This 12-Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari takes you to the outstanding natural beauty and diversity of landscape in Uganda has long served as the focal point of inspiration for travelers, and features prominently on our Uganda & Rwanda tour.
Heading into Rwanda, we make a route for Genocide memorial in Kigali and Kigali City Tour.
This comfortable, fully-escorted and guided safari tour through Uganda and Rwanda features lands of rolling hills, tranquil lakes, the snow-capped ‘Mountains of the Moon’, rainforests and jungles, gorillas and chimps, and glorious butterflies outnumbered only by the plentiful birds.
Towering mountains give way to fertile meadows and broad savannahs, while the dry uplands contrast with the swamplands of the lakeshores.
We keep a lookout for Red Colobus monkeys and visit Uganda’s most popular game reserve, Queen Elizabeth National Park, where have the opportunity to take a boat ride amid Africa’s largest hippo population.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, our last destination on the Uganda leg of our 13 Days Uganda Tour & Rwanda Safari, is a designated World Heritage Park and is home to just over
half the world’s mountain gorilla population.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali, Rwanda
Today we arrive at Kigali Airport (the airport serving the capital) and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Kigali:
Accommodation: Hotel Chez Lando
Included Meal(s): Dinner//Drinking water throughout
Day 2: Visit Kigali Genocide Memorial and City Tour/Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi – Uganda
After your morning Breakfast, you will then embark on your Journey towards the Genocide Memorial and the Kigali City tour. You will then embark on your 3-4hrs Journey from Kigali to Lake Bunyonyi -Uganda. You will drive straight to your lodge, check in, have lunch and have a relaxed evening, dinner and overnight.
Overnight at Lake Bunyonyi
Main Destination: Lake Bunyonyi
Accommodation: Arcadia Lodge
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner//Drinking water throughout
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Have breakfast, and head-out for a 2-3hrs canoe Ride. You will spend these hours relaxing at the place of the little birds splashing a dugout canoe in the same way as it has been done for many years here and along other lakes like Lake Mutanda in Uganda. The Dugout Canoe tour is also a safari back in time with in a dugout as the times of old, but also is a known journey in the present moment. During this activity, there is noise from the sounds of the birds, and the paddles that dip into the water, you will not forget for a long time in life.
You will come back to have Lunch and thereafter have a 2hrs transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for Dinner and Overnight as you prepare for the epic Gorilla Trekking experience the following morning.
Overnight at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Ruhija sector)
Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner //Drinking water throughout
Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park: Gorilla Tracking Experience at Ruhija Sector/Batwa Cultural Experience
Bwindi, a World Heritage Park, is home to just over half of the world’s last surviving mountain gorilla population of 1,000 individuals. Today’s trek can take from one to six hours, sometimes more, at elevations in excess of 2270 m (7,500 ft) and over rough terrain. Although the hike can
be physically demanding, the anticipation of the exciting experience ahead is invigorating, and the beauty of the forest and its inhabitants is fascinating. Your gorilla permits are included in the tour price.
The area around Bwindi is an excellent place for watching primates and birds and you may catch a glimpse of the noisy but evasive Chimpanzees or the beatiful Hornbills and Turacos. The forest is home to 120 species of mammals, 346 species of birds, 202 species of butterflies, and 163 species of trees, making it one of the richest ecosystems in Africa.
The Gorilla Tracking Experience gives you the chance to spend 1-hours in the company of the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You’ll trek into the forest alongside park rangers – blazing a trail through the wilder sides of the forest – in search for gorilla families. The experience of coming face to face with these peaceful primates is very overwhelming.
Head back to the lodge for lunch/ Freshen up and thereafter, you will have the Batwa Cultural experience, come back to the lodge, dinner and overnight.
Overnight at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation: Agandi Lodge
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner//Drinking water throughout
Day 5: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Have breakfast and set off to Lake Mburo NP. Drive past the intensely terraced Kigezi hill slopes into Mbarara town and finally Lake Mburo NP. Arrive in the park in the early afternoon and take some rest before proceeding out for the late afternoon (evening) game viewing. On the game drive, expect to see the gigantic eland antelopes, zebras in big numbers, topis, impalas, warthogs, Uganda kob, and Cape buffalos among others. Later, relax at the accommodation where you will spend the night.
Approximate distance: 3-4hrs
Main Destination: Lake Mburo National Park
Accommodation: Mihingo Lodge
Meal Plan: All meals included/Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 6: Mburo Nature Walk/Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Enjoy your early breakfast and proceed for the Mburo morning park/nature walk in the presence of an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger/guide. On this early morning guided walk, you often encounter hyenas that are returning to their dens after a night of being on the prowl. Also, you will have the opportunity to encounter (at close range): Zebras, Giraffes and Eland, Topi and other antelopes, and Cape buffaloes among others. Take the Trail to the top of the hills and see Lake Mburo and beyond. From this vantage point, you will have a great view of 9 of the twelve lakes surrounding Lake Mburo NP.
