Uganda home of Fascinations

8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari

The 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari is an interesting and extraordinary safari that starts from Kigali Rwanda and end in Entebbe Uganda. The safari will take you to Volcanoes national park where you will engage golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour. The safari will also take you to Bwindi impenetrable national park in southwestern part of Uganda where you will get an opportunity to visit the endangered mountain gorillas and spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. During the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will also visit Queen Elizabeth national park where you will be able to view elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, hippos during the game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga channel and Kibale forest national park where you will be able to view chimpanzees in their natural environment.

Highlights of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali airport and transfer to Volcanoes national park

Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyiwacu cultural tour

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Day 6: Morning game drive, afternoon boat cruise and transfer to Kibale forest national park

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali airport, city tour and transfer to Volcanoes national park

Depending on your location in Kigali on the first day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will be welcomed by our representative who will brief you about the safari and then go for a city tour in Kigali where you will be able to visit the Kigali Genocide, Kimironko market, art centres among others. After the city tour, you will have lunch and then start the journey to Volcanoes national park which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour

After an early breakfast on the second day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for a golden monkey briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest in search of the golden monkeys which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where they are located. During trekking you will be able to view other primates and once the golden monkeys are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their habitat which gives you a chance to watch them feed, play, jump up in trees, take photos and record videos. After golden monkey trekking, you will return to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will go for an interesting cultural tour where you will visit the Ibyi’wacu cultural village, learn about the local people culture, tradition, way of living, taste their local dishes, enjoy their traditional performances among others. After the cultural tour, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park

After breakfast on the third day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive passing through Cyanka border in Kisoro and on the way you will enjoy great views of the rolling hills, countryside, terraced farmlands among others. Upon arrival in the park, you will continue to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park

Gorilla trekking,

8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari
Bwindi Gorillas

After an early breakfast on the fourth day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will carry packed lunch and your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is knowledgeable about the gorillas and well conversant with trails in the jungle. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will have views of animals like forest elephants, buffaloes, other primates like l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, different bird species like African harrier hawk, crowned hornbill, African green pigeon, blue headed sunbird among others. Once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their habitat which gives you an opportunity to watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, observe their behaviors, take great photos and record the breathtaking moments to show people back home. After the one hour encounter with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

After breakfast on the fifth day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park. On the way you will pass through Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park where you will get an opportunity to spot the tree climbing lions which will be lying up in fig tree branches. After the game drive in Ishasha sector you will have lunch where after you will continue the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park and upon arrival you will check in at the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Morning game drive/ lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise

Morning game drive/lion tracking,

You will have breakfast on the sixth of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will be rewarded with great views of large herds of elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, warthogs which will be grazing in the open savannah plains view predators like lions, leopards if you are lucky, variety of bird species among others. After the game drive you will drive to the lodge for lunch.

Boat cruise,

After lunch you will go for an exciting boat cruise on Kazinga channel a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise which takes about 2 hours you will get a chance to view elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores, view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, water birds like martial eagle, papyrus gonolek, pelicans, hornbills, African skimmers, cormorants, African spoonbills, fish eagles, king fisher’s among others and also view fishermen organizing their fishing nets along the water banks.

After the boat ride you will start the journey to Kibale forest national park with views of the landscape, crater lakes, tea plantations among others on the way and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk

After an early breakfast on the seventh day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyachu Visitors Centre for chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest. Trekking of chimpanzees in Kibale forest national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to spot other primates such as grey cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, some bird species, plants among others. Once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which helps you to learn more about their behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, fight, hunt, enjoy the juveniles playing up in the trees, take photos and record the moments. After the face to face encounter with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet up with your driver guide to return to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch you will go for an interesting swamp walk in Bigodi swamp where you will be able to view different bird species, animals like sitatungas, view different plant and tree species among others. After the swamp walk, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Departure to Kampala

On the last day of the 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari, you will have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kampala. On the way you will have a stopover for lunch where after you will continue the journey to Kampala arriving in the evening and upon arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of your choice.

End of 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari.

Tour includes                                  

  • Gorilla trekking permit
  • Chimpanzee trekking
  • Golden monkey trekking
  • Park entrance fees/ game drives
  • Boat cruise fees
  • Bigodi swamp walk
  • Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
  • Kigali city tour
  • Professional English speaking driver guide
  • Full board accommodation
  • Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
  • Vehicle and fuel
  • Bottled drinking water

Tour excludes                      

  • International air flight tickets
  • Visas
  • Optional activities not included on the itinerary
  • Life insurance
  • Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
book a trip