This 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari is a combined safari that takes you on an extensive tour of some of the tour tourist destinations in Rwanda and Uganda. During our 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari, you will be visiting the canopy walkway bridge in Nyungwe national park, trek golden monkeys in Volcanoes national park and drive to the famous Bwindi national park in Uganda where you will track the endangered Mountain Gorillas. You will also be tracking chimpanzees in Kibale Forest national park and view an abundance of savannah wildlife in Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo valley national parks.
Highlights for 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari.
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe and Canopy Walk
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 4: Golden Monkey Trek and Visit Twin Lakes
Day 5: Drive to Bwindi National Park-Uganda
Day 6: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 8: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 9: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 10: Chimpanzee Trek and Afternoon Bigodi Wetland
Day 11: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park and Drive to Top of the Falls
Day 12: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise on River Nile
Day 13: Drive to Kidepo Valley National Park
Day 14: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Community Tour
Day 15: Morning Game Drive and Drive to Gulu Town
Day 16: Transfer to Entebbe
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Depending on your time of arrival in Kigali to Explore Rwanda Tours , find our company representative waiting for you upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport. If your flight arrives in Kigali early , you can have an afternoon tour of Kigali city where you will visit places such as Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, Kimironko market, Caplaki craft village and Inema Art Gallery to mention but a few. Dinner and overnight stay at Step Town Hotel (Budget)/ Des Milles Collines Hotel (Midrange)
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe and Canopy Walk
Have breakfast at your hotel and then reconnect with your driver guide. You can do a short tour of Kigali city if this was not possible on your day of arrival in Kigali. You will then proceed with your drive to Nyungwe national park with a stopover visit to the King’s Palace in Nyanza and the national museum in Butare. You will also have another stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Upon your arrival in Nyungwe park, you will embark on a 2 hour’s hike along the canopy walkway– a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Later drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Gisakura Guesthouse (Budget)/ Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel (Midrange)
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Have morning breakfast at your hotel and meet up with your driver guide. You will then embark on a 6-7 hour’s drive to Volcanoes national park with lunch enroute. Arrive in Ruhengeri in the evening and check into your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Muhabura Hotel (Budget)/ Le Bambou (Midrange).
Day 4: Golden Monkey Trek and Visit Twin Lakes
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for golden monkey tracking, which is a completely different experience but just as rewarding. These beautiful, lively creatures are on the endangered list, and are fascinating to watch as they leap through the vegetation.
You will return to the lodge, have lunch and after lunch, you will drive to the Twin Lakes Burera and Ruhondo where you can have an optional afternoon boat ride on the lake. Later drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay same as above. Muhabura Hotel (Budget)/ Le Bambou (Midrange).
Day 5: Drive to Bwindi National Park-Uganda
Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast at your lodge/hotel. You will then meet up with your driver guide and embark on a 5-6 hours’ drive to Bwindi forest national park via the Cyanika border between Rwanda and Uganda. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the mountains at your backdrop, with a stopover for lunch and optional tour of Lake Bunyonyi which is known as the second deepest lake in Africa. The lake is also a popular stopover point for visitors who are interested in birding. Later proceed with your drive to your lodge with dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget), Buhoma Haven Lodge (Midrange).
Day 6: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
On the 6th day of your 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari , Today after early breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for briefing about gorilla tracking. You will encounter one of Bwindi’s endangered mountain gorillas. For most people this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park boasts both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees – the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primates, 113 species of mammals, over 200 species of butterflies and 360 species of birds. The gorillas you track are habituated and can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period of time, every day.
The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 7 hours. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
After your lunch, you can head out for an optional Batwa cultural tour where you will visit the local Batwa community and get to learn more about their interesting culture as you watch interesting dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe.
Later have dinner and overnight stay at your lodge. Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget), Buhoma Haven Lodge (Midrange).
Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast at your lodge. You will then embark on a 5-6 hours’ drive to Queen Elizabeth national park with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Arrive in Queen Elizabeth national park in the evening and check into your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Pumba Safari Cottages (Budget)/ Buffalo Safari Lodge (Midrange)
Day 8: Morning Game Drive/Lion Tracking Experience and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Today you wake up early. A little before sunrise coffee, tea and donuts will be served in the lounge before we head out for a long game drive in time to see the first rays of light. You will search for all the wildlife in the park and are likely to come across Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, and many Warthogs. You can also choose to do an optional lion tracking experience where you will be accompanied by a team of expert researchers and park rangers as you head out to track lions in the park. Lion tracking experience starts early in the morning at 5 am and takes 1-3 hours or more depending on the location of the lions.
A well-deserved lunch will be served back at the lodge in the late morning.
In the afternoon you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel which joins Lake George and Lake Edward.
