8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari

8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari : This is an enjoyable and exceptional safari that will take you from Kigali Rwanda to Entebbe Uganda, which all starts in Kigali Rwanda.

During your Uganda Rwanda safari, you will take part in golden monkey trekking and a cultural tour of Ibyi’wacu, which will take place in the Volcanoes National Park.

You will also get the opportunity to visit Bwindi impenetrable national park in the southern part of Uganda where you will have the chance to get up close and personal with the endangered mountain gorillas during the safari and spend an hour with them in their natural habitat.

There is also the opportunity to visit the Queen Elizabeth National Park during the Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari for eight days during which you will be able to observe elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, and hippos during the game drives as well as the boat cruise in Kazinga channel, where you will be able to see chimpanzees in their natural environment.

Highlights of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali airport and transfer to Volcanoes national park

Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyiwacu cultural tour

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Day 6: Morning game drive, afternoon boat cruise and transfer to Kibale forest national park

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali airport, city tour and transfer to Volcanoes national park

You will be welcomed by our representative in Kigali on the first day of your 8-day Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari based upon your location on the first day of your safari if you are located in Kigali. Upon arrival in Kigali, our representative will explain to you the details of the safari, as well as take you on a city tour of the city where you will see the Kigali Genocide, Kimironko Market, and several art galleries. Upon completion of the city tour, we will have lunch and then we will depart for Volcanoes national park which will take us approximately 2 to 3 hours to reach. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour

In the morning of your second day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will be picked up by your driver guide and taken to the park headquarters for a golden monkey briefing. A golden monkey will be introduced to you when you meet up with your driver guide.

After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest in search of the golden monkeys, which will usually take between 30 minutes and 4 hours depending on where they are located in the forest. As you trek you will have the opportunity to view other primates and once you find the golden monkeys in their habitat, you will be able to spend one hour with them and have the opportunity to watch them feed, play, jump up into trees, record videos and take photographs. After golden monkey trekking, you will return to the lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon you will embark on an interesting cultural tour where you will visit the Ibyi’wacu cultural village, learn about the culture, tradition, and way of life of the local people, taste their local dishes, and enjoy their traditional performances among others.

After the cultural tour, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

After breakfast on the third day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive passing through Cyanka border in Kisoro and on the way you will enjoy great views of the rolling hills, countryside, terraced farmlands among others. Upon arrival in the park, you will continue to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Gorilla trekking,

On the fourth day of your Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will have breakfast early in the morning, carry a packed lunch, and your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge in order to take you to the park headquarters for a briefing on the rules, regulations, and expectations of the gorilla trekking experience.

After the briefing, you will be assigned a gorilla family to trek with and a park guide who is knowledgeable about gorillas and well-versed in the jungle’s trails.

A gorilla trek in Bwindi impenetrable national park takes approximately 30 minutes to seven hours, depending on where the gorillas are located.

While trekking, you will be able to observe animals such as forest elephants, buffaloes, other primates, such as the l’hoest monkey, the black colobus monkey, and the chimpanzee, as well as a variety of birds including the African harrier hawk, the crowned hornbill, and the African green pigeon.

You will have an opportunity to spend one hour with the gorillas once they have been found in their habitat, which allows you to observe their daily activities, such as feeding, nursing, playing, observing their behaviors, taking excellent pictures, and recording the breathtaking moments to share with your loved ones.

Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

Upon returning from your one-hour encounter with the gentle giants, you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide for a transfer to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

After breakfast on the fifth day of your eight-day Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet your driver guide for the transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

During the journey you will pass through Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park, where you will have the opportunity to observe tree climbing lions lying in the branches of fig trees.

In the afternoon, following the game drive in the Ishasha sector, you will have lunch before continuing your journey to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Once you have arrived at the park, you will check into the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Day 6: Morning game drive/ lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive/lion tracking,

On the sixth day of your 8-day Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will have breakfast and meet your driver guide for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains.

On a game drive, you will be able to see elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, warthogs as they graze in the open savannah plains as well as predators such as lions and leopards if you are lucky, as well as a wide variety of bird species. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for lunch.

Boat cruise,

After lunch, you will take a boat cruise on Kazinga channel, a body of water connecting Lake George and Lake Edward.

During the boat cruise which takes about 2 hours, you will have the opportunity to view elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shore, see large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles, see water birds including the martial eagle, papyrus gonolek, pelicans, hornbills, African skimmers, cormorants, African spoonbills, fish eagle, king fisher, and see fishermen arranging their fishing nets on the banks.

The boat ride will end with a boat ride to Kibale Forest National Park, where you will have a chance to view the landscape, crater lakes, tea plantations among others on your way to the lodge where you will have dinner and overnight accommodation.

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

After an early breakfast on the seventh day of your 8 day Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will meet up with your driver guide for a transfer to Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a briefing on chimpanzee trekking.

Upon completion of the briefing, you will be assigned a chimpanzee family to trek with and a park guide who is well versed in the forest’s trails.

As chimpanzees are constantly moving from one spot to another in search of food, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park can last anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours.

The trek will offer you the chance to spot other primates as well, such as the gray cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkey, red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, along with a few bird species as well as plants.

After you locate the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, you will have the chance to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat in their natural habitat, which will allow you to learn more about their behavior, watch them feed, breastfeed, fight, hunt, and enjoy watching the juveniles playing up in the trees while taking photos and capturing memories of the experience in their natural habitat.

In the aftermath of the face-to-face encounter with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the headquarters of the park where you will meet up with your driver guide to drive you back to the lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to go for a swamp walk in Bigodi swamp where you’ll be able to admire different bird species, animals like sitatungas, as well as different species of plants and trees, among others. After the swamp walk, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

In the morning of the last day of your 8 day Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will have a relaxing breakfast, check out of the lodge, and meet with your guide to begin the journey to Kampala.

After a stopover for lunch, you will continue your journey on the way to the Kampala international airport for your flight, arriving in the evening. On arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at the Entebbe international airport for your flight back home, or drop you off at any other location of your choice.

End of 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari.

Tour includes                                  

• Gorilla trekking permit
• Chimpanzee trekking
• Golden monkey trekking
• Park entrance fees/ game drives
• Boat cruise fees
• Bigodi swamp walk
• Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
• Kigali city tour
• Professional English speaking driver guide
• Full board accommodation
• Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
• Vehicle and fuel
• Bottled drinking water

Tour excludes                      

• International air flight tickets
• Visas
• Optional activities not included on the itinerary
• Life insurance
• Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.