11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Safari Tour

Duration

11 Days

Tour Type

Adventure Tour

Group Size

Tour Guide

Rwanda, Uganda

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Mountain Gorilla trekking Uganda and Rwanda
Birding and nature walk in Uganda
Community visit in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda
Canopy walks in Rwanda
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda
Game drive in Rwanda
Boat cruise in Rwanda
Rwanda genocide tour
Cultural village tour in Rwanda

TRIP OVERVIEW

This eight-day Uganda and Rwanda safari tour will take you to the African jungles of Uganda and Rwanda where you will be able to witness and interact with some of the most fascinating primates on the planet. You will spend eight days trekking through the lush and thick tropical and rain forest of Uganda and Rwanda learning and observing about the behaviors, adaptations, social structures and cultural behaviors of both primates and people living with in Uganda and Rwanda. The first part of this tour will take to western Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where you will spend three days doing mountain gorilla trekking, birding and nature walk in the tropical rainforest.

The next part of your journey will take you to Kigali in Rwanda, in the Virunga mountains of Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe National Park and Akagere National Park, where you will spend the rest of the days walking through the forest in search for Mountain Gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys and other primates such as leopards, elephants, rhinos and so many others as well as doing other activities in the tour highlight. Throughout the eight days of your tour safari to Uganda and Rwanda, you will stay in a comfortable hotel where you will be able to rest every after each day activity. You will also have a chance to explore the local areas of Uganda and Rwanda, meet the local people, learning about their way of life plus their culture.

Details

Our knowledgeable guides will pick you from the agreed pick-up point and drive you to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Along the way, you will make a stopover at the equator where you will perform an empirical experiment and learn about the effects of the earth`s magnetic fields in the southern and northern hemisphere and at 0 degrees latitude (Equator). You will continue to Mbarara town where you will make another stopover at Igongo cultural center to have lunch. After that, you will proceed with your journey to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, check in Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, have dinner and sleep.

MEAL PLAN: Lunch and Dinner

PHOTO GUIDE: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Uganda

You will wake up early in the morning for breakfast and set off for gorilla trekking experience, which is the main significant of this tour. you will be led by the game ranger who will provide you with the brief rules and regulations and also take you through the thick forest in search for habituated gorilla family. The trek can last anywhere from a few hours to a whole day, but the experience of observing these magnificent primates is worth it. You will have packed lunch during the exercise. After you will head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay. This will give a chance to rest and relax after the day of adventure.

PHOTO GUIDE: Gorilla trekking, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Uganda

After breakfast in the morning, you will embark on nature walk in Bwindi Forest as well as doing birding. You will hike through the thick forest where you will have a chance to learn about the types of trees and vegetations in this park and also you will be able to spot and observe a variety of birds such as African blue, African green pigeon, white tailed blue, fly catchers to mention but a few. The activity will be guided by a knowledgeable guide and it will last for 3 to 4 hours, and after you will go back to your lodge and have lunch and refreshment. After lunch, you will set off for community visit and this will provide you with the opportunity to meet the local people around the national park and learn about their social and cultural behaviors. Thereafter, you will return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner

PHOTO GUIDE: Nature walk, Birding and Community visit in Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda.

You will be picked up from your lodge in the morning after breakfast by your guide who will drive you to Kyanika boarder of Uganda and Rwanda for clearance after which you will proceed to Volcanoes National Park. Here, you will do a combined guided trek of some of the world’s most iconic primates, i.e Mountain and Golden monkeys since these almost share the same habitat. The endangered Golden monkeys are endemic to the Albertine rift and they can only be found in Virunga mountains of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. This activity will take maximum 8 hours and after it, you will proceed with your journey to Kigali the capital city of Rwanda. Upon your arrival, you will check in your chosen guest house, Kigali Sky Villa. At the guest house, you will be welcomed, served meals and refreshments. It is here that you will have overnight sleep and get ready for next day’s activities. Thereafter in the evening, you will embark on

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner

PHOTO GUIDE: Volcanoes National Park and Kigali sky villa hotel, Kitabi cultural village and Banda cultural village, Rwanda.

In the morning after breakfast, you will set off for cultural village tour in villages such as Humure Refugee Village where you will see and understand more about the refugees from Tanzania that settled in the country. You will be taught about the events that led to their migration. You will also visit villages like Kitabi, and Banda Cultural Villages where you will get the opportunity to see how people of Rwanda used to carry out their daily activities like farming, cattle rearing, cultural festivals. You will also be taught how to prepare the traditional meals in Rwanda. After this activity, you will have lunch and refreshments and after those, you will go for Rwanda genocide tour in Kigali city. Here, you will visit places such as Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum which had display areas where you will see the victims of the genocide, Busegera Reconciliation Camp, Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial site, Ntarama Genocide Memorial and Gisozi Genocide Memorial Museum where you will learn more about the dark periods in Rwanda, the events that led to the Rwanda genocide and its impacts to the Rwandans. A number of people were killed among other interesting features of genocide. After you will return back to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

IN PHOTOS: Kigali genocide memorial, Nyamata genocide memorial, Rwanda genocide site and Busegera reconciliation camp, Rwanda.

