This 14 days best of Rwanda and Uganda classic tour takes you Rwanda’s Akagera national park for the Big Five, Volcanoes National Park famous for gorillas and golden monkeys as well as Uganda’s major parks like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where you will track mountain gorillas, Ishasha for tree climbing lions, Queen Elizabeth park for the un matched Kazinga channel boat safari, Kibale forest for chimpanzees and finally Murchison falls where the River Nile is squeezed in small gorge of 7 meters and winding up with Ziwa for walk with southern white rhinos.
Highlights
- Kigali City Tour
- Gorilla Trekking
- Golden Monkey Trekking
- Scenic road trips
- Tropical rain forest walks
- Tree climbing lions
- Boat cruise
- Chimpanzee trekking
- Culture
- Two country safaris
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport
Upon Arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will go through the emigration process that always takes between thirty minutes to two hours depending on your arrival time. Exiting through arrivals you will meet a representative from Hooves of Africa Safaris for a short meet and greet then transfer to your hotel in Kigali overnight on Bed and Breakfast arrangement.
Accommodation: Chez Lando Hotel
Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast
Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park
Pick up and embark on a journey to Akagera national park about 110 km (3-hour drive) east of Kigali capital city. You will stop along the way at Imigongo Art café for refreshments. Proceed via the Kiyonza southern entrance gate to the lodge overlooking the swamp fringed Lake Ihema, the park’s largest lake. Hippos tend to graze around the tents and the sounds of nature provide a perfect setting for wild nights.
Accommodation: Akagera Rhino Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board
Day 3: Full Day Discovering Akagera National Park
The game drive experience in Akagera involves a lot of driving from south to the northern open plains of Kilala. There it is less bushy and you may spot more wildlife and also get out of the car and have picnic in the wild. Seeing all the Big 5 can be challenging due to low numbers, however the zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, and antelope species like Impala, Topi are abundant. The bird life of 480 species of birds in the park is also another highlight of your safari. We have this full day dedicated to game viewing and we will sleep in the northern part of the park. Dinner and overnight in the park.
Accommodation: Karenge Bush Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, we drive back to Kigali where we will have lunch and later proceed to Volcanoes national park in the norther part of Rwanda. The drive to Volcanoes national park is scenic and will introduce you to the land of 1,000 hills. Volcanoes is famous for mountain gorillas and golden monkeys and tomorrow you have an option of choosing what primates you would like to visit.
Accommodation: Da Vinci Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Optional Golden Monkeys or Gorilla Tracking and Transfer to Lake Mutanda, Uganda
After an early breakfast, you’ll drive to the visitor center to attend a briefing session conducted by park rangers about the guidelines to follow for this adventure. Once you have been allocated a gorilla family, you will be accompanied by experienced trackers to this serene tropical rainforest. Once gorillas have been located, you will spend a magical hour observing them up close. You’ll learn about their behavior, social structure, and conservation efforts to protect them.
You’ll enjoy a packed lunch amidst the forest, savoring the unique experience of dining in the gorilla’s natural habitat. Later, you’ll transfer via Cyanika border town of Rwanda to southwest Uganda where you will continue to drive to Lake Mutanda for a sumptuous dinner at your lodge, sharing stories and memories with fellow travelers or guides.
Accommodation: Mutanda Lake Resort
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 6: Transfer to Bwindi With Community Tour in the Evening
After a relaxed morning, take on optional activities on the lake and then transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Lake Mutanda is very scenic and calm which means a dugout canoe or any other activity is recommended. After you optional activities and magical views from the lake, we drive to Bwindi for lunch and evening community to visit the Batwa communities. Dinner and overnight at the edge of the forest.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
After your early morning breakfast at 7:00 am, you will have a short drive to the UWA briefing center where you will be taken through the dos and don’ts while tracking gorillas. After you have been allocated a gorilla family in a group of 8 pax, you will be led by the armed ranger guides off the forest to search for the gorillas. When gorillas have been located, you will have one full hour viewing them as they go on with their daily lives at a distance of 7-10 meters. After gorilla tracking, you’ll drive back to your lodge for overnight.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Camp
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8: Transfer to Ishasha – Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, drive from Bwindi to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is undoubtedly Uganda’s most visited park, and the Ishasha sector is famous for its tree-climbing lions. This day is dedicated to exploring the vast plains of Ishasha which borders with Rwindi Plains of Virunga National Park in DR Congo. Keep an eye out for elephant herds, bushbucks, Topi herds, a mix of cape and forest buffaloes, and Kobs, among other wildlife. Dinner and your overnight stay will be in the Ishasha sector.
