A 14-Day Explore Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari is designed for those interested in exploring a wildlife safari in Africa. It involves double gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda, and Volcanoes National Park, among many other amazing activities. You will get involved in boat cruises, game drives, chimpanzee tracking, Lake Bunyonyi, birding, visiting the genocide war memorial site in Kigali, Golden Monkey Tracking, and conclude with relaxation on the banks of Lake Kivu. We believe you will enjoy your time knowing that you have visited some of the best tourist destinations in Uganda and Rwanda.
Itinerary in details
Day 1: Arrival in Uganda
A guide from our company will wait to pick you up at the airport for a transfer to Kampala depending on arrival time. If you arrive earlier, the driver will take you for a tour of Entebbe or Kampala city.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls with A Stopover for Rhino Tracking
You will wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, and set off for the Murchison Falls National Park. As you travel, you will bypass the beautiful countryside of Uganda. Along the way will have a stopover just before reaching Murchison Falls to visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. White Rhinos became extinct in Uganda’s national parks in 1980. The few that had remained were transferred to the sanctuary for better protection. There are about 18 rhinos in the sanctuary at the moment and there is a plan to reintroduce them in Uganda’s game parks in the future. Lunch will be at Ziwa Rhino before proceeding to the Murchison Falls National Park. The guide will drive you straight to the top of Murchison Falls. The Murchison Falls squeezes through an 8-meter-wide gorge before dropping with a thunderous roar. You will also spot the adjacent Uhuru Falls that was formed in 1962 due to heavy flooding.
Day 3: Morning game drive and boat cruise to the bottom of falls
You will wake up very early to go for an early morning game. Pack your breakfast or coffee to take during the game drive along the southern sector of the park. The morning drive will take you through different parts of the park where you will have an opportunity to spot 4 of the big five including leopards, 14 Days safari in Uganda and Rwanda buffaloes, lions and elephants. There are more mammals to be found in the park during the game drive like the Uganda Kob, Hyenas, Jackals, giraffes, Hartebeest, Bushbucks and several other species of antelope. Once done with the morning game drive, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and rest. In the afternoon, get ready to go for a launch cruise along the river Nile ending at the bottom of the Murchison Falls. This section of the Nile has a high concentration of Hippos and crocodiles. The area is a birder’s paradise with species like the Fish Eagle, Shoebill, Grey-crowned Crane, Goliath Heron, African Skimmer, Black-headed Gonolek, Long-toed Plover, and Saddle-billed Stork calling the place home.
Day 4: Travel to Kibale Forest National Park
14 Days best of Uganda and Rwanda, you will wake up at your own time and have breakfast before leaving Murchison Falls National Park for Kibale National Park. The journey is long but worthwhile as you will be able to see Uganda’s beautiful countryside, and several landmarks and observe the locals going about with their lives. Lunch will be at the beautiful town of Fort Portal. After lunch, will go for a tour of the town and the headquarters of the Tooro Kingdom. Fort Portal stands out because it is located in an area with great weather and lush green vegetation for most of the year.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Transfer to queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, the driver will take you to the Kibale National Park offices for the briefing on chimpanzee tracking. The guides/Rangers will let you know all there is to know about tracking chimpanzees. Kibale National Park is the best place to track chimpanzees in the world. The chances of spotting them are very high and 4 communities are habituated. Chimps love to stay on top of trees compared to mountain gorillas. They are also more vocal hence allowing them to be located from kilometers away. Chimpanzee trekking takes between 3 to 5 hours after which, you will head back to your lodge for lunch and rest. Our driver will then transfer you to Queen Elizabeth National Park in the evening. The journey takes only 2 hours.
Day 6: Morning game drive and boat cruise along Kazinga channel
You will wake up very early to go for a morning game drive at the Kasenyi sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. This morning game drive allows visitors to spot nocturnal animals retreating to their dens and also the early risers. Expect to spot leopards, hippos, lions, buffaloes, hartebeests, resident and migratory birds. After your game drive, you will return to have lunch and rest at your lodge. At 2:00 pm, you will be transferred to the Kazinga Channel for a launch cruise. The Kazinga Channel is a collection point for most of the park’s animals and birds. You will be very impressed with the sheer number of games found drinking and grazing along the banks.
Day 7: Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park via Ishasha Sector
Wake up early for a sumptuous breakfast and prepare for your second game drive in Queen Elizabeth Safaris. This time, you will be driven to the Ishasha sector of the park which is famous for Tree Climbing Lions. You will see many other park mammals that you might not have sighted during your visit to other sections of the park. After sporting the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, you will leave the park and embark on the journey to Bwindi’s impenetrable forest park. Lunch will be taken along the way and expect to arrive in Bwindi’s impenetrable forest park late in the afternoon. Rest early in preparation for gorilla tracking the next day.
