12 Days Uganda Rwanda Tour

12 Days Uganda Rwanda Tour – Safari Overview

This amazing 12 Days Uganda Rwanda Tour offers travelers a double gorilla trekking experience as well as wildlife tour in the two countries of Rwanda and Uganda. Arriving at Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, you relax in Kigali and thereafter embark on a gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

The trip then continues with a drive to Uganda for a gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. After the two gorilla trekking experiences, you then continue with the best ever primate and wildlife tour in Uganda.

Chimpanzee trekking is the highlight of the primate trek in this 12 days Rwanda-Uganda tour. After trekking chimpanzees at Kibale Forest National Park, the trip continues to Murchison Falls National Park then later have a rhino tracking experience at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary en route Kampala or Entebbe International Airport for departure.

12 Days Uganda Rwanda Tour – Safari Highlights

  • Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Kigali
  • Day 2: Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
  • Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park-Rwanda
  • Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
  • Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National park -Uganda
  • Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Day 7: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on the kazinga channel
  • Day 8: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
  • Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
  • Day 10: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
  • Day 11: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
  • Day 12: Ziwa Rhino tracking and transfer to Entebbe International Airport for a departure flight.
3 days rwanda gorilla tracking safari

rwanda gorilla tracking safari

12 Days Uganda Rwanda Tour – Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport, your allocated driver guide will meet you up for a transfer to a booked Hotel in Kigali. Depending on your time of arrival you arrive in time of check in, dinner and overnight.

Drive time: 1 hour
Accommodation options: Luxury: Hotel Des Mille Collines, Midrange: Flame Tree Village Hotel, Budget: Golf Hills Residence Hotel

Day 2: In the morning after breakfast, your driver guide will be there to pick you up for a transfer to Kigali city. You have a Kigali city tour visiting different points including the Museums of Rwanda. After the city tour in Kigali, you then have lunch and continue with the drive to Volcanoes National Park.

The drive takes you on a beautiful ride across the greenery backdrop in the land of a thousand hills on beautiful terraced hills. Arriving at a booked hotel in Volcanoes, you check in and have dinner at the lodge then after spend the night there.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Drive time: 3 hours
Accommodation options: Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Midrange: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Budget: Kinigi Guest House

Day 3: Early morning, you have breakfast and then transfer to the park headquarters for the Rwanda gorilla trekking briefing. Briefing starts by 8:00am local time by the park officials on the do’s and don’ts of the gorilla trekking etiquette.

A total of 8 individuals are allocated a single gorilla family and they start the trek with the park ranger. Trekking may last about 2-6 hours depending on where the gorillas spent their previous night. After meeting the gorillas, a maximum of 1 hour is spent in their presence as you take your memory pictures.

Optional activity: choose between a visit to Dian Fossey’s grave or go for golden monkey trekking. Have lunch at the lodge and later relax up at the lodge from the tiresome and exciting activity. Dinner and overnight at previous night’s lodge.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Drive time: 8 – 9 hours.
Accommodation options: Luxury: Buhoma lodge – Chameleon hill Lodge, Mid Range: Silverback lodge – Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Budget: Buhoma Community Camp – Gorilla Valley Lodge

Day 4: After breakfast, be ready for the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. You will cross from Rwanda to Uganda through kyanika Uganda-Rwanda border and then drive to your lodge. The transfer takes you through the beautiful spectacular scenery and the rolling hills of southern Uganda. Arrive at your lodge in time for dinner and overnight at your accommodation preference.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Drive time: 3 – 4 hours.
Accommodation options: Luxury: Buhoma lodge/Chameleon Hill Lodge, Mid Range: Silverback lodge/Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Budget: Buhoma community Camp/Gorilla Valley lodge

Day 5: After breakfast you head to the park headquarters for briefing before going for gorilla trekking.  You will follow the ranger/guides in a maximum group of 8 people as you search for the habituated family of mountain gorillas.

