Safari Overview
This 15 Days Uganda-Rwanda Safari takes you to amazing places such as Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Kigali city. The extensive 15-day safari covers a range of experiences that you will enjoy, including chimpanzee trekking, double gorilla trekking, cultural encounters, city tours, Dian Fossey tomb hike, and golden monkey tracking. Your 15 Days Uganda-Rwanda Safari will begin from Entebbe (Uganda) and end in Kigali (Rwanda).
The Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival & Pick up at the Entebbe Airport
Day 2: Entebbe to Kibale by road through the Fort Portal-Kamwenge route
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking with an afternoon Bigodi swamp walk
Day 4: Morning Transfer to Queen Elizabeth by road
Day 5: Morning game drive & boat cruise on the Kazinga channel
Day 6: Transfer to the Ishasha –enjoy an afternoon game drive
Day 7: Full day in Ishasha sector
Day 8: Drive from Ishasha to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi with a UWA guide
Day 10: Visit Lake Bunyonyi –enjoy a canoe ride tour
Day 11: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Volcanoes National Park
Day 12: Enjoy Volcanoes Gorilla trekking
Day 13: Experience the best of Dian Fossey tomb hike & & Iby’Iwacu cultural experience
Day 14: Golden monkey trek tour & drive to Kigali
Day 15: Kigali city tour & transfer to the airport for departure
Detailed Itinerary – 15 Days Uganda-Rwanda safari
Day 1: Arrival & Pick up at the Entebbe Airport
Meet your driver expert who will collect you from the Entebbe International Airport (EBB). Get a warm welcome, and then you can exit the airport for your hotel. At the hotel in Entebbe, you will have an orientation on your 15 Days Uganda-Rwanda safari and then rest for the night.
Accommodation options
- Midrange & Luxury: Protea Hotel
Meal plan: Bed & Breakfast
Day 2: Entebbe to Kibale by road through the Fort Portal-Kamwenge route
After a hefty breakfast, meet the driver guide for a short briefing before you set off for Kibale National Park. Today, you will have access to Kibale along the Kampala-Mityana-Mubende route, which is approximately 6-hour drive. Enjoy the stunning views of the tea farms, and once you arrive at Fort Portal, expect to settle for lunch. Leave Fort Portal after a leisurely lunch, and you will go to check into your lodge for relaxation.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Isunga Lodge/Chimpanzee Guesthouse/Rwenzori View Guesthouse
- Midrange: Primate Lodge Kibale/Chimpundu Lodge
- Luxury: Kibale Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking with an afternoon Bigodi swamp walk
Enjoy a delicious breakfast while in your lodge and after, you will be picked up early morning. Continue to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for you to clear with the Kibale reservation team and later, join the briefing session. Get to know the chimpanzee trekking guidelines and after, you will have a ranger guide accompany you on the actual walk to see chimpanzees.
You will take about 2-4 hours before you come across chimpanzees and later, enjoy an hour for you to observe these primates. Walk back after this encounter and have a delicious lunch before you go for the afternoon Bigodi wetland/swamp walk.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Isunga Lodge/Chimpanzee Guesthouse/Rwenzori View Guesthouse
- Midrange: Primate Lodge Kibale/Chimpundu Lodge
- Luxury: Kibale Lodge/Kyaninga Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer
Day 4: Morning Transfer to Queen Elizabeth by road
Enjoy a hefty breakfast, and today, you will be picked up from the lodge. Drive from Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is 2-3 hours, and your journey covers en route photography at the Kikorongo Equator crossing. At Queen Elizabeth National Park, you may proceed with the afternoon game drive.
Accommodation Options
- Budget: Simba Tented Camp/Bulbul Safari Lodge & Kazinga Channel Resort
- Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge & Buffalo Lodge
- Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge by Uganda Lodges/Kyambura Gorge/Mweya Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer
Day 5: Morning game drive & boat cruise on the Kazinga channel
Early morning, expect to embark on a guided game drive with an expert. Drive through the Kasenyi plains and spend about 2-3 hours, which come with incredible sightings of different savanna animals, including buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda Kobs, and bird species. Return for lunch, and later, you will have the last safari experience, that is a launch/boat tour on the Kazinga channel. The exciting boat cruise comes with amazing sights of crocodiles, hippos, & aquatic birds.
