9 Day Uganda Rwanda Safari – Chimps, Gorillas & Wildlife

Uganda Gorilla Trekking: A Guidance For Gorilla Trekkers

9 Day Uganda Rwanda Safari – Chimps, Gorillas & Wildlife

Overview

This is the most popular safari for tourists interested in visiting Uganda and Rwanda. In Uganda, they will trek the chimps in Kibale Forest, do game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, boat launch on Kazinga Channel, and do gorilla trekking in Bwindi. The tour will take you to Parc volcanoes in Rwanda for another gorilla trek, take you to Lake Kivu for a boat cruise and cultural exposure and end with a visit to the Memorial sites in the city of Kigali.

Safari Highlights

• Chimp trek in Kibale forest National Park
• Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Boat launch on Kazinga channel
• Tree climbing lions of Ishasha
• Boat ride and nature walk around Lake Bunyonyi
• Gorilla trek in Bwindi Forest
• Gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park
• Golden Monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park
• Visit to Dian Fossey Memorial
• Visit Memorial sites in Kigali

Detailed Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Uganda

You will be met at the airport by our safari guide who will transfer you to the hotel reserved for you in Kampala. Dinner and overnight will be at this hotel.

Day 2: Travel to Kibale Forest National Park

You will depart Kampala after breakfast and head westwards to Fort Portal town. The drive will take about 4 -5 hours. You will have lunch in Fort Portal and continue to Kibale where you will go for either a community walk or visit the beautiful Crater lakes region for a spectacular view. Dinner and overnight will be at your reserved lodge.

Day 3: Chimp trekking in Kibale Forest and travel to Queen Elizabeth

After breakfast, you will report to the Kanyanchu Tourist Centre at 08.00 am for a briefing before tracking the chimpanzees. The forest is only accessible on foot and the walk will provide you with the opportunity to also see a variety of other primates like Grey cheeked Mangabeys, Colobus monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, and phoestes. The forest also has many varieties of birds, butterflies and other insects.  You will after the trek go for lunch and drive south for 3-4 hours into Queen Elizabeth National Park arriving in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight will be the lodge of your booking.

Day 4: Game drive in Queen Elizabeth and Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

After your morning breakfast, you will have an early morning Game drive where you will see the lion, leopard, giant forest hog, Cape buffalo, elephant, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, topi and bushbuck among others. You will return to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon go for a 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This is a 42km channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. This trip passes through possibly the highest concentration of hippos Buffalos, and Crocodiles and offers an excellent opportunity for photography, bird watching and game viewing. The prolific bird life is colourful, with well over 550 resident species. Dinner and overnight will be spent at your reserved lodge.

Day 5: Game drive in the Ishasha sector and travel to Bwindi

Will after breakfast move to the Ishasha sector of the Queen Elizabeth National Park famous for the tree-climbing lions lounging in the tree branches while keeping a close eye on herds of Uganda kob, their favourite prey. It is also home to many buffaloes, elephants, and rare shoebills. You will spend the rest of the day game-driving in this part of the park. In the afternoon you will transfer to Bwindi Forest National Park.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and cultural tour

You will have an early morning breakfast and move to the Park headquarters to join other trackers in a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules at 7:45 am. You will trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas, which can take you 1-8 hours. The steeply forested landscape is incredibly dense but crisscrossed by numerous animal trails allowing access by tourists. You will have one hour to stay with the Gorillas once sited after which you will transfer to Volcanoes National park.

Day 7: Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park

You will have an early breakfast after which you will be driven to the Park headquarters at Kinigi for a briefing at 8:30 am about the rules on Gorilla tracking. You will be allocated a Gorilla family to track and guides to lead you to the Gorillas. The tracking will be a 2-5 hour exercise after which you will be returned to the lodge for lunch. Will later in the afternoon be taken on a nature walk to the twin lakes or visit the Iby’ Iwachu Village to explore the Banyarwanda culture. You will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Golden Monkey tracking-Dian Fossey hike and transfer to Lake Kivu for a boat cruise

This morning you will gather at the park headquarter for briefing at 8.30 am before embarking on golden monkey tracking and later hiking up to Karisoke research Centre established by Dian Fossey, an American primatologist who dedicated all her life to conserving the primates. You will return to your Hotel for lunch after which you will be driven to Lake Kivu 110km away for a boat cruise. This drive will be approximately 2 hours in duration.

Day 9: Kigali City Excursion

You will have an early breakfast and set off on the 116 km journey of 3 hours to Kigali for a city tour. You will visit the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Site, the Nyamata church, and the Presidential Palace Museum before either retiring to your hotel for dinner or overnight.

End of the 9 Day Uganda Rwanda Safari – Chimps, Gorillas & Wildlife

Cost Includes:

• Gorilla permits
• Chimpanzee permit
• Airport transfers
• Safari vehicle
• Fuel for the entire trip
• Drive accommodation and Meals
• English Speaking driver guide
• Accommodation as per the itinerary
• All park fees
• Bottled drinking water

Cost Excludes:

• International airfares
• Visa
• Insurance
• Tips and expenses of personal nature

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