Best Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari on a 15 days' safari
Overview; best Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari
A great cross border adventure travel on the best Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari is one of the world’s top excursions not to miss as the destinations have the world’s highest concentration of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats and highest number of primates for example chimpanzees, golden monkeys, colobus monkeys etc. Further exploration of the savannah wilderness will get you to sightings of Africa’s big 5 (lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos), birds, hippos, source of the river Nile, hot springs, giraffes, water falls, warthogs, zebras, and much more.
Highlights on the best Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari
Arrival & departure: Kigali- Entebbe
- Day 1- arrive, city tour
- Day 2- Nyungwe N.P chimpanzees & nature experience
- Day 3-4- Akagera N.P & Africa’s big 5
- Day 5- golden monkeys at volcanoes National park
- Day 6- gorilla trekking at Bwindi Impenetrable N.P
- Day 7- game drive & tree climbing lions at Ishasha sector
- Day 8- game drive, boat cruises at Kazinga channel
- Day 9- chimpanzee tracking at Kibale forest N.P
- Day 10- Semuliki hot springs, primates, birds & forest walks
- Day 11- l. Mburo N.P- the Zebra park & nature walks
- Day 12-13- source of the river Nile, Bungee jumping, water rafting
- Day 14- Kampala city tour, l. Victoria shores & night life
- Day 15- botanical gardens tour, birds & departure
What to see on a 15 days' Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari?
Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari is a top continent’s multi-nation travel experience with great sightings some of which are unique to this region including birds, primates, lakes and rivers. Some of these features are the following:-
- Albertine endemic bird species; Bird lovers on this safari will enjoy watching Albertine endemics that are only residents of the western arm of the great rift valley.
- Rwenzori endemic birds; Such as the blue turaco are another highlight in the montane forests while tracking and will be a plus for bird lovers.
- Crater lakes; With safari expeditions in Queen Elizabeth national park savannah grassland plains are spiced up by nice looking crater lakes.
- Mountain gorillas; Are a special type of the eastern gorilla species that only reside in the Virunga massif where they have survived extinction for the last 4 decades.
- Chimpanzees; Are another species of the planet’s great apes that are social and exciting to watch during tracking sessions.
- Golden monkeys; Special primates with unique face prints and golden hair living in montane forests of the Virunga massif at 2,500 meters above sea level.
- River Nile; Another glamour on this Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari will be the source of the river Nile in Jinja, Uganda which is the world’s second & Africa’s longest river.
- Lake Victoria; Is the world’s second and Africa’s largest fresh water lake and will host you at its shores.
- Hot springs; Formed by volcanic & geothermal activity that occurred thousands of years ago in great rift valley area.
Detailed Best Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking safari itinerary
Day 1 Kigali city
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: The Manor hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 2 Nyungwe chimpanzees national park
Second day you will be at Nyungwe national park; one of Africa’s oldest rainforests having a greatly rich biodiversity, 13 species of the primates’ family including chimpanzees, over 300 recorded bird species, a water catchment area and watershed between the drainage systems of the Nile and Congo basins and believed to be the furthest source of the Nile. Nyungwe national park will get you tracking primates, canopy walk experience, bird watching, hiking & waterfall trails and community based activities such visiting tea plantations, bee keeping and honey making experiences.
Accommodation: Ubucuti (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 3-4 Akagera big 5 national park
Akagera national park savannah grassland and wetlands are 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, elands, gazelles, kudus, pythons, 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.
Accommodation: Mantis Akagera game (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 5 Volcanoes mountain gorillas national park
This day will find you in the same volcanoes national park and will be woken up by the songs of the birds of the montane tropical rain forest. After breakfast, you will have a briefing and be led by expert rangers up to above 2,500 meters of sea level in the bamboo vegetation zones of the mountains where the playful and chattering golden monkeys reside in groups and families of hundreds along with over 200 bird species including Albertine endemics. Thereafter you will return to the park headquarters and continue with a nature walks that will lead you the Musanze caves; 52 caves with 15.2km of cave passages developed from Cenozoic volcanic rocks dating back to 65 million years.
Accommodation: Buhoma safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 6 Bwindi Impenetrable gorillas
Very early in the morning you will embark on a four-hour journey to Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda for a morning gorilla trekking. On arrival you will have a briefing on the gorilla behaviors, livelihoods and how to handle their reactions to the human presence. Trekking gorillas in the tropical montane forests will last between 30 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.
Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge (or a similar 0ne)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 7-8 Queen Elizabeth wildlife experience
You start your day with game drives to various parts of Queen Elizabeth national park for a lot of wonderful scenic view of the Rwenzori mountains and its slopes, the African big 5; elephant herds, lion families, leopards, hippo herds, hyenas, wild dogs, Uganda kobs, water bucks, antelopes, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, crater lakes, reptiles, raptors, sun birds and many more awaiting your memorable tour in this game park.