Day 8: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Community Encounter
Wake up early and have breakfast before heading for the briefing about gorilla trekking which takes place at the park office at 7:00 am. The head guide will peruse through the requirements and rules for gorilla trekking, what to expect, the gorilla groups, and what to see in the park. Bwindi impenetrable forest park has 11 gorilla families with some living near the park offices while others deeper in the forest. The allocation of gorilla families is done based on the overall fitness and age of travelers. Gorilla tracking is challenging but nothing beats the experience of finally observing a gorilla group. You could spend the whole day looking at the young ones play and roll around. Always follow instructions from the guides, stay calm, and avoid sudden movements as you take your photos. Once the one hour with the gorillas is done, you will head back to the starting point where you will find our driver waiting for you. The driver will take you back to the lodge for lunch and rest. Later in the afternoon, you will go and visit the Batwa pygmy community who live close to the park. They were relocated by the government after the forest reserve was turned into a park. The Batwa pygmies lived as hunters and gathered for thousands of years in the forests of Bwindi, Mgahinga, Virunga, and Volcanoes National Park.
Day 9: Travel to Lake Bunyonyi
Wake up to have breakfast at your own time and get ready to be transferred to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is a famous spot for birding tours in Uganda and sightseeing. It is a small lake with over 40 islands and is ideal for honeymooners and those who want a quiet, serene, and romantic place. You will go for a boat ride and island hopping as you watch the local fishermen carrying out their activities. You could also visit the punishment island. This is where young girls who had conceived before wedlock were abandoned to die. Most were rescued by men who couldn’t afford the bride price.
Day 10: Travel to Volcanoes National Park
Wake up at your leisure and have breakfast before hitting the road to Rwanda. Don’t expect to be bored because the journey from Uganda to Rwanda rewards visitors with beautiful scenery and amazing countryside. Lunch will be taken along the way and after crossing to Rwanda. After lunch, the driver will continue up to your lodge for check-in and relaxation. You can spend the evening on a nature walk or request the driver to take you for a tour of the town of Musanze. Rest early and prepare for gorilla trekking at the Volcanoes National Park the next day.
Day 11: Gorilla Trekking and Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
Wake up and have breakfast before heading for a briefing on gorilla trekking at 7:00 am at the park headquarters. The officials will let you know what to expect during the activity, what you should carry along, and how to conduct yourself once with the gorilla family. There are 10 habituated gorilla families in the Volcanoes National Park. You will be assigned one based in your age and overall fitness. This is because some of the families live further away from the starting point and may require more hours of tracking. Tracking mountain gorillas involves navigating through rough terrain which can be steep, mud-filled, and with sharp tree branches. Once with the gorilla family, take as many photos as you can for you will be with them for only one hour. Mountain Gorillas are curious and playful and may come close to you. Be calm and do not make sudden unwanted movements that could alert them. Follow instructions from the Park Rangers. After your one hour with the gorilla group is done, you will find our company guide waiting at the starting point to take you back to the lodge for lunch and rest. Later in the late afternoon, you will head out to visit the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village in Musanze which is near the Volcanoes National Park. The Centre is now known as the Gorilla Guardians Village. It has grown from a simple site where former poachers would sell souvenirs to one of the leading cultural centers in East Africa.
Day 12: Golden Monkey Trekking and visiting the Twin Lakes
After spending time with the gorillas yesterday, today is all about golden monkeys tracking and visiting the Twin Lakes. Wake up early, take breakfast, and head to the Volcanoes National Park offices for a briefing on golden monkey tracking. After the briefing, you will go into the forest to track the golden monkeys with the park Rangers. Once you reach their territory, you will see them swinging on top of the trees and coming down to forage for insects. Golden monkeys look very beautiful and cuddly but are endangered. You should take as many photos as you can and afterward descend back to the lodge for lunch and rest. Our driver will take you for a tour around the twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Burera.
Day 13: Travel to Lake Kivu in Gisenyi
Start the day with a sumptuous breakfast on your own time and prepare to leave the Volcanoes National Park for Lake Kivu in Gisenyi. Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s biggest freshwater lake but shares it with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Once you arrive, you will have lunch overlooking Lake Kivu. Our guide will take you for a boat ride on the lake as you tour the different islands. You will also take part in swimming or simple relaxation on the beautiful shores of the lake.
Day 14: Travel to Kigali and Genocide war memorial site, Presidential Palace museum
Wake up on your own time and complete activities in Lake Kivu before starting the journey back to Kigali. While traveling, enjoy the beautiful Rwanda countryside with over a thousand hills. Once you reach Kigali, have lunch and go for a tour of the small but very neat and organized city. Kigali is one of the fastest-growing cities in East Africa and is used as an example for other countries to follow. During the Kigali city tour, you will visit the genocide war memorial site, the presidential palace museum, and the main market and then finish with some shopping from artisan shops. The driver will drop you at the airport or your hotel in Kigali.