Once located, you will be allowed to spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas with a chance of taking photographs. After the trek, you return to the park headquarters where you receive a gorilla trekking certificate then after return to your lodge.

Optional activity: Batwa Experience Trail or the community walk in Buhoma. Dinner and overnight at a previous night lodge.

Day 6: This morning you will depart for Queen Elizabeth National Park; be prepared for some incredible scenery along the way. Enjoy a breathtaking game drive in the south of the park famed for the tree climbing lions. Then you will continue northwards arriving in time for lunch at the lodge.

After lunch head off for an afternoon game drive in the plains of Kasenyi in search for savannah wildlife that may include herds of buffaloes, antelopes, elephants and if lucky, some wild cats such as lions and leopard.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Drive time: 4 – 5 hours.
Accommodation options: Luxury: Mweya Safari Lodge – Kyambura Game Lodge, Mid Range: Enganzi Lodge – Ihamba Safari Lodge, Budget: Kazinga Channel View Resort

Day 7: This morning you will rise early and head out on a sunrise game drive along the tracks of the national park, in the Northern side towards Lake George and Kasenyi Village. You may spot lions, elephants, buffalos, spotted hyenas, waterbucks, Ugandan kob, and perhaps the leopard though shy and rare to be seen.

In the early afternoon you will take the most exciting safari by boat from Mweya Peninsula along Kazinga Channel, one of the most popular sites in Uganda for its concentration of wildlife, bird’s life and opportunities for good photographs. On this boat cruise you will see plenty of hippos, buffalos and elephants as they are drinking along the shores of the channel. Dinner and overnight at the lodge of the previous night

Day 8: After an early breakfast, drive to Kibale Forest National Park arriving at your lodge in time for lunch. After lunch, this afternoon, we can organize an optional nature walk to the crater lakes region or a walk in the Bigodi community.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner.
Drive time: 5 -6 hours.
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Kyaninga Lodge, Mid Range: Kibale Forest Camp, Budget: Nyinabulitya Country Resort

Day 9: After breakfast you start the day with chimpanzee trekking in the forest. It starts with briefing then after head out for the trek that lasts about 4-6hours with a maximum of 1 hour in the presence of the chimps.

During the trek, you come along different primate species including the black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkey and vervet monkey. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here and some can be spotted during the trek.

After lunch you will drive to Bigodi for a swamp walk. This wetland belongs to a community neighboring the park. Dinner and overnight as previous night

Day 10: From Kibale Forest National Park after breakfast, you embark on a drive to Murchison Falls National Park through small towns, villages and great views of the escarpment arriving late in the evening. The drive takes you along the Great Rift Valley and magnificent views of scenery. Lunch will be en-route; later arrive at the Park and check into your lodge for dinner and overnight at your lodge of preference.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Drive time: Approximately 7 – 8 hours drive
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Paraa Safari Lodge, Mid Range: Murchison River Lodge, Budget: Red Chilli Camp

Day 11: By sunrise, your Uganda wildlife tour guide will pick you up for a transfer to the park for a morning game drive. With beautiful sights of the morning sunrise, you head out for the game drive with your safari guide, lasting about 2-4hours. During the game drive, you have chances of seeing wildlife species like Buffaloes, Elephants, Lions, Leopards and the Rothschild Giraffes (the highest population in the world).

After the game drive, you have a lunch break and then transfer to the boat cruise start point for a great 2 hours cruise on the Nile waters. The boat cruise takes cruises past numerous hippopotami down to the bottom of the mighty Murchison Falls. Dinner and overnight as previous night.

Day 12: This morning you have breakfast them make a short visit to the top of Murchison Falls on your way out of the park. From the top of the falls, you then continue with the drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. At the sanctuary, you spend about 2 hours on a rhino tracking experience in the only rhino habitat in Uganda. Following Rhino tracking, you then embark on a road drive to Entebbe International Airport for a late evening departure flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

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