9 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari
9 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari
9 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari will start from Kigali Rwanda and end in Kampala Uganda. During the safari, you will get an opportunity to compare gorilla trekking experiences in the two destinations. That is Volcanoes national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park. The safari will also take you to Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will have great views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, and hippos. During the game drive and boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. You will wrap up the 9 days Uganda Rwanda safari with a visit to Kibale National Park. Engage in chimpanzee trekking activity and nature walks in the Bigodi swamp.
Highlights
- Pick up and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
- Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
- Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale National Park
- Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
- Departure to Kampala
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari. Then transfer to Kigali for a city tour. During the city, you will be able to visit the Kigali genocide memorial center where you will learn about the 1994 brutal killing between Hutus and Tutsi. Visit Kimironko market, and craft centers among others. After the city tour, you will go for lunch in one of the restaurants. After, start the journey to Volcanoes National Park which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive. Upon arrival in the park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Lodging: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Gorilla Solution Lodge/Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Meal plan: Half board
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
After an early breakfast, you will carry your lunch box and meet up with your driver guide. Transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations, and expectations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will be allocated a habituated gorilla family. You will have a park guide who is knowledgeable about mountain gorillas and also conversant with trails in the forest. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours.
This depends on where they are located and during trekking you will have great views of other primates, birds, and plants among others. Once you find the mountain gorillas spend one hour with them in their habitat. Watch them feed, breastfeed, play, groom young ones, observe their behaviors, take photos, and record the breathtaking moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one-hour encounter with the gentle giants, you will trek back to the park headquarters. Meet up with your driver guide to transfer back to the lodge for evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Gorilla Solution Lodge/Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide. Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park which is known for harboring half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive passing via the Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in the Kabale district. Have great views of the rolling hills, terraced farmlands, and local people among others. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for lunch.
After you will go for an optional cultural tour of the neighboring community. During the cultural tour, you will be able to interact with the Batwa/pygmies who lived in the forest before it was gazetted into a national park. You will therefore be able to learn about their culture, and traditions, and visit their homesteads, and farmlands. Learn how to dig, taste their traditional dishes, and learn how to make local beer from bananas. Enjoy their traditional entertainment among others. After the cultural tour, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Lodging: Mahogany Springs Hotel/Buhoma Haven Lodge/Buhoma Community Rest amp
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
After an early breakfast, you will carry a packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide. Transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will be grouped into 8 people, allocated a gorilla family to trek, and a park guide who is knowledgeable about the mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park starts at around 8:00 am and takes 30 minutes to 7 hours. This depends on where they are located. During trekking, you will have great views of different plant species, forest birds, and other primates like l’hoest monkeys among others.
Once you find the gorillas, spend one hour with them in their environment. You will be able to learn about their behaviors, take photos, record videos, and watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, grooming young ones, and playing among others. After one hour with the mountain gorillas, you will trek back to the starting point. More to this, you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking. Meet up with your driver guide to return 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 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is the second-largest national park in Uganda. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive with a stopover at Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park to view the tree-climbing lions which will be lying up in fig tree branches. Tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector will be seen during a game drive alongside other animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elephants, and warthogs among others.
Lodging: Mweya Safari Lodge/Parkview Safari Lodge/Pumba Cottages
Meal plan: Full board
Day 6: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
After an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive. or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will be able to see animals like buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, and giant forest hogs among others grazing in the open savannah plains, view predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas if you are lucky, have great views of the sunrise, different bird species among others. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise
After lunch, you will go for an incredible boat cruise along Kazinga Channel a water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat ride which starts at around 2:00 am and takes about 2 hours. Have a chance to see large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes drinking water along the shores, view aquatic bird species like bee-eaters, kingfishers, fish eagles, hornbills, cormorants among others. You will also be able to see fishermen preparing their fishing gear for night fishing and take beautiful photos among others. After the boat ride you will go for an evening game drive in the park where you will be able to see some of the animals that you missed in the morning. After the game drive you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Lodging: Mweya Safari Lodge/Parkview Safari Lodge/Pumba Cottages
Meal plan: Full board
Day 7: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale National Park
You will have breakfast and your driver-guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for another game drive in the park. During the game drive you will have an opportunity to spot animals that you might have missed during the previous game drive. After the game drive you will proceed to Lake Katwe where you will be able to see the local people extracting rock salt from the lake, view migratory birds, and animals liking the salt, and then drive to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kibale National Park also known as the primate capital because it harbors 13 primate species. The journey takes about 3 3-hour drive and will be filled with spectacular views of beautiful scenery, crater lakes, Rwenzori mountain ranges, and tea plantations among others. Upon arrival in Kibale National Park, you will continue to check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Lodging: Kyaninga Lodge/Chimpanzee Guesthouse/ Isunga Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge. Transfer to Kanyachu Park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing, you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who will guide you during trekking. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food.
During trekking, you will be able to view other primate species like black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, different bird species, and plant, and tree species among others. When the chimpanzees are located you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Here, you will be able to observe their habits, and behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, hunt, fight, mate, rest, take photos, and record the breathtaking moments. After the face to face interaction with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters and meet up with your driver guide to return to the lodge for lunch.
Bigodi swamp walk
After lunch you will drive to Bigodi sanctuary for an interesting nature walk where you will have a chance to see bird species like the great blue turaco, primates like l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, view colorful butterflies, plant species, enjoy the cool breeze, take clear photos among others. After the swamp walk you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Lodging: Kyaninga Lodge/Chimpanzee Guesthouse/ Isunga Lodge
Meal plan: Full board
Day 9: Departure to Kampala
After a relaxed breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On the way, you will have an en-route lunch at Igongo Cultural Centre. After you proceed to Kampala, upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe International Airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of advice.
Tour includes
- Bottled drinking water
- Fuel and vehicle
- English speaking guide
- Meals
- Accommodation
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
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.
