16 Days Uganda Rwanda Primates and Wildlife Tour
Uganda Rwanda Primates and Wildlife Safari Adventure
Our 16-day Uganda Rwanda primates and wildlife tour is one of the safari itineraries that we have carefully designed for our clients looking to have an extended stay in Rwanda and Uganda. During this 16-day Uganda Rwanda primates and wildlife safari, you can expect to encounter Mountain gorillas in Uganda’s famous Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. You can expect to track chimpanzees in both Rwanda and Uganda. Also, you will do the Golden Monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park. You will then track tree-climbing lions in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Enjoy guided game drives and boat cruises in some of the best savannah national parks in Uganda, visit Top of the Falls in Murchison Falls National Park, and track rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Uganda. This safari begins in Kigali city, Rwanda, and ends in Kampala/ Entebbe in Uganda.
Brief itinerary for 16 Days Uganda-Rwanda Primates and Wildlife tour
Day 1: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
On Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy Walk.
Day 3: Colobus Monkey Trekking and Optional Tea Tour
On Day 4: Transfer to Gisenyi- Evening Boat Cruise on Lake Kivu
Day 5: Optional Coffee Tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Ibyiwacu Village Tour.
On Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Optional Visit to Karisoke Center
Day 7: Golden Monkey Trek
On Day 8: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- Uganda
Day 9: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
On Day 10: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Evening Game Drive
Day 11:Lion tracking experience/ Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise
On Day 12: Drive to Kibale National Park (Approximately 3 hours)
Day 13: Chimpanzee Trek and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
On Day 14: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 15: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
On Day 16: Rhino Trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Drive to Kampala.
Note: Accommodation before the tour departs or after the tour can be arranged at an extra cost
Detailed Itinerary for 16 Days Uganda Rwanda Primates and Wildlife tour
Day 1: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
In the morning, you will be picked up by the driver from your hotel or the airport in Kigali and driven southwards to Nyungwe Forest National Park. You will have a stopover in Butare, where you will visit the National Museum of Rwanda and the king’s palace in Nyanza with a lunch en route.
Dinner and overnight at Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel/Gisakura Guest House
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trek and Canopy Walk.
On the 2nd day of your 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari, enjoy breakfast early in the morning. Then, you’ll go for a briefing before entering the forest, searching for the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are easy to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimp tracking usually takes about 3 hours. You will then have your packed lunch and later return to base, where you will meet up with your driver guide.
After having your packed lunch, you will embark on a guided nature walk along the famous canopy walkway bridge– a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you, and thereafter connecting to your accommodation to spend the evening at leisure. This hike takes only 2 hours. Late,r transfer back to Nyungwe Top View Hotel/Gisakura Guest House for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Colobus Monkey Trekking and Optional Tea Tour
Have breakfast early in the morning and meet up with your driver guide. You will then drive to the park headquarters, where you will be briefed for your colobus monkey trek. Trekking begins at 8 am and can last between 4 and 6 hours or more, depending on the location. After your colobus monkey trek, you will drive back to your lodge for a hot lunch. You’ll then spend the rest of your afternoon at leisure.
After lunch, you can do an optional tea tour where you can visit Gisakura Tea Estate. Immerse yourself in the tea-making process from start to finish and indulge your taste buds as you sip a hot cup of Rwandan-made tea.
Overnight and Dinner: Nyungwe Top View Hotel/Gisakura Guest House
Optional Activity: Tea Tour
Day 4: Transfer to Gisenyi- Evening Boat Cruise on Lake Kivu
After having your breakfast at the hotel, you will transfer to Gisenyi, arriving in time for lunch at the hotel, and later you will enjoy an evening boat ride on Lake Kivu
Overnight and dinner at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel/View Palm Resort
Day 5: Optional Coffee Tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Ibyiwacu Village Tour.
After having breakfast in the morning, you will meet your guide and drive to Volcanoes National Park. You can do an optional coffee tour where you will visit the Kinunu washing station in Gisenyi. Take a tour of the coffee plantations and processing plant, and you will also get to taste a cup of Rwandan-made coffee. Enjoy the beautiful views as you traverse the countryside,e arriving in Volcanoes NP in the afternoon in time for lunch.
You will embark on a cultural tour to Ibyiwacu village, a.k.a ‘The Gorilla Guardians Village,’ where you will get to interact with the locals and watch dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe. If you still wish to explore more, you can do other optional activities such as visiting the Elle DeGeneres Campus for the Dian Fossey Fund, where you will be taken on a tour of the campus facilities,s including the classrooms, laboratories, and exhibition hall.
Dinner and overnight stay at Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge/Home Inn
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Optional Visit to Karisoke Center
The sixth day of this 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari highlights a gorilla trekking activity. Early in the morning, after breakfast and a briefing from the RBD officials, we set off for the gorilla tracking. This experience of gorilla tracking is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search of the Gorillas. You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours since the gorillas move up and down.
This is an awesome and exciting moment. En route, there are a lot of chimpanzees and other types of primates, such as monkeys, birds, and many more. Return for lunch at the Lodge,e and in the afternoon, you may embark on an optional visit to the Karisoke research center, where you can visit the Dian Fossey Museum and also the graves of the Late Diane Fossey, an American primatologist who was murdered because she was protecting these endangered mountain Gorillas.
