The 17 Days Uganda and Rwanda

Get a warm welcome into Uganda - The Pearl of Africa by your driver guide and later, a briefing about what your long luxury 17-day Uganda and Rwanda safari tour is all about. After, you will be transferred to a comfortable hotel to retire for the night.

Meal Plan: Dinner.

Drive Time: 10 Minutes.

After a hearty breakfast in Entebbe, begin your journey to Murchison Falls National Park, home to the world’s most powerful waterfall.
 
Along the way, stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a 2-hour rhino tracking experience. Here, you’ll also spot Uganda kobs, Defassa waterbucks, hippos, and bushbucks in their natural habitat.
 
Enjoy lunch at Kabalega Dinners, then continue your scenic drive to the park. Arrive in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay, ready for the next day’s adventure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Driving Time: 6 hours.

Start your day with an early 6:30 am game drive through the northern tracks of Murchison Falls National Park. Over three hours, keep an eye out for giraffes, buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, antelopes, warthogs, and diverse bird species roaming the savanna, woodlands, and grasslands.
 
Return for lunch and relaxation, then set off on a scenic boat safari along the Victoria Nile. Cruise to the base of Murchison Falls, spotting hippos, crocodiles, and water birds along the riverbanks. Take in the powerful waterfall views before beginning a 45-minute hike to the top, where you'll witness the thundering falls up close.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Get ready for a morning breakfast, straddling Uganda’s lush equatorial rainforest known as Kibale Forest National Park located in Kabarole district, Western Uganda. Your journey to Kibale takes you via Hoima City to Fort Portal known as a striking designated tourism city of Uganda that rests in the Western Region of the country for a lunch break and then embark on your drive to explore the enchanting Crater Lakes around the park then after you will drive to lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Travel Time 7 Hours.

A special day in Kibale starts with a briefing about chimpanzee tracking rules after you have enjoyed breakfast. Tracking chimpanzees in Kibale begins at 8:00 am with a guide on lead taking you in a group of 6pax to see the chimp community in the wild.
 
This will take 2-4 hours and includes one hour with chimpanzees in the Kibale forest- take as many pictures as you can and return with a deep understanding of the behaviours of these massive apes. In addition, lots of other primates will be sighted including Colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, etc plus birds.
 
Lunch at the lodge and after, you will transfer to Bigodi Wetland for a guided nature walk. Bigodi Swamp is endowed with 8 primate species, about 138 bird species and other mammals, the majority of which will be sighted on a nature walk here. OR
 
Visiting the nearby local community, where you will learn about the locals- their foods, artefacts, traditional dances and traditional dressing. You will then retire to the Lodge for your meal and overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most popular parks in Uganda, the Queen Elizabeth National Park lies in the western region of the country. You will have lunch on arrival at a lodge and have ample time to chill, then set off for an evening game drive to see the diversity of wildlife.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Travel Time: 3 Hours.

Start your day early with a hot cup of tea or coffee, then meet your driver for a 6:30 am lion tracking experience in the Kasenyi section of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Guided by researchers and trackers, follow lions using radio signals from collars placed around their necks. Unlike regular game drives, this unique experience allows off-road tracking, helping you get closer to these big cats.
 
After the adventure, return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, set off for a 2–3-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. Enjoy the peaceful ride while spotting hippos, crocodiles, and a variety of aquatic birds along the water's edge.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Begin your day with the morning breakfast and transfer to Bwindi National Park. It’s no secret that Bwindi is home to more than the world’s surviving population of mountain gorillas. It has over 20 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Forest National Park.
 

Afternoon: Visit the Batwa Culture Community.
 
The Batwa Experience was created by the displaced Batwa pygmies to educate their children and to share their amazing heritage and traditions with the world. Since 1992, the Batwa have been unable to live in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, their ancestors’ home. Yet they have not forgotten the old ways.
 
Step back in time to see how the Batwa lived for millennia in the Bwindi, one of the most beautiful jungles on earth and home to the famous mountain gorillas.
 
Enjoy an incredible day hike in the rain forest with Batwa guides, see how the Batwa lived and hunted, learn about medicinal plants, and watch for animals and birds.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Travel Time: +4 Hour Drive

Begin your day with the morning breakfast and transfer to Bwindi National Park. It’s no secret that Bwindi is home to more than the world’s surviving population of mountain gorillas. It has over 20 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Forest National Park.
 
