter you will retire to the lodge in the late evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Check out and Transfer to Kibale National Park
Another day to roll in the jungle is here. You will wake up on a scrumptious breakfast, meet your driver guide and head to Kibale forest national park. Kibale forest national park is known for its high concentration of chimpanzees, the area is gifted with crater lakes and beautiful sceneries for example top of the world and the CVK (Crater Valley Kibale). You will have lunch in Hoima which is Uganda’s oil city, you will stretch and then and embark on the road to Kibale forest national park, you will arrive in the evening, connect to your booked lodge in Kibale forest national park for example if you booked a luxury lodge like Chimpundu safari lodge, you will check-in, have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale and Bigodi Wetland Walk
A beautiful day is here, you will wake up on a mouthwatering breakfast, meet your driver guide and head to the park headquarters for a briefing about chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park. You will be briefed and assigned a ranger guide who will take you to the forest to meet the chimpanzees. After meeting them, you will spend 1hour in their presence as you take pictures and videos and then return to the lodge for lunch and in the evening you will go for a guided nature walk to Bigodi wetland, you will spot birds, monkeys, baboons, antelopes and then visit the community where you will taste the local brew, locally brewed coffee and then retire to the lodge in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Check out and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Start your day with a delicious breakfast, check out the lodge, and head out for the scenic viewing, you will visit different tea plantations that give breathtaking view, visit Top of the world, CVK and thereafter you will head to Queen Elizabeth national park which is about 2hours drive from Kibale forest national park. You will check in the lodge, have a scrumptious lunch and relax at the lodge as you admire nature.
Day 7: Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Launch Cruise on Kazinga Channel
You will start your day with a mouthwatering breakfast, meet your driver guide and head to the park headquarters where you will register, get a ranger and then proceed to the jungle with a game drive on in pursuit of animals in Kasenyi area normally known as the mating area. You will see how the plains are decorated with buffaloes, kobs and lions plus leopards will be on the hunt. You will enjoy seeing the sunrise over the plains of Queen Elizabeth national park, you will spot birds, hippos will be returning to water and the whole exercise is beautiful. You will later return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch and then in the evening do a boat cruise on Kazinga channel and here your eyes will stretch seeing cam waters, animals swimming and drinking from it. You will take as many pictures as you can, learn more about aquatic animals and then retire to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Check out and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Arise in the morning, grab a delicious breakfast, meet your driver guide and transfer to Ishasha sector to spot tree climbing lions, you will later exit Queen Elizabeth national park and head to Bwindi impenetrable national park and preferably Buhoma gorilla sector of Bwindi. You will have lunch en-route, arrive in the park in the evening hours, connect to your booked lodge, check in, have dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
A brand new day is here, catch it with a scrumptious breakfast, meet your driver guide and head to the park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking experience in Uganda. You will be assigned a gorilla family in Buhoma gorilla sector, you will also be assigned a ranger guide who will help you to locate the gorillas and thereafter, you will head to the forest to encounter the gorillas. You will spend 1hour in the presence of the gorillas as you take pictures and videos while you watch gorillas do their daily chores. You will later exit the gorilla family, go to the headquarter where you will meet your driver guide, pick your gorilla trekking certificate and proceed to the hotel to freshen up, check out and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Uganda and 2nd deepest in Africa. You will enjoy a calm ambiance while at Lake Bunyonyi. You will arrive in the evening, connect to your lodge, check in, and have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Canoeing and transfer to Kigali
Wake up on a scrumptious breakfast, enjoy the stunning view of the sunrise over the Islands of Lake Bunyonyi. You will do canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi, visit different Islands since the Lake is gifted with over 29 Islands, you can also engage in swimming since this is a bilharzia free waterbody in Uganda. After you have left no Island unvisited, you will check out of the lodge and head to Kigali. Lunch will be in Kabale, proceed to Katuna border, cross to Rwanda and proceed to your booked hotel in Kigali.
Day 11: City tour and transfer to Akagera National Park
Arise in the morning at leisure, grab a scrumptious breakfast, meet your driver guide and head to Kigali city for a city tour around. You will visit different touristic places for example Kigali Memorial Genocide Museum, artisans, local markets among others. You will have lunch in Kigali city and thereafter, proceed to Akagera national park, arriving in the evening hours, check in the booked lodge, have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Game drive and relaxation
Arise in the morning, greet your intestines with a scrumptious breakfast, meet your driver guide, head to the park headquarters to register, get a ranger guide and head to the jungle. Akagera national park is famous for harboring Africa’s Big 5 but also other unique wildlife and rolling hills. You will spend 2-3hours in the wilderness encountering lions, buffaloes, elephants, rhinos and leopards and these are big 5 in the jungle. You will spot other wildlife like zebras, impalas, bushbucks, waterbucks, birds among others and thereafter, you will head back to the lodge for relaxation and memorizing all what you have encountered since your safari begun. Lunch and dinner will be at this lodge as you listen to the birds’ songs.
Day 13: Check out and transfer to Nyungwe National Forest Park
Another day is here, unfold it with a scrumptious breakfast, check out and head to the southwestern part of Rwanda. Nyungwe is famous for harboring chimpanzees, birds and plant life. You will arrive in time for lunch, check in the lodge, have lunch, admire the nature and here you will feel completely detached from the world.
Day 14: Canopy Walk and Relaxation at the Lodge
Start your day with a finger leaking breakfast, relax at the lodge and then in the midmorning you will go for a canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park where you will be rubbing shoulders with birds, monkeys, and while doing this activity expect to enjoy breathtaking views from the canopies. You will capture every moment and hereafter, you will retire back to the lodge for lunch, relaxation and if you want you can do cultural tour to have a touch of the Rwandan culture.
Day 15: Transfer to Lake Kivu
Arise in the morning at leisure, have a delicious breakfast and transfer to Lake Kivu which is about 3hours drive from Akagera national park, you will arrive at Kivu in the afternoon hours, check in the booked hotel, have lunch and either relax at the white sands of Lake Kivu or engage in the boat cruise, here the choice is entirely yours.
Day 16: Check out and departure
On the last day, you will have a scrumptious breakfast, get your luggage, check out of the lodge, meet your driver guide and transfer to Kigali International Airport. You will have lunch in Kigali city which is the cleanest city in Africa and after transferring you to the Airport, this will mark the end of 16days Uganda gorillas and Rwanda wildlife safari.
