12 Days Rwanda Uganda Safari
Embark on an unforgettable 12 Days Rwanda Uganda Safari, combining extraordinary primate encounters, thrilling wildlife experiences, breathtaking landscapes, and authentic cultural discoveries across two of East Africa’s most beautiful destinations. From tracking golden monkeys in Rwanda to encountering endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda, exploring iconic national parks, and cruising along the mighty Nile River, this adventure offers an exceptional opportunity to discover the natural wonders of the region.
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be transferred to your booked hotel or lodge in Kigali for an overnight stay. Explore Rwanda’s vibrant capital on a city tour before travelling to Volcanoes National Park, renowned for its spectacular volcanic scenery and remarkable primate population. Enjoy an exciting golden monkey trekking experience in the lush forest, observing these playful and endangered primates in their natural habitat.
Continue across the border into Uganda and travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the highlight of your journey: mountain gorilla trekking in the Rushaga sector. Accompanied by experienced guides and trackers, venture into the dense rainforest for a memorable encounter with endangered mountain gorillas in their natural environment.
Your Ugandan adventure continues to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, famous for its iconic tree-climbing lions. Proceed to the park’s northern sector, where you can enjoy rewarding game drives and discover a variety of African wildlife against the scenic backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains.
Travel onward to Kibale National Park, widely known as East Africa’s primate capital. Experience chimpanzee tracking through its tropical rainforest, followed by an afternoon community walk that offers insight into local traditions, daily life, and cultural heritage.
Continue to Murchison Falls National Park, one of Uganda’s most spectacular wildlife destinations. Enjoy an afternoon safari in search of wildlife before embarking on a morning game drive the following day. Later, take a scenic boat cruise along the Nile River toward the base of the magnificent Murchison Falls, followed by a visit to the top of the falls to witness the river’s dramatic passage through a narrow rocky gorge.
End your safari with a journey toward Kampala, stopping at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for an exciting rhino trekking experience and an opportunity to observe these remarkable animals in a protected natural environment.
This 12-day Rwanda and Uganda safari combines golden monkey trekking, mountain gorilla encounters, chimpanzee tracking, classic African wildlife viewing, rhino trekking, cultural experiences, and spectacular scenery. It is an ideal journey for wildlife enthusiasts and adventure travelers seeking an immersive East African safari experience across two remarkable countries.
Safari’s summary
- Arrival at Kigali International airport and overnight at the booked Hotel/lodge in Kigali.
- Transfer from Kigali to Volcano National Park and city tour in Kigali
- Golden monkey traking in volcanoes national park
- Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla tracking at Rushaga sector
- Transfer to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth and overnight at the lodge
- Transfer to the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth national park
- Morning safari and transfer to Kibale national park.
- Chimpanzee tracking and afternoon community walk
- Transfer to Murchison fall national park and afternoon safari
- Morning safari and afternoon boat cruz and top of the falls
- Transfer to Kampala and with a stop-over at Zziwa Rhino sanctuary for Rhino trekking
Day-1 Arrival in Rwanda and transfer to the Hotel in Kigali
Immediately after arriving at the airport, you will be welcomed and received by the Hugo safaris UgandaEnglish/Germany/Spanish/French/Chinese/Dutch/Arab speaking guide and transferred to the booked hotel in Kigali city at a short distance drive, check in, dinner if it’s early and relax at the beautiful hotel.
Day-2 Transfer from Kigali to Volcano National Park and city tour in Kigali
Wake up early in the morning and enjoy the fresh breathe from hotel while enjoying your sweet breakfast and read for a city tour on the way to Volcanoes national park. This day, you shall visit the city of Rwanda-Kigali, 1994 Genocide museum, visit the craft shops of Kigali and local markets in Kigali and drive for 2-3 hours through Musanze towards Volcanoes national park, hot lunch at the hotel, relax and prepare for the next –days gorilla or Golden tracking at the park. This is a wonderful experience of being with our next cousins, the Gentle giants or Gorillas of Volcanoes in Rwanda later return to the hotel and relax or you can opt for golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes and gorillas in Uganda.
Day-3 Transfer from Volcano National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Uganda.
Having had a wonderful day in the volcanoes of Rwanda, we now embark on the new journey to Uganda resting at Bwindi impenetrable national park, Nkuringo sector for high-end safaris.
Bwindi impenetrable national park being one of the world’s impenetrable forest and home to our next cousins, its highly protected and has got the biggest population of mountain gorillas that are habituated in the whole world and UNESCO gives it a high priority as a world heritage.
During our stay at this sector, we shall also visit one tribe called the pygmies or the shortest people in the world locally known as the Batwa who used to live in the Bwindi impenetrable national park but were later advised by the government in 1992-1994 to vacate the forest and leave for the Gorillas and other animals like reedbucks,very many bird species, dikes, forest elephants, colobuses, monkeys. Full eviction ended in 1994 but life has become very tough for them as they used to depend on herbal medicine, forest honey, bush meat, forest fruits and mushrooms
Day-4 Gorilla tracking at Bwindi Impenetrable national park and afternoon visit to the pymies or Batwa experience
After having been briefed about Gorilla tracking, we enjoy early morning breakfast and together with our packed or picnic lunch, we head to the information centre for briefing and later head to the mountainous Bwindi forest for Gorilla tracking of which the activity may take us 30minutes-1 hour with gorillas but the journey to the gorillas may be longer than 2 hours depending on their location that day .After the tracking we shall head back to the lodge to relax and later go for the afternoon Batwa experience.
