10 Days Uganda – Rwanda Gorilla and Wildlife Safari

Tour details

Duration: 10 days

Best for: Travellers who want the full four-park, two-country loop with two gorilla treks, and who are fit for long driving days

Group size: Private tour, your group and your guide

Travel style: Gorilla trekking, Chimpanzee tracking, Cross-border, Big Five, Golden monkeys

Introduction

You can start this trip in two places: Entebbe, Uganda, or Kigali, Rwanda. Either way, you cross four parks in nine days. You track chimps in Kibale. You watch lions in Queen Elizabeth. You sit with mountain gorillas twice, once in Bwindi and once in Volcanoes National Park. You end with golden monkeys and a city tour of Kigali.

This is not a trip you rush. Gorilla trekking alone can run five to nine hours. Plan for it.

On this journey, you will explore the following highlights:

Chimpanzee Tracking

Kibale Forest National Park – The Primate Capital

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth National Park)

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Home of the Mountain Gorillas

Gorilla Tracking - The Ultimate Wildlife Encounter

Volcanoes National Park

Kigali City - The Heart of Rwanda

Cultural Encounters – Meet Uganda’s Communities

Day to day programme

Day 1: Arrive Entebbe

Your driver-guide meets you at the airport. You transfer to your hotel in Entebbe. Bed and breakfast.

Day 2: Entebbe to Kibale Forest National Park

A 6 to 7 hour drive west, through the Albertine Escarpment and the Bunyoro and Toro Kingdoms. On a clear day you'll see the Rwenzori Mountains, the "Mountains of the Moon," from Fort Portal. Check in, then take a nature and bird walk through Bigodi Swamp in the afternoon. The walk is run by KAFRED, a community-based organization. Full board.

Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Briefing at Kanyanchu park headquarters, then a trek through the forest. You get one hour with the chimps once you find them. Trekking runs 3 hours on average; you need to be 12 or older to join. After lunch, you transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to over 600 bird species and 95 animal species. Full board.

Day 4: Game drive and Kazinga Channel cruise

Morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains. You're looking for lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo. Afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George and holds one of Africa's largest hippo populations. The cruise runs about 3 hours.

Day 5: Ishasha sector, transfer to Bwindi

Morning game drive in Ishasha, looking for the tree-climbing lions the sector is known for. Afternoon transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, roughly 5 hours. Full board.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

Briefing at park headquarters, then into the forest. Trekking takes 2 to 5 hours depending on where the gorillas were last seen. Once you find them, you get one hour with the family. Total activity time runs 5 to 9 hours. Bring a packed lunch and hire a porter. If time allows, visit the Ride 4 a Woman project in Buhoma, where local women make baskets and crafts by hand. Full board.

Day 7: Community walk, cross into Rwanda, transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Morning community walk and Batwa cultural experience. Then cross the border at Cyanika or Katuna and transfer to Volcanoes National Park. Full board.

Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Briefing at park headquarters, then trek to your assigned gorilla family. Bring lunch, water, and hire a porter; time in the forest is unpredictable. If you're not up for the hike, you can hire a sedan chair. You get one hour with the gorillas once found. In the evening, visit Ibwachu Cultural Village, also known as the ex-poachers' village. Full board.

Day 9: Golden monkey tracking, transfer to Kigali

Morning golden monkey tracking, shorter and easier than gorilla trekking. Early lunch, then afternoon transfer to Kigali. Full board.

Day 10: Kigali city tour, departure

Half-day tour: the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site and Museum, Nyamata Genocide Church, and local markets. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Breakfast and lunch.

What does this trip actually cover?

Four national parks, two countries, one border crossing.

Kibale Forest National Park: chimpanzee tracking, 13 primate species.

Queen Elizabeth National Park: tree-climbing lions, Kazinga Channel boat cruise.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park: mountain gorilla trekking, 18 habituated families.

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: mountain gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, 12 habituated families.

You also get a Kigali city tour, including the Genocide Memorial Centre, before your flight home.

Where you'll stay

Every park on this route offers three accommodation tiers: budget, midrange, and upmarket. In Kibale, that ranges from Kibale Guest Cottages to Primates Lodge. In Bwindi, from Bakiga Lodge to Mahogany Springs. In Volcanoes National Park, options run from Davinci Lodge up to Bisate Lodge and One & Only Gorilla Nest. Tell us your budget and we'll match you to the right lodge in each park.

What this actually costs you in time

Nine days sounds tight for four parks and two countries. It works because the drives are long but the activities are front-loaded: one primary activity per day, most days. The exceptions are Day 6 and Day 8, your two gorilla trekking days, where the forest sets the schedule, not you.

Physical fitness helps on trek days. It's not required. Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park offers sedan chairs for anyone who wants the experience without the climb.

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What's included

Includes

• Accommodation, full board
• One gorilla permit per person
• Park entrance fees
• Internal local flights
• Private guide, as per itinerary
• All transfers listed above

Excludes

• Drinks
• Gratuities
• International flights
• Travel insurance
• Visa fees

Accommodations

During the trip, you will stay at:

Entebbe: Papyrus Guest House, Boma Guest House, 2 Friends Guest House or Best Western Hotel, bed and breakfast.

Kibale Forest: Kibale Guest Cottages (budget), Turaco Tree Tops (midrange), Primates Lodge (upmarket), full board.

Queen Elizabeth National Park and Ishasha: Enjojo Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, full board.

Bwindi: Bakiga Lodge to Mahogany Springs Lodge, full board.

Volcanoes National Park: Davinci Lodge up to Bisate Lodge and One & Only Gorilla Nest, full board.

Kigali: Scheba Hotel or ChezLando (budget), Heaven Boutique, Mille Collines or Lemigo (midrange), Kigali Serena or The Retreat (upmarket), bed and breakfast.

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