Afternoon: Visit the Batwa Culture Community.
 
The Batwa Experience was created by the displaced Batwa pygmies to educate their children and to share their amazing heritage and traditions with the world.
 
Since 1992, the Batwa have been unable to live in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, their ancestors’ home. Yet they have not forgotten the old ways.
 
Step back in time to see how the Batwa lived for millennia in the Bwindi, one of the most beautiful jungles on earth and home to the famous mountain gorillas.
 
Enjoy an incredible day hike in the rain forest with Batwa guides, see how the Batwa lived and hunted, learn about medicinal plants, and watch for animals and birds.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Travel Time: +4 Hour Drive

After breakfast, you will head to the Park Headquarters for the mandatory registration and briefing before starting the gorilla trek. After 30 minutes of entertainment from the local community group, you will be introduced to the trekking rules and regulations by the Park Ranger, grab a walking stick, wear a mask and start the walk through Bwindi Forest.
 
Be prepared to walk for 1-6 hours while sighting different primates, remarkable tree species, colourful birds, and butterflies before finally coming across the Giant Apes. You will have the most unforgettable one hour of your life to observe them go about their daily routines, and also take photos.
 
Having had your fill of the forest and spent time with the mountain gorillas, it is now time to have lunch and rest for the remainder of the afternoon.
 
Return to the lodge for a short relaxation and embark on to waterfall hike with a ranger guide. The Munyaga waterfall trail starts from the Park office and ends at the magnificent Munyaga waterfall. The walk to and from the waterfall takes about three hours and is a good way to practice or cool down a day after the gorilla tracking. Back to lodge for dinner & overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Enjoy a morning breakfast and after drive to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda via the Cyanika border. Enjoy opportunities for photos as you drive through the winding roads in the southern part of Uganda. You will arrive at your lodge in time for lunch or it will be a picnic en-route.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Travel Time + 4 Hours

Golden monkeys are found in the Virunga volcanoes shared between Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. After a short brief from the ranger guides, you will start your hike up in search of the golden monkeys. You will be joined by enforcement officers to help in case you meet buffaloes which can be dangerous. The golden monkeys are generally more active than the gorillas and you will follow them as they move to feed. Just like gorilla trekking, you are only allowed to spend 1 hour with the golden monkey before you start your descent back.
 
In the afternoon, you will enjoy a rewarding cultural encounter within the Gorilla Guardians ‘Village. Visit the traditional healer and learn about plants used in treating common ailments, go through banana beer brewing, be entertained in traditional dances, visit the local school and visit the King’s Palace replica among others.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After this experience, drive to the beautiful Lake Kivu. Visit the former Imbabazi orphanage and learn about their work. Continue to your hotel along Lake Kivu. Relax at the lakeside in the evening sipping a way to your favorite drink.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Have a lazy morning and later take a boat ride on Lake Kivu. Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime boat cruise expedition in Kibuye to witness one of nature’s most incredible displays. From a two-hour trip to a full-day adventure, we can design the perfect experience for you. Charter a private cruise and design the itinerary of your dreams, complete with a captain and crew who will cater to every detail of your experience. A sunset cruise entertaining loved ones aboard a luxurious boat.
 
Afternoon you will engage in kayaking on Lake Kivu for about 2 hours. Later back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast, your tour guide will transfer you to Kigali city where you will have a city tour exploring the highlights of the city before you retire to your hotel.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Travel Time: 7-Hour Drive

Begin the day with a morning breakfast and then embark on your full-day Kigali city tour as you explore more of the city’s top historical and cultural sites. The tour will involve visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial for an insight into the genocide history of this country, and art and craft galleries for some stylish African footwear and clothing. Innema art gallery and visit the Kimironko local market to buy souvenirs.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

We do hope you had an amazing time exploring the beauty of Uganda and Rwanda. Thank you for choosing to spend your time and money contributing to these countries. Your driver's guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight home. You will say farewell to the Pearl of Africa on this day. Have breakfast and meet at the Lobby for briefing before beginning the short journey to Kigali Airport.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Travel Time 20 Minute Drive