This 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari presents a rare opportunity for a double gorilla trekking adventure, a unique experience that only a few fortunate travelers enjoy. Your journey begins at Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, where you’ll have some leisure time in Kigali before embarking on your first gorilla trek at Volcanoes National Park.
The adventure continues with a second thrilling gorilla safari in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. After these exhilarating gorilla encounters, you’ll delve into Uganda’s diverse primate and wildlife offerings. The pinnacle of this 12-day tour is the chimpanzee trekking experience at Kibale Forest National Park. The itinerary also includes a visit to Murchison Falls National Park and a rhino tracking experience at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, followed by your departure from Kampala or Entebbe International Airport.
Safari Itinerary for the 12-Day Uganda-Rwanda Tour
Day 1: Arrival and Transfer to Kigali
Upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be greeted by your allocated driver guide for a transfer to your hotel in Kigali. Depending on your arrival time, you may have the opportunity for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay.
Location: Kigali Rwanda
Accommodations
Silver: Golf Hills Residence Hotel
Gold: Flame Tree Village Hotel
Platinum: Hotel Hotel Des Mille Collines
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 2: Kigali City Tour and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up for a tour of Kigali. You will visit several notable sites, including the Museums of Rwanda. Following the city tour, enjoy lunch, then continue your scenic drive to Volcanoes National Park, where you will be checked into your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Location: Volcanoes National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Kinigi Guest House
Gold: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
Platinum: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 3: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Early in the morning, enjoy breakfast before transferring to the park headquarters for the Rwanda gorilla trekking briefing. The briefing, conducted by park officials, begins at 8:00 AM local time and covers the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking etiquette. This is the epic of your 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari where you will come face to face with the gorillas.
A group of eight individuals is assigned to a single gorilla family, and you will start the trek with a park ranger. The trekking duration can last 2 to 6 hours, depending on where the gorillas spent the previous night. Please note that the trek can be physically demanding, involving steep and sometimes muddy terrain. Once you locate the gorillas, you will spend one hour in their presence, allowing time for photographs.
Optional Activity: After this exciting and physically demanding activity, you can choose between a visit to Dian Fossey’s grave, the renowned primatologist who dedicated her life to studying mountain gorillas, or Golden Monkey trekking, a unique opportunity to observe these playful and endangered primates in their natural habitat. Enjoy lunch at the lodge and relax. Dinner and an overnight stay will be at the same lodge as the previous night.
Location: Volcanoes National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Kinigi Guest House
Gold: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
Platinum: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, prepare for your drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. At Kyanika, you will cross the Uganda-Rwanda border and continue to your lodge. The journey offers beautiful scenery and the rolling hills of southern Uganda. Arrive at your lodge in time for dinner and stay overnight at your chosen accommodation.
Location: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Ride 4 A Woman
Gold: Gorilla Bluff Lodge
Platinum: Bwindi Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
After breakfast, head to the park headquarters for a briefing before your gorilla trekking adventure. Follow the rangers and guides in a group of no more than eight as you search for a habituated family of mountain gorillas. Once located, you will have one hour to spend with the gorillas and take photographs. After the trek, return to the park headquarters to receive your gorilla trekking certificate, then return to your lodge. Optional Activity: Participate in the Batwa Experience Trail or take a community walk in Buhoma. Dinner and an overnight stay will be at the same lodge as the previous night.
Location: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Ride 4 A Woman
Gold: Gorilla Bluff Lodge
Platinum: Bwindi Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
On this day 6 of your 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari, depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will be treated to incredible scenery. Enjoy a breathtaking game drive in the park’s southern area, famous for its tree-climbing lions. You will continue northwards, arriving in time for lunch at the lodge. After lunch, embark on an afternoon game drive across the plains of Kasenyi, searching for savannah wildlife such as buffalo, antelopes, elephants, and, if you’re lucky, wild cats, including lions and leopards.
Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Gold: Twin Lake Safari Lodge
Platinum: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 7: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel
Today, you will rise early for a sunrise game drive along the northern tracks of the national park, heading towards Lake George and Kasenyi Village. You may spot lions, elephants, buffalo, spotted hyenas, waterbucks, Ugandan kobs, and, if you’re lucky, a rare and shy leopard. In the early afternoon, you will embark on a thrilling boat safari from Mweya Peninsula along the Kazinga Channel, one of Uganda’s most popular wildlife-viewing locations, renowned for its vibrant wildlife and birdlife, as well as excellent photography opportunities. During this boat cruise, expect to see plenty of hippos, buffalo, and elephants drinking along the shores of the channel. You will have dinner and spend the night at your lodge from the previous night.
Location: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Gold: Twin Lake Safari Lodge
Platinum: Mweya Safari Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 8: Morning Game Drive and Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
After breakfast, you will drive to Kibale Forest National Park, arriving at your lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon, you can opt for a nature walk in the Crater Lakes region or a visit to the Bigodi community.
Location: Kibale Forest National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Kibale Forest Camp
Gold: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
Platinum: Kyaninga Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 9: Chimpanzee Trekking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
After breakfast, you’ll start your day with a chimpanzee trekking in the forest. The trek begins with a briefing and lasts about 4-6 hours, allowing for a maximum of 1 hour in the presence of the chimps. Along the way, you may encounter various primate species, including black and white colobus, red-tailed, and vervet monkeys. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here, many of which can be spotted during the trek. After lunch, you’ll drive to Bigodi for a swamp walk, a wetland managed by a community adjacent to the park. You will have dinner and spend the night at your lodge from the previous night.
Location: Kibale Forest National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Kibale Forest Camp
Gold: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge
Platinum: Kyaninga Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 10: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
After breakfast at Kibale Forest National Park on your 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari, you’ll drive to Murchison Falls National Park, passing through small towns and villages while enjoying stunning views of the escarpment. You will have lunch en route and arrive at the park late evening. Check into your preferred lodge for dinner and overnight accommodation.
Location: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Hornbill Bush Lodge
Gold: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Platinum: Paraa Safari Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 11: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
At sunrise, your Uganda wildlife tour guide will pick you up and transfer you to the park for a morning game drive. This game drive, lasting about 2-4 hours, offers beautiful sunrise views and opportunities to see wildlife such as buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards, and the Rothschild giraffes (which have the highest population in the world).
After the game drive, enjoy a lunch break before transferring to the boat cruise starting point for a fantastic 2-hour cruise on the Nile River. The cruise takes you past numerous hippos and brings you to the bottom of the majestic Murchison Falls. You will have dinner and spend the night at your lodge from the previous night.
Location: Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodations
Silver: Hornbill Bush Lodge
Gold: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Platinum: Paraa Safari Lodge
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch as well as Dinner
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
Day 12: Ziwa Rhino Tracking and Transfer to Entebbe International Airport for Departure
On day 12 of your 12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari, enjoy breakfast before making a short visit to the top of Murchison Falls on your way out of the park. After visiting the falls, proceed to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where you will spend about 2 hours tracking rhinos in Uganda’s only rhino habitat. Following your rhino tracking experience, you will drive to Entebbe International Airport for your late-night departure flight.
Location: Entebbe
Accommodation: No
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch
Drinking Water and Fruits Throughout the journey
12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari Inclusions:
Gorilla trekking permit
Accommodation as specified
Meals as per the itinerary (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Bottled water during the safari
Park fees and permits
Professional guide
Ground Transportation
12 Days Uganda & Rwanda Safari Exclusions:
International airfare
Visa fees (if applicable)
Travel Insurance
Personal expenses
Tips and gratuities
Optional activities not mentioned in the itinerary