14 Days Rwanda Gorilla and Uganda Tour

Tour Overview

This 14 days Tour takes you to the renowned Volcano National Park, Rwanda’s spectacular heritage, with breathtaking scenic allure, landscapes and home of the endangered mountain gorillas. A visit to the twin lakes of Ruhondo and Bulera plus enjoying a boat cruise on Lake Mutanda, this tour also takes us to Kibale National Park and various species of monkeys and to Queen Elizabeth National Park known for its diversity of wildlife, birdlife, and picturesque geographical features. This Safari also takes you to the unforgettably scenic Lake Bunyonyi dotted with 20 small islands and encircled by steep terraced hills for canoe rides and hiking. You will have an encounter with the Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest and an opportunity to hike the volcanoes, a visit to the Equator before transferring Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. Tour Safari Highlights Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park Boat Launch on Kazinga channel Canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi/ Hike in the surrounding hills Batwa walk around Lake Mutanda Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Equator Experience Visit to Source of the Nile White water rafting/bungee jumping/ quad biking/cultural tour.

Tour Overview

Kigali City tour
Visit to Lake Ruhondo and Bulera
Gorilla tracking
Boat cruise on Lake Kivu
Chimpanzee habituation in Kibale
Game drive in Queen Elizabeth NP
Boat Launch on Kazinga channel
Boat ride on Lake Mutanda
Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Equator Experience
Visit to Source of the Nile White
Water rafting/bungee jumping/ quad biking/cultural tour.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1-: Arrive Kigali and Travel to Ruhengeri

You will be met by our’ representative at the Kigali International airport meet and greet, discuss about the safari then Driving and Overnight at the hotel Muhabura (here for your wish you can choose to sleep in Kigali depending on Time arrived at the airport).
Driving distance: 2 hrs.
Budget- Virunga Hotel/Kinigi Guest House
Mid-range – La Palme Hotel

Day 2-: Kigali – Volcanoes National Park

Transfer to volcanoes national park after breakfast. The morning you must be at the office of RDB at 7:00 for a briefing about the trekking of gorillas done by the Volcanoes National Park’s guides. After you will have lunch at the Hotel.
We encourage for your own enjoyment to make sure that you are perfectly fit and healthy. It is important to bring good hiking boots, long trousers, gloves for protection against stinging nettles, some snacks & as well as sufficient water as the rain forest gets hot and humid during the day. You will spend one hour with the gorillas, but it is an hour you will never forget. Return to your hotel for lunch and later dinner and overnight
Budget- Virunga Hotel/Kinigi Guest House
Mid-range – La Plame Hotel

Day 3-: Golden Monkeys tracking transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast you will proceed to the National Park headquarters – Kinigi to meet your guides for Golden Monkeys Tracking then after completing your tracks, visit to the twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Bulera with lunch en-route afterwards we proceed to the Uganda-Rwanda border of Cyanika cross and head to Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda. This lake is said to be one of the most beautiful places in western Uganda. It is the second deepest lake in Africa [900 meters deep] and also one of the few places in the country where it is considered safe to swim as it is bilharzias free. The landscape around the lake is made up of terraced hills protruding from the water’s edge. Bunyonyi means “place of little birds” and as the name suggests, there is plenty of birdlife around the lake. Check in you’ room for Dinner and overnight at:
Budget- Bunyonyi Safari Resort
Mid-range – Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort

Day 4-: Boat ride at Lake Bunyonyi and Transfer to Bwindi NP

After an early breakfast, you will set out for a Boat ride at Lake Bunyonyi this takes 2 hours. The landscape around the lake is made up of terraced hills protruding from the water’s edge. Bunyonyi means “place of little birds” and as the name suggests, there is plenty of birdlife around the lake. You will in the afternoon transfer to Bwindi where you will do some nature walk or Batwa cultural experience. You will go through their villages to have an experience of how they go about their daily routine activities and be amazed by the way they skillfully cultivate the hill sides and how they care for their animals (cows) that are a prime source of pride later return for Dinner and overnight at:
Accommodation –
Budget- Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge
Mid-range – Lake Mutanda Resort

