Countries: Uganda – Rwanda
Destinations: Entebbe, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Kigali, Akagera National Park, Lake Mburo National Park & Mabamba Swamp Bay
Itinerary at Glance
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park with en route visit to Ziwa Rhinos
Day 3: Game drives and Boat ride at Murchison Falls National Park
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale National Park
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trek and Bigodi Swamp Walk at Kibale National Park
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 7: Game drives and Boat ride at Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with en route game drive at Ishasha
Day 9: Gorilla trek and Batwa at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park with en route visit to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 11: Golden monkey trek and transfer to Kigali for city tour
Day 12: Transfer to Akagera National Park with evening sunset boat cruise
Day 13: Full day Game drive in Akagera National Park
Day 14: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
Day 15: Game drive and depart to Entebbe
Day 16: Visit Mabamba for shoebill watching and departure (evening flight)
Trip Overview.
This 16 days Uganda – Rwanda extreme gorilla and wildlife safari starts from Entebbe and ends in Entebbe, with a great circuit that allows you to visit both Uganda and Rwanda. You will be able to visit parks in both countries known for their unique primates. This will be a lifetime safari to remember as you share the same environment with the giant gorillas, wildlife and chimpanzees, exploring some of the most famous and visited parks in both countries, by road. You will also be able to visit Kigali city and explore the various memorials that the city is known of. You will have a great experience of both primates and wildlife adventure, spiced with great cultural performance, and boat ride. The safari starts with arrival in Entebbe, and after crosses to Rwanda, and back to Entebbe for departure.
Trip Highlights
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Park
- Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park
- Game drives
- Boat cruises
- Shoebill bird watching at Mabamba
- Cultural tour
- Canoe ride
- Kigali city tour
- Bigodi swamp walk
- Rhino trek at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
- Bush walk safari
- Visit to Kigali genocide memorial
- Primate trekking experiences
- Wildlife safari experiences
- Local community cultural experience
- Visit to Lake Bunyonyi
- Batwa experience
- Cross country drive experience
Day 1: Welcome to Entebbe – Uganda!
Day Itinerary
Upon arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will go through customs and immigration, and you will be met by our company guide who will warmly welcome you to Uganda, and later drive to your booked hotel accommodation for dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Overnight stay at: Karibu Guest House (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Entebbe -Murchison Falls. Travel time +5hrs
Day Itinerary
In the morning, after having your delightful breakfast at 7:00 am, you will be transferred to Murchison Falls National Park, one of Uganda most visited National park, which will give you an opportunity to sight the Big 5 with en route stop at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for an on foot Rhino tracking experience. You will then proceed to enter the park and you will be welcomed by the sighting of some wildlife along the way, as you head to your lodge. You will spend the evening relaxing at your lodge. Overnight and dinner at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Pakuba Safari Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 3: Game drive and Boat cruise at Murchison Falls National Park
Day Itinerary
Begin the day with a cup of African Coffee ready for an early morning game drive. Your guide will help you spot Elephant, Lion, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, hartebeest, Waterbuck, Oribi, Bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, hyena and if you are lucky, the leopard. Lunch will be served in the course of the day. In the afternoon you make a boat trip along the Nile River, towards Murchison Falls. Carefully watched by crocodiles, hundreds of hippos, buffaloes, water birds, apes and all the other thirsty wildlife that the Nile attracts you go to the bottom of the 43 meters high and famous Murchison Falls, which approaches you with a thunderous sound as narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. This is also a zone of many bird species like Goliath heron, Egyptian goose, pelican bee-eater, kingfisher, hornbill, cormorant and the rare shoebill stork. You will later hike to the top of falls, visit the famous falls, you’re your guide and drive back. Overnight and dinner at the Lodge
Overnight stay at: Pakuba Safari Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 4: Murchison Falls – Kibale Forest National Park. Travel time +5hrs
Day Itinerary
In the morning, you will set off a relaxed drive through the verdant countryside to Kibale Forest National Park with en route stops for sightseeing including the distant views of the rift valley escarpment. You will reach Kibale Forest National Park in the late afternoon and spend the evening relaxing at the lodge as you await overnight and dinner at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Turaco Treetop Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Nature Walk at Kibale National Park
Day Itinerary
In the morning, you will set off to the park headquarters for briefing before going for Chimpanzee tracking, where you may encounter other primates like Vervet Monkeys, Blue Hoest Monkeys, Black and white colobus Monkeys among others. The park is known as the home of primates with 13 primate’s species including the famous chimpanzees. The trek takes roughly 2 – 4 hours, depending on the chimpanzee movement. One hour will be allocated to you, to have a wonderful interaction with the chimpanzees, as you take pictures and short videos, as your local guide explains to you all the biological background of the chimpanzee as you interact. You will later return from trek and head for lunch. After lunch head for a swamp walk at Bigodi wetland and have an opportunity to see more primates and bird species. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay at: Turaco Treetop Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day Itinerary
Have early morning breakfast, and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park with the beautiful view of the crater lakes, you will do a brief crater lakes tour around and later drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a stopover at Equator for photography. You will reach and have lunch at the lodge, letterhead for a brief evening game drive and later return. Dinner and Overnight at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Bush Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 7: Game drive & boat cruise at Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day Itinerary
After an early morning breakfast at 6:00 am, you will head for game drive in search for the morning hunters and grazers such as the buffalos, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, lions and variety of bird species that you will encounter on your game ride and later head for lunch.
