13 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari
This 13 Days Uganda-Rwanda Safari takes you to explore the best of Uganda’s premier destinations as well as Rwanda’s parks with rewarding experiences, including wildlife and primate excursions.
Day 1: Arrival & Hotel Transfer
Following arrival, you will be welcomed by our company representative together with your driver/guide and transferred to your hotel in Kampala for dinner and an overnight stay at Forest Cottages.
Day 2: Visit Malaika’s Mobile Library & SPCA – Kampala
Enjoy breakfast and drive to Malaika’s library, where you can donate books and get to interact with kids and the team that runs the mobile library. Later, proceed to the Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (USPCA), where you will spend most of the day with the pets and caregivers. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight as above.
Day 3: Depart for Murchison Falls National Park
Enjoy breakfast and depart Kampala for Murchison Falls National Park, which is Uganda’s largest park. The park is a habitat for big game like elephants, buffaloes, and giraffes and a variety of antelopes. En route, you will visit the famous Luweero triangle and also stop over for lunch in Masindi Town.
Proceed to Murchison Falls, and on arrival, visit the Top of the Falls, where water thunders through different rapids from a 7-meter gap to fall over 40 meters of gorge below. Dinner and overnight stay at Fort Murchison Lodge.
Day 4: Game drive and launch cruise along the Albert Nile
After an early breakfast, you will go for a game drive on the Northern Bank of the Nile River. The activity takes about 3-5 hours, and Wildlife in the Park includes elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, lions, hartebeest, Uganda kobs, oribis, and waterbucks.
After the drive you, will return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, go for a launch cruise on the Albert Nile which will give you an exciting panoramic view at the bottom of the mighty Murchison falls. Along the cruise, you will encounter crocodiles, hippos, and birds on the river banks like kingfisher, cormorants, bee-eater and the rare shoebill stork. Dinner and overnight as above.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Have breakfast and set out for your long journey to Kibale Forest National Park. This park is home to almost 13 primate species. These include the red colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey and many more. You will have lunch in Kagadi. Proceed with the journey to Kibale Forest. Dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Swamp Walk
After breakfast, you will set out for chimpanzee tracking within Kibale Forest. During your search, expect to see other primate species like colobus monkeys and other animals like the forest elephants and amphibians, as well as a colorful variety of butterflies. Return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, go for a nature walk in the Bigodi swamp area and look out for most of the water-loving bird species. The forest/park has almost 335 species of birds and therefore is a good place for birders. Return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 7: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Early in the morning after breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park, reaching the park headquarters at Mweya. Prepare and go for a game drive in the Northern crater area, where there are a lot of dark holes called the black craters with no water.
You may be able to see a lot of animal species such as the Elephants, lions, buffaloes, Leopards, monkeys such as the black and white colobus monkeys, velvet monkeys, patus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and the blue monkeys.
Other animals that can be seen are the bush pigs and the warthogs, antelopes such as the topi, water, and bush bucks. Return late in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay at Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge.
Day 8: Game drive and launch cruise.
Early in the morning, go for a game drive in the Kasenyi area, which is well known as the Kob mating grounds, making it a perfect spot to observe a lot of kobs and other antelopes like the Sitatunga and the hyenas. Other animals can also be spotted, such as the elephants, lions, and many more.
This takes 2-3 hours. Return to the camp for lunch, and in the afternoon, go for a Launch cruise on the Kazinga channel. The channel is famed to possess the highest hippopotamus concentration in Africa, and the cruise will expose you to lots of hippos and crocodiles as well as countless birds. Dinner and overnight as above.
Day 9: Transfer to Rwanda
After breakfast, you will drive to Rwanda via Kabale (Kigezi Highlands), commonly referred to as “the Switzerland of Africa. ” En route, the journey will give you clear views of rolling and terraced hills. You will have lunch in Kabale town and then proceed to the border and clear with immigration. From here, you will transfer directly to Ruhengeri, where you will arrive late evening. Dinner and overnight at Muhabura Lodge.
Day 10: Gorilla trekking in Parc National Des Volcans
After an early morning breakfast and a briefing from the ORTPN officials, set off for the gorilla trekking. This experience is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search of the gorillas.
You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures whose company you will cherish for 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours since the gorillas depend on the movement of the gorillas. Return for dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 11: Dian Fossey Trekking
After an early breakfast, you will again transfer to the Park Headquarters for registration and briefing about the Dianne Fossey grave trekking. You will go for Dianne Fossey’s grave trek.
Information about her will be given to you on your way, and also you should be aware that she was an American zoologist who was murdered in 1985 while doing research about the rare species of mountain gorillas and other primates in Parc Des Volcanoes. Her graves are close to her research center.
After the trek, you will visit the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village, where you will learn a lot about Rwandan culture and participate in interesting activities like playing king and queen! Return for dinner and overnight at Muhabura Lodge.
Day 12: Golden Monkey tracking and transfer to Lake Kivu
After an early breakfast, you will again transfer to the Park Headquarters for registration and briefing about the Golden Monkey tracking. Golden Monkeys are rare species of primates in Africa and only a few populations can be seen in the Virunga forests of Volcanoes National Park and Mgahinga National Park for the side of Uganda. Later on, transfer to Lake Kivu for dinner and overnight at Hotel Malahide.
Day 13: Transfer to Kigali City & Departure
Breakfast will be served early and transfer to Kigali city where you will visit the Kigali museum and the Kimironko market – one of the largest local markets in Africa. Have lunch at Hotel Mille Collins (Hotel Rwanda) and transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
