UAAV 023 – 15 Days Rwanda & Uganda Adventure

An exciting and comprehensive Safari in Uganda and Rwanda including a luxury, Mid-range and Budget safari for spectacular wildlife viewing, Gorilla tracking, Chimpanzee tracking and boat cruise. This is a tour that takes you to Uganda and Rwanda’s best national parks.

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park
Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking
Day 4: Drive to Kibuye
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking
Day 7: Dian Fossey grave hike
Day 8: Cross to the Ugandan side
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Southern Bwindi
Day 10: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 11: Chimpanzee tracking and swamp walk
Day 12: Depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 13: Game drives and launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel
Day 14: Chimpanzee tracking and drive to Kisoro
Day 15: Return to Kigali

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our safari guide and transferred to Kigali for a city tour.  Visit the Genocide Memorial center in Gisozi. This memorial stands on sacred ground where a quarter of a million people lie buried. Later, transfer to your selected accommodation unit for dinner and overnight stay. The meal plan for this day is lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

  • Luxury: Kigali Serena Hotel/Milles Collines Hotel
  • Mid range: Urban city blue Kigali
  • Budget: Lemigo Hotel

Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park

The safari guide will pick you up at 10:00am at your preferred accommodation in Kigali and head to Nyungwe Forest, passing through splendid hills and cultivated countryside. Have a stopover in Nyanza to visit the famous King’s Palace and later proceed to Nyungwe Forest for relaxation and overnight. The meal plan for this day is lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Luxury: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
  • Mid range: Nyungwe Tophill View Lodge

Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking

Early morning departure for a guided nature walk in Nyungwe Forest in search of primates like the chimpanzees, the colobus monkey, l’hoests monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey or blue monkey. Tracking the chimpanzees can take anytime from a few hours to a full day depending on where they are. It should be mentioned that it is not guaranteed to see the chimps as they are unpredictable and can move long distances in one day. Birdwatchers will also appreciate the exceptional rich bird life.   After the trek, you will return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Luxury: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
  • Midrange: Nyungwe Tophill View Lodge

Day 4: Drive to Kibuye

After breakfast, you will start your exploration of Lake Kivu. On your way to Kibuye, you will visit the Genocide Memorial of Bisesero. After lunch, have some relaxation on the shores of Lake Kivu. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Luxury: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
  • Midrange: Comoran lodge
  • Budget: Hotel Paradis Malahide

    Day 5: Head to Volcanoes National Park

Have breakfast while enjoying a speed-boat trip to Gisenyi and be picked up in Gisenyi for lunch. After, drive to Ruhengeri or Kinigi for an overnight. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
  • Midrange: Davinci lodge/Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
  • Budget: Kinigi Guest House

Day 6: Gorilla Trekking

This morning with an early breakfast, you will drive to Volcanoes National Pak headquarters where our trackers will be met and head up the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes after a briefing from the park wardens. Visit one of the ten habituated groups assigned to you. Tracking the gorillas through the lush forested slopes of the Virungas is an absolutely exquisite experience. You need to have a good level of fitness for the gorilla trek. You can trek from 1-6 hours through dense forest vegetation, slippery slopes and changing weather. If you are lucky you can get to the gorillas, spend an hour with them, and be back at the base in time for a late lunch. Some gorilla families however are hard to pin down, and tracking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy. After lunch, you may decide to visit the local communities neighboring the park or relax at the lodge. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

  • Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
  • Midrange: Davinci lodge/Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
  • Budget: Kinigi Guest House

 Day 7: Dian Fossey grave hike

Have breakfast and pack some light food as your lunch to take a hike up to the grave of Dian Fossey and the remains of the Old Karisoke Research Station. Over the course of the morning you follow in Dian Fossey’s footsteps on our way to her grave, as well as the graves belonging to many poached gorillas including famous Digit. You will be guided around the area where Old Karisoke Research Station was set up by a park guide. Although very little of the station remains, the setting is incredible and one can imagine the incredible life that Dian Fossey led in these isolated mountains. After the hike, you may decide to visit the twin lakes; Ruhondo and Bulera. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

  • Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
  • Midrange: Davinci lodge/Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
  • Budget: Kinigi Guest House

