10 Days Rwanda Uganda Gorilla Tour

Our 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari starts in Kampala and ends in Kigali. During the safari you will explore Ugandan national parks like Murchison falls national park which is the largest national park in Uganda harboring abundant wildlife species like the elephants, hippos, buffaloes, lions, leopards, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, Jackson’s hartebeest among others, you will also visit the primate capital Kibale national park where you will have an opportunity of viewing and spending time with the chimpanzees. From Kibale national park you will visit Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest and one of the most visited national parks offering great views of animals like buffaloes, elephants, bushbucks, warthogs, bird species, tree climbing lions among others.

The safari will also take you to Bwindi impenetrable national park which is famously known for harboring the endangered mountain gorillas and these will be viewed in their natural habitat during the safari. From Bwindi impenetrable national park you will connect to Rwanda Volcanoes national park where you will have another gorilla trekking activity so as to compare experiences in Uganda and Rwanda. You will also participate in golden monkey trekking, cultural tour where you will be entertained by Rwandese women and the city tour where you will visit the genocide memorial.

10 Days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari

Highlights of the 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Murchison falls national park

Day 2: Game drive and boat cruise

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale national park

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Day 5: Game drive and boat cruise

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 7: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Volcanoes national park

Day 8: Gorilla trekking

Day 9: Golden monkey trekking and cultural tour

Day 10: Kigali city tour and departure

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 of the 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari

Transfer to Murchison falls national park, depending on your arrival time on the first day of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about your safari and then start the journey to Murchison falls national park. On your way you will have en-route lunch in Masindi town and then continue to the park where you will drive directly to the top of the falls. Top of the falls drive is an amazing activity that will give you an opportunity of having panoramic views of the falls, animals, birds and take great photos. After the drive you will transfer to the lodge check in, have dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Game drive and Boat cruise

Game drive, on the second day of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will have an early breakfast, meet up with your driver guide and go for a morning game drive which starts at around 6:30 or 7:00am. there are different tracks followed during the game drive in Murchison falls national park such as Albert, Victoria, Buligi game tracks which offer great views of animals like lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, bird species like Egyptian plover, bee-eater among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise activity on River Nile which starts at 2:00pm at Paraa jetty and takes about 2 to 3 hours. during the boat cruise you will have great views of the vegetation , animals like waterbucks, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, Uganda kobs which will be drinking along the water banks, hippos and crocodiles in water, bird species such as saddle billed stork, African jacana, African fish eagle, malachite kingfisher among others. The boat continues to the bottom of the waterfalls where you can disembark and opt for a guided top of the falls hike. The hike is strenuous therefore you have to be physically fit and will take about 45 minutes to reach on top. During hiking you will enjoy gentle splashes of the water, listen to the crashing of the water among others and when you reach on top you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale national park

After breakfast on the third day of your 10 day Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will check out of the lodge, meet up with your driver guide and transfer to Kibale national park which is located in southwestern Uganda. The national park is famously known for harboring about 13 primates including chimpanzees, baboons, monkeys among others. You will have en-route lunch on your way and spectacular views of the landscape, Rwenzori Mountains, Lake Albert, Lake Edward and Lake George, homesteads, tea plantations among others. You will have stop overs to take photos and stretch your legs as you continue to the park and upon arrival you will check in, have dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. Chimpanzee trekking, on the fourth day of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari, you will have an early breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyachu Visitors Centre for a briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 6 people, allocated a chimpanzee group to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with the trails in the forest.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park starts at around 8:00am and takes 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to spot other primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, various bird species and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their habits, lifestyles, behaviors, take photos and record the moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour encounter with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for lunch.

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park, after lunch you will check out of the lodge, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. The journey takes about 3 hours’ drive with great views of animals as you drive through the park to the lodge where you will check in, have dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Game drive/lion tracking and boat cruise.

Game drive/ lion tracking, after an early breakfast on the fifth day of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will meet up with your driver guide and go for a morning game drive/lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will be able to view various animal species such as the leopards, lions, elephants, kobs, waterbucks, buffaloes, bushbucks, warthogs, hyenas, bush pigs, and various bird species such as the papyrus gonolek, white backed night heron, yellow throated cuckoo, red chested sunbird, white winged warbler among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.

Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for an afternoon boat cruise at Kazinga channel which joins Lake George and Lake Edward. The boat cruise on Kazinga channel is an exciting activity that starts at around 2:00pm at a landing site near Mweya safari lodge and takes about 2 hours. During the boat cruise you will have spectacular views of animal species like hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs among others along the water banks drinking water and various water birds such as martial eagle, papyrus gonolek, pelicans, African skimmers, cormorants, African spoonbills, fish eagles, king fisher’s among others. After the boat cruise you will drive meet up with your driver guide and go for an evening game drive in the park. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

After an early breakfast on the sixth day of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will check out of the lodge, meet up with your driver guide and start the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park which takes about 4 hours. You will pass via Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park where you will view the tree climbing lions lying up in the acacia, fig tree branches staring at the antelopes. After the game drive in Ishasha sector you will have lunch and then proceed with the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon arrival in Buhoma sector you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park.

Gorilla trekking, on day 7 of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari, you will have an early breakfast, carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people, allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is experienced and well conversant with the trails in the forest. Grouping is however done according to various factors like age, physical fitness, personal preferences among others therefore if you are not physically fit you are advised to communicate with your driver guide so that they allocate you a gorilla family that is easy to trek.

Gorilla trekking in the park starts at around 8:00am and takes 30 minutes to 7 hours and during trekking you will pass through the thick forest where you will be able to view primates like the L’hoest monkeys, baboons, bird species, plant species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors, take photos and also record videos. After the one hour encounter with the gorillas, you will trek back to the park headquarters where you be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for late lunch.

Transfer to Volcanoes national park, after lunch you will check out of the lodge and start the journey to Volcanoes national park passing via Cyanika border. On your way you will have great views of the rolling hills in Rwanda, landscapes, farmlands, homesteads among others. The journey takes 3 to 4 hours’ drive and upon arrival you will continue to the lodge, check in, have dinner and overnight.

Day 8: gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park.

Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on day 8 of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who will show you the trails to follow and also share information about the mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the location of the gorillas and once found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat taking photos, recording videos, learning about their habits, behaviors, watching them carry out their daily activities among others. After the breathtaking encounter with the gorillas you will trek back to the park headquarters meet up with your guide and drive to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Golden monkey trekking and cultural tour.

Golden monkey trekking, on day 9 of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the expectations, rules and regulations to follow during golden monkey trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a park guide and then start trekking in the jungle which takes 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the golden monkeys. Once they are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habit learning about their behaviors, habits, lifestyle, watching them play up in the trees as you take plenty of photos and record videos. After the one hour encounter with the golden monkeys you will trek back to the park headquarters meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch.

Cultural tour, after lunch you will go for a cultural tour in the neighboring community where you will visit Ibyi’wacu culture village. During the cultural tour you will get an opportunity of tasting Kinyarwanda local food, drink locally brewed beer from bananas, participate in their traditional performances for example Kinyarwanda dance, be entertained through music, drama, storytelling among others. After the cultural tour you will transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 : Kigali city tour and departure

Kigali city, on the last day of your 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari you will have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kigali for the city tour. During the city tour you will visit Kigali genocide memorial site where you will learn more about the blood shading of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, visit the art and craft markets where they make paintings, sculptures, visit Kimironko local market where you will interact with the market vendors selling fruits, vegetables, handmade crafts like mats, baskets among others. After the city tour you will go for buffet in one of the hotels in Kigali and after start the journey to Kigali international airport where your driver guide will drop you off for your next flight.

End of 10 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla trekking safari.

Tour includes

• 2 Gorilla trekking permit

• Chimpanzee trekking permit

• Golden monkey trekking permit

• Park entrance fees

• Boat cruise fees

• Cultural tour

• Kigali city tour

• An English speaking driver guide

• Full board accommodation

• Pick up and drop off

• Vehicle and fuel

• Bottled water

Tour excludes

• Air flight tickets

• Visas

• Optional activities not included on the itinerary

• Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.