Here, you will see a lot of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine!), as well as a variety of other animals which come to the waterhole to drink or bathe. You can expect to see buffalo, crocodile, bathing elephant, and a range of beautiful birds. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your tour.
After the boat-safari you game you will transfer to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Pumba Safari Cottages (Budget)/ Buffalo Safari Lodge (Midrange)
Optional Activities: Lion Tracking Experience
Day 9: Transfer to Kibale National Park (Approximately 3 hours’ drive)
Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast at your lodge. You will then meet up with your guide and drive to Kibale national park. Enjoy viewing beautiful sceneries along the way. Arrive in time for lunch at your lodge Chimpanzee Guesthouse (Midrange)/ Isunga Lodge (Midrange)
Day 10: Chimpanzee Trek and Afternoon Bigodi Wetland
ON the 10th day of your , 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari, Have breakfast and report to the park headquarters for briefing after which you embark on the Chimpanzee trekking experience where you will get to have an up-close encounter with the chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking starts at 7am with a briefing at the park headquarters and takes about 2-4 hours depending on the location of the chimps. You will be given an hour to spend with these majestic primate species and then return to your lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will drive to Bigodi wetland for an afternoon guided nature walk in Bigodi Swamp where you stand a chance of encountering the pre-historic Shoebill Stork bird. Return for dinner and overnight as above.
Day 11: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park and Visit Top of the falls
Wake up early in the morning and have your breakfast. You will then embark on a 7-8 hours’ drive to Murchison falls national park with a stopover for lunch in Kagadi town. Proceed with your drive to Murchison, arriving in the evening. Upon your arrival in the park, you will drive to the Top of the falls where you will have an up-close view of the world’s most powerful waterfalls, ‘Murchison Falls.’ Later drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge (Midrange), Parkside Safari Lodge (Budget)
Day 12: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise on River Nile
Today after breakfast, you will depart for an early morning game drive across the rolling plains of Uganda’s largest National Park. The 3,893 sq km park is home to a range of animals, and you will have a chance of viewing some of the Park’s residents including lions, giraffes, hartebeest, buffalo, and elephants. For the birders amongst you, these areas support the secretary bird and the black chested snake eagle, to name a few.
After your lunch, go for a boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls, where the Nile thunders through a small 7 meter gap plunging 43 meters into the Nile on the way to Lake Albert. The banks of the Nile are densely populated with crocodiles, hippopotamus, and a range of other wildlife that come to the river to drink.
Later have dinner and accommodation stay at Pakuba Safari Lodge (Midrange), Parkside Safari Lodge (Budget).
Day 13: Drive to Kidepo Valley National Park (Approximately 7 hours’ drive)
Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast at your lodge. You will then reconnect with your driver and transfer to Kidepo Valley national park with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Enjoy an evening game drive upon your arrival in Kidepo valley national park. Later have dinner and overnight stay at Kidepo Savannah Hotel.
Day 14: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Community Tour
On the 14th day of your 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari, wake up in the morning and have breakfast at your lodge. You will then head out for a morning game drive in the park where you will get to view a variety of wildlife animals such as buffaloes, cheetah, lions, antelopes, zebras and so many more. You will have lunch at your lodge and later head out for an afternoon community cultural tour to the nearby Karamajong community. Spend quality time with the friendly locals as you learn more about their culture through dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe. You will also take a tour of their traditional homesteads called ‘manyatas.’
Dinner and overnight stay at Kidepo Savannah Lodge.
Day 15: Morning Game Drive and Drive to Gulu Town (Approximately 5 hour’s drive)
Have breakfast at your lodge. You will then meet up with your guide and head out for your last game drive in Kidepo national park. You will proceed with your drive to Gulu Town with lunch enroute. Dinner and overnight stay at Church Hill Hotel.
Day 16: Transfer to Entebbe (Approximately 6 hour’s drive)
Wake up at leisure and have breakfast at your hotel. You will reconnect with your driver guide and embark on a 5-6 hours’ drive to Entebbe with lunch enroute and a stopover visit at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your onward flight at 2130 hrs. End of Safari.
Quotation Includes:
- Pickup in Kigali and Drop off in Entebbe
- Gorilla Permits @700 USD
- Golden Monkey Permits
- Park Entry Fees
- 4×4 Safari Vehicle
- Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- English Speaking Guide
- Boat Cruise
- Game Drive
- Border Crossing
- Chimpanzee Permit
- Community Tour
- Enroute meals as indicated on the itinerary
- Accommodation as per itinerary
Quotation Excludes:
- PCR Test in Rwanda
- International Flight Tickets
- Visa Fees
- Insurance
- Optional Activities as listed on the itinerary
- Any other items of personal nature such as toiletries, alcohol etc and anything not mentioned on the itinerary.
