8 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari 

8 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari

8 Days Uganda Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari will start from Kigali Rwanda and end in Entebbe Uganda. During the safari you will have an opportunity to explore the city during the city tour and later visit Volcanoes national park where you will be able to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas. the safari will also take you to the best national parks in Uganda such as Bwindi impenetrable national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park which will offer you with lifetime experiences during mountain gorilla trekking, cultural adventures and wildlife viewing where you will be able to see animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, impalas, elands, giraffes, zebras, lions, leopards, hippos, crocodiles among others.

Highlights of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari

  • Day 1: Pick up from Kigali airport and transfer to Volcanoes national park
  • Day 2: Gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park
  • Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
  • Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
  • Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
  • Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
  • Day 7: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park for afternoon boat cruise
  • Day 8: Morning game drive and departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, depending on your arrival time at Kigali international airport on the first day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to Kigali for a city tour. During the city tour you will visit Kigali genocide memorial centre where you will learn about the 1994 brutal killing of the Hutus and Tutsi, visit art and craft markets, Kimironko market where you will interact with the local traders among others. After the city tour you will go for lunch in one of the restaurants and after start the journey to Volcanoes national park in northwestern Rwanda which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park

Gorilla trekking, after breakfast on the second day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people, allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who will lead you in the forest during trekking.  Trekking of the mountain gorillas in the park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located and during trekking you will be able to view other primates like vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, view bird species among others. once the mountain gorillas are found you will get an opportunity to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat where you will be able to observe their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, take pictures and record videos with a flash less camera. After the one hour encounter with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation dinner and overnight

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

On the third day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park which is located in southwestern part of Uganda. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and on the way you will have stunning views of the rolling hills in Rwanda, beautiful scenery, terraced farmlands, Kigezi hills, traditional homesteads among others. You will either pass via Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale to one of the sectors in Bwindi impenetrable national park. upon arrival you will check into the lodge for lunch and after go for an interesting Batwa cultural experience where you will be able to interact with the Batwa/pygmies who used to live in Bwindi forest before it was gazette into a national park. During the Batwa cultural experience you will be able to learn about their culture, tradition, way of living, dress code, walk through the forest where they used to live, see different plants which were used to cure different diseases, listen to their ancient stories, enjoy their traditional entertainments among others. After the Batwa cultural experiences you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on the fourth day of the 6 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to 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 which is done according to age, personal preference and physical fitness because trekking of gorillas in Bwindi forest is strenuous. You will later start trekking in the jungle with a part guide who will be sharing information about the mountain gorillas. gorilla trekking takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where they slept the previous night, during trekking you will have great views of other wildlife species including bird species, primates like chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, different plant species among others. Once the gorillas are found you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural environment which helps you to learn about their behaviors, watch them carry out their daily activities like playing, feeding, breastfeeding, resting, take great photos and record the moments to show people back home. After the face to face interaction with the mountain 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 to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

On the fifth day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest national park located in western Uganda. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and on the way you will have a stopover in Ishasha sector where you will see the tree climbing lions lying up in fig tree branches during the game drive. You will also be able to see other animals like buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, warthogs among others. After the game drive you will have lunch and then continue the journey to Queen Elizabeth national park where you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight. 

Day 6: Morning game drive/lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on the sixth day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive/lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the morning game drive you will have great views of the sunrise, animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks among others grazing in the open savannah plains with due, view predators like lions, leopards, hyenas if you are lucky, view different bird species among others. After the game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch. 

Afternoon boat cruise, after lunch you will drive to the landing site near the luxury Mweya safari lodge go for an incredible boat cruise on Kazinga channel a 40kilometre long channel that connects lake George and lake Edward. During the boat ride which takes about 2 hours you will be able to see large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, buffaloes, warthogs, elephants along the shores, view water birds like cormorants, kingfishers, fish eagles, hornbills, bee-eaters, see fishermen preparing their fishing gears among others. After the boat cruise you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park for boat cruise

After breakfast on the seventh day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Mburo national park which is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and on the way you will have stunning views of Rwenzori mountain ranges, Igara tea estate, crater lakes, Kalinzu forest among others. Upon arrival you will have lunch and then go for an exciting boat cruise on Lake Mburo where you will be able to see animals like buffaloes, giraffes, antelopes, warthogs along the shores, crocodiles basking on the banks, have beautiful scenery, see fishermen preparing the nets for night fishing among others. After the boat cruise you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Morning game drive and departure to Kampala

Morning game drive, on the last day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive. During the game drive you will follow different game tracks which will reward you with great views of animals like zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, topi, elands, impala, klipspringer, primates like blue monkeys, view different bird species, vegetation types among others. After the game drive you will drive out of the park and start the journey to Kampala with en-route lunch at the Equator. After the lunch you will take photos, buy craft souvenirs and then proceed to Kampala where you will reach early evening and upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your international departure flight or drop you off at any place of convenience.

End of 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari

8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari includes

  • Gorilla trekking permits
  • Park entrance fees
  • Boat cruise fees on Kazinga channel and Lake Mburo
  • Batwa cultural tour
  • Kigali city tour
  • Services of a professional English speaking driver guide
  • Full board accommodation
  • Pick up and drop off
  • Vehicle and fuel
  • Bottled water

8 days Uganda Rwanda gorillas and wildlife safari excludes

  • Air flight tickets
  • Visas
  • Life insurance
  • Optional activities not included on the itinerary
  • Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
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