UAAV 025 – 9 Days Volcanoes, Bwindi, Queen & Kibale Safari

This 9 Days trip starts in Rwanda and ends in Uganda. The trip takes you into the 4 best national parks in Uganda and Rwanda; Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for gorilla tracking, Queen Elizabeth National Park for game viewing and Kibale Forest National Park for chimpanzee tracking.

Day 1: Arrive at Kigali International Airport
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
Day 3: Cross to the Ugandan side
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Southern Bwindi
Day 5: En-route to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 7: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking and Swamp walk
Day 9: Drive to Kampala

Day 1: Arrive at Kigali International Airport

Upon arrival in Kigali, you will have a short visit to the Genocide Memorial centre in Gisozi. This memorial stands on sacred ground where a quarter of a million people lie buried. Later, drive to Ruhengeri. This journey north goes through the beautiful terraced hill sides that characterize much of Rwanda¹s landscape, gradually climbing to the base of the awesome volcanoes, sometimes with as many as five peaks visible. The meal plan for this day is lunch and dinner at your preferred accommodation.

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

Day 2: 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
  • Mid range: Davinci lodge/Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
  • Budget: Kinigi Guest House

Day 3: 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 preferred accommodation.

  • Chameleon Hill lodge
  • Gorilla Mist lodge

Day 4: 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 prefferred accommodation.

  • Chameleon Hill lodge
  • Gorilla Mist lodge

Day 5: En-route to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After an early breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a park known to boast the highest bio-diversity ratings of any game park in the worlds with habitats to include; lakes, forest, savannah grassland as well as wetlands. Go through the Ishasha sector famed for its tree climbing lions, and exercise our game searching and if you get lucky and spot these tree climbing lions, we proceed to the northern part of the park in time for dinner and an overnight stay. 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 6: Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park

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 preffered accommodation.

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

Day 7: Transfer 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, 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 preferred accommodation.

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

Day 8: 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 prefferred accommodation.

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

Day 9: Drive to Kampala

Have breakfast and later drive to Kampala to end your Uganda safari having a lunch stopover.
Transfer to your hotel OR to the Airport for your flight back home.
END OF SAFARI.