This 9 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari – Flying Option starts from Entebbe and ends in Kigali. This safari includes a flight from Entebbe International airport to Kasese Airstrip in Queen Elizabeth National Park. During this 9 days Uganda and Rwanda safari, you will embark on guided game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park, a boat cruise on Kazinga channel, enough gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and cross over to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park for your second gorilla trekking experience.
Highlights for 9 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari – Flying Option
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Day 2: Fly to Kasese and Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat
Day 4: Full Day Game Drive- Ishasha Sector
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi and Batwa Cultural Tour
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Iby’iwacu Village Tour- App. 3 hours’ drive including Border Crossing.
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes NP
Day 9: Optional Golden Monkey Trek and Transfer Back to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 9 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari – Flying Option
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Upon your arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be met by our company representative and briefed about your tour. You will then be driven to your hotel where you will refresh yourselves and relax. Depending on your flight arrival time in Entebbe, you can do an optional tour of Entebbe like visiting the Botanical garden, Entebbe zoo, shopping malls and kitoro market or a birding excursion in Mabamba swamp where you will get to see the prehistoric shoebill stork.
Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Day 2: Fly to Kasese and Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have breakfast in the morning and then head to Entebbe Airport where you will check-in for your flight to Kasese airstrip in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Your flight will depart from Entebbe at 10:30am and arrive at Kasese airstrip at 11:45am. Upon your arrival in Queen Elizabeth, you will be met by your driver guide and taken to your lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will embark on an afternoon game drive in the park where you will get to search for wildlife such as lions, elephants, kobs, leopard, buffalos and so many more. The game drive usually lasts 1-2 hours.
Dinner and overnight stay your lodge.
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat
Early in the morning after breakfast, you will set out for the morning game drive in search for early risers in the Kasenyi area. The park has diverse Eco-system of grassy plains, rivers, crater lakes, forests, swamps and lakes. These are a home to various types of wildlife (big 4) and a game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park will reward you with views of animals such as lions, leopards, forest hogs, buffalos, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob and other types of antelopes.
Return to your Lodge for lunch and after, go for a 3 hours’ launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel and into Lake Edward. This cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers good platform for photography, bird watching and games. Dinner will be served at your lodge.
Day 4: Full Day Game Drive- Ishasha Sector
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and proceed to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park where you may spot some tree-climbing lions and any other missed animals. Ensure that you carry your packed lunch before setting off from your lodge. You will also have a chance to view some of the crater lakes in the park during your game drives.
Later in the evening you will return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Note: Instead of a full day game drive, you can do an optional morning chimpanzee trek in Kalinzu forest and Evening Game drive in the park.
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi and Batwa Cultural Tour
After breakfast, connect to Bwindi national park which is about a 3-4 hours’ drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have lunch en-route and upon your arrival in Bwindi, you will check into your lodge and later head out for a Batwa community experience where you will learn about the life and culture of the pygmies of Uganda who lived in the Bwindi forest before it was gazetted as a national park for conservation.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for briefing and go for gorilla trekking. This could take 4-6 hours depending on the movements of the gorillas and on finding the creatures, you will be allowed to spend an hour with them. Return to your starting point where you will meet your guide after receiving your trekking certificate. Drive back to the lodge. Dinner and overnight at lodge as above.
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Iby’iwacu Village Tour- App. 3 hours’ drive including Border Crossing.
Wake up very early, have breakfast and embark on a transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda through Cyanika boarder in Kisoro district. Upon arrival, check in your lodge for lunch and relaxation. Later in the evening, you will visit Iby’iwacu Village for a cultural tour where you will get to dress in traditional Rwandan attire and visit the former King’s Palace.
Later dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes NP
After an early morning breakfast, transfer to the volcanoes headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing about the endangered mountain gorillas and the volcanoes as well, after enter the tropical rain forest with a park ranger searching for the mountain gorillas, this will take about 1-8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. When you meet with the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend about an hour with them while taking photos, videos of the gorillas, after return to the park offices for your gorilla trekking certificate, meet your driver and return to lodge to relax.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 9: Optional Golden Monkey Trek and Transfer Back to Kigali
After early morning breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for briefing on your optional golden monkey trek. Then set off to the forest to track the rare golden monkey, this is done at closer view of the other primates in the park like the red tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys among other.
After having your lunch and refreshing, connect for a transfer to Kigali City. This is a 2 hours’ drive from Ruhengeri-home of the endangered mountain gorillas. Upon arrival in Kigali, visit the genocide memorial and later in the evening transfer to your hotel.
End of the 9 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari – Flying Option
