15 Days Best of Uganda and Rwanda Safari

Day 2

Visit Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

After breakfast, the Uganda Rwanda Safaris expedition starts and we will be taken to the shores of Lake Victoria for a boat ride on Lake Victoria to visit the Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Ngamba Island. You will be briefed about what is done at the centre after which you will be taken to where the chimpanzees live in a semi natural habitat to watch them feed and display their acrobatic antics.

You will marvel at these apes as they gather fruits, open gates to access food and freely play with the humans who look after them. In the afternoon, you can do some canoe paddling or participate in beach soccer before taking your boat ride back to the main land in Entebbe. You will spend a night at your previous hotel.

Accommodation at Gately Inn Entebbe

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Visit the Source of the Nile – Jinja

You will have an early breakfast and the Uganda Rwanda Safaris kicks in second gear with a drive to the source of the Nile in Jinja, some 70 Km away from Kampala. This will be a 2 hour drive with stopovers enroute at tourist attraction locations such as the Mabira forest as well as the tea and sugarcane plantations.

You will visit the landmark source of the Nile River and have a boat ride along the river before having a lunch break. In the afternoon you may participate in wild water rafting, bungee jumping or taking a nature and community walk to meet the local people who will narrate stories about this magical river. You will later in the afternoon drive back to Kampala for dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Accommodation at Gately Inn Entebbe

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4

Drive to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

You will have an early breakfast and then set off for Murchison Falls National Park some 348km from Kampala. This journey will approximately take 6 hours with an enroute stopover at Nakitoma to visit Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, home to the white Rhinos. You will have a lunch break in Masindi town and proceed to the park to visit the magnificent top of the falls. You will have dinner and overnight at the lodge of your booking.

Accommodation at Nile Safari Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5

Game drive & boat cruise on River Nile

On Water we continue our Uganda Rwanda Safaris – You will have an early breakfast after which you will be taken to catch the ferry at 07:00am to the northern side of River Nile where you will have a game drive. You will be able to spot a range of game including; Giraffes, Jackson Hartebeest, Lions, Buffalo, elephant, Uganda Kobs, among other species.

You will return from this activity at 11:00am and relax at the lodge till lunch time. You will after lunch have a boat cruise at 03:00pm during which you will see a variety of water animals to include crocodiles, Hippos, water birds and other dwellers including the rare shoe bill stork. Many land animals will also be seen drinking on the river side. You will there after retire to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Nile Safari Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6

Drive to Kibale National Park

After breakfast, you will embark on the Uganda Rwanda Safaris Expedition towards Western Uganda on a 9 hour drive to Kibale Forest National Park (441km) through the lush country side and magical scenery of the western rift valley and the Rwenzori Mountains before arriving in Fort Portal and later Kibale in the evening for your dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Kibale Forest Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7

Chimpanzee tracking & transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After breakfast, you will be taken to the Kanyanchu tourism center for briefing about the Chimpanzee tracking activity at 08:00 am. You will after the briefing set off to track the chimpanzees and on the way see various species of monkeys before finally catching up with the chimpanzees. The activity takes 2 – 5 hours and one hour is available for you to interact with Chimps and take photos. In the afternoon you will take a swamp walk in the Bigodi wetland to see birds and have a community encounter with the natives of this area who will narrate stories about their origins and culture. You will later drive for 3-4 hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park for dinner and overnight at the Hotel of your booking.

Accommodation at Mweya Safari Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8

Game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

You will wake up early at 6:30am and set off for an early game drive in the Kasenyi area. You will be able to spot the night predators like leopards and hyenas returning to their habitats and a wide a range of other game including lions, buffaloes, elephants, and a range of antelope species among other wildlife.

You then return to the lodge for breakfast and relaxation till lunch time. In the afternoon you will set off at 02:00 pm to catch the 2 hour boat cruise on Kazinga channel at 03:00pm to see a wide variety of aquatic animals like Hippos and crocodiles and many land animals that come to the channel to drink and bathe. You will also see many birds on the shores. You will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Mweya Safari Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9

Drive to Lake Bunyonyi and do boat cruise

Birding Adventure on the Uganda – Rwanda Safari: You will have an early start and embark on a 277km journey of 5 hours to Lake Bunyonyi. You will pass through Ishasha part of Queen Elizabeth National Park to view tree climbing lions and with lunch en route arrive at Lake Bunyonyi in the late afternoon. Upon arrival, you will have a boat cruise on this magnificent lake around its 26beautiful islands. You will thereafter be transferred to your booked place of accommodation for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Bushara Island Camp

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10

Cross to Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda

You will after breakfast travel to Rwanda to the Volcanoes National Park, some 134km away from Lake Bunyonyi. This is the long awaited adventure on our Uganda – Rwanda Expedition – the journey takes approximately 5 hours excluding the border crossing procedural time. You will arrive in Ruhengeri town in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 11

Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park

You will have an early breakfast after which you will be driven to the Park headquarters at Kinigi for briefing at 8:30am about the rules on Gorilla tracking. You will be allocated a Gorilla family to track and guides to lead you to the Gorillas. The tracking will be a 2-5 hour exercise after which you will be returned to the lodge for lunch. You will later in the afternoon be taken on a nature walk to the twin lakes or visit the Iby’ Iwachu Village to explore the Banyarwanda culture. You will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 12

Volcanoes National Park- Lake Kivu

This morning you will gather at the parks head quarter for briefing at 8.30 am before embarking on golden monkey tracking and later hike up to Karisoke research Centre established by Dian Fossey, an American primatologist who dedicated all her life conserving the primates. You will return to your Hotel for lunch after which you will be driven to Lake Kivu 110km away for a boat cruise. This drive will be approximately 2 hours in duration.

Day 13

Lake Kivu- Nyungwe Forest National Park

You will after breakfast travel to Nyungwe Forest National Park, some 220km away from Kivu. The journey will take about 5 hours with lunch en route arriving in Nyungwe in the afternoon.

Accommodation at I’Hoests Monkey House

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 14

Full Day at Nyungwe Forest National Park

You will after breakfast leave for the famous Nyungwe Forest Canopy walk, the only one of the Kind in East Africa. Take a walk under the cover of a fully grown canopy of lush green inhabited by various primate species and birds. You will return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon you will take a tour to the adjacent tea factory to see how the locally grown tea is processed to become one of the finest products Rwanda has for export. You will spend a night at your previous lodge.

Accommodation at I’Hoests Monkey House

Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 15

Kigali- Departure

After an early breakfast you will transfer to Kigali to conclude the Uganda – Rwanda Expedition Safari. The journey is 268km and is a 6 hour drive from Nyungwe Forest National Park. Enroute there will opportunities to visit the Butare Museum, Murambi Memorial and Nyanza Palace. You will either spend an optional night in Kigali or take a departure flight back home.