19 Days Best of Uganda & Rwanda

Tour details

Duration: 19 days

Best for: Wildlife lovers, photographers, adventurous travellers, East Africa explorers

Group size: Private tour

Travel style: Safari, Adventure, Photography, Family, Tracking, Boat Trip

Introduction

What will you see on this trip? Nearly everything East and Central Africa has to offer, in 19 days. You'll track mountain gorillas and chimpanzees on foot, see all of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), and watch hippos and crocodiles from the water. It's a long trip. It's also the best way to see two countries that sit side by side but feel very different.

Where do you go? Five places anchor the route:

1. Murchison Falls, Uganda. The Nile squeezes through a gap about 7 metres wide, then drops 43 metres. You'll see it from the top on foot and from below on a boat cruise.

2. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Savannah, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel, where a boat takes you close to hippos, buffalo and elephants at the water's edge. The park is also known for its tree-climbing lions.

3. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. You'll hike into dense, misty rainforest to sit with a gorilla family. Bwindi is home to roughly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas.

4. Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda. Chimpanzee trekking at dawn, with 12 other primate species in the same canopy.

5. Akagera National Park, Rwanda. Open plains where you can complete the Big Five, including rhino.

What else is on the itinerary? You'll track rhino on foot at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. You'll also spend time with local communities, sharing a meal and learning how people live alongside the parks.

Take a look at the day-by-day breakdown to see how each of the 21 days is paced.

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe You land in Entebbe and rest. Nothing is scheduled.

Day 2: Rhino tracking at Ziwa, then Murchison Falls Uganda lost its wild rhinos in the early 1980s. At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you walk up to southern white rhinos on foot. Afterward, you drive on to Murchison Falls.

Day 3: Game drive and boat trip to the falls You spend the morning on a game drive. Then you take a boat up the Nile to the base of the falls. Here the river squeezes through a gap about 7 metres wide and drops 43 metres.

Day 4: Scenic transfer to Kibale Forest Today is a travel day. You spend most of it on the road, so keep your camera within reach.

Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Wetland walk Kibale holds around 1,500 chimpanzees and 13 primate species. You track chimpanzees in the morning. In the afternoon, you walk the Bigodi Wetland, where local guides point out monkeys and birds.

Day 6: Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise You drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, then cruise the Kazinga Channel. The channel links Lake George and Lake Edward over roughly 32 kilometres. Hippos and elephants line the banks.

Day 7: Ishasha and the tree-climbing lions You transfer to Ishasha and search for its lions. They climb fig trees to rest above the grass. Sightings are never guaranteed. Your guide knows the favourite trees.

Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park You drive to Bwindi and settle in before tomorrow's early start.

Day 9: Gorilla tracking Bwindi is home to about half of the world's mountain gorillas. You hike with a ranger team until you find a family. Then you spend one hour with them. Bring water and sturdy boots. The forest is steep and often muddy

Day 10: Community visit or forest walk, then Lake Bunyonyi Choose a village visit or a guided forest walk this morning. After lunch, you transfer to Lake Bunyonyi.

Day 11: Boat trip and relaxation You spend the day on Lake Bunyonyi, which has 29 islands. Take a boat out, or stay by the shore. Your legs will thank you after the trek.

Day 12: Across the border into Rwanda You cross into Rwanda and sleep in Cyanika or Musanze. Rwanda's clocks run one hour behind Uganda's. Border times vary, so you build in slack.

Day 13: Golden monkey tracking or the Dian Fossey hike You pick one. Golden monkeys live in the bamboo of Volcanoes National Park and move fast. The Dian Fossey hike takes you to the site where she lived and worked with mountain gorillas.

Day 14: Lake Kivu and a boat trip You transfer to Lake Kivu and take a boat out on the water.

Day 15: Scenic drive to Nyungwe Forest The road climbs into one of Rwanda's largest forests. You spend most of the day driving.

Day 16: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk You track chimpanzees in the morning. Then you walk the canopy path above the forest floor.

Day 17: Butare and Kigali You visit the Ethnographic Museum in Butare and the King's Palace. Then you drive to Kigali.

Day 18: Kigali city tour You tour Kigali, visit the Genocide Memorial, and see local art galleries. The memorial holds the remains of more than 250,000 people. Give yourself time there.

Day 19: Transfer to the airport You transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Accommodations

Papyrus Guest House - Entebbe ,Kyambura Gorge Lodge - Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Lodge - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Virunga Lodge - Volcanoes National Park

What's included

Includes

Accommodation on a full board basis, Internal local flights, Private guide for all sightseeing on the itinerary All transfers listed above, Two gorilla trekking permits: one in Uganda, one in Rwanda

Excludes

Drinks, Gratuities, International flights, Travel insurance, Visa fees.

Tour map

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