13 DAYS RWANDA UGANDA SAFARI WITH MOUNTAIN GORILAS, RWENZORI HIKING, WILDLIFE ADVENTURE

Day by Day Itinerary:

Day 1: Kick off your Day 1 Kigali city safari around the cleanest city in Africa upon having your early breakfast or lunch break.

The tour takes you to the city’s markets. Art galleries, and shops where you can get your souvenirs as well as visiting Nyamirambo women’s center, where many crafting projects are found.

Thereafter, your driver will pick you up and transfer to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Grounds, a commemoration center of over 250,000 bodies of the genocide victims that happened in 1994.

This is a place where a decent burial was accorded to them in a mass grave. You will be availed with a short video clip from some of the survivors of the genocide, treating you an emotional experience as you envision its impacts to the community.

You can also visit other places like churches, mosques around the business center or even taking a motorcycle ride around the boulevard street roads.

Finally, check out back to your hotel, marking the end of your day 1 city tour

Day 2:

Enjoy a brief Kigali city tour depending on the time before transferring to the Rwanda Uganda border at Gatuna or Cyanika for transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest for about 174 km, 5- 6 Hours.

Drive on to Bwindi impenetrable national park.  Home to the internationally renowned endangered mountain gorillas a unique feature for the tourism industry of Uganda.

Dinner and overnight at your booked lodge.

 Accommodation Options (full board):

 Moderate: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge

Day 3: GORILLA TREKKING AND COMMUNITY WALK IN BWINDI

Have an early morning breakfast at 6:30am. Proceed to the park headquarters by 7.30am for a briefing from the Park Wardens. Ensure to carry along rain jacket, drinking water, snacks, and ankle high jungle boots during gorilla trekking in Bwindi.

The park wardens will allocate you different gorilla families which you will track. Besides Gorillas, animals such as antelopes, bush pigs, chimpanzees, baboons, elephants can be seen.

Also over 350 bird species are a common sighting in this park.

Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare Mountain Gorilla. This is perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth.

When you finally get to meet the gentle giants you are allowed a maximum of one hour with them.

Photos are allowed with no flash photography. Minimum 5 meters distance must be kept. Avoid contact with the gorillas as you can spread diseases.

Also coming close may mean invading their space which the Silverbacks or dominant males may not like and could charge towards you.

The trekking may take between 2 and 8 hours but it’s well worth the effort.

Spend the afternoon on a community walk which gives an opportunity to see how the people surrounding Bwindi live. It also is a great way to support the local community in a direct way.

The walk begins at your accommodation- visit the local Doctor as he performs his trade. Visit the pygmies locally known as the Batwa.

They originally lived in the rain forest before it was gazette into a national park in 1991. They will showcase their songs, dances, fire making, hunting and storytelling. You will also visit a local school where you can support the disadvantaged kids.

You will get to see the local home steads, visit local people see and learn their ways. The cultural excursion will showcase art and craft, dance and culture. if you have time you can learn a few skills yourself.

You will see several souvenir shops, schools, churches and drinking joints. Other options includes taking the trails to see the stunning waterfalls. You can choose to have a birding expedition in the forest in addition to various primates.

 Dinner and overnight at your booked lodge.

 Accommodation Options (full board):

 Moderate: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge

DAY 4: TRANSFER TO KASESE

Early morning after breakfast; depart this mountain gorillas’ sanctuary for Kasese.

 You will transfer to Kasese town for an overnight preparing for your trek to the Rwenzori mountains.

 Accommodation Options (full board):

 Moderate: Sandton hotel

DAY5: KASESE TOWN TO SINE CAMP 2596METRES.

 We start by walking up the valley floor through tall forest trees of the Afro Montane Forest Zone.

This is a steady climb with multitudes of birds and a chance of seeing blue monkeys scampering off through the forest.

At times visitors may see troupes of 15 to 20 black and white Colobus monkeys as they swing through the tree tops.

There are rare sightings of the L’Hoest monkey which are part of the Bukonzo cultural emblems and are protected by the virtue of the King or Omusinga or you may hear wild chimpanzee in the distance.

There is wide variety of plant species from forest trees to bamboos thickets, low shrubs, flowers, fungi, and with many moss and lichen covered vines hanging from the tall trees creating an awesome appeal. Enock’s Falls are just 200 meters from Sine Hut and offer a splendid opportunity to capture a great screensaver for your memories.

 

DAY 6: HIKE FROM SINE CAMP 2596M TO MUTINDA CAMP 3588M

 Hike to Mutinda Camp at 3588 metres, through the Bamboo and Heather-Rapanea Zone, following the trail while it meanders up and over several small knolls along a ridge top and drops down the side of the valley crossing several small streams and passing close to moss covered waterfalls with very unique beautiful plant and flower species found above 3000metres like Giant Heather trees whose trunks are covered in green moss with old man beards (Usnea lichen) hanging from the branches, approaching to Mutinda camp which is set near a small river and waterfall.

In the afternoon one has an option of summiting Mutinda lookout at 3975 metres. Covering 6.1km, approximately 6 to 8 hrs of walking to Mutinda camp 

DAY 7: HIKE FROM MUTINDA CAMP 3588MTO BUGATA CAMP 4100M

The trail here is boggy particularly in the wet season but with a little skill you can step from tussock to tussock to make the going easier. We have put several boardwalks across the worst of the bogs and continuing to build more to make it a little bit easier.

You cross the Mutinda valley through the tussock grass and everlasting flowers interspersed with many Giant Lobelias before climbing a steep section up to the Namusangi Valley (3,840 meters), which ends abruptly with sheer waterfalls and fantastic views of Mutinda Peaks.

The Namusangi Valley is wide, with many ups and downs and crossing several bogs as the trail climbs steadily to Bugata Camp at 4,062 meters. 

Bugata Camp is situated way up Bamwanjara Pass high above Bugata Lake with views across Lake Kopello to Weismann’s Peak, which is often covered with snow then down the valley views of Lake Africa and Lake Kanganyika and the many small peaks towards Mutinda Camp.

The area is covered with tussock grass, everlasting flowers (Helichrysum), St John’s Wort (Hypericum becquaeritii), giant groundsel (Senecio adnivalis) and Giant lobelia (Lobellia gibberoa). 

There are a many Red Forest Duiker (Cephalophuc nigrifrons rubidus) which are a sub-species only found in the Rwenzori Mountains. 4.9km starting at 3,588 meters climbing to 4,100 meters

 Bugata Camp has good facilities, solar lights, good toilets and bathrooms where the guides may prepare some warm water in a basin for you to wash.

Bugata also has a helicopter pad (GPS reading N 18.312 E29 53.457) in case of any need for rescue by helicopter but be warned that a helicopter in Uganda costs around $10,000 per hour flying time which is way more than other countries so you need insurance in case of rescue. 

DAY 8: HIKE FROM BUGATA CAMP 4100M TO HUNWICK’S CAMP 3974 M

 Trek to Hunwick’s Camp via Bamwanjarra Pass. As you leave Bugata Camp you pass up a ridge then drop down slightly before ascending to Bamwanjarra Pass at 4,450 meters where we have a hut should the weather turn bad.

From the pass on a clear day you get excellent views of the three main peaks. The trail passes down the valley and around the edge of some bogs and thick evergreen vegetation, moss. giant groundsel and lobelia.

Here is possibly the best place in all the Rwenzori to observe the Malachite Sunbird as it feeds on the many lobelia flowers and a known breeding site.

Further on there are some steep sections before a steady climb up and over a ridge to Hunwick’s Camp which is situated on the top of a deep valley and has good views of Mt Stanley, Mt Baker, Weismann’s Peak and McConnell’s Prong.

 DAY 9: HIKE FROM HUNWICK’S CAMP 3974 M TO KITANDARA LAKES THEN DOWN TO KIHARO CAMP.

 Have breakfast early in the morning and set off to hike up higher to the valley of Kitandara lakes region and enjoy the stunning views of the Lakes before descending down to Kiharo Camp for the night.

 DAY 10: DESCEND DOWN FROM KIHARO CAMP TO THE BASECAMP THEN TO KASESE TOWN

 The Distance from Kiharo Camp to the park gate is 12.2km where you will be met by your driver guide.

Estimated Time taken to walk is 5 to 7 hours so those who need to connect to flights back to Kampala or travel on to other activities need to leave Kiharo early.

The trail down the Nyamwamba Valley is mostly downhill and absolutely stunning with beautiful views, moss covered rocks along the river, cascading waterfalls, deep valleys and forests are possibly the best in the Rwenzori Mountains.

This part of the trail took 6 years to find a way through and a route which is easy enough for tourists to use.

In 1937 the explorer and geologist McConnell tried to find a way up this valley but failed and had to turn back and search for another route up the mountain but now you can experience this truly beautiful valley.

 Accommodation Options (full board):

 Moderate: Sandton hotel

 

 DAY 11: GAME DRIVE, BOAT CRUISE IN QENP AND TRANSFER FROM KASESE TO KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

wake early morning and have your morning breakfast, transfer to queen elizabeth national park for a wilderlife safari to explore the big 4 out of big 5, later enjoy a boat cruise on the 40Km water channel connecting the two Lakes of Gorge and Edward.

Thereafter, Transfer to Kibale National park for chimpanzee tracking

 Accommodation options:

 Mid range: Isunga Lodge, 

 Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

 

 DAY 12: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING IN KIBALE FOREST  AND COMMUNITY WALK

 Wake up early morning and have your heavy breakfast in preparation for the chimpanzee tracking experience, drive from your lodge to the reception for quick briefing at Kanyachu primates center, where the rangers assign you a group where you follow footsteps and calls of the chimps.

Here the chimpanzee tracking is more predictable compared to other tracking places like Budongo or Nyungwe National park in Rwanda

 After the briefing, start off the nature walk that will introduce you to the thirteen primates found in Kibale National park and the beautiful rain-forest, trees and butterflies.

The ranger guide with you will be in touch with the advance team who will help to connect you to the chimps location. upon finding them, you will be allowed one full hour time to encounter the chimpanzees, take photos with no flash lights, study their behavior.

More so, Chimpanzee communities have complex social structures with large males acting as security guards of the group unlike with Mountain gorillas who have a silver back.

The reign of a dominant chimp alpha male is short lived because he has to deal with far more challenges of caring about the group ranging from group size, splitting of group into far smaller ones as they feed  during scarcity of foods.

You will ultimately be guided to follow the communities of chimps as they move to such for the feeds, you might spot other primates like Grey Vervet Monkeys, Baboons, Blue monkeys and red tailed Monkeys, L’Hoest Monkeys.

After the chimps tracking experience, return to the reception for the graduation ceremony and receive your tracking certificate.

Proceed to the lodge for hot lunch or enjoy your packed lunch as you proceed to the next community activity depending on the time plan

Accommodation options:

Budget:

 Mid range: Isunga Lodge

 Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 13: TRANSFER FROM KIBALE FOREST TO ENTEBBE

After breakfast at your hotel in Kasese, you will check out of your accommodation.

Thereafter, transfer back to ENTEBBE airport for departure.

End of Trip

Activities

Kigali City tour to the Genocide memorial center

Mountain gorilla trekking

Rwenzori mountains national park hiking

Game drive and Boat cruise

Chimpanzee tracking