Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Arrival in Kigali
Arrival in Kigali
On arrival at Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, you will be received by one of our representatives/guides who will welcome you to Rwanda and brief you about your safari. Thereafter, you will be transferred to your accommodation for relaxation and your overnight stay.
- Main Destination:
- Kigali (Rwanda)
- Accommodation:
-
Quiet Haven Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Kigali City Tour -- Nyungwe National Park
Kigali City Tour -- Nyungwe National Park
Set off for a city tour of the pristine Kigali, during which you will explore Rwanda’s iconic historical attractions and the heartwarming cultures of its people. You will visit the museum to learn about the history and culture of the Rwandese people. At Kigali Genocide Memorial, you will discover the whole sequence of events before, during and after the genocide in Rwanda. Other destinations you will visit include local markets and art and craft shops before transferring to Nyungwe Forest National Park late in the afternoon.
Check in at Emeraude Kivu Resort for an overnight stay and get ready for an excursion the following morning.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Emeraude Kivu Resort
Wildlife in Nyungwe NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Chimpanzee Trek and the Canopy Walk
Chimpanzee Trek and the Canopy Walk
Trek to see the more than 400 chimpanzee residents of this amazing forest. You will be amazed by this subtle primate species; watching them go about day-to-day business is like staring at a wild version of yourself in the mirror. They look and act so much like humans except for the fact that they don’t speak but rather communicate through different vocalizations. One of the most gripping encounters is seeing them drum buttress roots with more bravado than pleasure. You will have one full hour to hang out with man's closest cousin (chimps share over 98% DNA with humans).
After the trek, return to your accommodation for lunch and have some rest before going out again for the canopy walk experience. Suspended above a ravine in the lush montane rainforest, the canopy walkway offers an exhilarating view of ancient treetops, birds and stunning wildflowers.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Emeraude Kivu Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Nyungwe to Volcanoes National Park
Nyungwe to Volcanoes National Park
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the accommodation before hitting the road for Volcanoes National Park. Volcanoes National Park lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The drive is a bit long but incredibly scenic, passing through villages and lush green countryside. You won’t get bored at all. With a strenuous day ahead, you will reach and just check into your accommodation and relax. Later, enjoy your dinner plus the overnight stay.
- Main Destination:
- Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
-
La Palme Hotel
Wildlife in Volcanoes NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Mountain Bisoke Hike
Mountain Bisoke Hike
If you love hiking and scenery, Mount Bisoke experience will blow your mind away. Formed as a result of volcanic eruptions, it soars at an altitude of 4,127 meters above sea level. As you pursue the 5 hours to and fro its summit, you will have lots of stopovers at spots with mind-blowing sights and wildlife. The ranger guides we partner with, do everything to perfection and with the utmost professionalism. At the summit, you will be rewarded with the sight of a beautiful crater lake that partly stands in Uganda and Rwanda.
Return to the accommodation and take your rest.
Optional: You may choose to visit a local community for a cultural tour later today.
- Main Destination:
- Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- La Palme Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Golden Monkey Trekking and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Golden Monkey Trekking and Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Trekking of the golden monkeys takes place in Volcanoes National Park, starting at 7:00 am. The 2-4 hour adventure starts with a short briefing after which you will enter the jungle for a trek of a lifetime. Having been habituated for a long time now, the golden monkeys are not bothered by the presence of humans. There is a great chance that some of their members will draw so close to you, especially the babies. Don't panic. Get along. You are also likely to run into several families of both old-world and new-world monkeys as they roam around the park. It could be a troop of baboons, a pack of black and white monkeys or the L’Hoest, a monkey species endemic to the Albertine Rift.
Afterwards, return to the accommodation for lunch. After lunch, drive off to Cyanika Border Post to cross into Uganda. You will have a brief sightseeing tour of Lake Bunyonyi and its scenic 29 islands, then drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Here you will undertake the gorilla trekking the next day.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
-
Gorilla Valley Lodge
Wildlife in Bwindi NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
The day you have been waiting for this whole time is finally here. As dawn reveals the full beauty of the forest at your accommodation, eat breakfast; pack your lunch and attend a briefing by the head-ranger. Get hold of your walking stick and rally behind your allocated ranger/guide and follow the path of evolution as you track one of man’s closest relatives. Bwindi Forest is a unique and dramatic forest that supports abundant wildlife. Once you get to where the gorillas are, keep calm and watch them play, feed, and swing from one tree branch to another. In the kingdom of mount gorillas, avoid camera flash; don’t get too close (keep at least 7 meters away) and don’t make unnecessary noise. By this time, your guide has briefed you on the different sounds and gestures to employ while in the company of these gentle giants.
After the trek, return to where you started and receive your tracking certificate.
Return to your accommodation and take some rest.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Gorilla Valley Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Be up early, have breakfast and embark on a transfer to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park—famously known for its tree-climbing lion population. You will have a brief game drive in Ishaha on your way to the lodge. Queen Elizabeth National Park is a Big Five wildlife estate that has it all. Located in Western Uganda, it is richly endowed with over 40 animal species and 600 bird species. The park features some astonishing landscapes and gorges, rolling hills, crater lakes, woodland and open savannahs. Among the activities you will pursue during this adventure include boat cruises, game drives, hiking and community visits.
Check in and have some rest as you enjoy the views of the park. The swimming pool at the lodge offers a great way to cool off some steam.
- Main Destination:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9
Game Drive and Boat Cruise
Game Drive and Boat Cruise
The game drive will start early morning and it will last about two hours in the open savannah. Here, predators like leopards and lions camouflage to stalk prey grazing in the breeding ground. Our guides know the vantage points for the best wildlife viewing.
After lunch, transfer to the pier/dock for your afternoon boat ride on Kazinga Channel. The boat cruise on Kazinga, a thread of water that joins lakes George and Edward, is simply breathtaking. The channel is both home and playground for the Nile crocodiles, and it has arguably the highest concentration of hippos on the planet. Throw elephants and buffaloes into that mix and the stage is set for some wild action. You will also encounter the majestic African fish eagle, Goliath herons, saddle-billed storks, Egyptian geese, different species of egrets, and cormorants among other bird species. Don’t forget to get your camera out for the magnificent sunset from the Mweya Peninsula.
Return to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.
- Main Destination:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Irungu Forest Safari Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 10
Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bigodi Wetland
Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bigodi Wetland
After your midmorning breakfast, depart Queen Elizabeth National Park for a tour of the traditional palace of Tooro, a prolific Bantu Kingdom at the foothills of Mountain Rwenzori, Africa’s 3rd highest mountain. Once done with lunch in Fort Portal town, you will continue with the journey to Kibale Forest National Park for a nature walk in its surrounding wetland, Bigodi. Owned by the local community that neighbours the park, Bigodi boasts of an extensive array of biodiversity among which there are several primates species like the baboon, black and white Colobus monkey, etc. Bigodi is also a paradise for bird watchers. The most famous species within the wetland is the great blue turaco.
- Main Destination:
- Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
-
Kibale Forest Camp (Camping)
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 11
Kibale -- Crater Lakes -- Hoima City
Kibale -- Crater Lakes -- Hoima City
Have breakfast and move out to explore the Kibale crater lakes, crowned with a hike to the “top of the world”. It’s a vantage point with sweeping panoramic views of scenic small lakes, rolling hills and mountain ranges. Take a hike to Lake Nkuruba where you will encounter different species of primates and birds. Along the way, you will meet local people who will tell you wonderful stories of their locale. Return to the lodge for some rest and lunch. After lunch, you will embark on a transfer to Hoima City to break the long transfer (Kibale-Murchison). You will reach Hoima, check into the accommodation and just relax.
- Main Destination:
- Hoima (Town, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
-
Kontiki Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 12
Hoima to Murchison Falls National Park
Hoima to Murchison Falls National Park
You will reach in time for lunch at the lodge. Later, move out for an up-close encounter with the spectacular waterfall after which the park is named. Here, you will pursue a 45 minutes hike that offers different viewpoints of the most powerful waterfall on the planet as the Mighty River Nile funnels itself through a 7 – 8-meter gorge. Our guides will often take you to strategic vantage points off the tracks to get the best views of the entire park.
Murchison Falls National Park is not only the biggest national park in Uganda but it also has one of the best savannahs where you can encounter over 76 mammal species including buffalos, lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes, etc. The birdlife here is just as amazing, with water dwellers such as shoebills and fish eagles found alongside more unusual species such as the secretary birds. In total, the park has 476 recorded species.
After the hike, return to your lodge for an overnight stay.
- Main Destination:
- Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Fort Murchison (Room)
Wildlife in Murchison Falls NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 13
Game Drive in Murchison Falls National Park
Game Drive in Murchison Falls National Park
Start your day with an early morning breakfast and proceed for a morning game drive. The massive herds of elegant giraffes in Murchison’s savannah are a sight to behold, and the birdlife in the swampy areas of the park is both colorful and plentiful. But it’s the lions that steal the show as they hunt for prey. They move at an amazing speed that will leave you feeling like you are in the middle of a national geographic shoot. Great herds of elephants and buffalos graze alongside herds of several Uganda kobs and other antelopes.
Later in the day, return to the River Nile for a second boat cruise. This 2-hour sightseeing boat cruise takes place along the shoreline of River Nile, offering up-close views of hippos and crocodiles sunbathing. As the day gets hotter, different mammal species conglomerate here to quench their thirst and take a shower as well.
- Main Destination:
- Murchison Falls National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Fort Murchison (Room)
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 14
Murchison to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Entebbe
Murchison to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Entebbe
You will have your breakfast and then drive to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the main stopover of the journey to Entebbe International Airport ahead of your departing flight. At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, you will have a bushwalk in pursuit of the Southern white rhinoceros. 25 of them reside here. They are currently undergoing rebreeding ahead of their re-introduction into the savannah game parks across the country.
From the rhino tracking, you will embark on a transfer to Entebbe Airport to catch your flight (recommended for 6:00 pm or later) otherwise, you can choose to check into a hotel in Kampala or Entebbe for the night for an extra fee.
- Main Destination:
- Entebbe (City, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
