7 Days Rwanda and Uganda Safari Tour
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival – Kigali city tour – transfer to Volcanoes national park
- Day 2: Golden monkey tracking – Ibya’cuwa village tour
- Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi forest national park via Cyanika border
- Day 4: Gorilla trekking Uganda – Batwa community tour
- Day 5: Transfer to Kibale national park
- Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking – Bigodi Swamp
- Day 7: Transfer to Entebbe – Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival – Kigali city tour – transfer to Volcanoes national park
Upon arrival at Kigali airport/depending on your location in Kigali, meet your driver and connect to Kigali city for a brief Kigali city tour visiting the Kandt Musuem or Kimironko market or the Kigali Genocide memorial site or all places depending on your time of arrival in Kigali. Late afternoon, transfer to Volcanoes national park. It is a 3 hours’ drive from Kigali. Upon arrival, check-in at booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at 5 Volcanoes Gorilla Lodge for luxury/Da Vinci Gorilla lodge for mid-range/Hotel Muhabura for budget
Day 2: Golden monkey tracking – Ibya’cuwa village 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 behaviours, return to the base and meet your drive back to the lodge.
Later afternoon, visit the Dian fossey museum in Musanze then drive to visit Iby’wacu Cultural Village-a Non-Profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park through provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and livelihood based projects. It’s a rewarding place where you will be guided around the place as you enjoy the Kinyarwanda traditions including the Intore dance, traditional ceremonies and a guided community walk. Connect to your booked accommodation for dinner and overnight stay at lodge above
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi forest national park via Cyanika border
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and embark on your journey to cross to Uganda via Cyanika border to connect to Bwindi impenetrable national park with en-route lunch and visit of Lake Bunyonyi for a boat trip to explore some of the 29 islands on the lake. Thereafter, proceed to your booked lodge in Bwindi for check-in, dinner and overnight stay at Broadbill Forest Camp for budget/Gorilla Mist Lodge for mid-range /Kiho Gorilla Lodge for luxury
Day 4: Gorilla trekking Uganda – Batwa community tour
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch for briefing by the ranger guides and later head into the forest for your trek. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi takes 2 to 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. These primates roam the park freely and there is no way of telling where they will be for a particular day. On finding them, you will be allowed 1 hour to view and take photos of these gentle primates, enjoy your lunch packs and meet your driver / guide and transfer back to your lodge.
The time after trekking, connect to visit the Batwa community that stays close to the park. The Batwa people are the indigenous people of Uganda who stayed in the Park Forest before it was gazetted as a national park. Learn more about the Batwa from their way of life to enjoying the songs and dance of the Batwa. Later evening drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale national park
After breakfast, check-out and embark on your journey to Kibale national park, which is about 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route stop for lunch and Queen Elizabeth national park for a chance of spotting the tree climbing lions. Proceed to Kibale national park about 3 hours’ drive from Queen park. Dinner and overnight stay Chimpanzee Forest lodge for mid-ranger/ Rubarika Safari Lodge for budget/Ndali Lodge for luxury
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking – Bigodi Swamp
Wake up early and drive to Kibale Forest to the briefing point before you head in the forest in search of the exuberant chimpanzees groups in the Kibale forest. Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitat as they swing from the branches in the canopy high above the forest floor, is a thrilling experience. Though they can be difficult to spot, you will be in no doubt of their presence as the forest is alive with their noisy calls. Spend an hour in their presence. After trekking, go for a swamp walk in Bigodi swamp – one of the richest swamps with birds and primates like Baboons, red tailed monkey, Black and white monkey among others. Diner and overnight at lodge as above
Day 7: Transfer to Entebbe – Departure
You will enjoy breakfast and transfer back to Kampala/Entebbe with an en-route lunch. Proceed to Kampala/Entebbe arriving in late afternoon. You will be drop off at the hotel in either Entebbe or at Entebbe airport for your onward flight, marking the end of the safari
