8 Days Rwanda – Uganda Safari : This 8 Days combined safari offers you unforgettable safari experience in Uganda and Rwanda while taking on thrilling activities such as Rwanda cultural tour , golden monkey trekking , Uganda gorilla trekking tour , chimpanzee trekking tour and Uganda wildlife safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Kigali city tour – transfer to Volcanoes national park – Ibya’cuwa village tour
- Day 2: Golden monkey tracking – transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
- Day 3: Gorilla trekking – Batwa community tour
- Day 4: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – afternoon boat cruise – Night game drive
- Day 6: Lion tracking/Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale national park
- Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking – Bigodi Swamp
- Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe – Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Kigali city tour – transfer to Volcanoes national park – Ibya’cuwa village tour
After breakfast, check-out of the hotel at 9 am, meet your driver for a city tour in Kigali city visiting the Kigali genocide memorial site, Kandt house museum and Kimoronko market. Thereafter, have lunch then transfer to Volcanoes national park. It’s a 3 hours’ drive from Kigali through amazing countryside with beautiful rolling hills and countryside. Have en-route lunch.
Upon arrival, connect to the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village for a cultural experience. This is where you will learn about the people and culture of Rwanda. You will enjoy the cultural heritage through dance, drama and storytelling, participate and buy one of the local souvenirs. Depending on the time, you will end the day, visit of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Proceed to your booked lodge for check-in, relaxation, dinner and overnight at Virunga Inn Resort Lodge/Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Day 2: Golden monkey tracking – transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
After early morning breakfast, drive to the park headquarters for briefing about the endangered golden monkeys that starts at 7 am and be allocated a group. Connect to the tracking starting point and enter the forest to search for the rare golden monkey. This activity can take about 1-5 hours and is done at closer view of the other primates in the park like the red-tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys among other. After viewing the rare golden monkeys for an hour while taking pictures and studying their behaviors, return to the base and meet your driver.
Embark on your journey to cross to Uganda via Cyanika border to connect to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon crossing to Uganda after clearing with the immigration, proceed to your booked lodge in Bwindi forest for check-in, dinner and overnight stay at Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge/Four Gorilla Lodge
Day 3: Gorilla trekking – Batwa community tour
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing by the ranger guides and later head into the forest for your trek. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi takes 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. These primates roam the park freely and there is no way of telling where they will be for a particular day. On finding them, you will be allowed 1 hour to view and take photos of these gentle primates, enjoy your lunch packs and meet your driver / guide and transfer back to your lodge.
The time after trekking, connect to visit the Batwa community that stays close to the park. The Batwa people are the indigenous people of Uganda who stayed in the Park Forest before it was gazetted as a national park. Learn more about the Batwa from their way of life to enjoying the songs and dance of the Batwa. Later evening drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 4: Explore Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, which is about 2-3 hours’ drive. This is the place to relax after all the hiking experience. Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest lake in Africa with about 29 islands such as the punishment island, Bushara, Bwama and Njuyeera islands to mention a few. The lake is surrounded by steep terraced hillsides and best of all, unlike other lakes, Lake Bunyonyi is Bilharzia, hippo and crocodile free with crystal clear waters good for swimming. Upon arrival, connect for a boat trip on the lake and visit some of the islands.
Connect to your booked hotel for check-in, have lunch and spend your afternoon relaxing at the lodge and enjoying views of the lake or take an option of going for Zip-lining at your own cost or do any other interesting activity of your choice. Dinner and overnight stay at Bunyonyi Arcadia Cottages lodge
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – afternoon boat cruise – Night game drive
After breakfast, transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. It’s about 5-6 hours’ drive arriving in Ishasha sector for a very brief game drive for chances of spotting the tree climbing lions. Thereafter, connect for en-route lunch then proceed for afternoon/evening boat cruise on the Kazinga channel. This channel connects Lake Edward to Lake George and has one of the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. It offers an opportunity to observe park animals like hippos, crocodiles and an amazing collection of birds (African fish eagles, Great White Pelicans, Great cormorants and African spoonbills. Later in the evening, you will have an opportunity to go for a night game drive. Dinner and overnight at Elephant Plains Lodge/Kikorongo Safari Lodge
Day 6: Lion tracking/Morning game drive and transfer to Kibale national park
You will wake up early and head out for a lion tracking where you will are guaranteed to see the lions and sometimes the leopards. Thereafter, connect for a morning game drive to catch up with the early risers. Explore the Kasenyi sector – a known mating ground for kobs and a hunting ground for lions. While on the game drive, expect to see some of the big four game including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, also different species of antelopes, warthogs and white Colobus monkeys just to mention a few.
Return to the lodge, have lunch then later embark on your journey to Kibale national park, which is about 3 hours’ drive with en-route crater lakes visits. Proceed to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay Chimpundu lodge/Isunga Lodge
Day 7: Chimpanzee Trekking – Bigodi Swamp
Wake up early and drive to Kibale Forest to the briefing point before you head in the forest in search of the exuberant chimpanzees groups in the Kibale forest. Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor, is a thrilling experience. Though they can be difficult to spot, you will be in no doubt of their presence as the forest is alive with their noisy calls. Spend an hour in their presence. After trekking, go for a swamp walk in Bigodi swamp – one of the richest swamps with birds and primates like Baboons, red-tailed monkey, Black and white monkey among others. Diner and overnight at lodge as above
Day 8: Transfer to Entebbe – Departure
After breakfast, check-out the lodge, embark on your journey to Entebbe, which is about 6-7 hours’ drive. Upon arrival in Entebbe, have en-route lunch then connect to Entebbe airport at 3:00pm for your flight.
End of 8 Days Rwanda – Uganda Safari