Accommodation Options
- Budget: Simba Tented Camp/Bulbul Safari Lodge & Kazinga Channel Resort
- Midrange: Enganzi Game Lodge & Buffalo Lodge
- Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge by Uganda Lodges/Kyambura Gorge/Mweya Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer
Day 6: Transfer to the Ishasha –enjoy an afternoon game drive
Depart from Kasenyi sector for Ishasha in the south where you will have a memorable afternoon game drive. At Ishasha, you will appreciate the diverse animals that survive around this sector including the tree-climbing lions & topis, etc.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Ishasha Pride Lodge/Enjojo Lodge
- Midrange: Topi Lodge
- Luxury: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 7: Full-day in Ishasha sector
Enjoy a full day wildlife tour in the Ishasha sector and explore diversity of game in this particular part of the park. Have complete immersion into the Ishasha wilderness and explore different animals ranging from Uganda kobs, topis, elephants, warthogs, & leopards on a lucky day, plus the tree-climbing lions. Later, you will have a sundowner and the rest of the night in your lodge.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Ishasha Pride Lodge/Enjojo Lodge
- Midrange: Topi Lodge
- Luxury: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 8: Drive from Ishasha to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
After breakfast, you will depart for Bwindi where gorilla trekking will be experienced the following day. At Bwindi, you will check in the lodges around Buhoma or other sectors depending on where your gorilla trek is intended to be enjoyed.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Ride 4 a Woman & Buhoma Community Rest Camp
- Midrange: Mahogany Springs Lodge & Engagi Lodge
- Luxury: Buhoma Lodge & Luxury Bwindi Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi with a UWA guide
Join the Buhoma tourism officials for an early morning briefing on gorilla trekking rules. You will also be assigned a gorilla group plus a ranger guide to take you on a search for gorillas. Your day will involve penetrating the dense forest and spending 2-6 hours while you look for gorillas. When you come across gorillas, you will enjoy a maximum of 1 hour with them and ensure that you take as many photos as you can manage. After the gorilla trek, you will assemble at the park offices to receive a certificate, then you continue to the lodge to freshen up.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Ride 4 a Woman & Buhoma Community Rest Camp
- Midrange: Mahogany Springs Lodge & Engagi Lodge
- Luxury: Buhoma Lodge & Luxury Bwindi Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 10: Visit Lake Bunyonyi –enjoy a canoe ride tour
After breakfast, depart from Buhoma for Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda’s deepest Lake and also haven to 29 tropical islands. The visit to Lake Bunyonyi will come with a canoe ride and expect to observe some birds and also the islands.
Accommodation options
- Budget & Midrange: Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort
- Luxury: Birdnest @Bunyonyi Resort.
Day 11: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Volcanoes National Park
Enjoy a delicious cup of coffee/tea and later, depart for Volcanoes National Park. Arrive at the border (Katuna/Chanika) to clear and cross to Rwanda. Connect to Volcanoes in Musanze and check into the lodge.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Kinigi Guesthouse & Muhabura Hotel
- Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge/Le Bambou & La Palme Hotel
- Luxury: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge & Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 12: Enjoy Volcanoes Gorilla trekking
After a delicious breakfast, you will get briefed at Kinigi. Get to know the rules and regulations for gorilla trekking. The gorilla families plus ranger guides will be allocated to visitors after briefing. At around 8:00 am, you should be set for real trekking session to find mountain gorillas and this is to take you about 2-6 hours. The long day trek covers an hour with mountain gorillas. Return from the trek with mountain gorillas then enjoy lunch. Relax at the lodge till the next day.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Kinigi Guesthouse & Muhabura Hotel
- Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge/Le Bambou & La Palme Hotel
- Luxury: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge & Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 13: Experience the best of Dian Fossey tomb hike & & Iby’Iwacu cultural experience
Embark on the Dian Fossey graveyard walk with an expert. This is to last for about 3 hours and comes with a rare opportunity for you to explore more about the successful conservancy legacy of the Dian Fossey who camped in the Volcanoes National Park for 18 years while studying about gorillas. After the sensational trek, return and you will have leisurely lunch. Late in the afternoon, you will visit the Iby’Iwacu village for a memorable cultural encounter.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Kinigi Guesthouse & Muhabura Hotel
- Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge/Le Bambou & La Palme Hotel
- Luxury: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge & Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 14: Golden monkey trek tour & drive to Kigali
Enjoy a hefty breakfast at the comfort of your lodge and later, you will learn more about golden monkey trekking regulations. Expect to spend about 3-4 hours which one hour of observing how golden monkeys behave and taking photos. This will be enjoyed while with golden monkeys in their natural environment.
Accommodation options
- Budget: Kinigi Guesthouse & Muhabura Hotel
- Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge/Le Bambou & La Palme Hotel
- Luxury: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge & Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal plan: Full-board offer.
Day 15: Kigali city tour & transfer to the airport for departure
After breakfast, check out of your respective lodge, and today, you will head off to Kigali city. Arrive early for you to engage in the city tour, and after, continue to the airport for a late afternoon flight back home or as per your schedule.
End of the 15 Days Uganda-Rwanda Safari
Inclusions
- Park entry fees
- Golden monkey permits (Rwanda)
- Gorilla permits (Uganda & Rwanda)
- Chimpanzee permits (Kibale)
- Game drives & boat tours (Queen)
- All safari experiences
- Accommodation plus meals (as per the itinerary)
- Transport & driver services (Uganda & Rwanda)
- Free bottled water in a car
Exclusions
- Tips
- Travel/health insurance
- Laundry expenses
- All optional activities on your Uganda-Rwanda safari
- Telephone expenses/bills
- International flight fees
- Visas –Rwanda & Uganda
- Alcoholic drinks
- Any personal expenses.