After the mid-morning breakfast, you will set off for the Kigali City tour where you will visit remarkable chosen places of Inema Arts Centre, Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial, Kigali Convention Centre, 1000 Hills Distillery and Rwanda Art Museum. For the morning session, you will start with Inema Arts Centre where you will participate in activities like Inema Yoga Classes, Inema dancing classes for Rwandan culture, painting sessions and you will also have a chance to see different artwork and craft indigenous to Rwanda.

After here, you will visit the Kigali Convention Centre where you will explore the huge building that contains facilities for business, leisure and events. Meals are also served here, and its here that you will have your lunch from. After lunch, you will resume to your Kigali city tour by visiting the Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial that was formerly a Rwandan military base. Here, you will learn of how 10 Belgian UN soldiers were killed on April 7^th 1994 during the Rwanda 1994 Genocide. After here, you will go for the Rwanda Art Museum, which is a former Presidential Palace Museum. Today, this museum displays contemporary artworks from Rwanda as well as abroad and it seeks to provide insight into the originality of Rwanda creativity, exploring the development of art from olden times to modern day.

Lastly on this day, you will visit the 1000 Hills Liquor Distillery that boasts spectacular panoramic views of Kigali hillside. Here, you will learn about the machinery, distillation process plus current and future planned products. After this adventure, you will head back to your hotel for dinner, over night sleep and refreshment.

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

IN PHOTOS: Rwanda Art Museum, Distillery machines, Kigali Convention Centre, Belgian Peacekeepers memorial and Inema Arts Centre

Your guide will pick you from the hotel in the morning after breakfast and drive you to Akagera National Park, which takes about 2 hours from Kigali city. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to see the beautiful Rwandan countryside. Upon arrival at Akagera National Park, you will check in your accommodation, Silent Hill Hotel Kayonza. After that you will go for a boat ride on lake Ihema where you will have an amazing time seeing the big five and also get the opportunity to see the sunset as you watch a number of birds like crested roller, brown crested lapwing, shoebill stork and others. After your boat ride, you will have lunch plus the refreshments. Later in the afternoon, you will go for a game drive in Akagera National Park. This park is dominated by swamps and small lakes with flow in the wake of River Kagera. The network of water sources and unique landscape together create a very spectacular scenery. You will have an opportunity to view wildlife during this thrilling game drive, whereby you will see a variety of mammals and a profusion of birds. You will see animals like elephants, lions, buffalo, hyenas, zebra, giraffes, antelopes like bushbucks, roan antelope, Topis, klipspringer, oribis, cape eland, waterbuck, duikers and impalas plus primates like baboons, and vervet monkeys. On the banks of the lakes, you will have a chance to see crocodiles and hippos. After this thrilling activity, you will return to your hotel, have dinner and sleep.

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

IN PHOTOS: Game viewing in Akagera National Park, Boat cruise on Lake Ihema, and Irebero dream home, Rwanda

You will be picked up from your hotel in the morning after breakfast and be driven to Nyungwe Forest National Park, which takes about 7 to 8 hours from Akagera National Park. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to see the beautiful environment of the area. Lunch will be enroute. Upon arrival, you will check in your hotel Light house hotel, have dinner and refreshments and then sleep.

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast, lunch and Dinner

PHOTO GUIDE: Nyungwe Forest National Park and Light House hotel, Rwanda

You will wake up early for breakfast in the morning and after, you will set off for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park one of the rewarding national parks in Rwanda which is home to over 1000 chimpanzees and a number of other primate species. The trek will last for 3 to 4 hours and will be guided by a knowledgeable game ranger who will provide you with a brief on rules and regulations. You will hike through the lush forest of this park in search for habituated chimpanzee families. Once you come across the chimpanzees, you will have an hour to observe them as they go about their daily activities such as eating, playing, grooming and others. You will lunch and refreshments and, in the evening, you will set off for canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest which is about 160 meters in length, south western part of the forest where you will have a golden possibility of viewing the entire scenery of Nyungwe National Park from above at an elevation of about 50 meters above the ground. After you will go back at your hotel for dinner and sleep.

MEAL PLAN: Lunch and Dinner

PHOTO GUIDE: Chimpanzee trekking and Canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda

After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Kisoro, which takes about 8 to 9 hours. Along the way, you will have one last opportunity to admire the scenic beauty of Rwanda. Upon arrival in Kisoro, you will check in your guest house, Supas Bistro and Guest House have dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.

MEAL PLAN: Breakfast, Lunch enroute and Dinner

PHOTO GUIDE: Supa`s Bistro and Guest House in Kisoro Uganda

In the morning after breakfast, you will be driven back to Kampala which takes about 9 to 10 hours. Along the way, you will make a stopover in Mbarara at maple leaf hotel for lunch and refreshments. Thereafter, you will proceed with your journey to Kampala. Upon arrival in Kampala, you will be dropped off at your hotel or airport and your eleven days trip to Uganda and Rwanda will have come to an end.

Destination

Kenya

Primate tours

Rwanda

Uganda