Accommodation: Topi Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Kazinga Community Boat Trip
After breakfast, you will have a final game drive as you depart to Kasenyi plains, the northern section of the park. Check in at your lodge, have a hot lunch, and prepare for the afternoon community boat cruise on Kazinga Channel.
The 32 km tropical channel is famous for its hippo population, which is said to be the highest on the African continent. Other wildlife can be sighted here, including African elephants, Cape buffaloes, waterbucks, a variety of birds, and reptiles like the Nile crocodiles. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the edge of the park.
Accommodation: Enshama Game Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 10: Morning Game Drive and Evening Crater Driver
After breakfast, you will embark on a final game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park as you transfer further to Kibale Forest National Park. After lunch, you will drive towards Fort Portal town, where, if time allows, you can enjoy a drive around the explosion volcanic crater lakes. The craters are part of the beautiful scenery of the region, and a walk to the top of the world is an experience that will blow your mind away. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the edge of Kibale Forest.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 11: Am chimpanzee Trekking and Afternoon Bigodi Walk
After breakfast, you will drive to Kanyanchu to join others for a briefing before heading into the forest with rangers in search of chimpanzees, following their calls and tracks. Once the chimpanzees are located, you will spend one hour with them, learning more about their behavior and habits. Chimps share 98% DNA with humans and they’re man’s closest relatives.
In the afternoon, take a walk in Bigodi Wetlands, a community project aimed at improving the lives of the communities. There are 8 primates and 200 bird species in Bigodi swamp, offering you primate and bird watching opportunities. Look out for olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys and various bird species such as the Great blue turaco. Enjoy a cultural encounter with the local communities. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the lodge.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 12: Scenic Drive to Murchison Falls Park with an Evening Game Drive
After breakfast, we will transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, starting with a tour to the top of the falls and ending the day with an evening game drive. There is also an optional night game drive to experience the park under the stars and see the other side of wild Africa after dark. Dinner and your overnight stay will be at the edge of the park.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 13: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Waterfall Boat on River Nile
After breakfast at 6:30am, we will head out for a game drive in search of cats that might still be busy with a kill or avoiding the wet grass. Keep an eye out for lions, leopards, elephants, spotted hyenas, African serval cats. Among the herbivores include Cape buffaloes, Nubian giraffes, baboons, monkeys, and more.
In the afternoon, we will take a shared boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, searching for animals that come to drink and cool off along the banks of River Nile, such as elephants, waterbucks, giraffes, buffaloes, Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, hippos, and many bird species. After your boat cruise on the mighty Nile River, you will have another game drive before heading back to the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.
Accommodation: Pakuba Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 14: Ziwa Rhino Tracking and Transfer to Entebbe
After breakfast, we will transfer to the Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch, where you will have the opportunity to track rhinos on foot with the help of armed rangers who will guide and protect you throughout the experience. You may also see giraffes, zebras, hartebeests which were recently introduced to the sanctuary. After a hot lunch, we will drive to Entebbe for your flight back home. End of your 14 days best of Rwanda and Uganda classic tour.
Accommodation: None
Meal Plan: Lunch
See also our 8 days Uganda safari
Included on our 14 days Best of Rwanda and Uganda Classic Tour
- 4×4 Customized Safari Vehicle and professional English-speaking guide
- All transfers mentioned in the itinerary
- 1 Gorilla Permit per person
- 1 Chimpanzee Permit
- 1 Golden Monkey Trekking zPermit
- Accommodation as per the itinerary
- Â Drinking water in the vehicle
- Activities mentioned in the itinerary
Excluded
- Porter fees $20 per person
- En route lunches
- Tips or any additional costs of personal nature
- Anything not mentioned in the itinerary