Overnight and Dinner: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge/Home Inn
Optional Activity: Karisoke Research Centre visit
Day 7: Golden Monkey Trek
After breakfast on the seventh day of your 16 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari, you will go for golden monkey tracking. This activity also takes about 2-3 hours in the Virunga forest. Later, return to your lodge for an early lunch and spend the rest of your evening at leisure. Dinner and overnight: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge/Home Inn
Day 8: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- Uganda
Have breakfast at your lodge,e and then meet up with your driver guide. You will embark on a 5-6-hour drive from Ruhengeri to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Have lunch en route, then with a brief stopover along the way for you to take a few pictures of the beautiful scenery. Arrive in Bwindi in the late afternoon.
Overnight and Dinner at Burunga Gorilla Lodge/Rushaga Havens Gorilla Lodge
Day 9: Gorilla Trek in Bwindi and Optional Batwa Cultural Tour
After an early morning breakfast, you will depart with your packed lunch and proceed to the park headquarters for a briefing and head into the forest for gorilla trekking! Your child can spend that time at the hotel or in the company of a guide as they visit around. Gorilla trekking can take an hour or four, depending on the movement of the gorillas.
You’ll spend the rest of the day relaxing and remembering the trek, or you can do an optional trek to visit local Batwa communities in the area(2 hours). It’s an interesting trail where you meet the Batwa people, who were the first guardians of the forest. A look into how they are adapting to the new style of life, different from the one they used to live as bushmen. You will be amazed by their dances, their food, their songs, iron smithing, how they collect food, and many more scenarios through which they run their daily life. After, you will return to your lodge for overnight and dinner.
Dinner and overnight: Mahogany Springs Lodge/Rushaga Havens Gorilla Lodge
Day 10: Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park & Evening Game Drive
After having breakfast at your lodge, you will meet your driver guide and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda, which is about a 4-hour drive. Enjoy a scenic drive to the park with lunch en route. Arrive in the park later in the evening and check into your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Overnight and Dinner: Ishasha Wilderness Camp/Topi Lodge
Day 11: Lion Tracking Experience/ Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise
Set off after having breakfast to the Kasenyi area as early as 5:00 am to prepare for the Lion tracking experience. Here, you will get an opportunity to get close to a pride of lions. The lions in this sector have the behavior of climbing trees where they either rest or eat the prey they have caught,t and this is a 2-hour activity. Fascinating game drive where you will be able to view great numbers of animals. These include the savannah elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, and antelopes, including the Oribis, Uganda kobs, and waterbuck,s to mention a few.
In the afternoon, you will go for an afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga channel. You will enjoy watching the densely populated hippos along the lake during the boat trip. Crocodiles and other animals like elephants, buffalo, and bird species are also found on the banks.
Overnight and Dinner: Elephant Hab Lodge/Buffalo Lodge
Day 12: Drive to Kibale National Park (Approximately 3 hours)
Have breakfast in the morning and meet up with your driver guide. You will embark on about 3 hour’s drive to Kibale National Park. Arrive in Kibale National Park in the evening and check into your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Overnight and Dinner: Primate Lodge/Turaco Tree Tops/ Kibale Rest Camp
Day 13: Chimpanzee Trek and Optional Bigodi Swamp Walk
Wake up early and drive to the park’s briefing point by 7 am. You will trek with chimpanzees in the park starting at 8 am. The trek takes about 4 hours, with an hour with the chimpanzees once you have located a group.
After your chimp trek, you will have lunch at your lodge and rest. If you still wish to explore more, you can do an optional visit to Bigodi Swamp. You will get to see a variety of bird species, including the prehistoric Shoebill Stork.
Overnight and Dinner: Primate Lodge/ Turaco Tree Tops/Kibale Rest Camp
Day 14: Drive to Murchison Falls National Park
Have breakfast in the morning and meet up with your driver guide. You will embark on about 6 6-hour drive to Murchison Falls National Park with lunch en route. Arrive in Murchison Falls National Park later in the afternoon and check into your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at your preferred lodge.
Overnight and Dinner: Pakuba Safari Lodge/Red Chilli Rest Camp/
Day 15: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast at the lodge, you will cross the ferry for a morning game drive on the Northern bank. The activity takes about 3-5 hours. You can view a variety of wildlife,e including elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, Hartebeest, Uganda kobs, Oribis, and waterbucks. After the drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, go for a boat cruise along the Nil,e, which will give you an exciting panoramic view of the bottom of the mighty Murchison Falls. Along the cruise, you will encounter crocodiles, hippos, and birds on the river banks, like kingfishers, cormorants, and bee-eaters.
You will drive to the top of the falls and get an up-close view of the world’s most powerful waterfalls (Murchison Falls). You will enjoy seeing the falls at different points. Finally, when you reach the top of the falls, you will be amazed and eventually forget about the tough hike. After having a good time at the top of the falls, you will meet your driver, who will transfer you back to your lodge.
Overnight and Dinner: Pakuba Safari Lodge/Red Chilli Rest Camp
Day 16: Rhino Tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Drive to Kampala.
Have breakfast at leisure and then reconnect with your driver guide. You will then have a stopover for rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which will take approximately 1-2 hours, rs depending on where the rhinos are located. After your rhino trek, you will have lunch and then proceed with your drive back to Kampala. You will be dropped off at a hotel of your choice or directly at Kampala/Entebbe International Airport, depending on when you have your flight.
