8 Days Uganda safari from Kigali
8 Days Uganda safari from Kigali
The 8 days Uganda safari from Kigali is an amazing adventure that will take you to Bwindi’s impenetrable national park where you will engage in an incredible gorilla trekking activity which will give you unforgettable and lifetime experiences. You will also visit Queen Elizabeth National Park which is the second largest national park in Uganda harboring abundant wildlife species including the big four mammals which are the elephants, lions, leopards, and buffaloes. From Queen Elizabeth National Park you will connect to Kibale National Park where you will get an opportunity to view chimpanzees and other primates like l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys among others. You will wrap up your safari with a tour of Lake Bunyonyi where you will participate in canoeing on the deepest lake in Uganda.
Highlights
- Pick up from Kigali International Airport and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable National park
- Gorilla trekking
- Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Game drive and boat cruise
- Transfer to Kibale National Park
- Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
- Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Departure to Kigali International Airport
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Depending on the time of arrival, you will be picked up by our driver guide at Kigali International Airport who will brief you about your safari and then start the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and is filled with spectacular views of the rolling hills in Rwanda, landscapes, and homesteads among others. You will have an en-route lunch on your way and pass via the Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale and continue to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge, have dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Mahogany Springs Hotel/Buhoma Haven Lodge/Buhoma Community Rest amp
Meal plan: Half board
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
After an early breakfast, you will carry a packed lunch from the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide that is well-conversed with the trails in the jungle.
Gorilla trekking takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of the gorillas and during trekking, you will be able to view primate species, bird species, and animals among others once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat learning about their lifestyle, behaviors, taking photos and recording the moments. After the one-hour encounter with the gorillas, you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide, and transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Mahogany Springs Hotel/Buhoma Haven Lodge/Buhoma Community Rest amp
Meal plan: Full board
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
You will have breakfast, check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will pass via the Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will engage in a game drive. This allows you to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, and tree-climbing lions. These will be lying up in acacia, and fig tree branches looking down on the antelopes grazing in the open savannah plains. After the game drive you will have an en-route lunch. Then proceed to the lodge where you will check in, have dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Mweya Safari Lodge/Parkview Safari Lodge/Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4: Game drive/ lion tracking and boat cruise
After an early breakfast on day 4 of the 8 days Uganda safari from Kigali, you will meet up with your driver guide and go for a game drive or lion tracking experience. The game drive is an interesting and exciting activity that starts at around 7:00 am. During the activity, you will be able to view bird species, and animals including elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, and warthogs among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for an exciting boat cruise activity on Kazinga Channel. It is a water body in the park that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The scheduled boat cruise starts at the landing site near Mweya safari lodge and starts at around 2:00 pm. During the boat cruise, you will have an opportunity to cruise meters away from animals. Animals like buffaloes, antelopes, and elephants among others will be drinking water along the shores of the lake. Large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles in the water. View water birds like cormorants, African fish eagles, and kingfishers among others. You will also have views of the fishermen organizing and preparing fishing nets for the night fishing. After the boat cruise, you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Mweya Safari Lodge/Parkview Safari Lodge/Pumba Safari Cottages
Meal plan: Full board
Day 5: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale National Park
You will have an early breakfast, and meet up with your driver guide. Go for another morning game drive in the park. During the game drive you will have an opportunity of viewing wildlife species that you will have missed during the previous game drive. After the game, you will drive to Katwe Crater Lake. You will interact with the local people who will be extracting rock salt from the lake and selling it to traders to earn a living. From Lake Katwe you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will check out of the lodge, and meet up with your guide to transfer to Kibale National Park. The journey takes about 3 hours drive and offers spectacular views of the Rwenzori mountains, landscapes, and tea plantations among others upon arrival you will check in at the lodge, have dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Kyaninga Lodge/Chimpanzee Guesthouse/ Isunga Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up. Transfer you to the Kanyachu Visitors Center for a briefing about the rules and guidelines of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing, you will be allocated a park guide who is well-conversant with trails in the forest. Chimpanzee trekking takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours. This depends on their location because they like to move from one place to another in search of food.
During chimpanzee trekking, you will view various bird species, plant species, animals, and primates like vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys among others. Once you find the chimpanzees spend one hour with them. Taking photos, learning about their lifestyle, and recording videos among others give you exciting and memorable experiences. After spending one hour with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide to transfer back to the lodge for lunch.
Nature walk
After lunch, you will go for a nature walk in Bigodi Wetland a sanctuary. The guided swamp walk will offer you incredible views of bird species like great blue turaco, barbets, hornbills, papyrus gonolek, and plant species. Primates like l’hoest monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, and baboons among others. After the swamp walk you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Lodging: Kyaninga Lodge/Chimpanzee Guesthouse/ Isunga Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 7: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
You will have breakfast, check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide. Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale. You will pass via Mbarara-Kabale road and along the way you will have great views of Kigezi hills, beautiful landscapes, and roadside markets. On your way, you will have en-route lunch. Go for a boat ride which is done in a dugout canoe on the lake. During the boat cruise. You will enjoy great views of the landscapes, islands on the lake, and terraced farmlands. Also, see local people carrying out their daily activities such as digging among others. After the boat cruise, you will drive to the lodge, check in, have dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Birdnest Resort/ Bunyonyi Eco Resort/Bunyonyi Overland Resort
Meal plan: Full board
Day 8: Departure to Kigali
After a relaxed breakfast where you will have a clear view of the lake and the sunrise. You will check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide. Transfer to Kigali passing via the Katuna border in Kabale. Cross over to Kigali which takes about 3 to 4 hours to drive. Upon arrival, you will go for a city tour where you will visit the Kigali genocide memorial center, and museums. You will watch video testimonies from survivors. Visit craft markets among others. After the city tour, you will have lunch in one of the hotels in Kigali. Then transfer to Kigali International Airport for your next flight.
Tour includes
- Bottled drinking water
- Fuel and vehicle
- English speaking guide
- Meals
- Accommodation
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee trekking permt
Exclude
- Alcoholic drinks
- Laundry
- Items of a personal nature
- International airfares
- Travel Insurance
- Tips and gratuities
Safari Vacations and Travel Services is a Local tour operator based in Uganda with its head offices in Entebbe. Moreover, Safari Vacations and Travel Services is a business for Ugandan natives. We specialize in life-changing experiences, sustainable tours, and holidays for all East African countries. Also, we are members of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators and with registration from the Uganda Tourism Board. We have a good and long working relationship with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. We are making booking your gorilla permits and gorilla trekking safari easy. Safari Vacations and Travel Services is also high in Trip Advisor reviews.
