The 12 days Rwanda – Uganda budget safari is an inter-cross country safari covering the adventure one will experience in both countries. This 12 days tour caters for visitors who want more time to spend in the wild however at a relatively cheaper cost staying in low budget accommodations and managing costs way possible. The 12 days budget safari starts in Uganda visiting one of the 2 best national park including Queen Elizabeth national park best known for tree climbing lions then Bwindi Impenetrable national park, the only park with the largest number of the mountain gorillas in the whole world. Cross to Rwanda since the countries are very close to each other especially the Volcanoes national park which shares the Virunga Mountains with Uganda and Congo. This 12 days budget package features wildlife viewing for animals like lions, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes to mention a few and a boat trip in Queen Elizabeth national park, then gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable national park, Golden monkey trekking experience in Volcanoes national park, canoe trip experience on Lake Kivu – the only fresh water lake in Rwanda and it is shared with the Democratic Republic of Congo, also features chimpanzee trekking, Nyungwe canopy walk which stands as the first of a kind in East Africa in Nyungwe forest national park. Other tourist sites to compliment the safari include; Rwanda genocide memorial sites, Nyanza King’s palace to mention a few.
Highlights
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe – Hotel
Day 2: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – crater lakes visit
Day 3: Lion tracking/Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National park via Ishasha sector
Day 5: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National park – Visit the Twin Lakes (Rwanda)
Day 7: Golden Monkey Tracking and Cultural Tour
Day 8: Transfer to Lake Kivu – Kibuye
Day 9: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 10: Chimpanzee trekking and Canopy walk
Day 11: Transfer to Kigali City
Day 12: Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe – Hotel
Depending on your time of arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by our company representative who will also be your safari driver guide. You will then drive to your booked accommodation in Kampala city which is about a 45 minutes’ drive from Entebbe airport. Proceed to check-in your hotel for dinner and overnight stay at Forest Cottages as a budget accommodation and meals (only Dinner)
Day 2: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park – crater lakes visit
Wake up to a delicious breakfast after which meet your safari guide at your agreed time to set off to Queen Elizabeth national park – the second wildlife largest national park in Uganda located in the western part of the country about 6-7 hours’ drive from Kampala city. You will have a break at the Equator to refresh and also have the equator experience and later long another stop in Mbarara town for a lunch break. Continue your journey arriving late afternoon; visit the exciting crater lakes before you proceed to check-in your accommodation. Refresh and relax as you wait for your dinner.
Accommodation stay at Pumba Safari Cottages as a budget lodge and meals are based on full board
Day 3: Lion tracking/Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
After early morning breakfast, drive to the park entry to check-in for your lion tracking and game drive experience in the Kasenyi area. Lion experience is an activity introduced in Queen Elizabeth national park to widen opportunities for visitors to see the rare lions. During a normal game drive, lions are hardly spotted so for a guaranteed opportunity; doing the lion experience is the best option. It takes about 2 hours and after a normal game drive is done, commonly spotted animals during a game drive include; the Elephants, Cape buffaloes, Waterbucks, Warthogs, Uganda kobs among others.