Thereafter return to the lodge, freshen up and embark on 3-4hrs drive Queen Elizabeth NP. Proceed with the journey arriving late afternoon/evening, have an evening game drive. On your first game drive, it is time to explore Queen Elizabeth National Park with 200 kilometres of well- maintained game viewing tracks. We advise for you to be alert and proactive on your game drive to help the ranger spot as many animals as possible. With an astonishing 5000 hippos, 2500 elephants, and over 10,000 buffalo thriving in its grasslands and shorelines, this park guarantees sightings of some of Africa’s most iconic species. Al being well you see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, different species of antelope, and just maybe some of the exciting predators such as; lion, leopard, civet, genal and serval cats.
check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Approximate Distance: 3-4hrs
Main Destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation: Elephant Hab Lodge/Twin Lakes Safari Lodge
All meals included/Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 7: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Safari along the Famous Kazinga Channel
After an early breakfast, you will go for a long morning game drive at 6.30 A.m in time to catch up with the early risers and see the sunrise as well whereby you will search for all the wildlife in the park; Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Waterbuck, Leopard, Uganda Kob, Warthog, etc.
After lunch, you will take a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon and you will see a lot of hippos (more than you can possibly imagine), as well as a variety of other animals that 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 do a short evening game drive as you drive back to the lodge. If time permits, you will then have an evening Game Drive.
Main Destination: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation: Elephant Hab Lodge/Twin Lakes
Meals & Drinks:
- All meals included
- Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 8: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park/Evening Bigodi Swamp Walk.
Have breakfast in the morning and thereafter, embark on a 3-4hr Journey to Kibale forest National Park. Have Lunch at Fort Portal and You will arrive to check in and have an evening Guided Nature walk.
You will have the opportunity for a guided walk through the swamps of Bigodi swamps. This activity will take you to the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary which features 8 primate species, over 200 bird species and many reptiles. During the walk – which takes 2 to 3 hours – you have a chance to many animals but the highlight is catching a glimpse of a famous bird; the Great Blue Turaco.
Thereafter, Dinner and Overnight at your Lodge. Main Destination: Kibale National Park Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpundu
Meals & Drinks: All meals included/Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 9: Chimpanzee Tracking and Community Visits
Today you will track the most famous inhabitants of Kibale National Park, the chimpanzees. Chimpanzees share 98% of human genes making them our closest living relatives. They are found in 21 countries throughout Africa, but are most easily sighted in Uganda due to their dense populations. Today, in Uganda, there are approximately 5,000 chimpanzees left in the wild. The Chimpanzee Trekking experience here is done on several well-maintained walking trails.
There is also a wonderfully diverse concentration of other primates, more than any other forest in East Africa, in fact. Besides our delightful cousins, the chimpanzees, you can find red colobus, red-tailed guenon, white-nosed monkey, gray-cheeked mangabey, blue monkey, L’Hoest’s monkey, and the black and white colobus monkey. In addition, you may see olive baboons, bush babies and nocturnal pottos.
After Tracking, you will then enjoy Community Visits of Kibale Forest.
Main Destination: Kibale Forest National Park
Accommodation: Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpundu
Meals & Drinks: All meals included/Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 10: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
The falls mark the spot where the river Nile, on its journey from its source at Lake Victoria to join Lake Albert, is suddenly channeled into a gorge only six meters wide and cascades 43 meters below. The earth literally trembles at Murchison Falls — one of the world’s most powerful natural flows of water. Named them after Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Royal Geographical Society, the falls also lend their name to the surrounding Murchison Falls National Park. It’s a drive of about 5-8hrs.
You will have one stop for lunch reaching Murchison Falls in the late Afternoon/Evening. You will reach to do much but check into your lodge for relaxation, Dinner and Overnight.
Overnight at Murchison Falls National Park.
Main Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner//Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 11: Murchison Falls Game Drive and Boat Safari/Top of Falls Hike
We begin the day with an early morning game drive on the Buligi, Albert or Queens tracks north of the river Nile. Here we have the chance to observe those animals closely associated with the African savannah like lion — leopard, giraffe, antelope, elephant, and warthog.
After lunch we have a cruise on the Nile River. The cruise takes to the bottom of the thundering falls where you will see huge crocodiles, hippo, buffalo, elephant and a variety of water birds like herons, cormorants, ducks, bee-eaters, kingfishers, skimmers, fish eagle and more. Continue with a hike (if you like) to the top of the falls. The hike may be a strenuous one but the thrill of reaching the top is unforgettable. Miss it only if you must. Return to your accommodation and have a relaxed evening.
Overnight at Murchison Falls National Park.
Main Destination: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner//Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Day 12: Transfer to Entebbe en-route to Mabamba Swamp for the Shoebill Trek
This morning we travel by road northwards having a stop for lunch. Mabamba Swamp is a bird lover’s dream destination and a reliable place to find the prehistorically Shoebills in Uganda.
The swamp is a major breeding site and prides itself as one of the locations with the highest concentration of Shoebills anywhere in the world. This protected area will almost guarantee a sighting of this prehistoric bird in its natural Wetland. This leisure boat cruise will go around waterways in the swamp with a chance of sighting many different bird species and the endemics that live around Lake Victoria.
Depending on your arrival time in Entebbe, you will opt to visit the malls and some craft shops and after you will get to your hotel to check in.
We then proceed towards to your accommodation/hotel to freshen up and drop off at the Airport at 10:00pm and 00:45.
Main Destination: Entebbe
Accommodation: Via Via Guest House/Airport Guest House
Accommodation: End of Tour!
Included Meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch//Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Tour Rates Includes,
- Park fees (For non-residents)
- Shoebill Trek at Mabamba Swamp
- Gorilla permits (One per person, non-resident)
- Chimpanzee permits (One per person, non-resident)
- All activities (Unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation (Unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking water/Fruits (On all days)
- 4×4 Jeep with Open/Pop Up Roof Top
- Accommodation before and at the end of the tour
Tour Rates Excludes,
- International flights (From/to home)
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, )
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
