13 Days Great Uganda & Rwanda Safari to Murchison Falls, Kibale Primates and Chimps, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Gorillas, Volcanoes Gorillas, Golden Monkeys, Diana Fossey Trek
Safari Overview
Our 13 days great Uganda & Rwanda gives you confidence for complete unique wildlife encounter in to Uganda famously known as the Pearl of Africa and in Rwanda common known as the land of a thousand hills. A great journey across Uganda taking in the highlights and some of the Africa’s best game viewing. This safari begin in Kampala and ends in Kigali, Rwanda’s great capital
Day 1: Kampala- Murchison Falls National Park
Begin the panoramic drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle and, travel to Masindi via Ziwa Rhino Project. A visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for Rhino trekking is a must. After lunch, drive to Murchison at the spectacularly situated site at the top of the fall where you can see the Nile’s beauty perfected!! Marvel at the Nile, compressing from up to 1 km squeeze through a 7 meter canyon dropping 45 meters with a thunderous roar creating a beautiful rainbow, a plume of spray and the best thing that happened to the Nile…”the Murchison Falls “. Overnight and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge (Luxury Lodge facility) or
Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge (mid-range moderate facility) or
or Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili (Budget facility)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Murchison Falls National Park
Begin the day with a cup of African Coffee. After your cup of coffee, cross the Nile by ferry to the northern bank of the park. Your guide will help you spot Elephant, Lion, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena and if you are lucky, the leopard. Return to the hotel for breakfast and lunch. After lunch, go for a boat safari upstream the calm Victoria Nile to the base of the falls stopping just tens of meters from the “Devil’s Cauldron”. En-route, marvel at the toothsome hippos, crocodiles and over this 17 km stretch you may see elephant, waterbuck and Uganda Kob crocodile. This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. There you leave the boat and start your – quite heavy – hike to the Top of the Falls (approx. 1 hour). See where the world’s longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. Your driver/guide will be waiting for you to bring you back to the lodge. Overnight and dinner at Paraa Safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Lodge (Luxury Lodge facility) or
Fort Murchison (in rooms)/ Murchison River Lodge (mid-range moderate facility) or
or Fort Murchison in tents/ Murchison River Lodge in tents / Red Chili (Budget facility)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Murchison Falls – Kibale
All day drive south via Hoima to Fort Portal through verdant countryside and past traditional homesteads and farms along Albertine Rift escarpments. Fort-Portal rests in the shadow of the fabled Mountains of the Moon. Overnight and dinner at Ndali Lodge/ Kyaninga Lodge/ Kibale Forest Lodge/ Primate Lodge (Luxury Lodge facility) or
Kibale Forest Camp (in rooms)/ Mountains of the Moon Hotel (mid-range moderate facility) or
or Chimpanzee Forest Guest house/ Kibale Forest Camp in tents/ Rwenzori Travellers Hotel (Budget facility)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Kibale Chimpanzee Trekking & Bigodi Walk
After early breakfast, report at Kanyanchu Tourist Centre where tourist activities begin and set out to track chimpanzee in the forest. Chances of viewing the chimps are over 90% but not a guarantee. Kibale National Park is one of the beautiful and stunning forests in the Uganda. It is home to our closest living relatives the endangered Chimpanzee, the threatened Red colobus monkey and the rare L’Hoest’s monkey. The forest also boasts of having one of the highest diversity and density of primates in Africa totaling 13 species including the Black and white Columbus, Blue monkey, Grey-cheeked mangabey, Red tailed monkey and Bush babies and Pottos.
After lunch visit Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary from where you will take on a guided walk around the Swamp which will provide you with the opportunity to see a wide range of flora and fauna. View a variety of butterflies, birds and other insects. Have a tour of the crater region around Ndali lodge. You may also stop over at any tea plantation along the road if you wish. Have an evening tour of the crater region, visit “top of the world’’, the natural bridge. On a clear day you will be able to have a view of the snow cap on the Rwenzori. Overnight and dinner at Ndali Lodge/ Kyaninga Lodge/ Kibale Forest Lodge/ Primate Lodge (Luxury Lodge facility) or
Kibale Forest Camp (in rooms)/ Mountains of the Moon Hotel (mid-range moderate facility) or
or Chimpanzee Forest Guest house/ Kibale Forest Camp in tents/ Rwenzori Travellers Hotel (Budget facility)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Kibale –Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park viewing the mystical Rwenzori Mountain range for much of the journey. Check in at your accommodation facility as you wait for your lunch. After lunch, take on an afternoon Launch cruise along Kazinga Channel – one that joins Lakes Edward and George. The cruise is a wonderful way to see hippo, buffalo, kob and the occasional Nile crocodile (which up until recently did not inhabit this area) and a spectacular bird watching on the water bank. Many who experience the launch cruise consider it the high light of their entire African safari.
Overnight and dinner at Mweya Safari Lodge/ Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge (Luxury Lodge facility) or
Bush Lodge (in rooms)/ Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge (mid-range moderate facility) or
or Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents (Budget facility)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Queen Elizabeth National Park
Rise very early with your packed lunch take on a morning game drive to catch-up with the early risers and predators returning to their hideouts. You will most likely meet grazing Hippos, Elephants, and Lions, spotted Hyenas, bush buck, water buck, stripped jackal, comical warthogs and the elusive leopard. Proceed to Maramagambo forest. Many surprises await you here for example pythons are often observed in the crevices of the bat cave floor using the bats as a source of food. The cave is near a picturesque formerly Blue lake and Hunters cave. You may also see forest birds such as bat hawks, brown eared woodpecker and other primates.
Overnight and dinner at Mweya Safari Lodge/ Katara Lodge/ Jacana Lodge (Luxury Lodge facility) or
Bush Lodge (in rooms)/ Simba Safari Camp in rooms/ Buffalo Safari Resort/ Enganzi Lodge/ Ihamba Safari Lodge (mid-range moderate facility) or
or Kazinga Channel View Lodge/ Simba Safari Camp in tents/ Bush Lodge in tents (Budget facility)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Queen Elizabeth National Park – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
With previous day’s memories, enjoy your breakfast ready for guided Chimpanzee/primate walk along Kyambura Gorge to look for habituated chimps through the gorge. After primate walk, proceed to Ishasha. You will drive along the deep and wide dry craters that are occupied by savanna grasses and acacia. The drive takes you through the unique western rift valley escarpment and the (southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park) Ishasha sector where you will take on yet another game drive in search of tree climbing lions before proceeding to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The journey takes about 4 hours but driving through interesting features. Arrive Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening. This park is home of the rare mountain gorillas. Apart from gorillas, there are a wide variety of primates to see including the blue and red tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush and green and there are streams running through it. Overnight at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp/ Buhoma Community Restcamp/ Gorilla Valley Lodge/ Travellers Rest Hotel Kisoro (lower budget)
Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi/ Silverback Lodge / Gorilla Safari Lodge/ Lake Kitandara Camp/ Lake Mutanda Resort/ Chameleon Hill Lodge
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge/ Mahogany Lodge/ Rushaga Gorillas Safari Lodge)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Bwindi Gorilla Tracking
After breakfast set off early with guides to track the gorillas. The thrill of your encounter will erase the difficulties of the potentially strenuous trek. Bring jungle boots and rain jackets because the park is often wet. Spend time in awe watching the gorillas go about their activities. Each gorilla safari encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a magnificent green swathe of dense rainforest, so ancient that survived the last ice age. A recently proclaimed World Heritage site, it’s one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and its unique, precious flora sustains roughly half of the world population of mountain gorillas – believed to number just 720. There’s also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa in which these two apes live together.
