Rwanda Uganda safari Overview
An Africa Rwanda Uganda safari is one of the most outstanding world safaris. With sceneries of the endangered mountain gorillas, Africa’s big 5, birds, chimpanzees, the great rift valley, the mighty river Nile, Rwenzori mountain scenes among others, this trip grants the best memories of the region’s beauty and geograhy.
Rwanda Uganda safari highlights
Arrival & departure: Kigali- Entebbe
Day 1- arrive, Kigali city tour
Day 2- Akagera N.P and Africa’s big 5
Day 3- gorilla trekking at Bwindi Impenetrable N.P
Day 4- Queen Elizabeth game drive and boat cruise
Day 5- Queen Elizabeth chimp tracking and game drives
Day 6- Lake Mburo Zebras and nature walk
Day 7- Kampala city tour and night life
Day 8-9- source of the River Nile
Day 10- botanical visit & depart
Detailed Rwanda Uganda safari itinerary
On arrival at Kigali international airport, our tour guide will pick you up and lead you to your booked accommodation in the heart of the city for a brief rest and will later on take you around Kigali city; one of the cleanest cities in Africa with its malls, eco parks, resorts, golf courses, restaurants and lounges, hand-made art and craft shops, museums, archeries, horse riding, recreation parks among others (the duration of this tour will depend on time of arrival).
Accommodation: Ubumwe grande hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
On this day you will head out to the green savannah and wetland wilderness of Akagera national park and home to Africa’s big 5 game; lions, leopards, buffaloes, rhinos and elephants along with giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, wild dogs, antelopes, kobs, water bucks, monkeys, baboons and more than 300 bird species. the park provides various safari options such as day and night game drives, boat safari cruises, hot air balloons and walking safaris. Later in the afternoon, you will head out of the park and head to Uganda.
Accommodation: Buhoma lodge (on a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
Very early in the morning, you will have a briefing on the gorilla behaviors, livelihoods and how to handle their reactions to the human presence. The trek into the tropical montane forests will last between 30 minutes to 1 hour before meeting the gorilla family you are assigned to and you will be allowed to follow and spend an hour with that gorilla family. Getting to find the mountain gorillas on a trek in Uganda is a 99% chance backed up by the gorilla population in this region. After the trek, you will have an experience with the Batwa people who have for all their life time co-existed with the forest and its species.
Later on the Rwanda Uganda safari, you will set out to the Ishasha sector of the Queen Elizabeth national park best known for its tree climbing lions and one of the only 2 destinations in Africa with lions have having this behavior. These along with many other wild game like; elephants, buffaloes, leopards, kobs, antelopes, wild dogs, hyenas, ostriches, waterbucks and glamour at some of the world’s most unique bird species as the park is the second best birding haven having more than 660 recorded bird species as their home. The vast grassland and its plains will keep you amazed at the wonderful wild game and set up along with beautiful scenes of the Rwenzori mountains.
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
This morning of the Rwanda Uganda safari, you will head out to the Kazinga channel (a river connecting lakes Edward and George) for a morning boat cruise through queen Elizabeth national park. At this experience you will have a glance at the world’s largest concentration of hippos which are numbered above 5,000 at the Kazinga channel, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, water birds and other land birds coming in to quench their thirst, elephants, lions and other land wild game like water bucks, giraffes, kobs, kudus among others also coming in onto the banks of the Kazinga channel to quench their thirst. After the boat cruise, you will embark on a game drive around this channel and beyond into the vast savannah grassland to enjoy more game viewing at more lion and elephant families, ostriches, cheetahs, leopards, raptors and vultures, reptiles, monkeys, wild dogs among other creatures, scenery views of the ice capped mountain Rwenzori and its slopes. The last drive will lead you out to lake Mburo national park.
Accommodation: Mihingo lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
Lake Mburo national park on the Rwanda Uganda safari will offer you a wide range of touring options from board rides, horseback riding safaris, walking safaris, game drives, biking/cycling safaris and community walks. The park has 70 mammals and 332 recorded bird species and is richly gifted with various acacia and papyrus endemics such as the papyrus gonelek, papyrus yellow warbler, white-winged warbler and shoebill; as the acacia species are wide spread elsewhere in the park. Mammals include burchell’s zebras, Nubian giraffes, hippos, leopards, buffaloes, topi, elands, antelopes, warthogs, bushbucks, stripped jackals, reedbucks, olive baboons, sitatungas, bush pigs, hyenas, impalas, crocodiles, reptiles among others.
Accommodation: Serena golf course hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
Again on the Rwanda Uganda safari you will be Kampala city and embark on a city tour around the hills of Kampala. This tour will get you to various historical administrative, economic and cultural sites and centers in the city have affected the development of Uganda as a country such as the Kasubi tombs where 3 ancient Buganda kings are buried, the Rubaga cathedral; headquarters of the Catholics’ faith, Namirembe cathedral; headquarters of the protestant faith, Kaddafi mosque; headquarters of the Muslim faith, Baha’i temple of the Baha’i faith, fort Laggard the first administrator of Kampala city, the parliament building of Uganda also with numerous food dishes, art craft and souvenirs shops.
Accommodation: Golden tulip hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
Early in the morning, you will travel for 2-hours to Jinja at the source of the river Nile. This section of the river Nile has numerous water falls that have become common water sport points to tourists and adventurers from all corners of the world. Some of the falls include Owen falls, Bujagali falls, Ripon falls, Itanda falls, Busowoko falls among others. The clean and white waters of the River Nile at this point are the most entertaining of the river course throughout Africa offering the best bungee jumping point, water rafting, horse riding at the river banks, water surfing, swimming, canoeing, river boarding, quad biking around the river banks among others. The river banks also host numerous bird species that can be experienced on nature walks thus being some of the best birders’ destinations in the region. You will also take a boat to reach the source of the nile where 30% of the water emanates from underground streams and 70% from Lake Victoria. The green sparsely forested areas will provide a chilling breeze for nature walks and relaxations that will grant you a memorable time at the source of the river Nile.
Accommodation: Nile safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | lunch| Dinner
Day 10 Botanical gardens & Departure
This day will find you at the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe and early in the morning after your breakfast you have a tour around Entebbe town and there after a walking tour at the cool 40.7 hectare botanical gardens along the shore of Lake Victoria. The gardens are also common for biking/ cycling safari, monkey feeding, birding safari and 500 plant species including both exotic and indigenous. These plants are categorized into indigenous and exotic fruits, medicinal, beverage, spices, ornamentals, timber, oils and important crop wild relatives, several of these threatened in the wild and agro-ecosystems. After this tour, you will head to the airport for departure.
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast | lunch
Inclusions
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Chimp tracking permits
- Cross border fees
- Refreshments (drinking water)
- Park entry fees
- Transport 4×4 safari landcruiser
- Driver & guide
- Laundry
- Government taxes
Exclusions
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Tipping & gratitude
- Souvenirs & snacks
- Accommodation after end of trips
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol or liquor
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Anything not mentioned