11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Tour by Explore Rwanda Tours
Our 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Tour by Explore Rwanda Tours is carefully designed to allow you to experience the best of Africa’s top primate destinations. During these 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda tour, you will track mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Volcanoes National Park, game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park and a visit to the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi in western Uganda.
Highlights for 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Tour by Explore Rwanda Tours
Day 1; Pick up and transfer to Bwindi forest.
Day 2; Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via Ishasha- Game Drive
Day 4: Optional Lion Tracking/ Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale NP- Visit Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru and Crater Lakes
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest and Visit Bigodi Swamp for birding excursion
Day 7: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi- Optional Sunset Canoe Ride
Day 8: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 10: Golden Monkey Trek and Visit Ibyi’ wacu Village
Day 11: Transfer Back to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Tour by Explore Rwanda Tours
Day 1; Pick up and transfer to Bwindi forest.
Depending on your location in Kigali on the first day of your 11 days Uganda and Rwanda safari tour, our company representative and guide will meet you and later you will embark on your journey to Bwindi with en-route lunch, and continue to Kisoro district where you will connect to your lodge where you will spend the evening relaxing at your lodge. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 2; Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
Breakfast will be served early on day 2 of your 11 days Uganda and Rwanda Safari, depart with your lunch park and report to the park headquarters for an important briefing by the park ranger guides about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. It is also here that you will be allocated which gorilla group to trek. You will then head into the steep slopes of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and trek until you find the mountain gorillas. This can last between 2 to 8 hours, depending on the movement of the gorillas.
After finding the gorillas, you will be allowed 1 hour to view, photograph and record small videos as you please and later return to the assembly point for your certificate. Your guide will be waiting to transfer back to the lodge where you will spend the evening at leisure recovering from the trek. Dinner and overnight at lodge as above.
Day 3: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park via Ishasha- Game Drive
After breakfast early in the morning, transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is about 4-5 hours’ drive via Ishasha sector for an opportunity to spot the tree climbing lions and en-route lunch. Enjoy your game drive before proceeding to your lodge for relaxation. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Optional Lion Tracking/ Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide and go for a morning game drive or an optional lion tracking experience in Kasenyi sector where you will be rewarded with great views of predators like lions, leopards, hyenas which will be going back to their hiding areas, other animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, giant forest hogs, different bird species, plants among others. After the game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on Kazinga channel, a water body that joins Lake George and Lake Edward where you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles in water, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores of the lake, view aquatic bird species, view fishermen preparing their fishing gears for night fishing, take beautiful photos among others. After the boat cruise adventure, you will drive back to the lodge, have dinner and overnight as above.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibale NP- Visit Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru and Crater Lakes
After breakfast, transfer to Kibale National Park, stopping at Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru to see the caves before hiking to the crater lakes. The caverns were called after King Bukuku’s daughter, Nyina Mwiru; roughly translated, ‘Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru’ means ‘Breasts of the Mother of Mwiru’. King Bukuku was one of the Batembuzi Dynasty’s ancient Kings who were revered as demi-gods among his followers. They frequently ‘disappeared’ to the subterranean at specific times. The princess was a stunning young girl with a powerful personality. She declined to marry the man her father, the King, had chosen for her, as was customary at the time, instead wanting to pick her own marriage.
This enraged the King and his subjects, who despised anybody who disobeyed the King. The King then ordered that her breasts be severed due to her disobedience. This ensured that she would never marry anybody she chose. It is widely thought that the picturesque rocks (Amabere Ga Nina mwiru) at this region represent her breasts, which have been flowing milk ever since then.
From here, you will trek to Nyakasura hill, which offers views of three separate crater lakes. Visit the footprint of a big foot thought to belong to one of the last Batembuzi, who were giants. The journey to the crater lakes will be rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views of the lake, crater lakes, and woodlands. After lunch, head to your accommodation to check in and relax.
Dinner and overnight at your accommodation.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest and Visit Bigodi Swamp for birding excursion
After an early breakfast on the sixth day of the 11 days Uganda Rwanda safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyachu visitors Centre for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest in search of the habituated chimpanzee family. During the trekking you will be able to view other primate species like red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, grey checked baboon, view different bird species, tree species among others.
Once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to observe their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, hunt, play, fight, mate, rest, take photos and record the moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide and head back to your lodge for lunch.
After Lunch, you will drive to Bigodi for an afternoon birding excursion in Bigodi Swamp where you will view a number of bird species such as the Great Blue Turaco, Yellow- throated Tinker bird, Grey Crowned Cranes and the Papyrus Gonolek to mention but a few. The wetland is also home to eight primate species including the Black and White Colobus monkeys, Blue monkeys, baboons and vervet monkeys among others.
Later return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi- Optional Sunset Canoe Ride
On the seventh day of your 11 Days Uganda Rwanda primate safari tour, you will meet your driver after breakfast. Proceed with your transfer to Lake Bunyonyi, where you will arrive in time for lunch at your lodge. Spend the rest of your afternoon at leisure or doing optional activities such as a sunset canoe ride on the lake or Batwa community tour.
Dinner and overnight stay at your accommodation overlooking Lake Bunyonyi.
Day 8: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After morning breakfast on the eighth day of your 11 days Uganda Rwanda primate safari tour, meet the driver / guide and after which you will cross to Rwanda via the Cyanika border with lunch en-route and you can proceed for an optional visit to the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo and later in the evening, connect to check in your lodge.
Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
The ninth day of this 11 Days Rwanda Safari highlights a gorilla trekking activity. Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from the RBD officials, set off for the gorilla tracking. This experience of gorilla tracking is a once in a life time adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search for the Gorillas. You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours since the gorillas move up and down.
This is an awesome and exciting moment. En route there are a lot of chimpanzees and other types of the primates such as the monkeys, birds and so more. Return for lunch at the Lodge and in the afternoon, you may embark on an optional visit to the Karisoke research center where you can visit the Dian Fossey Museum and also the graves of the Late Diane Fossey, an American primatologist who was murdered because she was protecting these endangered mountain Gorillas.
Return for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 10: Golden Monkey Trek and Visit Ibyi’ wacu Village
On the tenth day of your 11 days Uganda and Rwanda primate safari tour, you will have breakfast and report back to the park headquarters where you will get a ranger guide and start your golden monkey trek in Volcanoes National Park. This experience that can last an hour or three hours depending on their location.
After spending time with the golden monkeys, you will go and have lunch then after connect to enjoy Iby’iwacu cultural tour where you will get to interact with the locals and learn more about Rwanda’s interesting culture through folk dance, songs and also visit the former king’s palace. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 11: Transfer Back to Kigali
On the last day of your 11 days Uganda and Rwanda primate Safari Tour, enjoy breakfast at leisure and transfer back to Kigali. You will go for a city tour where you will visit the Kimironko/ Caplaki craft market and the Kigali genocide memorial site. After having your lunch, you will be dropped at the hotel advised or you will be dropped at Kigali airport for your scheduled flight back home.
End of the 11 Days Uganda and Rwanda Tour by Explore Rwanda Tours.
