$4,950 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateArrival
Arrival
Day 1
Arrival in Bujumbura and city tour
Arrival in Bujumbura and city tour
Upon arrival at Bujumbura International Airport, you will meet our hospitable driver-guide, who will brief you on your upcoming activities before he transfers you to your hotel. If you arrive in the morning, there will be an option to visit the Bujumbura city tour.
- Main Destination:
- Bujumbura (City, Burundi)
- Accommodation:
- Safari Gate Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Kibira National Park hike and Teza tea plantation
Kibira National Park hike and Teza tea plantation
After an early breakfast, you will drive about 2 hours towards Kibira National Park. After arriving, you will go on a hike, which takes 2-3hours. Later you will go to experience the tea plantation from field to cup. The Teza tea plantation is so photogenic provided its position on the edge of Kibira National park. You will get this experience before you get transferred to Gitega.
- Main Destination:
- Kibira National Park (Burundi)
- Accommodation:
- Tropitel Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Gishora drum sanctuary and transfer back to Bujumbura
Gishora drum sanctuary and transfer back to Bujumbura
After your breakfast, we will drive a bit to Gishora drum sanctuary. A local guide will then take you through the thatched palace structures. You will learn about the ancient kingdom, look at the sacred, centuries-old drums Ruciteme and Murimirwa, and discover how the drum was historically viewed not just as an instrument, but as a symbol of the king's power and national fertility. Later, we will go to assist the drum performance, the core of the activity is a breathtaking, 40-minute-1hour synchronized performance. The drummers form a semicircle around a central master drum, leaping, spinning, and executing acrobatic flips while maintaining an intense, complex polyrhythmic beat. The energy is explosive, theatrical, and deeply spiritual. The performance culminates in an open invitation. You will step into the center of the circle, learn the basic striking techniques from a master drummer, and try your hand at keeping the rhythm while the troupe cheers you on.
- Main Destination:
- Gishora Drum Sanctuary (Cultural Village, Burundi)
- Accommodation:
- Safari Gate Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Fly to Kampala and City tour
Fly to Kampala and City tour
After breakfast, we will go to shop souvenirs in Bujumbura before we take a flight to Kampala. Upon arrival in kampala, we will go to check in at our hotel and then later, proceed with kampala city tour. The tour may begin on Old Kampala Hill at the Uganda National Mosque. You will actively climb the 272 steps up the narrow minaret. At the summit, your guide will use the 360-degree view to visually map out Kampala's history across its famous seven hills.
- Main Destination:
- Kampala (City, Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- ONOMO Hotel Kampala
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Transfer to Kibale Np, Bigodi wetland nature walk
Transfer to Kibale Np, Bigodi wetland nature walk
After breakfast, your day begins at 06:30 AM with a scenic, 5-to-6-hour road transfer from Kampala via the Fort Portal Highway, trading the chaotic urban sprawl for rolling green hills, local trading centers, and vibrant tea plantations.
After pulling over for photos and stopping for a fresh lunch in the clean gateway town of Fort Portal, you will drive another 45 minutes into the dense canopy of Kibale National Park to check into your eco-lodge and drop off your bags.
At 3 PM, you will go for Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary on an active, 3-hour, 4.5-kilometer guided walking loop along dirt paths and elevated wooden boardwalks slicing directly through the towering papyrus swamp.
- Main Destination:
- Kibale National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Bweza Kibale Lodge
Wildlife in Kibale NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Chimpanzee trek
Chimpanzee trek
After your breakfast, Your day peaks at 07:30 AM with an essential safety and conservation briefing at the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre, where you are assigned to a small group of eight and paired with an armed UWA ranger guide. At 08:00 AM, you plunge directly into the dense, untamed rainforest, trekking off-trail for one to three hours over muddy terrain and tangled roots as your guide tracks vocalizations, fresh dung, and discarded fruit casings to locate a habituated chimpanzee community. The physical exertion is instantly rewarded the moment you encounter the troop, granting you exactly one hour of mesmerizing, close-range observation as the chimpanzees swing effortlessly through the canopy, groom one another, and communicate with booming pant-hoots just meters away.
- Main Destination:
- Kibale National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Bweza Kibale Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth, Kazinga boat cruise
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth, Kazinga boat cruise
After breakfast, your day starts at 08:00 AM with a scenic, 2-to-3-hour road transfer spanning roughly 110 kilometers south from Kibale National Park to Queen Elizabeth National Park, passing directly over the equator and alongside the majestic Rwenzori Mountain ridges. After arriving in time for an early lunch at your safari lodge, you will head to the Mweya Peninsula at 02:00 PM to board a highly active, 2-hour Kazinga Channel boat cruise. This water safari grants you incredible, close-range photography access to the world's highest concentration of hippos, alongside massive Nile crocodiles, elephants, and bathing buffalo herds lining the banks. The full-day excursion wraps up around 04:30 PM with an en-route game drive back to your lodge, requiring you to pack a wide-brimmed sun hat, high-magnification binoculars, a camera with a zoom lens, and a lightweight jacket to shield against the afternoon breeze on the water.
