This 18 Days Uganda and Rwanda safari tour is well designed with mixed activities ranging from Primate viewing safaris, wildlife viewing safaris, white water rafting safaris, boat cruise safaris and many more. 10 Days Uganda and Rwanda safari starts in Entebbe and ends in Kigali – Rwanda.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival – Hotel
- Day 2: Transfer to Jinja (2-3 hours’ drive) – Visit the source of the Nile/boat cruise
- Day 3: white water rafting
- Day 4: Murchison falls national park – Rhino trekking and top of the falls (5-6 hours) and top of the falls visit
- Day 5: Morning game drive and boat cruise on River Nile – Murchison Falls
- Day 6: Transfer to Kibale national park (7-8 hours) – Bigodi swamp walk
- Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking experience – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park (3-4 hours’ drive)
- Day 8: Game drive – boat cruise in Kazinga channel
- Day 9: Ishasha game drive – drive to Bwindi impenetrable national park (5-6 hours)
- Day 10: Gorilla trekking experience
- Day 11: Batwa cultural tour and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
- Day 12: Transfer to Volcanoes National park – Visit the twin lakes (Rwanda)
- Day 13: 2ndGorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
- Day 14: Golden monkey trekking – Ibya cuwa community tour
- Day 15: Transfer to Lake Kivu boat trip in Gisenyi
- Day 16: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
- Day 17: Isumo waterfalls nature walk and Canopy walk
- Day 18: Transfer to Kigali (6-7 Hours’ drive)
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival – Hotel
Following your arrival at Entebbe airport, our company representative/drive will welcome you and transfer to Kampala/Entebbe to check-in at your booked hotel. Optional meals, overnight stay at Fairway Hotel for mid-range/Sheraton Kampala Hotel for luxury/Forest Cottages for budget
Day 2: Transfer to Jinja (2-3 hours’ drive) – Visit the source of the Nile/boat cruise
After breakfast, you will meet your safari driver guide to transfer to Jinja town. Jinja is located in the Eastern part of Uganda taking about 2-3 hours’ drive depending on the traffic jam on that road. Upon arrival in Jinja, proceed to check-in at your hotel, have your lunch served and drive to visit the source of River Nile, and take on a sunset boat trip on Lake Victoria. Return to your booked hotel for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Jinja Nile Resort for luxury/2 Friends Jinja Guesthouse for mid-range
Day 3: White water rafting
After early morning breakfast, check out and drive to the starting point of your white water rafting experience. Report for a briefing by the rafting experts and also get rafting gears. Depending on your ability to raft, you can choose from the 5 grades of rafting provided. This is a full-day activity with lunch and drinks provided.
After rafting, have your lunch then drive to Kampala. Upon arrival in the evening, check-in at your booked hotel for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at hotel as above
Day 4: Murchison falls national park – Rhino trekking and top of the falls (5-6 hours) and top of the falls visit
Enjoy morning breakfast by 6:30 and drive to Murchison falls national park. You will have a stop at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for a rhino tracking experience. This is the only place where you will find the rhinos. Rhino tracking takes about 2-3 hours, thereafter, have en-route lunch then proceed to Murchison falls national park through Kichumbanyobo gate. Proceed to visit the top of the most powerful waterfalls in the world – Murchison falls, learn about the history of the falls before you drive to check-in at your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Pakuba Safari lodge for mid-range/Nile Safari lodge for luxury/Tilenga Safari Lodge for budget
Day 5: Morning game drive and boat cruise on River Nile – Murchison Falls
Early morning breakfast and then go for a game drive where you will spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, lions, Uganda kobs among others. Return for lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, you will go for a launch cruise on the park’s main tourist attraction the unique Murchison Falls as well as the River Nile with its streaming hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight at Lodge as above
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale national park (7-8 hours) – Bigodi swamp walk
After early morning breakfast, drive to Thereafter, embark on your journey to Kibale forest national park in the western part of the country with an en-route lunch break.
Later afternoon, your driver will take you for a nature walk at Bigodi wetland where you will enjoy the silence but only the whispers and sounds of birds. Bigodi wetland is where you will experience a lot of birdlife and unspoiled nature and if you are good at birding, this is a great place to spot various bird species. Later afternoon, connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay Chimpanzee Forest Lodge for mid-range/Chimpundu lodge for luxury/Isunga Lodge for budget
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking experience – Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park (3-4 hours’ drive)
After early morning breakfast at the lodge, connect to Kibale forest for your chimpanzee trekking experience with your packed snacks and water. You will first report at the park headquarters for a briefing before entering the forest for the activity. Trekking takes 2-5 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees. You will also encounter monkeys and other animals like forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs and duiker, warthogs, reptiles as well as a colorful variety of butterflies. On finding the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour with them. Return to the Lodge for lunch.