Day-5 Transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable national park to Ishasha sector of Queen in search of Climbing Lions.
This journey will take us through the wonderful sceneries of the Switzerland of Africa which is called the Kigezi region that is mountainous and cooled up to when we shall reach the ishaasha sector on the boarder with Democratic republic of Congo. This part of the Queen Elizabeth national park is worldly known for its climbing lions a feature that is only observed here due to the fact that they climb to evade parasites and to get a better view of the prey.
This park is also known for its big herds of elephants and buffaloes, topis which may number in 100s and this makes so special for tourism. On the arrival at the lodge, check-in, have lunch, relax a bite and go for afternoon game drive in the park. After the safari, return to the hotel, have dinner, relax and overnight at the hotel.
Day-6 Transfer from Ishaasha sector of the queen Elizabeth national park to southern sector of Queen Elizabeth for afternoon boat cruise.
Wake up in the morning, have breakfast and enjoy the morning game drive in Ishaasha in hope of seeing more feline like leopards, hyenas ,jackals etc and late transfer to the other sector for boat cruise on the Kazinga channel with the hope of seeing large herds of elephants in the water, schools of hipos in the water, Nile crocodiles, many antelopes, buffaloes and many species of birds like the African Fish eagle, king fishers, hammer kopps, here, we shall have either lunch at the hotel or enjoy the Tilapia freshly caught from the channel at the lodge or Restaurant, check in at the hotel and later go for evening game drive looking for more lions, leopards and hyenas.
Day-7 Transfer from Queen Elizabeth national park to Kibale national park, the primate capital of Africa.
Wake up in the morning, have breakfast and go for a morning game, nature walk in the Kyambura gorge which is 100m deep from the highest point and 17km to the Kazinga channel, its one of the fascinating creature/gorge whereby a tropical forest emerges from nowhere in the middle of the savannah, in the gorge, we may find there the neighbours from the savannah like savannah elephants, hipos in the gorge river/water, many monkeys, black and white colobus, red tailed monkeys, baboons and some families of chimpanzees because they are in the same animal corridor with the ones of Kibale national park.
During this day, we shall also visit crater twin-lakes which we formed as a result of volcanic actions in the area. We shall have lunch on the way in a hotel and continue to the Chimpanzee-primate capital of Africa which is Kibale national park but while on the way towards the park, we shall also see more crater lakes,more twin lakes because the area has got around 52 crate lakes, check in at the hotel, dinner and overnight at the hotel, get briefing for the chimpanzee tracking the next day.
Day-8 Tracking of chimpazees in Kibale national park
The tracking of chimpanzees will 30min-1hour with chimpanzee however the going and coming back may take you more hours and in the forest you may see not see colobuses, monkeys many species of birds, forest elephants, forest buffaloes, antelopes, vervet monkeys etc.
During the tracking of both chimpanzee and Gorillas, you will always be escorted with armed rangers to make sure that everyone is very safe from forest animals and in the afternoon, we shall go for the Bigodi swamp walk where we expect to see more colobuses, monkeys, antelopes, many bird species the like the great blue turaco, eastern plantain eaters,many medicinal plants and afterwards we head to Sofis home to see how they, weed, harvest, dry, pound, roast and make coffee plus the local matoke/banana experience with cacawete
Day-9 Transfer from Kibale national park to Murchison fall national park.
Having had a nice experience with the chimpanzees and had sweet breakfast, we embark on a new journey to Murchison which may take 6-7 hours through the doted hills of fort portal with tea plantation passing through Hoima the Oil ity and continuing up to the hotel/lodge. Lunch will served on the way to the park and if time allows, a short game drive will be conducted, check in at the hotel, relax, dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day-10 Game drive in Murchison fall national park.
Wake up early in the morning, have breakfast and go for the game drive in the northern bank of the park which is savannah and not forested like southern bank. Murchison being one of a Ugandas biggest national park covers an area of 3893 Km2 and has got many game reserve that’s say Bugungu, Budongo where there are chimpanzees and Karuma game reserve and if all the area is added, then the total area of the park is approximately 5663 Km2.
Therefore a game drive in Murchison fall national park means you have to a super market that’s to say almost all the Herbivores animals are there except Zebras and almost all cats/felines like leopards, lions, hyenas, jackals etc, return to the lodge for hot lunch, relax at the lodge and go for evening game drive.
Day-11 Morning game drive in Murchison fall national park, visit to top of the falls and afternoon boat cruise.
Wake up in the morning, have breakfast and go for a short game drive, go for the morning boat cruise, then lunch and go to the top of the falls, return to the lodge, relax and overnight at the hotel.
Day-12 Transfer from Murchison fall national park to Kampala, stop-over at Zziwa for Rhino tracking.
Early Morning breakfast and head for Rhino tracking at Zziwa sanctuary, the tracking may take up to an hour and return to the restaurant for lunch at the information centre and later head for Kampala then to Entebbe international airport.
End of 12 Days Rwanda Uganda Safari