9 Days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali
This 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali is an exceptional safari that starts from Kigali Rwanda and ends in Entebbe Uganda. The safari will take you to different destinations in Uganda including Queen Elizabeth national park and Murchison falls national park where you will be able to view different animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, hippos, warthogs, bushbucks, oribi, lions, leopards, Nile crocodiles, topi, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest among others during the game drive and boat cruise. The 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali will also take you to Kibale forest national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in their environment.
Highlights of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 2: First gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 3: Second gorilla trek
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5: Morning game drive, afternoon boat cruise and transfer to Kibale forest national park
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 9: Departure to Kampala via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Detailed itineraries
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Depending on your arrival time at Kigali international airport on the first day of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the way, you will have en-route lunch and enjoy stunning views of the rolling hills, beautiful scenery among others on the way. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: First gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla trekking
After breakfast on day 2 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will have breakfast, carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and start trekking in the jungle with an experienced park guide. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, birds, plants and once the mountain gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, take photos and record the moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour with the gorillas, you will trek back to the starting point where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and later meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Second gorilla trek in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla trekking
After breakfast on day 3 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will have breakfast, carry your lunch box and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will be allocated a different gorilla family to trek and start trekking in the forest with an experienced park guide which takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are located. During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, birds, plants and once the mountain gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. After the one hour with the gorillas, you will trek back to the starting point where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and later meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
After an early breakfast on day 4 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park via Ishasha sector where you will be able to view the tree climbing lions lying up in tree branches during the game drive. After the game drive, you will have lunch and then proceed to Queen Elizabeth national park. Upon arrival in the park, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience, afternoon boat cruise and Transfer to Kibale forest national park
After an early breakfast on day 5 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in Kasenyi plains where you will be able to spot animals like elephants, waterbucks, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, bushbucks, view predators like lions, leopards among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Afternoon boat cruise
After lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on Kazinga channel a water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat cruise you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs among others drinking water along the shores, view water birds like cormorants, hornbills, king fishers, fish eagles among others.
After the boat cruise which takes about 2 to 3 hours’ drive, you will drive out of the park and start the journey to Kibale forest national park with stunning views of the crater lakes, Rwenzori Mountain peaks, tea and banana plantations among others. Upon arrival in the park, you will connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Chimpanzee trekking
After an early breakfast on day 6 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest with an experienced park guide who is well conversant with chimpanzee trekking trails. During chimpanzee trekking which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours, you will be able to view different bird species, other primates, plant species among others. Once the chimpanzees are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviours, watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, playing, breastfeeding, resting, take photos and record the breath taking moments. After the one-hour encounter with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide and drive to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for a guided nature walk in Bigodi swamp where you will be able to spot different primate species, birds, view plant and tree species, listen to sweet sounds of bird species in trees, take beautiful pictures among others. After the swamp walk, you will return to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
After breakfast on the day 7 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Murchison falls national park. On the way you will have en-route lunch and enjoy stunning views of the crater lakes, Rwenzori mountain peaks, tea and banana plantations among others. Upon arrival in the park, you will drive directly to the top of the falls where you will enjoy great views of the waterfall, water plashes, enjoy views of the beautiful scenery among others. From the top of the falls, you will connect to check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
After an early breakfast on day 8 of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeest, elephants, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda kobs, oribi, warthogs among others. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise
After lunch you will go for an afternoon boat cruise to the bottom of the falls where you will be able to view hippos and crocodiles in water, view other animals along the shores, water birds among others. After the boat cruise, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Departure to Kampala via Ziwa rhino sanctuary
On the last day of the 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey back to Kampala. On the way, you will have a stopover at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking where after you will continue the journey with another stopover for lunch. After lunch, you will proceed to Kampala arriving early evening and upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of advise.
End of 9 days Uganda double gorilla trekking and wildlife safari from Kigali
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Bigodi swamp walk
- Park entrance fees/ game drives
- Boat cruise fees
- Lion tracking experience
- Rhino tracking
- Professional English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Tour excludes
- International air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
