13 Days Highlights of Uganda and Rwanda

Tour details

Duration: 13 days

Best for: Travellers who want to compare two gorilla populations across two countries, and who can commit two separate permit fees to do it

Group size: Private tour, your group and your guide

Travel style: Safari, Gorilla trekking, Chimpanzee tracking, Hiking, Volcanoes, Golden monkeys

Introduction

Two countries. Four parks. Two gorilla treks. This trip takes you from the rift valley savannah of Queen Elizabeth National Park to the volcanic slopes where Dian Fossey lived and worked. You cross a border, change altitude and climate several times, and stand face to face with mountain gorillas twice.

You trek gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and again in Volcanoes National Park. That's two treks, two groups, two countries. Most itineraries give you one.

On this journey, you will explore the following highlights:

Gorilla Tracking - The Ultimate Wildlife Encounter

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Home of the Mountain Gorillas

Volcanoes National Park

Chimpanzee Tracking

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Cultural Encounters – Meet Uganda’s Communities

Day to day programme

Day 1: Arrival

You land and transfer to Papyrus Guesthouse in Entebbe for the night.

Day 2: Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth National Park

The drive south takes 5 to 6 hours. You stop at the Equator and at roadside markets on the way. Queen Elizabeth National Park sits in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and wraps around Lake Edward and Lake George. Volcanic craters, grassland, forest, wetland and river all sit inside one park boundary. You stay at Kyambura Gorge Lodge, full board.

Day 3: Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park

You head out at sunrise to the Kasenyi plains, where lion and large herds of Ugandan kob gather. Mweya is your best shot at leopard, which favor the dense thickets there. After lunch back at the lodge, go out again or stay out all day with a packed lunch. Your guide will work either way into the plan. Kyambura Gorge Lodge again, full board.

Day 4: Chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge

The forested walls of the gorge hold chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus, giant forest hog and a long list of bird species. The walk down is a half day. You go for the chimpanzees and come back with a lot more than that. Kyambura Gorge Lodge, full board.

Day 5: Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

A morning game drive through the Ishasha sector gives you a shot at the tree-climbing lions this park is known for. Then you drive on to Bwindi, crossing the Equator again through open savannah dotted with giant euphorbia trees. Bwindi is thick, misty, tropical rainforest, one of the most diverse forests left in Africa, and the best habitat mountain gorillas have. You stay at Bwindi Lodge, full board.

Day 6: Uganda gorilla trekking

You set off early to track one of Bwindi's habituated gorilla groups: Habinyanja, Rushegura or Mubare. Groups split into teams of seven, each with a local guide and park rangers who brief you before you enter the forest. The walk in is often muddy and always steep. Standing in front of a wild gorilla family makes it worth every step. Bring extra memory cards, more water than you think you need, and legs ready for a climb. Bwindi Lodge, full board.

Day 7: Second trek or alternative activities

You get a second shot at gorilla trekking today if you want it. If not, options include a guided rainforest walk past endemic birds and rare plant life, a village walk through community projects like the Amagara farming initiative and the Bwindi Community Hospital, which started as a clinic under a tree and now serves over 60,000 people, or time with the Batwa community learning traditional forest skills. Bwindi Lodge, full board.

Day 8: Bwindi to Mgahinga National Park

The drive climbs through bamboo forest to the Kanaba Gap, where the Virunga volcanoes come into view, then drops to the frontier town of Kisoro before climbing again to 2,300 metres. Count on 5 to 6 hours including lunch and stops. Mgahinga is Uganda's smallest park and one of its most striking, laced with trails that follow streams up through volcanic terrain. Mount Gahinga Lodge, full board.

Day 9: Activities in Mgahinga

Hike toward Muhavura or Gahinga volcano, or take a gentler route through the bamboo forest lower down, home to bushbuck and duiker. A guided nature walk also gives you a chance to track golden monkeys. They move fast and range widely, so this one can't always be planned in advance the way a gorilla trek can. The Batwa community here has lived in this landscape for generations. Mount Gahinga Lodge, full board.

Day 10: Mgahinga to Volcanoes National Park

You cross into Rwanda today, where the clock goes back an hour. Border crossing time varies. The rest of the day is yours to spend at the lodge or walking the easy trails nearby, with views over the Virunga volcano chain and the villages below. Dian Fossey lived and worked in these forests, and they remain one of the best places on earth to see mountain gorillas. Virunga Lodge, full board.

Day 11: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

A short drive gets you to park headquarters at sunrise for a briefing, porters and coffee before you head into the forest. Treks run anywhere from 30 minutes to most of the morning, so pace yourself. Once you find the gorillas, you get one hour with them. Sometimes you move to stay with the group, sometimes they stay put. A packed lunch, included, is usually eaten at a scenic spot in the forest before you head back to the lodge. Virunga Lodge, full board.

Day 12: Second day of gorilla tracking

Same format, different day, and no two treks look alike. A larger group tends to feel relaxed, with juveniles playing nearby. A smaller group's silverback may want to remind you who runs the forest, chest beating included. A second trek lets you put the camera down and watch. Afternoon plans stay flexible depending on your return time. Virunga Lodge, full board.

Day 13: Volcanoes National Park to Kigali

The drive to Kigali takes 2 to 3 hours. Kigali runs on rules you don't often see elsewhere in the region: no plastic bags, public transport on bio-fuel, and a national cleaning day once a month. You have time for a short city tour, a visit to the Genocide Memorial, and the local markets before your flight home.

What makes this trip different

You trek gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and again in Volcanoes National Park. That's two treks, two groups, two countries. Most itineraries give you one.

Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge.

Bush walks, a boat safari on the Kazinga Channel, and game drives through Queen Elizabeth National Park.

A walk through Mgahinga National Park, where butterflies gather on volcanic slopes rich enough to support them.

Nights at privately owned lodges chosen for their location first, style second.

Where you stay

Entebbe: Papyrus Guest House, bed and breakfast.

Queen Elizabeth National Park: Kyambura Gorge Lodge, full board.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Bwindi Lodge, full board.

Mgahinga National Park: Mount Gahinga Lodge, full board.

Volcanoes National Park: Virunga Lodge, full board.

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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

Accommodations

During the trip, you will stay at:

Entebbe: Papyrus Guest House, bed and breakfast.

Queen Elizabeth National Park: Kyambura Gorge Lodge, full board.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Bwindi Lodge, full board.

Mgahinga National Park: Mount Gahinga Lodge, full board.

Volcanoes National Park: Virunga Lodge, full board.

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