- Main Destination:
- Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda)
- Accommodation:
- Elephant Hab Lodge
Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Morning game drive, Lion tree climbing and transfer to Bwindi National park
Morning game drive, Lion tree climbing and transfer to Bwindi National park
After breakfast, your day kicks off with a crisp 06:30 AM morning game drive across the Kasenyi Plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, tracking lions, leopards, and large herds of Uganda kobs as they hunt and graze in the soft dawn light.
Later after, you will begin a scenic, 4-to-6-hour road transfer south toward Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, driving through the park’s Ishasha Sector for a chance to spot its famous, rare tree-climbing lions lounging in massive fig trees. The journey continues through winding mountain roads and terraced hillsides, arriving at your steep forest lodge by 05:00 PM just as the mist begins to blanket the ancient rainforest. This transition day requires you to keep your camera and binoculars on your lap for roadside wildlife, wear comfortable layers to handle the drop in temperature as you climb in altitude, and have cash ready for community-run roadside fruit stalls.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Haven Lodge Buhoma Community
Wildlife in Bwindi Impenetrable NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9
Mountain Gorilla trek
Mountain Gorilla trek
After breakfast, you will start at 07:30 AM with an essential safety briefing and cultural dance welcome at the park headquarters, where you are assigned to an elite tracking group of eight and paired with armed UWA rangers and trackers. At 08:00 AM, you plunge directly into the steeply terraced, ancient rainforest of Bwindi, trekking dynamically for two to six hours through dense undergrowth, tangled vines, and muddy slopes as trackers use radio communication to guide you toward your assigned gorilla family. The challenging physical trek is instantly forgotten the moment you step into the clearing, granting you exactly one hour of quiet, close-range observation just seven meters away from a magnificent silverback, playful juveniles, and nursing mothers going about their daily lives.
- Main Destination:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Haven Lodge Buhoma Community
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 10
Transfer to Rwanda, Iby'iwacu culturel village
Transfer to Rwanda, Iby'iwacu culturel village
After an early breakfast, your day begins at 07:00 AM with a scenic, 3-to-4-hour international road transfer from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park across the Cyanika border post into Rwanda, passing through the terraced, mist-shrouded hills of Kisoro before descending toward Musanze District. After pausing for border clearance and a fresh lunch in Musanze town, you will drive to the foothills of Volcanoes National Park to arrive at 03:00 PM at the Gorilla Guardians Village/Iby'Iwacu Cultural Village. You will walk through a replica of a pre-colonial king's palace, try your hand at grinding grain, practice traditional archery, and join in the thunderous, high-energy Intore warrior dance accompanied by rhythmic drumming.
- Main Destination:
- Ruhengeri (City, Rwanda)
- Accommodation:
- Classic Resort Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 11
Golden Monkey trek and banana beer making experience
Golden Monkey trek and banana beer making experience
After breakfast, your day starts at 07:00 AM with an essential safety briefing at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters, before you head into the bamboo forests at 08:00 AM for a 1-to-2-hour Golden Monkey Trek to observe a habituated troop of endangered, playful primates leaping through the canopy and feeding on bamboo shoots.
After a midday break for lunch, you will transition at 02:00 PM to a hands-on, community-hosted Banana Beer Making Experience. During this interactive session, you will help local artisans harvest sweet bananas, crush them using traditional wooden troughs and wild grass, ferment the juice with sorghum flour, and sample the final sweet brew.
- Main Destination:
- Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Classic Resort Lodge
Wildlife in Volcanoes NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 12
Transfer to Kigali, City tour with genocide memorial
Transfer to Kigali, City tour with genocide memorial
After breakfast, your day begins at 08:00 AM with a scenic, 2-to-3-hour road transfer from Musanze down the winding, beautifully paved mountain highways into Rwanda’s clean capital, arriving by mid-morning to kick off a comprehensive Kigali City Tour. Your urban exploration starts with a somber and deeply moving visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial on Gisozi Hill, where you will spend two hours quietly walking through the historical exhibits, viewing personal artifacts, and paying respects at the mass graves of over 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide.
After an emotional morning, you will head to a local restaurant for lunch to try traditional Rwandan dishes like isombe and brochettes, followed by an afternoon drive through Kigali’s vibrant neighborhoods to visit the bustling Kimironko Market to practice bargaining for colorful Kitenge fabrics and hand-woven peace baskets.
- Main Destination:
- Kigali (Rwanda)
- Accommodation:
- ONOMO Hotel Kigali
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 13
Kigali international Airport drop off
Kigali international Airport drop off
After breakfast, you will drive to Kigali International Airport for your flight back home.
- Main Destination:
- Kigali International Airport (Kigali, Rwanda)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
