17 days Uganda and Rwanda Safari
Are you a traveler interested in taking on an adventure in Africa? This 17 days Uganda and Rwanda Safari is all you need to explore the hidden gems in both countries. The safari starts from Rwanda where you will embark on the Kigali city tour where you will visit notable destinations like the Kigali genocide memorial museum for insight about the Rwanda genocide, you will move on to Nyungwe National Park to participate in the chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and the canopy walk in Rwanda. In Akagera National Park you will embark on the game drives in Rwanda to track the big five animals in Rwanda not forgetting the gorillas in Africa when you participate in gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. You will also have the chance to hike the Virunga mountains in Rwanda when you take on the mount Bisoke hike which will enable you to explore a number of different features in the wild. During your Uganda safari, you will participate in gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park which will give you the chance to spend more time with the gorillas as you take on a different gorilla trekking experience in Africa.
Highlights of your safari
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to your hotel in Kigali
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk
Day 4: Primate safari
Day 5: Transfer to Kibuye along the shores of Lake Kivu
Day 6: Transfer to Gisenyi
Day 7: Transfer to Ruhengeri
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 9, Golden Monkey trekking
Day 10: Hiking Mountain Bisoke
Day 11: Transfer back to Kigali and to Akagera National Park
Day 13: Full day Game drive
Day 14: Half game drive and transfer to kigali
Day 15: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 16: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 17: Departure to Kampala /Entebbe
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to your hotel in Kigali
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, our guide will welcome you and transfer to Kigali city and depending on the time of your arrival; you will go for on a Kigali city tour with in Kigali and visit a number of sites like the genocide memorial site, kimironko market, museums in Rwanda to get an insight about the rewarding state of the country. Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel des Mille Collines.
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
After a morning breakfast on the second day of your 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, you will transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park. En-route, you will pass through wonderful and magnificent hills and cultivated countryside. Have a stopover at the royal King’s Palace in Nyanza for a cultural description about the history of Rwanda. Continue and visit the cultural museum at Rwesero. Proceed and reach Butare town where you will have lunch after lunch you will visit the Rwanda National Museum for a tour around the site. After you will make your way to your hotel arriving late afternoon/ evening. Dinner and overnight at Nyungwe Top Hill Hotel(Midrange)/ Gisakura Guest House(budget)
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos, After lunch, you head for the canopy walk in Nyungwe national park which will give you exceptional views of the park as you walk along the suspended metallic trail in the trees. You will get to see a number of primates swinging within the branches, like the chimpanzees, different monkey species, you will see numerous bird species and after the rewarding experience, head back to your lodge/ hotel. Dinner and overnight at Gisakura visitor Centre(budget)
Day 4: Primate safari
After having breakfast on the fourth day of your 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, you will embark on the full day primate safari in Nyungwe National Park which will lead you to a number of different primate safaris in the park. Among the different primates that can be seen include the colobus monkey, Mona monkey, vervet monkeys and many other rewarding monkey species. It should be noted the park is home to over 14 primate species. After the experience, head back to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibuye along the shores of Lake Kivu
On the fifth day of your 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, you will have an early morning breakfast then transfer to Lake Kivu. The lake is one of the great lakes in Africa and is the largest of the fresh water lakes that gleam in the Albertine (Western) rift of the Great Rift Valley. On the shores there is the Kibuye town which is one of the country’s most attractive of lake ports, nestled in a series of interwoven and undulating hills and will offer you spectacular views of the lake and its islands plus the surrounding countryside. En route to the Lake, you will Visit the L’Esperance Orphanage in Kigarama village. You will see how the orphaned children have been helped by donations from different organizations and also from tourists like you. Arrive at your lodge for evening relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at
Day 6: Transfer to Gisenyi
This offers beautiful and excellent views of Lake Kivu and it’s a great place to relax while feeling its waterfront and sandy beaches. Upon arrival, you will have lunch and then spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing or visit the hot springs which will help you learn more about the formation of the Virunga Volcanic Mountains. Alternatively you can also visit the local projects in the area and interact with project members or visit the local artisans and a local women’s weaving association. Overnight in Gisenyi town as lodge above
Day 7: Transfer to Ruhengeri
Breakfast will be served early this day on the seventh day of your 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari and then after, you will check out from your Hotel and later transfer to Ruhengeri. En route you will visit the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village where you may have a wonderful and interactive experience about the Rwandan traditions, culture and way of life. After this you will continue to the Park reaching in the late evening. Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge(luxury)/ Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge (mid range)/ Hotel Muhabura(budget)
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
The eighth day of this 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda safari, Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from the ORTPN officials, set off for the gorilla tracking. This experience of gorilla tracking is a once in a life time adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search for the Gorillas. You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours since the gorillas move up and down.This is an awesome and exciting moment. Return for dinner and overnight stay as lodge above.
Day 9, Golden Monkey trekking
After breakfast on the ninth day of your 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, you will go for golden monkey tracking. This activity also takes like 2-3 hours in the Virunga forest. Later return back to your lodge for early lunch and transfer back to Kigali city reaching in the afternoon. Take a city walk in the evening around Ruhengeri. Dinner and overnight stay as lodge above.