Day 5-: Bwindi for Gorilla Habituation Experience in Rushaga sector

Set off after an early breakfast and head to the park headquarters where you will be briefed by the guides before you begin the search in the thick Bwindi forest for the giant gorillas. Bwindi National Park is renowned for its impressive mountain gorillas, although it is unpredictable for how long you will track before finding them since it all depends on their movement. Though the time spent to track down these Gorillas is unpredictable, the thrill of spending time and observing these gentle giant gorillas is a rare, moving, awesome and exciting adventure that will leave you with long lasting memories of a truly unique experience. Return to the trailhead and it is back to the lodge
Budget- Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge
Mid-range – Lake Mutanda Resort

Day 6-: Transfer to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth

After breakfast transfer to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park where you will do a game drive in Ishasha, famous for the tree climbing lions lounging in the tree branches while keeping a close eye on herds of Uganda kob, their favorite prey. You could have a chance to spot some tree climbing lions after return to you’ lodge for dinner and overnight
Accommodation –
Budget- At the River Lodge Ishasha
Mid-range – Enjojo Lodge

Day 7-: Game drive and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Your day will begin early by 6:30AM, the sunrise time is usually the best time to spot animals in their natural habitats. Heading off for a game drive at the break of dawn you will be able to see Africa’s highly famed “Big 4”, Bush Bucks, Giant Hogs, Antelopes, Waterbucks and plenty of birds.
You will finish your game drive and return back to the accommodation just in time for lunch. After your lunch you will go for a two-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel which connects Lakes George and Lake Edward and you will surely be fascinated by the concentrations of giant hippos, elephants and crocodiles among others. You will also see many varieties of birds at the water shores, especially the famous Shoebill, pelican and Jacana. Dinner and overnight at:
Budget- Tembo Safari Lodge/Engiri Game Lodge
Mid-range – Bush Lodge/Elephant Hab Lodge

Day 8-: Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale National Park

After breakfast you will go for a brief morning game drive in Queen Elizabeth then head to the scenic Explosion Craters and Explosion Crater Lakes along the Western Ugandan Explosion Crater Lake Trail are one of the Pearls in the Pearl of Africa, have you’ lunch en-routes after transfer to Kibale National Park check in at your lodge for some rest in the evening go for the nature walks at Bigodi swamp where you will do birding there you will spot some bird species, butterflies are abundant and some women cultural group’s activities which are also adventurous to attend it can take you 2/3 hours, after get back to your respective hotel for dinner and overnight at :
Accommodation –
Budget- Kibale Homestay/Rweteera Safari Park
Mid-range – Kibale Forest Camp/Chimpanzee Forest Guest House

Day 9-: Chimpanzee Tracking and Bigodi swamp walk in Kibale National Park

You will, after breakfast, head to Kibale Forest with our packed lunch to view the primates. The activity begins at 8.00am with a briefing of the rule for trekking the chimpanzees after which you set off to search for them in the forest. The exercise takes half a day and along the way you will see other primates such as Grey cheeked Mangabeys, Phoestes, Red-Colobus and the Blue tailed and the Red-tailed monkeys swinging in the braches of this thick forest. Your guide will give you informative briefings on the lifestyles of the primates you will be coming across and, on the plants, as well as on the insects and butterflies in this forest to ensure that the trek is not only enjoyable but informative as well, Kibale Forest National Park, it boasts the highest number of primate species in the world, including the chimpanzees. Approximately 5,000 chimpanzees live in the wild in Uganda, which makes it a perfect place to spot them! An experienced ranger will take you chimp tracking in the morning. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will spend one hour with them, after get back to your respective hotel for lunch, Post Lunch you will be taken for Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary walk. This is a guided swamp walk that takes you closer seeing primates mostly monkeys, birds and butterflies. The wetland is a bird paradise with about 138 species and is best known for being home to the Great Blue Turaco.
This is a 2½ – 3 hour walk and is a must for bird lovers. The walk is almost as popular as the Kibale Forest Walk. You will need good walking shoes since part of the walk is sometimes muddy. Hopefully you will spot the elusive Sitatunga antelope and the Shoebill Stork. This is nothing to be missed. You will meet some of the primates here, even a chimpanzee at times. Other primate species include the black-and-white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed, l’Hoest’s and blue monkeys, and olive baboons. Also, Bushbucks and mongooses and many more can also be found here. There is also an abundance of butterflies. Bigodi Sanctuary is located outside the park in Magombe Swamp. dinner and an overnight at:
Accommodation –
Budget- Kibale Homestay/Rweteera Safari Park
Mid-range – Kibale Forest Camp /Chimpanzee Forest Guest House