After tracking, transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park, en route stop at the equator for pictures and the Katwe salt mine and crater lakes. Later evening, drive for an evening game drive in the Kasenyi area for chances of spotting the park’s residents such as the elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions just to mention a few. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Buffalo Safari lodge/Elephant Hub lodge for mid-range/ Elephant Plains lodge for luxury
Day 8: Game drive – boat cruise in Kazinga channel
After your breakfast, you will set off on an early morning game drive. You will also encounter other animals like lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda Kob, and other types of antelopes. Then go back for lunch at the lodge.
Afternoon, go for a 2 hours’ launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel into Lake Edward, this cruise will let you pass through a place of the highest concentration of hippos and you may also see many animals drinking at the water’s edge. The cruise also offers a good platform for photography, bird watching, and games, drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 9: Ishasha game drive – drive to Bwindi impenetrable national park (5-6 hours)
After breakfast, check-out and transfer to Ishasha sector for a game drive and opportunity to see the tree climbing lions and other available animals for about an hour. Thereafter, have lunch and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable national park and connect to your sector. Check-in for dinner and overnight stay at Buhoma have lodge for mid-range/Mahogany Springs lodge for luxury/Buhoma Community Rest Camp for budget
Day 10: Gorilla trekking experience
Have breakfast and transfer you to park offices for briefing about Mountain Gorilla trekking by a local guide. The time taken is usually between 2-8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. Meeting the gorillas unexpectedly is one of the most captivating lifetime experiences. You will have a chance to observe and take pictures at very close range. You will observe adults feeding and groaning among themselves. After an hour with the long-awaited gorillas, your guide and rangers will lead you back to the starting point where your driver will readily be waiting to transfer you back to the lodge. Dinner and overnight stay as lodge above
Day 11: Batwa cultural tour and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for an interesting cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the Batwa, learn about their culture, tradition, way of living, visit their homesteads, listen to their ancient stories, enjoy their traditional entertainment among others. After the cultural tour, you will return to the lodge for an early lunch where after you will check out of the lodge and start the journey to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale. Upon arrival you will go for an evening boat cruise where you will be able to explore the 29 islands, view different bird species among others. After the boat cruise, you will drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Bunyonyi BirdNest Lodge-midrange/Bunyonyi Arcadia Cottages for mid-range/Bunyonyi Overland Resort for budget
Day 12: Transfer to Volcanoes National park – Visit the twin lakes (Rwanda)
Wake up for a transfer to Volcanoes national park. The drive goes through the beautiful countryside and peoples homesteads along with dramatic views of the Virunga Volcanoes. On arrival at Ruhengeri with en route lunch, enjoy a beautiful view of the twin lakes before you connect to relax at your lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at Da Vinci Gorilla lodge for mid-range/5 Volcanoes Gorilla Lodge for luxury
Day 13: 2nd Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Have breakfast and transfer you to park offices for briefing about Mountain Gorilla trekking by a local guide. The time taken is usually between 2-8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. Meeting the gorillas unexpectedly is one of the most captivating lifetime experiences. You will have a chance to observe and take pictures at very close range. You will observe adults feeding and groaning among themselves. After an hour with the long-awaited gorillas, your guide and rangers will lead you back to the starting point where your driver will readily be waiting to transfer you back to the lodge. Depending on the time you return from the trekking activity, spend your afternoon, relaxing, with dinner and overnight stay as lodge above
Day 14: Golden monkey trekking – Ibya cuwa community tour
After early morning breakfast, drive back to the park headquarters for briefing about the endangered golden monkeys 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, meet your driver and have lunch.
Later afternoon, spend your afternoon on a community tour visiting the Iby’cuwa cultural village for a Rwanda cultural experience. Return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 15: Transfer to Lake Kivu boat trip in Gisenyi
After breakfast, connect to Lake Kivu Gisenyi and take a boat trip to some of the islands of the lake. Spend your afternoon at leisure relaxing at the lodge. Meals and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel for luxury/Kivu Gorilla Lodge for mid-range
Day 16: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
After your breakfast, transfer to Nyungwe forest national park. It’s about 5 hours’ drive from Gisenyi with great views of the rolling hills of Rwanda and Lake Kivu bordering Congo. Arrive at good time for lunch and check-in at your lodge for lunch.
Later afternoon, connect for a canopy walk experience – a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you thereafter connect to your accommodation. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Nyungwe One and Only Hotel for luxury/Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel for mid-range
Day 17: Isumo waterfalls nature walk and Canopy walk
After having breakfast, you will return to the forest for a forest Nature walk which will enable you to explore the Park’s unique tourist features including waterfalls and orchids in the high altitude swamps and also views of the surrounding areas. Return to the lodge for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing
Connect for a canopy walk upon arrival. You will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk-a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees; you will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving below you. Thereafter, connect to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge
Day 18: Transfer to Kigali (6-7 Hours’ drive)
Take an early morning breakfast at leisure, at 11 am as the check-out time for the lodge, meet your driver and embark on your journey to Kigali with optional visit of the Butare museum and en-route lunch. Upon arrival in Kigali, you will be dropped off at Kigali airport for your onward flight
End of 18 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari