12 Days Uganda Rwanda wildlife safari.
The 12-day Uganda-Rwanda wildlife safari is a combined safari that offers you both primate tracking experience and then game drives experience in both Uganda and Rwanda this offers you stunning safari experience is the famous national parks like Kibale forest national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park, and Volcanoes National Park and then you will explore Lake Kivu lastly with African Vacation Safaris.
Tour Highlights.
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park.
Day 4: Morning and Boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park.
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
Day 9: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
Day 10: Hike Dian Fossey’s grave in Volcanoes National Park,
Day 11: Transfer to Lake Kivu.
Day 12: Departure.
Detailed itinerary.
Day 1: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park.
On the 1st day of your safari, depending on your location your safari guide from African Vacation Safaris will pick you up either from your place of location. And he will welcome you and brief to you about the 5 days Kibale and Queen Elizabeth National Park safari. After the briefing you will start on the journey to Kibale forest national park. Along the way you will pass through the town of Mityana and Mubende, surrounded by the vast expanses of the tea plantation, banana plantations and among others. The road winds its way through the scenic Lake Albert escarpment, offering stunning views of the lake and the surrounding landscape. Along the way you will have the opportunity to stop at the local markets, interact with the friendly locals, and take in the vibrant culture of rural Uganda, along the way you will have the enroute lunch. After lunch you will proceed with you journey to Kibale. Upon your arrival you will check in your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park.
On the 2nd day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy your hearty breakfast. After the breakfast, you will check out from your lodge and then meet your safari guide and then transfer to Kanyanchu tourism centre for the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during the chimpanzee trekking by the experienced park rangers and the park guides. After the briefing you will be grouped in various groups of 6 people and each group will be assigned by the professional park ranger that is familiar with the park trails. You will explore the forest to search for the chimpanzees, and this takes a period of about 30 minutes to 5 hours or more depending on the location of the chimpanzees.
The experience is rewarding in that during chimpanzee trekking you will be attracted with the various plant species, tree species, animal species like the red colobus monkeys, forest elephants, white and black colobus monkeys, pottos, golden monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys and among others, birds species like Great Blue Turaco, papyrus Gonolek and among many others and among many others while looking for the chimpanzees. And once the chimpanzees are found you will be given a period of one hour to be in the presence of the chimpanzees, that is when you will watch the chimpanzees playing, feeding, mothers breast feeding their young ones, mothers grooming their young ones. After the experience you will transfer to the starting point and be awarded with the chimpanzee trekking certificates for taking part in chimpanzee trekking.
After the experience you will be transferred to the lodge for lunch. After lunch you will either relax at your lodge or optional go for the guided nature walk at Bigodi wetland for the massive experience of other animal species and bird species and among others. After the experience you will be transferred to your lodge for relaxation that is moving around the lodge. Later you will be served with dinner, at the lodge and then overnight stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park.
On the 3rd day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy your breakfast. After breakfast, you will check out from your lodge and then meet your safari guide and then start on your journey to Queen Elizabeth national park, with the amazing views along the way including the crater lakes that you can move out of the vehicle and take the awesome pictures and others. You will continue with your journey to the park; and upon your arrival you will check on your lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will transfer to the park for the afternoon game drive in the park to spot diverse wildlife, and during the experience you will explore the crater lakes near the park. After you will be transferred to the lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 4: Morning and Boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park.
On the 4th day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and then enjoy your breakfast, after breakfast your safari guide will pick you from your lodge and transfer you to the park for the morning game drive in the Kasenyi plains for a rewarding experience. During the morning game drive you will spot the different animal species that includes buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, and many others as they are grazing in the open savannah plains, during the game drive you will spot the predators like hyenas, lions, leopards looking for the fresh of the day, viewing various bird species like African Jacana, Great blue turaco, black bee-eaters, Yellow-billed storks, African fish eagles, and among many others. After the morning game drive you will drive back to your lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for afternoon boat cruise on Kazinga channel, the water channel that connects Lake Edward and then Lake George. The boat cruise on Kazinga channel takes a period of 2 to 3 hours that gives you the opportunity of large herds of hippos, and large schools of crocodiles in the water, you will spot the elephants, waterbucks, and others along the water shores washing away their thirst, as well you will spot water bird species like cormorants, fish eagles, hornbills, yellow-bellied storks, Pink-backed pelican, Pied Kingfisher, Papyrus gonolek, Malachite Kingfisher, African fish eagles. After the boat cruise you will return to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
On the 5th day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and then enjoy breakfast, after breakfast you will check out from your lodge and then meet your safari guide and start on your journey through passing in Ishasha to look for the tree climbing lions on a lucky day, along the experience you will spot other park animals across. You will later continue with your journey with the en-route lunch along the way. After as you approach the areas of Bwindi you will be welcomed by the cool atmosphere of the place with unique spotting of the beautiful landscapes, terraced farms and among others. And once you arrive to your lodge your will check in your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park.