Day 10-: Transfer to Murchison falls National Park

After breakfast you will be transferred to Murchison Falls National Park which will take around 7/8 hours of drive, Head straight to tour the Top and bottom of majestic falls, where the Nile crashes through a 7 metres gorge to the falls 45 metres. Numerous scenic viewpoints are a photographers’ delight, The most impressive view of the foaming waters rushing into the gorge with a deafening roar, You will have dinner and overnight at:
Accommodation –
Budget-Parkside Safari Lodge/Redchili Rest Camp
Mid-range – Fort Murchison Lodge/Murchison River Lodge

Day 11-: Game drive and Launch cruise in Murchison falls National Park

You will set off at 6:30 am cross to the northern bank of river Nile head for a sunrise game drive in the Nyamsika plateau to see the Cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda kob, hartebeest and waterbucks. You may also spot oribi, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog and bush pig plus large carnivores including lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. Chimpanzees and olive baboons head the list of six species of primates found in the park. Crocodiles and hippos will be seen along the banks of the Nile. Some of the more common birds that can be seen include goliath heron, Egyptian geese, pelican, bee- eaters, kingfishers, hornbill, cormorant, saddle-bill stork and the rare shoebill stork. You will return to your lodge for a late breakfast and some relaxation before setting off in the afternoon for a boat cruise on the placid Victoria Nile, upstream, to the base of the falls. En route you will see hippos, crocodiles, water buck and a wide variety of birds including the unusual shoebill stork. The boat stops just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron” for pictures to be taken of the photogenic and majestic Murchison Falls. You will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight at:
Accommodation –
Budget-Parkside Safari Lodge/Redchili Rest Camp
Mid-range – Fort Murchison Lodge/Murchison River Lodge

Day 12-: Rhino tracking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and transfer to Entebbe/Kampala

After an early morning breakfast, depart with great memories of the moments spent at Murchison falls. You will be driven to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, after a briefing from the ranger you trek the sanctuary for close to two hours. Transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe with lunch en-route, dinner and overnight at
Budget- Forest Cottages
Mid-range – Forest Cottages (in the Cottage)

Day 13-: Transfer to Jinja (optional activities to choose from)

We leave early in the morning and head to Jinja to visit the source of the Nile and to enjoy some of the adventurous activities whose options include white water rafting, jet boating, horse riding, mountain biking, quad biking or bungee jumping. En-route, you will pass-by the spectacular Ssezibwa waterfalls which are believed to have been born by humans many hundred years ago. The falls are one of the most spiritual and cultural centers where many natives flock for blessings, wealth, and fortunes, another stopover at Mabira forest for photography delight, Mabira Forest is a rainforest area covering about 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) (30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) in Uganda located in Buikwe District between Lugazi and Jinja check in at
Budget- Paradise Hotel
Mid-range – 2Friends Guest House

Day 14-: Adventure on the Nile and departure ($130 pp not included)

After breakfast go for the adventurous white water rafting on the Nile River. The rafting begins at the Source of the Nile at 09:30am with a comprehensive briefing and being fitted with the special rafting gear. The rafting is done on an 18 kilometer stretch of the Nile River and no prior experience of rafting is required. The first few rapids are of low grade (1, 2) to build the confidence of the participants before guiding them gradually into the more challenging grades. A total of eight major rapids are rafted to maximize the adrenaline rush of this adventure. You will, after the rafting adventure, be treated to a barbecue lunch and drinks before returning to Kampala before connecting to Entebbe via the Northern bypass, Inline with you’ departure flight time you’ flight back home.

NOTE
Any and all tours can be combined or modified to fit your particular needs. Please tell us your specific requirements using the contact us page.
Prices are subject to change based upon accommodation availability, your tour alterations and other parameters until time of full and final confirmation.