Day 10, Hiking Mountain Bisoke
The tenth day of this 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari highlights a physical challenge. After breakfast at your Lodge, you will set out for a one day hike on Mount Bisoke. This will give you views of the beautiful slopes and also get a chance to see the forest while on the mountain During the safari experience, you will get to watch a number of different attractions from the primates like the vervet monkey, exceptional views of otrher Virunga mountains in Africa, in the neighbouring national parks, Virunga national park and mgahinga national park . Return for dinner and overnight stay as lodge above.
Day 11, Transfer back to Kigali and to Akagera National Park
After breakfast on the eleventh day of your 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, you will depart for Kigali for lunch and also a short city tour to the Gisozi Genocide Memorial site. You will later transfer to Akagera national Park. En route you will pass through the country’s phenomenal landscape which will give you views of the country’s beauty and also the life style of its people. Upon arrival in the park, you will go for a short southern Lake Ihema game drive. Look out for animals such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, hippos, crocodiles and many more like Antelopes. Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Camp(luxury)/ Akagera Game Lodge/ midrange Karenge bush camp/ budget
Day 12, Morning game drive and Boat ride on Lake Ihema
The twelfth day of this 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari highlights more activities in Akagera National Park. Early in the morning after breakfast, you will go for a Northern circuit game drive to search for animals that you may have missed out in the previous game drive. It was not a guarantee that all the animals can be seen in the evening game drive.
There are some that are early risers and can only be seen in the morning. Return back to the lodge for a small relation as you wait for lunch. After lunch, you will go for a boat ride on Lake Ihema which will offer you with views of the surrounding areas, hills and swamps. Expect to see Hippos, crocodiles and more bird species. Return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay as lodge above
Day 13: Full day Game drive
Rise up early in the morning have breakfast and go for a morning game drive with great anticipation of seeing the different animals which rise early to graze and predators looking for their early morning kill especially the big cats like the leopard, lions and many other carnivores. You will get to watch a number of herbivores like the rhinos grazing within the plains, elephants, gazelle, oribi and many other rewarding game animals. After the morning game drives, you will head back to your hotel for refreshments and later in the afternoon transfer to take part in the evening game drive. Get ready to watch how the park comes to life as the sunsets with a number of predators coming from their hiding spots to catch prey, the herbivores catching their last bite for the day, the crocodiles can be seen sun-basking, elephants quenching their thirst from the river banks which will make your safari quite memorable. After an amazing safari experience, you will make your way back to your camp for dinner and overnight stay. Akagera game lodge(mid-range) Karenge bush camp (budget)
Day 14: Half game drive and transfer to kigali
After an amazing lunch at your accommodation facility get ready to make your way back to Kigali city. You can participate in a half game drive to watch the species in the wild that you might have missed out on during the game drive. After the activity, you will make your way to the park having lunch en-route and later be dropped off at your hotel for dinner and overnight stay at Hotel des mille collines.
Day 15: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
After an early morning breakfast at your hotel, you will embark on your journey through the cyanika boarder. On your journey to the park, you will transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest lake in Uganda where you will take part in canoeing at the lake. at the lake You will see a number of fisher men trying to catch fish and you will also get the chance to visit and see the different islands with their unique history with in the Lake. After the trilling adventure at the lake, you will carry out the Batwa experience where you will have cultural encounters with an interesting group of people known as the Batwa who have a unique way of living. The batwa are forest dwellers that depend on the forest products like fruits and small creatures that they hunt for food. Interesting about the Batwa is the fact that they live harmoniously with forest creatures like the elephants, monkeys, antelopes and so on. After the encounters with the Batwa community, you will proceed to Kisoro town for lunch and then transfer to your lodge near the sector where you will carry out gorilla trekking.
Day 16: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
After an early morning breakfast and packed lunch, you will embark their journey to carry out gorilla trekking the activity. Depending on your permit, you will transfer to the sector where the gorilla family you’re going to trek is. The activity will involve you hiking through the rugged terrain and it can take a given amount of time approximately 2-8 hours but with the help of the guide, it will be easy to locate the gentle giants. On locating and coming into contact with the gorillas, you will spend one hour with them and here you can take pictures of them, watch how they groom one another, how they live amongst one another which is quite interesting to watch. After the exciting experience you will head back to your hotel for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 17: Departure to Kampala /Entebbe
After an early morning breakfast and make your way back to Kampala a stopover at the equator at Kayabwe, you will also have lunch. After you will make your back to be dropped at a location of your choice in kampala city or Entebbe International Airport and the
End of your 17 days Uganda and Rwanda Safari
Safari inclusions;
- Gorilla trekking permits in both Uganda and Rwanda
- All activities as per the itinerary
- Park entrance fees
- Boat cruise fees
- Knowledgeable speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Ground transfers
- Fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Safari Exclusions
- International Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, hiring a porter, tips, laundry service many more.