On the 6th day of the safari, get up in the morning and then enjoy your breakfast. After breakfast together with your packed lunch, meet your safari guide and then transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped in various groups of about 8 members per group, and each group will be assigned with the experienced park ranger and park guide to lead them in the forest to look for the mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the location of the gorillas, this is where you will trek through the steep, densely forested hills while thrilled with the various primates, bird species, and animal species and among many others in the forest. And once you find the gorillas you will be given one hour to be in the presence of the gorillas that is keeping 7 meters away from them. This is when you will watch the gorillas doing their daily activities like playing, grooming, feeding, mating and others. During that period that’s when you will take the pictures and then recording their videos. And after the experience you will trek back to the starting point and then your driver guide will transfer you to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
On the 7th day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy breakfast. After breakfast check out from your lodge and then meet your safari guide and then start your journey to Rwanda to where you will cross the Cyanika boarder after being cleared to get the Rwanda visa with the amazing the views along the way. Along the way you will have the en-route lunch. After lunch you will proceed with your journey to Ruhengeri/Kinigi to where you will check in at your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
On the 8th day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy your breakfast, after together with your packed, snacks and water you will meet with your safari guide and then transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking by the experienced park guides and rangers. After the briefing you will explore the forest in the different groups of 8 members per group and each group led by the experienced park guides that are familiar with the trekking trails. Along the way you will be thrilled with the viewing the forest’s wonderful biodiversity. Gorilla trekking takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours and once you finally spot the gorilla family, you will be given one hour to be in the presence of gorillas for one hour. This is where you will watch the gorillas doing their daily activities like feeding, playing, and mothers grooming their young ones, mating, and hunting and among others. After the one hour you will return to the starting point to where you will be awarded with the gorilla trekking certificates for participating in gorilla trekking. Later you will return to the lodge for lunch and then spend the rest of the time at the lodge preparing for tomorrow’s activity or optional you will have a guided walk to visit the twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo or experiencing the Iby’wacu cultural village before the overnight stay.
Day 9: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
On the 9th day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy breakfast. After breakfast you will meet your safari driver and then once again you will be transferred to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during golden monkey trekking. After the briefing you will be transferred to the forest to look for the unique golden monkeys, as this takes you a period of about 30 minutes to 3 hours, unlike other primates trekking the golden monkeys is such fascinating and exceptional as you enjoy their beautiful looks, the smiles as they jump from tree branches and this gives you the opportunity to take the pictures and then record the best safari moments. After the trekking you will return back to your lodge for lunch and then after lunch you simply relax at your lodge and then later be served with dinner, overnight stay.
Day 10: Hike Dian Fossey’s grave in Volcanoes National Park,
On the 10th day of the safari, wake up early in the morning and enjoy breakfast. After breakfast you will meet with your safari guide and then go for Dian Fossey’s grave hiking at Karisoke research center, this is one of the interesting and exciting safari experience to enjoy on a Rwanda safari. Dian Fossey was the American primatologist that dedicated her entire life to protect the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda but later she was brutally murdered by the poachers at her Karisoke research center that is located between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke. This can take you a full day with lunch. After the experience you will be transferred to your lodge for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.
Day 11: Transfer to Lake Kivu.
On the 11th day of the safari, wake up enjoy your breakfast in the morning, after breakfast you will check out from your lodge and then meet your safari guide and then start your journey to Gisenyi to where you will enjoy your lunch at the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu, later you will spend the remaining hours exploring the Lake Kivu, swimming, boat cruise or simply take a walk along the lake shores of the lake. Later you will spend the evening at your lodge in Gisenyi and have your dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Departure.
On the last day of the safari, wake up early in the morning, enjoy breakfast and meet your safari guide and then start on your journey to Kigali to where you will have lunch and optional Kigali city tour to explore the best attractions like Kigali memorial site and others. Later you safari guide will drop you off at your hotel in Kigali or to Kigali International Airport to catch a flight back home that will bring your safari to the end.
End of 12 Days Uganda Rwanda wildlife safari