This is a 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Wildlife, Great Apes Safari begin in Entebbe, Uganda and ending in Kigali, Rwanda. During these 12 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, you will be tracking mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, wildlife viewing in Murchison falls national park, Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park and golden monkey trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park.
Highlights for 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Wildlife, Great Apes Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Entebbe and Transfer to Kampala.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls with Rhino Tracking at Ziwa
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trek and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Evening Game Drive
Day 7: Lion Tracking/Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Day 9: Gorilla Trek and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park- Optional Visit to Karisoke Centre.
Day 11: Golden Monkey Trek, Ibyi’wacu Village Tour and Drive Back to Kigali.
Day 12: City Tour and Airport Drop off in Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Wildlife, Great Apes Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Entebbe and Transfer to Kampala.
Depending on your time of arrival in Uganda, find your driver guide waiting for you at Entebbe International Airport and transfer to your hotel in Kampala with an optional city tour where you can visit the craft village, National Museum, Bahai Temple, Acacia Mall, and Kingdom Kampala. Dinner and overnight stay at Forest Cottages (Budget)/ Fairway Hotel (Midrange)/ Serena Hotel (Luxury)
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls with Rhino Tracking at Ziwa
Our driver guide will meet you at your hotel and drive to Murchison Falls National Park with a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking and lunch in Masindi town. Proceed to Murchison falls arriving in the afternoon.
This is the largest park in Uganda, covering almost 4000 km2, and is one of the most spectacular parks in all of Africa. There are the incredible falls from which the park takes its name, rugged savannah, dense woodland and spectacular wildlife. Drive to the Top of the falls where you will have an up-close view of the world’s most powerful waterfalls, ‘Murchison Falls.’ Check in to your hotel, relax, have dinner and overnight stay at Parkside Safari Lodge (Budget)/ Pakuba Safari Lodge (Midrange)/ Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury)
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
A full day of game viewing at Murchison; begin with a morning game drive, on the lookout for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, antelope, lion, leopard and jackal. If luck is really on our side, we may encounter one of Murchison’s few cheetahs.
In the afternoon, you will take a boat trip to the base of the 43m high falls. This is also a good opportunity to spot a few of Murchison’s 460 bird species including the shoebill stork and goliath heron. You will also see one of Africa’s densest hippo and crocodile populations. Dinner and overnight at Parkside Safari Lodge (Budget)/Pakuba Safari Lodge (Midrange)/ Paraa Safari Lodge (Luxury) as above.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
You will have breakfast and then drive to Kibale with an optional visit to Amabere Ga Nyina mwiru and hike to the crater lakes. Have lunch and proceed to Kibale arriving in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at Isunga Lodge (Budget)/ Chimpanzee Guesthouse Lodge (Midrange)/ Chimpundu Lodge (Luxury)
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trek and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
Take early morning breakfast and go for briefing and start chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Kibale’s 795km2 National Park contains one of the most beautiful and with the most varying tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda. This is place to a number of forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primate coupled with chimpanzees.
After trekking you will have lunch and spend the rest of your afternoon at leisure. Alternatively, if you still wish to explore more, you can do an optional visit to Bigodi Swamp where you will embark on a guided walk in the wetland. Bigodi Swamp is a notable birding site and perfect for bird enthusiasts. You will get an opportunity to see a variety of bird species including the prehistoric Shoebill Stork. Later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay same as above. Isunga Lodge (Budget)/ Chimpanzee Guesthouse Lodge (Midrange)/ Chimpundu Lodge (Luxury)
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park- Evening Game Drive
Have breakfast at your lodge and meet up with your driver guide. You will then embark on a 4 hours’ drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese District which is the second largest savanna park in Uganda, with lunch enroute. Arrive in the afternoon and check into your lodge. You will head out for an evening game drive in the park in search for wildlife such as elephants, buffalos, impala, lions, leopards, cheetah, waterbucks, reedbucks, Uganda kobs, hippos and so many more. Later return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Pumba Safari Lodge (Budget)/Elephant Hub Lodge- Midrange/ Elephant Plains Lodge (Luxury)
Day 7: Lion Tracking/Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
After breakfast, you will set off for an early morning breakfast and head out for a Lion tracking experience/morning game drive in Kisenyi sector where you will have the chance to view a variety of wildlife including buffalos, topi, waterbucks, reedbucks, elephants, hyenas, kobs and lions if you are lucky. You will be accompanied by a team of expert as you track a pride of lions in the park. The activity starts at 5am in the morning and takes approximately 4 hours or more depending on the location of the lions in the park. This activity will later be followed by a short game drive in Kasenyi area of the park. Expect lots of animals including; elephants, Lions, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, Uganda kobs among others.