Time permitting, spend the afternoon on a community foot safari to explore the life style of the people living and surrounding the park. Return to camp exhilarated to relieve the encounter with friends over a drink. Overnight at Ruhija Gorilla Friends Camp/ Buhoma Community Restcamp/ Gorilla Valley Lodge/ Travellers Rest Hotel Kisoro (lower budget)
Moderate: Gorilla Resort Bwindi/ Silverback Lodge / Gorilla Safari Lodge/ Lake Kitandara Camp/ Lake Mutanda Resort/ Chameleon Hill Lodge
Up-market: Buhoma Lodge/ Mahogany Lodge/ Rushaga Gorillas Safari Lodge)
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Bwindi – Rwanda
After breakfast, drive to Rwanda as you enjoy the rolling hills for which Rwanda is well known to Ruhengere via Musanze arriving in Kinigi. Dinner and overnight at Gorilla Nest Lodge (Lodge Facility). The evening is spent on sightseeing and relaxing around the hotel.
Overnight at Kinigi Guest house (lower budget)
Moderate: La Palme Hotel
Up-market: Mountain Gorillas View Lodge/ Gorilla Nest Lodge
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Gorilla Trekking Parc Volcanoes
After a briefing from your guide set off to track the gorillas. Spend an hour in awe watching the Gorillas go about their activities. You are likely to enjoy close views of adults feeding, grooming and resting as youngsters frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully playful display. Dinner and overnight at Gorilla Nest Lodge (Lodge facility). The evening is spent on sightseeing and relaxing around the hotel.
Overnight at Kinigi Guest house (lower budget)
Moderate: La Palme Hotel
Up-market: Mountain Gorillas View Lodge/ Gorilla Nest Lodge
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11: Parc Volcanoes Golden Monkey Trek
Today is dedicated for a visit to the Golden Monkeys: the little-known Golden Monkey (cercopithecus mitis kandti) is listed as “endangered”, the newly habituated groups of about 40 individuals are the only ones in Africa. The Kabatwa troop is located not so far from the Park Headquarters and the Musanga troop lives near the Karisimbi volcano and has a much longer walking distance.
Overnight at Kinigi Guest house (lower budget)
Moderate: La Palme Hotel
Up-market: Mountain Gorillas View Lodge/ Gorilla Nest Lodge
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12: Dian Fossey Tour
A visit to the awesome Visoke volcano, or trek to Karisoke Research Centre which was set up by the famous primatologist Dian Fossey tombs, thereafter drive to Kigali.
Overnight at Step Town Hotel (lower budget)
Moderate: Kigali Gorillas Hotel
Up-market: Serena Kigali Hotel
Meal Plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Kigali visit and departure
Go for a tour of the city including a visit the markets, the handicraft shops and the Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi, which takes a few hours. It’s a touching visit! Time permitting, visit the Nyabugogo market, the Moslem quarter in Nyamirambo, and the Franco-Rwanda cultural centre. Many hotels and restaurants prepare local dishes. Buy crafts.
Genocide Memorials: In Rwanda you will find all over the country Memorials to remember the genocide of 1994. The most important Genocide Memorials are those of Kigali (Gisozi) and Murambi (Gikongoro) and the most prominent one at Nyamata (some 70km south of Kigali) where the history of the genocide is explained. A visit to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event. Transfer to Kigali International Airport for your departure back home Meal Plan B-L-D End of Service
The safari package to include:
-Airport transfers
-Dian Fossey Trek
-Golden Monkey Visit
-Visa fess to Uganda from Rwanda
-Bigodi Walk
-Cultural visit
-Guided Nature walk
-Transportation by a 4wd safari vehicle
-Two Gorilla Trekking permit per person
-Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
-Boat trip in Queen Elizabeth along the Kazinga Channel and Murchison Falls National Park
-Two chimp permit per person to be secured and paid for in advance for Kyambura and Kibale
-Park fees
-Enroute Lunches
-Ziwa Rhino Trekking
-Services on an English speaking Driver/guide.
-A visit to the Top of the Falls
– Game drives
-Park fees
-Hike to the Top of the Falls
-Equator monument Kasese Side
–Kigali city tour
–Visa fees to Rwanda
However, the safari package will exclude personal Travel insurance, drinks, cigarettes, tips, souvenirs and any other items of personal nature.