After lunch you will proceed for a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel to view the water dwelling birds and animals such as the pied kingfisher, African fish eagle, herons, darters to mention but a few and see animals such as buffalos, crocodiles, monitor lizards, elephants wallowing at the mad and much more. After a boat cruise, you will proceed for a short game drive as you find your way back to the lodge for dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Bush Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi. Travel time +5hrs
Day Itinerary
After breakfast, you’ll indulge in a morning game drive in time to see the sun rise over the Ishasha horizon. If you’re lucky, a game drive through the open savannah of Acacia on the edge of the Albertine Rift valley will enable you to view ‘Tree climbing Lions’ and other wild animals. You will search for all the wildlife in the park including; Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Uganda Kob, Warthog, etc. After heading for a transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, known for the famous mountain gorilla and a number of bird life. You will reach your lodge in the late evening and check in for dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking Experience and Batwa Cultural Experience.
Day Itinerary
Early morning, with packed lunch, you will go to the park headquarters for a briefing before embarking on the gorilla tracking adventure. Gorilla trekking is always referred to as a lifetime moment, as it leaves with a great experience of meeting the gorillas face to face in the jungle. You will be given an hour upon finding the gorillas to take a great moment with them as you watch the juveniles swing from one tree branch to another. You will return for lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, you will spend the evening, enjoying the Batwa cultural experience, to get the cultural insight of the batwa. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day Itinerary
Have a relaxed breakfast at your lodge, and drive over to Lake Bunyonyi, a birding paradise. You will undertake a wonderful boat ride, explore some of the amazing islands for roughly an hour. Later return and drive off to Musanze, where you will reach and catch up with your lunch. In the afternoon, head for cultural experience at Iby’ Iwacu cultural center, where you will color your evening with great cultural performance, and get an insight of Rwanda cultural insight. Later return for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay at: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 11: Golden Monkey trekking and transfer to Kigali
Day Itinerary
This morning, head for a Golden monkeys trekking experience that takes place in Volcanoes National Park at 7:00 am. The golden monkey trekking, takes the same procedure as the gorilla trekking, however less, strenuous compared to gorilla trekking. These rare species are also listed as endangered – and Volcanoes national park currently has two habituated golden monkeys’ troops that are available for visiting by tourists in the park, both of which make about 50 members. Golden monkeys in Rwanda live in the bamboo vegetation towards the base of the volcanoes and habituation has helped them to overcome their initial shyness to accept their daily visit by researchers and tourists. Trekking golden monkeys and gorillas is a similar experience – in a small group of no more than eight people, and you can spend one hour with the monkeys once you find them. The endangered species are very active creatures, and jump from tree to tree which is really interesting and a little difficult to photograph!
Afterwards, we will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Kigali.
Take a Kigali City Tour which includes visits to old Kigali and craft markets, the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi to learn about Rwanda’s history, the Genocide against the Tutsi as well as other mass atrocities around the world. Exploring further, it is inspiring to see how far the country has come in 29 years. The recovery has been referred to as a true testament to humankind’s resilience. Time permitting, we may stop at a craft center and local market, where you can haggle for unique Rwandan crafts and curios. This evening, enjoy dinner at Hotel des Mille Collines – one of Kigali’s award-winning restaurants that offer modern African cuisine.
Overnight at: Hotel des Mille Collines (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 12: Transfer to Akagera National Park from Kigali. Travel time +2hrs
Day Itinerary
Today, after your relaxed morning breakfast at your hotel, you will be met, by your safari guide, share a short briefing and later jump into your safari jeeps and leave for Akagera national park, the journey to Akagera National Park takes about 2.5 hours depending on the stopovers along the way, with the beautiful unwinding landscape en route to the park, feel free to ask the guide for stopovers to capture some photos. On arrival at the park, we shall proceed to our accommodation after a short game drive and check in for lunch. We ordered lunch and later headed for a brief game drive for game viewing. We will be searching for the big mammals like Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, several Antelope species, and recently the re-introduced Lions and Rhinos. The park is a varied habitat for wildlife and a number of bird species with over 500 bird species in the park making it a birding paradise. After, we head for a sunset boat trip on Lake Ihema watch Hippos and crocodiles in the water or by the shores and meet the buffaloes and elephants wallowing by the water banks. Later return to the lodge for dinner and evening stay.