In the afternoon, you will go for a boat cruise down the Kazinga Channel for some more incredible game viewing. You will see countless hippos, buffalos and a vast array of birds, perhaps including the African Fish Eagle and shoebill stork. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight at Pumba Safari Lodge (Budget)/Elephant Hub Lodge- Midrange/ Elephant Plains Lodge (Luxury)
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi National Park (Approximately 4-5 hours)
On the 8th day of your 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Wildlife, You will make a morning game drive in the park, in hope of seeing more lions and the elusive leopard. Then say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth and head down to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park with lunch en-route and arrive in Bwindi in the later afternoon. Check in, unwind, dinner and overnight at Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget)/ Buhoma Haven Lodge (Midrange)/ Mahogany Springs -Luxury
Day 9: Gorilla Trek and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
After an early morning breakfast, you will depart with your packed lunch and proceed to the park headquarters for briefing and take to the forest for gorilla trekking! Your child can spend that time at the hotel or in the company of guide as they visit around. Gorilla Trekking can take an hour or four depending on the movement of the gorillas.
The time remaining after visiting the gorillas can either be spent relaxing and remembering the trek or hiking in the foothills or alternatively, you can do an optional visit to the neighboring Batwa local community where you will get a chance to interact with the friendly Batwa people (Pygmies) and learn more about their interesting culture as you watch traditional dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe. Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Community Rest Camp (Budget)/Buhoma Haven Lodge (Midrange)/ Mahogany Springs (Luxury) as above
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park- Optional Visit to Karisoke Centre. (About 5 hour’s drive)
Have breakfast in the morning and then meet up with your driver guide. You will embark on about 5 hours’ drive to Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, arriving in time for lunch at your lodge. Spend the rest of your evening relaxing at the lodge as you prepare for your golden monkey trek the following day. If you wish to adventure more in the evening, you do an optional visit to Karisoke centre where you can visit Dian Fossey museum and also see her gravesite. Dinner and overnight stay at Muhabura Hotel (Budget)/ Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco Lodge (Midrange)/ Virunga Resort Inn & Spa Hotel (Luxury)
Day 11: Golden Monkey Trek, Ibyi’wacu Village Tour and Drive Back to Kigali. (Approximately 3 hours’ drive back to Kigali)
After breakfast, you will go for golden monkey tracking. This activity also takes like 2-3 hours in the Virunga forest. After your golden monkey trek, you will visit Ibyi’wacu village which is also known as the ‘Gorilla Guardians’ Village.’ You will visit the former king’s palace, dress in traditional Rwandan attire and also be entertained to traditional Rwandan folk dance and signing performances from the local intore dance troupe. Later return back to your lodge for early lunch and transfer back to Kigali city reaching in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at Step Town Hotel (Budget)/ Des Milles Collines Hotel (Midrange)/ Four Points by Sheraton Hotel (Luxury)
Day 12: City Tour and Airport Dropoff in Kigali.
After having breakfast, your driver guide will take you on a tour of Kigali city (depending on your return flight schedule) where you will visit places like Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, Kimironko Market, Caplaki craft village, and Nyamirambo Women’s Centre and later drop you off at Kigali International Airport or any hotel of your choice in Kigali as you will advise. End of Tour!
