6 Days Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla and wildlife safari
This 6 days Uganda & Rwanda gorilla and wildlife safari crosses borders of two different countries that are very similar in many ways but separated by colonial boundaries. The safari explores Mountain gorillas in their only two very wet and cold habitats on earth.
Volcanoes National Park is part of the larger conjoined Virunga corridor that includes other Mountain gorilla trekking areas: Virunga National Park (DR Congo) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Uganda). Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda is an independent entity on its own.
These Mountain gorilla trekking habitats are slightly different from each other. The safari explores Queen Elizabeth National Park, a hot and dry open wilderness on the equator line. Large herds of mammals and other wildlife species spread far and wide in all corners.
You will visit two of the indigenous communities in separate countries that have lived with the Mountain gorillas all their lives. The safari explores aquatic wildlife species in the Edward rift and the open wilderness and on the Lake Bunyonyi crater. This is an ideal safari for a traveler in need of experiencing wildlife in different vegetation settings.
Safari activities
Volcanoes National Park
- Mountain gorilla trekking
- Visit to gorilla guardians’ village
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Mountain gorilla trekking
- Batwa community visit
Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Game drive
- Boat cruise
Lake Bunyonyi
- Boat cruise
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali, travel to Musanze, visit gorilla guardians’ village
Your safari guide will pick you up on arrival at Kigali International Airport for your gorilla trekking safari and tour into Rwanda and drive you to a restaurant for a brief coffee break and introduction to Rwanda. You shortly embark on travel to the Mountain gorilla trekking zones north of Rwanda and make an exciting tour to the Gorilla guardians’ village on the edges of the Volcanoes National Park. Interact with the indigenous people and share life experiences of living with the gorillas in a neighboring habitat. You check into your hotel at sunset, relax and drown in the excitement of trekking gorillas in Rwanda.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking, travel to Bwindi
Your safari guide will escort you to the gorilla trekking assembly point at Kinigi early morning in time for the gorilla trekking briefing. A team of skilled ranger escorts leads you into the thick vegetation, explaining in detail each scenario and sharing wonderful Rwanda gorilla trekking experiences.
The interaction with the gorillas upon sighting them is limited to an hour and the gorilla trekking team descends out of the forest to a safe location where you reunite with your safari guide. Shortly you begin traveling into Uganda through the Chanika border post, traversing the scenic Virunga volcano region onto your safari camp on the edges of the Bwindi rainforest.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking, tour to community
Your safari guide picks you up after an early morning breakfast and with lunch boxes, leads you to the pre-gorilla trekking briefing point. Shortly a team of rangers escorts you into the Bwindi rainforests, wandering in the wilderness following all signs of fresh gorilla presence. The gorilla trekking regulations limit your interaction with gorillas to a maximum of one hour of observing, taking photos and learning about their behaviors and characters.
You will reunite with your safari and tour an indigenous community of Batwa pygmies who previously inhabited the Bwindi rainforests and shared habitat with gorillas and other wildlife species. You then embark on travel to the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, a very different wildlife setting altogether and experience wonderful feelings of safari in Uganda.
Day 4: Morning game-viewing drive, boat cruise
Rise up with the first light, take a hot cup of coffee and meet up with your safari guide in the parking lot. You set out on the morning game viewing drive through the beautiful grasslands with very high possibilities of encountering prides of lions and other carnivores on the morning hunt. The savannas are full to the brim with large herds of herbivores: elephants, buffalo, topis, waterbucks, Uganda kobs and other mammal species. In the heat of the day, unique prides of lions tend to lie on the branches of fig trees to get an aerial advantage over other mammals and keep a close eye on the prey. Your drive continues all through with exciting wildlife sightings onto the Mweya Peninsula in time for lunch and a 2-hour thrilling boat cruise on the Kazinga channel.
Day 5: Morning game drive, travel to Lake Bunyonyi
Rise up before the first light of the day in preparation for an early breakfast before setting out on an action-packed morning game-viewing safari. You will descend onto the rift with lush grasslands and eye-catching savannas. The safari guide will traverse the Kasenyi flat plains with a large collection of antelopes and explore all corners in search of prides of lions and other carnivores.
Notable sightings on a game-viewing safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park: elephants, buffalos, lions, hippos, leopards, waterbucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs, Uganda kob, hyenas, lots of beautiful bird species and many other wildlife species. You will set out on travel to Kabale town through the smooth tarmac road via Ishaka and Ntungamo towns and check into your hotel on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi in the afternoon. Enjoy the cool lake breezes and the stunning sunset with bright sunrays reflecting over the lake into your hotel.
Day 6: Explore Lake Bunyonyi, travel to Kigali
Enjoy your morning sleep and rise up to a sumptuous buffet breakfast in the lawns. Then the resident guide will take you on a boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi and explore the magic of a tour into Uganda. You will return for an early lunch and embark on travel back to Kigali City, Rwanda, through the Katuna border post and arrive in the afternoon.
Your safari guide may take you on a brief tour of Kigali city, tour structures of historic importance and get an opportunity to purchase Rwanda-Uganda gorilla trekking and Uganda tour souvenir items. At an appropriate time, he will escort you to Kigali International Airport in time for your departure flight.