Day 8: Cross to the Ugandan side

After breakfast, drive to the Rwanda-Uganda border and be transferred to Lake Bunyonyi for a relaxation. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Chameleon Hill Lodge
  • Gorilla mist lodge

Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Southern Bwindi

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the gorilla tracking information office for a pre-gorilla tracking briefing by the park warden and rangers at 8am. After briefing, the rangers will then lead you into the forest to track these gentle giants (Mountain gorillas). The thrill of spending time observing the gorillas as they interact with each other is a pleasing and unforgettable one, you are allowed an hour witnessing the interaction of these close relatives of ours. You are advised to carry with you a packed lunch for, the time spent tracking the gorillas would not be known to you but varies from 3 to 8 hours. Time permitting; you may go for a late afternoon community walk to see the local people’s way of life and cultures. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

  • Chameleon Hill Lodge
  • Gorilla mist lodge

Day 10: Drive to Kibale Forest National Park

After your breakfast, you will transfer to Kibale forest national park that allows you a visit to the palace of the youngest king in the world (Tooro kingdom palace) for a cultural and historical brief, depending on the time we leave Bwindi, we can carry with us packed lunch or lunch shall be served in Fort portal town before proceeding to visit the crater lakes and then head to your hotel for a night before yet an exciting activity of Chimpanzee tracking. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge/Ndali Lodge/Crater safari lodge
  • Mid range: Kibale Guest cottages/Mountains of the moon Hotel
  • Budget: Kibale Forest Camp

Day 11: Chimpanzee tracking and swamp walk

After an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the Chimpanzee tracking information office at 8am for a briefing by the park warden and ranger guides, and after, you will be led into the rain forest in search of chimpanzees. These primates are very mobile and viewing them is unpredictable but a forest walk is an enriching activity and takes about 4 to 6 hours. This forest is home to a large number of chimpanzees and other primates including Lhoestes, grey cheeked mangabeys, Red-colobus, Red-tailed, birds, and butterflies. You will get back at the lodge in time for lunch and if you have energy in the afternoon, go for a Bigodi swamp walk for yet more primates and bird watching with an optional opportunity to meet and interact with the local communities living here. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preffered accommodation.

  • Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge/Ndali Lodge/Crater safari lodge
  • Mid range: Kibale Guest cottages/Mountains of the moon Hotel
  • Budget: Kibale Forest Camp

Day 12: Depart to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth is host to a large variety and volume of wildlife. It boasts one o the highest bio diversity ratings of any game park in the world, from the open Savannah to Rain forest, dense swamps and beautiful crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. Almost 100 species that include Hippos, Lions, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena and the elusive giant forest hog, there are over 606 species of birds found here including the martial eagle, black-rumped buttonquail, Verreaux’s eagle owl and African skimmer to name but a few. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

  • Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge
  • Mid range: Park view lodge/Kasenyi safari lodge
  • Budget: Enganzi Lodge

Day 13: Game drives and launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel

After an early morning warm up tea or coffee, you will head for a game drive along Kasenyi tracks in search of animals like: lions, cape buffalos, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, spotted hyenas, mangoose, kobs and, if you are lucky, the leopard is often spotted. Over 606 bird species have been recorded in this park and most notably along the Kazinga channel. Return for a full breakfast, relax and prepare for yet another exciting activity in the afternoon. After lunch you will transfer to enjoy a unique two hours boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This launch cruise gives you a great opportunity for photography, animal and bird watching at close range. The meal plan for this day is breakfast, lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

  • Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge
  • Mid range: Park view lodge/Kasenyi safari lodge
  • Budget: Enganzi Lodge

Day 14:  Chimpanzee tracking and drive to Kisoro

This morning, you will leave for the 08.00am chimpanzee trackking in Kyambura gorge. Expect to see various primates most especially Chimpanzee of different species, Black and white Colobus monkeys and other animals like antelopes, hyenas, Lion and many others in the middle of savanna grassland. After lunch, drive through the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth called Ishasha and head to Kisoro.

  • Travelers’ Rest Hotel

Day 15: Return to Kigali

You will cross the Uganda-Rwanda border after your breakfast and be transferred to Kigali to end your safari.
END OF SAFARI