Overnight stay at: Akagera Game Safari Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 13: Full day game drive at Akagera National Park
Day Itinerary
After breakfast, you’ll indulge in a morning game drive in time to see the sun rise and sun set over the horizon respectively. Head off for a full day game drive to the north of the park, spot countless wildlife, as you try as much as possible, and later have picnic lunch served during the course of the day. You will continue with the game drive up to the north, explore the Kilala plains, where the majority of the wildlife are spotted. Later head to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay. Option night game drive can be arranged to spot the nocturnal wildlife.
Overnight stay at: Karenge Bush Camp (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 14: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park.
Day Itinerary
Wake up early in the morning, enjoy your breakfast, with a beautiful sunrise experience, over the Kilala plains, and later find your way out of the park, through the northern exit, with an en route game drive. You will drive off to Lake Mburo National Park, with an en route lunch in Mbarara. Later proceed to reach the park, and head off for either a bush walking safari, as this is the only National Park in Uganda where one can do walking safari, or head for cycling safari. The experience rewards you with a great close encounter with the wildlife, under the guidance of a local ranger guide. Later return to your lodge, for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay at: Rwakobo Rock Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 15: Game drive and transfer to Entebbe
Day Itinerary
Enjoy an early morning breakfast, catch up with a beautiful sunrise moment in the park, head for a game drive in the park, and explore the hidden gem of Lake Mburo. The park is known for having a vast population of wildlife such as eland, impalas, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes to mention but a few. Later, drive off and find your way to Entebbe, with an en route lunch. You will reach it in the late afternoon, for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay at: Karibu Guest House (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 16: Visit Mabamba and depart. (Evening flight)
Day Itinerary
Our wonderful 16 days Uganda Rwanda Extreme tour, comes to an end, with a great day at Mabamba, with the winged ones!
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel early in the morning after breakfast, and transfer to Mabamba Swamp for bird watching. This is the best place to spot the rare shoebill. You will head for a half day, private boat excursion, with picnic lunch; the wetlands are home to a variety of different bird species.
A canoe ride through papyrus swamp will take you at the best spot of spotting the Shoebill bird among other rare Africa birds like the Malachite Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatchers, African Purple Swamphen, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Pygmy Goose, White faced whistling duck,, Squacco heron, Blue breasted Bee eater, African Jacana, and Saddle – billed Stork, among others. You will spend the day bird watching and searching for the shoebills, on a lucky day, you will finally land on them, watch them as they hunt, for food. Later return to your hotel for late lunch.
Depending on the time of your departure flight, you can simply relax or explore the town of Entebbe before departing to the airport from where you’ll catch your departure flight home. Upon arrival at the airport, gather your luggage and proceed to your departure lounge to board your flight for your journey onward.
Thank you for choosing One More Adventure Safaris for your Uganda and Rwanda Trekking Experience. It is always sad to say goodbye, but we know that you will have made some great new friends and some very special memories in this beautiful region of East Africa. We hope to see you back again someday! End of the Safari.
Meal Plan: Breakfast & lunch.
The 16 days safari includes.
- Transportation on a 4 x 4 safari vehicle with pop up roof for game view
- Accommodation and meals as listed on the itinerary
- Service of an English speaking driver guide
- 1 Chimpanzee permit per person.
- 1 Gorilla ($800) permit per person
- Rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
- Visit to the top of falls
- Boat cruises as mentioned in the itinerary
- Park entrance fees
- Bigodi swamp walk
- En route lunches as mentioned
- Bottled mineral water
- Batwa experience
- Kigali city tour
- Shoebill watching at Mabamba
- Visit to Kigali genocide memorial
- Canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi
- Cultural experience
- Game drives as mentioned in the itinerary
- And other day excursions as described in the itinerary
- Lot of fun on African soil
The 16 days package excludes expenses of personal nature like:
- Visa Fees & flights
- Optional activities
- Photography equipment
- Tips for guides
- Laundry
- Alcoholic drinks
- International vaccinations
- Health test requirements
- Personal travel Insurance
- Personal shopping bills
- Phone call bills
- Extras while at the hotel
- Items of personal nature
Please contact us for a free detailed quote on the option of your choice. We can tailor a request that suits your interests, and budget, as well as we can change or upgrade the lodge options. Inquire with us with more details about your safari and we curate it together.