After your lunch, connect for an afternoon boat cruise along Kazinga Channel. Taking a boat cruise is a great experience in this park as there are many animals and birds that can be seen. Some of the land animals include the elephants and buffaloes on the water shores, there are a lot of hippos, crocodiles, and several water birds. The boat takes about 2 hours before you drive back to your lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight stay. Meals are based on full board
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National park via Ishasha sector
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and embark on your journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Out of the 4 gorilla trekking sectors of Bwindi forest, Buhoma sector is the nearest sector from Queen Elizabeth national park. The closest and more scenic route to use is driving via the Ishasha sector despite the bad bumpy road, gives you an opportunity to view the tree climbing lions at close range with lunch en-route. Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable national park – Buhoma sector and arrive at your accommodation early evening to check in for dinner and overnight stay at the Buhoma Community Rest Camp as a budget lodge and meals are based on full board
Day 5: Gorilla trekking experience
After an early morning breakfast, drive to the park headquarters where you will report for a briefing along with other trekkers and be allocated a gorilla family to trek. Thereafter, drive to the starting point where you enter the forest with the park rangers in search of the gorillas. Trekking may take about 2- 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorilla in the wild, meet and stay with the gorillas for a maximum of one hour, before you descend back to the starting point where your driver will be waiting for you to return and relax at the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at the Buhoma Community Rest Camp as above
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National park – Visit the Twin Lakes (Rwanda)
After enjoying your breakfast, check-out of the lodge; meet your guide to set off for Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. It’s about 5-6 hours’ drive from Buhoma sector to Musanze with en-route lunch in Kisoro town which is the closest town to Cyanika border in Uganda. The drive goes through the beautiful country side and local homesteads with dramatic views of the Virunga Volcanoes. After crossing the border, proceed to Musanze and proceed to take a nature walk to the twin lakes or even take a canoe ride on one of the lakes. Thereafter proceed to your accommodation for check-in. Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Muhabura as a budget lodge and meals are based on full board
Day 7: Golden Monkey Tracking and Cultural Tour
After an early morning breakfast, drive to the park headquarters – Kinigi for a briefing about the expectations of the golden monkey trekking experience. Drive to the starting point with your ranger guides not forgetting your packed water and in the right trekking gears. Golden monkey trekking also provides views of other primates such as the black and white Colobus monkeys, Olive baboons among others. On meeting the primates, you will spend an hour with them while taking pictures before you descend back to the starting point where you will meet your safari driver waiting to take you back to the lodge where you will have your late lunch.
Later in the afternoon, connect to Ibya’ cuwa cultural village for a cultural experience of the Banyarwanda culture and tradition and entertainment. Before nightfall, drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay Hotel Muhabura as above
Day 8: Transfer to Lake Kivu – Kibuye
After your breakfast, check-out of your lodge and connect to Gisenyi to visit Lake Kivu – Rwanda’s fresh water lake shared with the Democratic Republic Congo. It is a 2 hours’ drive to Gisenyi and upon arrival, you will connect for a boat trip experience on the lake to visit some of the islands. This will last for about 2 hours, return for lunch in Gisenyi town before you continue to Kibuye with great views of the Virunga mountains. Proceed to check-in your accommodation for relaxation dinner and overnight stay at the Moriah Hill Resort and meals based on full board
Day 9: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Wake up to a delicious breakfast of Rwanda cuisines, check-out and embark on your journey Nyungwe forest National Park – home of the chimpanzees and other primates. The drive is quite interesting through the local homesteads, the different hills of Rwanda and the zigzag roads which need good attention and speed limit. It’s a 5-6 hours’ drive to Nyungwe arriving at good time for lunch at your lodge. Check-out and spend the afternoon at leisure. Accommodation and meals at Gisakura Visitors Center for budget and meals are based on ful board
Day 10: Chimpanzee trekking and Canopy walk
After breakfast, meet your safari guide to connect to Nyungwe forest. Nyungwe is one of the largest rainforest in East Africa and habitant for 13 species of primates. You will meet for a briefing about the Chimpanzee trekking experience at the park headquarters. Chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest are semi-habituated quite difficult spot however; the rangers will ensure that you get to see the endangered chimpanzees. It will take about 2-5 hours to find the chimpanzees and on finding them, you will be allowed to view them for a hour before you return to the starting point where you will meet your guide the drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, head for the canopy walk experience. Nyungwe forest has the most outstanding canopy which is a 70 meter suspended bridge which gives the aerial perfect view of the forest. Walking along the canopy offers an opportunity to view some of the available primates and birds at the top. After the walk, meet your guide and drive back to your accommodation to relax, have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 11: Transfer to Kigali City
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and embark on your journey back to Kigali city with en-route lunch and visit of the King’s palace and the ethnographic center and learn about the history and culture of Rwanda. It is a 7-8 hours’ drive to Kigali from Nyungwe forest including stopovers. Arrive in Kigali late afternoon. Depending on the time, you may visit the Kigali genocide memorial and Kimoronko market before you connect to your accommodation for dinner and overnight at Step town motel (Budget accommodation) and meals are based on full board
Day 12: Departure
Wake up at leisure, have breakfast and if you missed a city tour activity on the previous day, go for them and even more depending on your travel schedule since it is the last day of the safari. Later afternoon, you will be dropped off at Kigali international airport for your onward flight back home.
END OF UGNADA-RWANDA BUDGET SAFARI