11-Day Uganda-Rwanda Private Safari
Uganda-Rwanda Private Safari – Gorilla and wildlife holiday experience
Our 11-day Uganda-Rwanda private safari has been designed in response to increased demand to combine the best of safari in Uganda with Rwanda. There is time to trek the Mountain Gorillas in both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and this dynamic trip also includes Chimpanzee trekking and incredible game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
This trip includes Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Volcanoes National Parks, ending in Kigali, Rwanda.
This itinerary is just a suggestion; at Safari Vacations and Travel Services, we can run it with Rwanda first and/or increase the number of days spent on Gorilla tracking. Whatever you prefer, we can make it happen for you to have the best of your safari experience.
Tour Highlights
Chimpanzee trekking
Gorilla trekking
Game viewing and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Detailed Itinerary of the Uganda-Rwanda Private Safari
Day 1: Drive to Kibale National Park
Depart after breakfast for Kibale Forest National Park. The drive via rural villages and towns will take approximately 6-7 hours, stopping for a picnic lunch en route.
Kibale National Park is an enchanting ancient forest and supports an incredible range of flora and fauna. Rich in wildlife, it is most noted for its primate population. It includes red-tailed monkeys, diademed monkeys, olive baboons, chimpanzees, and black and white colobus.
Optional excursions around Kibale Forest (aside from Chimp trekking) include a guided forest walk, a visit to the Bigodi Swamps, or the Vanilla Farm close to the Ndali crater area.
Overnight: Kibale Guest House/Chimpanzee Guest House
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park
Today is to be exhilarating. Transfer to the Uganda Wildlife Authority Park headquarters for your Chimpanzee trek briefing point. Head off into the forest in search of the Chimpanzees, sometimes stepping off well-defined paths following their markings.
Chimpanzee tracking can be exciting, as, unlike their cousins, the Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees tend to be more active and often keep moving through the forest canopies, so you may find yourself following a family through dense jungles! Of course, sightings cannot be guaranteed, but the chances of seeing them are very good. Once amongst the Chimpanzees, spend approximately an hour observing and following them. Enjoy your afternoon at leisure to rest or explore the Kibale Forest area.
Dinner and Overnight: Chimpundu Lodge/Chimpanzee Guest House
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Depart early for Queen Elizabeth National Park, a drive of approximately 3 hours. Queen Elizabeth National Park is set in the Great Rift Valley and is home to a wide variety of wildlife,e including Elephants, Lions, Hippos, Buffalo, Uganda kob, baboons, and many species of birds. The park has both riverine and savannah habitats. The National Park includes the southern sector of Ishasha with its tree-climbing lions. It also includes the Maramagambo forest, one of the largest surviving natural forests in Uganda.
Enjoy a leisurely boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, a 32-kilometer-long natural channel linking the two water bodies of Lake Edward and Lake George. Kazinga Channel’s shores are dotted with herds of lazy Buffalo, pods of Hippos wallowing without a care, and countless bird species. Drift past local fishing villages and soak up the peaceful tranquillity of this beautiful African day. The cruise normally departs at 11h00, although this depends on availability when booking and is subject to change –no drinks/ snacks provided on the boat.
Dinner and Overnight: Mweya Safari Lodge/Buffalo Lodge
Day 4: Morning game drive and Transfer to the Ishasha sector
On this day, you will have an early morning game drive in Kasenyi Plains. The Uganda kobs, duikers, and herds of buffalo are there for you to see. You will also be able to see lions and maybe leopards, as elephants are a must. After the game drive, you will go for lunch at your lodge. Then, you will go for an optional crater visit where you may visit Lakes Katwe and Munyanayange. After, transfer to the Ishasha sector for overnight.
Dinner and Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp/Ishasha Jungle Lodge
Day 5: Lion tracking experience in Ishasha
On this day, you will go for an early morning game drive. This game drive is quite special and different from the others. It takes you to Ishasha for a tree-climbing lion experience. You’ll see the lions in the fig trees, which is very rare among lions. After the lion tracking experience, drive back to the lodge for relaxation.
Dinner and Overnight: Ishasha Wilderness Camp/Ishasha Jungle Lodge
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Uganda-Rwanda private safari takes you from Queen Elizabeth National Park; we drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a World Heritage site. Bwindi Forest is one of the richest ecosystems in East Africa and home to over 120 mammals, 345 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies, and 160 species of trees. The National Park contains an estimated one-half of the world’s population of the endangered Mountain Gorillas, making it an extremely valuable conservation site.
Overnight and dinner: Mahogany Springs/Rushaga Havens Gorilla Lodge
Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
It’s up early today as one of the most humbling and enthralling wildlife experiences imaginable awaits your discovery. Coming face to face with an endangered mountain gorilla is something words cannot aptly describe. Please note that Gorilla trekking is strenuous, with treks ranging from 45 minutes up to eight hours at high altitudes in hot African conditions. The thrill of the hour you spend quietly observing these gentle giants, once you find them, is well worth the hike to get there. Although Mountain Gorillas are wild animals, and one should note that sightings cannot be guaranteed, viewing success rates are well over 95%. Head back to the Lodge for relaxation after your trek, or explore the surrounding community.
Dinner and overnight: Mahogany Springs/Rushaga Havens Gorilla Lodge
Please note that days 8 and 9 are interchangeable depending on when we can secure Gorilla permits.
Day 8: Optional second gorilla trek or gorilla Habituation experience
Those with additional pre-purchased Gorilla permits will depart for a second Gorilla tracking experience. If you have purchased a habituation permit, you will go for that experience on this day. The habituation experience gives you four hours with the semi-habituated gorillas. After briefing in the morning, you will follow a group of researchers to the forest. The time taken to see gorillas exceeds the normal trekking exercise. The four hours given to you after finding them are to enable them to get more exposure to humans. You will then take photos and witness their feeding, breeding, and nesting behavior. After habituation, you will go back to the lodge to relax from the tiresome but interesting experience.
Dinner and overnight: Mahogany Springs/Rushaga Havens Gorilla Lodge
Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
From Bwindi Forest National Park, we drive through the ‘Little Switzerland of Africa,’ Rwanda. You will drive along winding mountain roads and through rural villages to the border of Rwanda in the Kisoro border town. On a clear day, view the Virungas’ ‘standing sentry’ along the border, a row of massive, dormant volcanoes watching over the region. Crossing into Rwanda (border crossing takes about 1 hour), we continue to the Volcanoes National Park.
Dinner and overnight: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge/Hotel Muhabura
Day 10: Optional Gorilla trekking, Dian Fossey Hike, or Golden monkey trekking
Trekking Mountain Gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park is a very similar experience to that in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. It is just as challenging and equally memorable. If you have opted not to trek today, take a hike to Dian Fossey’s grave. Or enjoy a forest walk with Golden Monkey tracking. You will only be able to enjoy one of these activities (as they all take place in the morning), and pre-booking is essential. After lunch (and depending on when your trek ends), we drive to Kigali city. The capital of Rwanda, a bustling, clean, and safe city.
Dinner and Overnight: Four Points/Five to Five Hotel
Day 11: Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center and transfer to the airport
Visit the Haunting Genocide Memorial Center before your transfer back to the Kigali International Airport. You’ll learn about the anti-human tragedy that befell the people of Rwanda in 1994. After, you’ll embark on your flight back to your home country, and end your 11-day Uganda-Rwanda private safari
End of the Uganda-Rwanda Private Safari