You will head out to the Kazinga channel (a water stretch 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 hippo pods which are numbered above 5,000 at the Kazinga channel, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, water bucks, giraffes, kobs, kudus among others also coming in onto the banks of the Kazinga channel to quench their thirst.
Accommodation: Mweya safari Lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 9 Kibale primates national park
Kibale national park will get you chimpanzee tracking as it’s known for having the highest population & concentration of chimpanzees in world numbering above 1,500 individuals in the park. Afternoon tracking session starts at 14:00 and takes 2-5 hours with a more than 99% chance of meeting the chimpanzees; a forest walk that will come along with numerous sceneries of more than 370 bird species of grassland, forest, Bigodi swamp with papyrus and Albertine rift region endemics, 350 tree species and 71 mammal species. other primates in the park include the L’hoest monkeys, colobus monkeys, blue monkey, olive baboon, red tailed monkey, vervet monkeys.
Accommodation: Semuliki safari lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 10 Semuliki NP
Semuliki national park has hot springs that were a result of geological actions dating thousands of years back; these produce water of over 100°C producing white mist and smoke in the forests. It’s a common for visitors to buy raw eggs and boil them at the hot water point. Also the park is an intersection of the east African grasslands and the central African tropical forests thus harboring numerous tree species of the west and central African forests harboring 435 bird species, 11 primate species and 53 mammal species.
Accommodation: Mihingo lodge (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 11 Lake Mburo national park- ungulates walking safari
Commonly known for its high zebra population, Lake Mburo national park offers a wide range of touring options from board rides, horseback riding safaris, walking safaris, game drives, biking/cycling safaris and community walks. On the first day of arrival, you will have a game drive and a night wild safari which lasts 2-3 hours to exhaust both the days’ and nocturnal species of the park. On the second day you will have a walking safari that will also get you meet members the community; fishermen at lake Mburo, pastoralists and farmers.
Lake Mburo game 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. Later you will embark on a 4-hour journey to Kampala.
Accommodation: Golden Tulip hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 12-13 Source of the river Nile in Uganda
Source 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. Clean 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. Nile 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 river Nile where 30% of the water emanates from underground streams and 70% from Lake Victoria.
Accommodation: Whispers of the Nile (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 14 Kampala city- Uganda's capital
Kampala city 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, Rubaga cathedral, Namirembe cathedral, Kaddafi mosque, Baha’i temple, the parliament of Uganda building etc. Food and commodity markets around Kampala are so interesting and have a great reflection of how the county’s population survives; these will get you have some taste on fresh fruits, vegetables grown in the country and street food delicacies. Later on in the evening, you will have a nightlife experience in the bars and lounges of Kampala city till resting time as you wait for the next day.
Accommodation: Lake Victoria Serena hotel (or a similar one)
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch| Dinner
Day 15 Botanical gardens, Lake Victoria shores & Departure
Today, you will head to the botanical gardens still along the shores of the lake. Walking tours at the cool 40.7 hectare botanical gardens along the shore of Lake Victoria. Botanical gardens are also common for biking/ cycling safari, monkey feeding, birding safari and 500 plant species including both non-native and indigenous. The park has more than 400 recorded bird species that inhabit these gardens such as; blue headed Coucal, white egrets, red-chested cuckoo, black cuckoo, African cuckoo, laughing dove, rock pigeon, Egyptian goose, yellow-billed buck, red-billed duck, spur winged goose, white faced whistling duck, blue turaco among others.
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch
When is the best time for a Rwanda Uganda gorilla trekking & wildlife safari?
A 15 days’ trip starting from Rwanda to Uganda gorilla trekking safari is one of the best multi-nation travel experiences on both luxury & affordable travel styles with yet the top nature and wildlife adventure gem on the continent. Both Rwanda and Uganda game parks lie along or near the equator having the same summer/ dry season months thus having a matching travel time for tourists from all over the world.
Rwanda’s & Uganda’s summer/ dry months of June- August and December- February are the best time for luxury affordable safari experiences. Rainy/ wet season months March- May and September- November are also great options for safari travel especially for affordable budget travelers. Make inquiries & start planning your safari with travel experts at Travitude safari tours.
Inclusions
- Park entry fees
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Golden monkeys tracking permits
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- All activities in the itinerary
- Transport 4×4 safari landcruiser
- Government taxes
- Border crossing fees
- Driver & guide
- Laundry
- Bottled drinking water/ Refreshments
- Airport transfers
Exclusions
- Travel insurance
- International flights
- Visa fees & processing
- Extra activities, meals, alcohol/liquor
- Tipping & gratitude
- Souvenirs & snacks
- Accommodation after the end of the trip
- Any changes to the itinerary
- Anything not mentioned
Your safari route map;
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