11 Days Rwanda-Uganda Luxury Safari with Golden Monkeys and Gorilla Habituation

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and transfer to your hotel for an overnight.

You will be met by our driver guide on arrival at Kigali international airport and be transferred to your hotel in Kigali for an overnight.

Dinner and overnight in Kigali

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Radisson Blu Hotel, Convention Centre Kigali, Kigali serena hotel, Kigali Marriott hotel

Meal plan: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 2: Transfer from Kigali to Kinigi, Musanze in Rwanda.

You will enjoy a city tour around Kigali visiting 2-3 places in the city like the Nyandungu Eco park, the Gisozi genocide memorial museum, the Kigali convention centre, or Nyamambo women’s centre.

After that you will continue to Kinigi in Musanze for an overnight and preparation for Golden monkey tracking the next morning in the Volcanoes national park.

Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco Lodge

Day 3: Golden Monkey tracking in Volcanoes national park and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Have an early morning breakfast and depart your hotel in Musanze for Kinigi Volcanoes National Park headquarters at 6:30am Kigali Time to prepare for briefing and paperwork at the park headquarters by 07:00am.

Your driver guide will drop you at the starting point after briefing to start off your Golden monkey tracking experience in Volcanoes National Park.

Hiking takes 2-4 hours and you are guaranteed 1 hour to watch the golden monkeys once you locate them during the hike.

You will Later return to the headquaters to be picked by your guide and return to your lodge for lunch.

Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park later in the afternoon through the Cyanika border enjoying the beautiful views of the towering Virunga mountains enroute.

Arrive at your pre-booked lodge in Bwindi impenetrable national park in the evening for check in and rest for the next day’s activity.

Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Four Gorillas Lodge

 Day 4: Batwa cultural experience, village walk and coffee experience

You will have an afternoon Batwa community visit to experience the forest life of the Batwa (Pygmy people). The Batwa Cultural Experience in Bwindi is an immersive guided tour, often led by local Batwa primarily found in Buhoma or Nkuringo sectors, sharing their history as keepers of the forest. The 3–5-hour experience includes demonstrations of traditional hunting using a bow and arrow, medicinal herb gathering, and visiting the historic Garama Cave, usually concluding in traditional music and dance. You will visit a traditional Batwa homestead to see how they lived and also visit the Garama cave, which served as the king’s palace.

Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Four gorillas Lodge

Day 5: Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi impenetrable national park

You will have an early morning breakfast and thereafter be transferred by your driver guide to the park headquarters where park rangers will brief you about the rules and regulations for gorilla habituation in Bwindi national park. You will be led by a ranger and a team of researchers to start trekking these gentle giants. After you encounter these apes, you are allowed to spend 4 hours together with researchers and trackers as you study and observe these magnificent mountain gorillas close up in their natural habitat as they get accustomed to human presence.

Primarily hikers will love the trek in the beautiful ecosystem of the park. But overall, this will be a unique and unforgettable experience.

After the gorilla habituation, you will be given a certificate for accomplishing a gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable national park then you will be transferred back to your lodge for a warm shower and a hot dinner.

Dinner and overnight.

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Four gorillas Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Forest walk and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

On this day, you will have breakfast at your lodge and prepare to go on a nature walk to the forest, visit the Kanyanyondo waterfalls in Rushaga. The forest walks and community visit to the falls takes at least 3-4 hours.

Return to your lodge for check out and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Dinner and overnight at Lake Bunyonyi

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Arcadia Lodge Bunyonyi, Milele Lodge Bunyonyi

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Ishasha sector Queen Elizabeth national park

You will have a morning canoe/boat cruise for island visit to explore some of the 29 islands of Lake Bunyonyi. The canoe island visit takes 2-3 hours as you soak in the breeze from Lake Bunyonyi and listen to the stories attached to each island on the lake. Some of the must see visit islands on this lake include; Akampene island known as the Punishment Island which was historically used to abandon unmarried pregnant girls, and Bwama island which hosts a former leprosy treatment center founded by Dr. Leonard Sharp, Bushara island for birding and nature trails, and Kahugye, home to introduced wildlife like zebras and impalas.

Check out of your lodge for transfer to Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park through Ruhiija – Buhoma sector of Bwindi.

The road transfer will take 3-4 hours depending on the weather.

Dinner and overnight in Queen Elizabeth national park

Accommodation Options:

Luxury: Ishasha Wilderness Camp,

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Game drive in Ishasha sector and boat cruise on Kazinga channel

Have an early morning breakfast and head out for a morning game drive in the vast Ishasha wilderness. Ishasha is Located in the remote southern part of the park, it offers a wilder and less crowded experience compared to the northern sectors. This is a common place for spotting climbing lions lying up in trees as the day heats up. Explore the Rivers banks from Ishasha to Ntungwe and the shores of Lake Edward. Beyond lions, you can spot large herds of elephants, Cape buffalo, Uganda kobs, and sometimes leopards and hyenas. With Topi antelopes, being the major prey source for the lions.

Proceed from Ishasha to Kazinga channel in the afternoon for a boat cruise

Dinner and overnight in Queen Elizabeth national park

Accommodation Options: 

Luxury: kyambura Gorge lodge, elephant plains lodge, Mweya safari Lodge (Superior room)

 Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge

On this day, you will wake up as early as 6:00am and have breakfast. Transfer to Kyambura gorge for briefing as you prepare for chimpanzee tracking.

Join other visitors and start the walk down the gorge in search of chimpanzees. Chimpanzee tracking takes 1-4 hours and you spend an hour with the chimpanzees.

After tracking, return to your lodge for lunch and an afternoon rest.

After lunch, you will be transferred to Kasenyi sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park for an evening game drive. During the game drive, you will drive via the various channel tracks in search of Lions, Elephants, Buffaloes, Leopards, antelopes and several bird species.

Dinner and overnight in Queen Elizabeth national park

Accommodation Options: 

Luxury: kyambura Gorge lodge, elephant plains lodge, Mweya safari Lodge (Superior room)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Final game drive with crater lakes exploration in Queen Elizabeth national park

Have an early morning breakfast and head out for a morning game drive to search for big cats and early raisers in the savanna

Return to Kazinga channel for lunch and an afternoon 2 hours boat cruise to see various wild animals which come by the water.

In the late afternoon, you head out to view and explore the crater lakes in Queen Elizabeth national park in areas of Rubirizi to see the twin lakes, salty crater lakes that produce salt for consumption and other natural geographic features.

Dinner and overnight in Queen Elizabeth national park

Accommodation Options: 

Luxury: kyambura Gorge lodge, elephant plains lodge, Mweya safari Lodge (Superior room) 

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Transfer from Queen Elizabeth national park to Entebbe for a departure flight.

Have an early morning breakfast before checking out from your lodge to transfer back to Entebbe for Departure flight.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch