8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
A visit to two of East Africa’s fastest-growing safari destinations and experience two of their main attractions on this 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour that is tailored to your own style of travel.
The trip covers both the African savanna wildlife drama and the enchanting rainforest jungle. There is no other country in Africa where you will be able to combine the two attractions easily than in Uganda and Rwanda
This tailor-made 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour starts in Uganda Entebbe after landing and ends in Rwanda Kigali.
It drives through Uganda’s most popular savannah park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will take a game drive and boat safari on the Kazinga channel and this activity can enable you to spot big games like elephants, lion, buffalo, hippos, a large herd of antelopes and some rare species of birds.
You will then be challenged to trek the mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable and Rwanda Volcanoes National Park
Trust me, seeing the mountain gorillas is the main highlight of this trip and the itinerary allows you to do that activity twice for a maximum experience.
The gorilla trekking experience is so captivating that the first-timer your excitement may shadow the subjective experience and it’s only when you take on the challenge the second time that you will capture these everlasting moments
- Accommodation before your Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla and wildlife safari commences is not included here but can be arranged at your discretion
Highlights of this 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
- Starting from Entebbe Uganda and ending in Kigali Rwanda, the road drive across Uganda into Rwanda and all the way to Kigali will reveal the most stunning natural setting of the two most impressive East African countries
- The option of trekking the mountain gorilla twice is undeniably exciting. You can choose to trek gorillas in either Uganda or Rwanda or in both
- You will be visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Musanze, and Kigali Capita
- Activities around the lodge after gorilla treks like natural experiences, music, and dance will express your travel lust
- Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga Channel at Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi National Park
- Cross the border into Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park
- Optional activities
- Gisenyi – Lake Kivu Resort Holiday
- Transfer to Kigali
8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
Detailed 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
Day 1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Sunset Boat Cruise
Your Africa safari experience starts begins today with a countryside road trip to western Uganda to Queen Elizabeth National Park. After early morning breakfast, your guide-driver will be there to pick you.
You will have a little chat as be briefs you about the whole trip and the activities of the day before you embark on a journey to this most revered savannah park in Uganda- Queen Elizabeth National Park
You can have a quick stopover at the equator for a photo experience and then embark on the safari. You will have lunch en route in Mbarara. In the afternoon you will arrive at Queen Elizabeth National Park and have an afternoon game drive as you head to the lodge.
Arrive at the lodge and check-in, refreshen, and go for a sunset boat cruise and the Kazinga channel. You will be able to spot different animals including crocodiles, hippos, elephants, and buffalos. You will also be able to see aquatic birds. later return to the lodge have dinner and overnight
Recommended Accommodation:
- Mweya safari lodge
- Enganzi game lodge limited
- Engiri lodge and campsite
- Irungu forest safari lodge
- Kyambura gorge lodge
- Elephants plains lodge Uganda
- Kyangabi crater resort
- Kikorongo safari lodge the baboon safari resort
- Meal Plan: full board
Day 2 of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour: Game Drive and Tree-Climbing Lions Ishasha Sector
After early morning breakfast, by 7 am leave for a morning drive. You will check out but carry your packed lunch.
Expect to spot the big Africa safari game animals like elephants’ herd, buffalo, massive herds of antelopes, lion, and leopard.
You will also be able to spot many bird species in the park. You will then transfer to the Ishasha sector to do another game drive of the tree-climbing lion. Before the game drive, you will have your packed lunch break.
On arrival at the Ishasha sector, you will check-in refreshen and return to another game drive to spot the tree-climbing lions on the tree.
You may also spot elephants, leopards, buffalo, and other wild animals. You will return to the lodge and rest. Have dinner and overnight
Recommended Accommodation:
- Ishasha jungle lodge
- Enjojo lodge
- The river Ishasha lodge
- Topi lodge
- Meal Plan: full board
Day 3: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable
After breakfast, you will embark on another road trip southward to Bwindi Impenetrable forest. The park of the Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla and wildlife will showcase Uganda’s raw natural countryside that the world has not yet fully explored; backdrops of stunning mountainsides and myriads faces of natives dotted along with the highly. Relax back and let the soft wind blow over your face, enjoy every minute of the countryside trip.
Arrive and check in on time for lunch. After lunch refreshes and takes a nature walk around the villages to see the first hand, the African people and their cultures uninfluenced by modern development.
Your gorilla experience will be on the following day so you have to sleep early. You will go back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Recommended Accommodation:
- Bwindi guest lodge
- Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
- Buhoma lodge
- Trackers safari lodge
- Silverback lodge
- Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
- Cuckoo land tented lodge
- Gorilla Safari Lodge
- Meal Plan: full board
Day 4 of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour: Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After an early breakfast, your guide will drive you to the trail office. Never forget to carry your packed lunch and enough water
You will be briefed by the park rangers and then escorted into the misty jungle to find your nemesis.
These gentle giants light up all your natural love for the wild and alter all your perceptions about will creatures that occupy the jungle across the world.
It’s a moment you want to keep forever so make sure that you are rewarded. Take as many pictures as you can as they go about in their natural life.
You will not spend with them more than one hour, the intelligence behind it is that you might agitate their inner beings and maybe transfer diseases
After your encounter, you will be led back to the lodge but first, set up to a cool picnic spot in the jungle and have your packed lunch
You can choose to take the Batwa trail if you still got the guts for it. The Batwa are the native tribe that occupied the jungle before it was turned into a National Park and closed off to them.
Today they occupy the boundaries of the forest and showcase their cultures to visitors. In our part to support the Batwa communities, we take our visitors through some of their prepared ones to showcase
Return to the lodge for the evening. Will be crossing to Rwanda the following day. Have your dinner and have an early rest.
Recommended Accommodation:
- Bwindi guest lodge
- Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
- Buhoma lodge
- Trackers safari lodge
- Silverback lodge
- Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
- Cuckoo land tented lodge
- Gorilla Safari Lodge
- Meal Plan: full board
Day 5 of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour: Cross the border into Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park
Through Cyanika border. From the border, you will drive into Volcanoes National Park (not too far from the border) and check out the legendary Dian Fossey’s resting home.
That little lady, with a massive heat, took all the guts to protect the mountain gorillas from savages and let the world know about the treasures we had buried deep in our African jungle.
So, a visit to her grave is warranted, take a knee. After that heartfelt moment, check into the lodge, have your dinner and relax the evening away.
Recommended Accommodation:
- Amarembo Gorilla Village
- Governor’s camp
- Virunga lodge
- Ingagi Park View Lodge
- Meal plan: full board
Day 6: Optional Activities
Option 1: choose to stay in and enjoy the lodge’s activities like Rwanda cultural group performance, nature walks, and tales about Rwanda’s history, cultures, and people
Option 2: take another shot at the gorilla trekking. The Rwanda gorillas are not as difficult to trek as Uganda’s the terrain is much flatter and with less bush. Great for photography.
So, taking another shot at the gorilla trekking experience is sure to give you an impressive bag of memories.
If you choose to trek Rwanda’s gorillas, you will have secured another gorilla permit. Rwanda’s trekking permits cost US$ 1,500 per person.
Option 3: trek the endangered golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park. These little cute monkeys light up the jungle with golden cuteness.
Also, you will be taking a nature hike into the jungle, so watch out for the outstanding jungle features and let your wild spirit float in the African rainforest jungle
Recommended Accommodation:
- Amarembo Gorilla Village
- Governor’s camp
- Virunga lodge
- Ingagi Park View Lodge
- Meal plan: full board
Day 7 of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour: Gisenyi – Lake Kivu
After breakfast, transfer to Gisenyi town which is located on the shores of Lake Kivu. On arrival, check into the lodge and later relaxing activities, swimming, sport fishing, and boat cruise. The cruise will provide you with a spectacular view of Kibuye and Gisenyi town
Recommended Accommodation:
- Lake Kivu serene hotel
- Rwiza village
- The palm beach Resort Lake Kivu
- Rushel Kivu lodge
- Meal plan: full board
Day 8: Transfer to Kigali
With careful consideration of your flight time, take a stroll around the city and experience the Kigali mixed cultures, people, cuisine, and sounds.
It will be great to visit the market to buy some souvenirs for remembrance and the people’s home. This comes to the end of your 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
End of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi
Background Information of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
Bwindi Impenetrable forest
Bwindi is derived from the Runyakitara word “mubwindi” and means “a place full of darkness” this name comes from the extensive stands of bamboo interspersed amongst the larger forest hardwoods.
The bamboo and thick ground cover of ferns, vines, and other plants growth severely hinder direct access on foot.
The forest is on the edge of the western arm of the great rift valley, only a few kilometers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border and about 25 kilometers (16 mi) north of the Virunga Mountains
The forest is one of the most biologically diverse area on earth where half the world’s population of the highly endangered Mountain Gorillas live in its natural habitant jungle.
The forest has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a world heritage site for its biological significance
The forest has been described as “riven by disputes and crosshatched by historical, political, biological boarders” by the researcher Craig Stanford, co-director of the park’s jane Goodall Research center. In 1991, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour)
It is located southwestern Uganda. The park part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The Park is on the edge of the western arm of the great rift valley, only a few kilometers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border and about 25 kilometers (16 mi) north of the Virunga Mountains.
Composed of 321 square kilometers (124 sq mi) of both Montane and lowland forest, it is accessible only by foot. BINATIONAL PARK has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a world heritage site for its biological significance
Species diversity is a feature of the park. It provides habitat for 120 species of mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered species.
Floristically, the park is among the most diverse forest in East Africa, with more than 1000 flowering plant species, including 163 species of trees and 104 plant species of ferns.
The northern (low elevation) sector has many species of Guineo-congolian flora, including two endangered species, the brown mahogany and Brazzeia longipedicellata. In particular area shares in the high levels of Endemisms the Albertine Rift
The park is a sanctuary for colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and many birds such as hornbill and turacos.
It is most notable for the 400 Bwindi Gorillas, half of the world’s population of endangered mountain Gorillas.
Habituated mountain gorilla groups are open to tourism in four different sectors of Buhoma, Ruhijja, Rushaga and the Nkuringo in the Districts of Kanungu, Kabaale and Kisoro respectively all under the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority
Volcanoes National Park (8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour)
In the heart of central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat, wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey “are great, old volcanoes towering almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest – the Virungas”.
Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range home of the endangered mountain range- home of the endangered mountain gorillas and rich mosaic of montane ecosystems.
Which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath. Volcanoes National Park is named after the chain of dormant volcanoes making up the Virunga Massif: karisimbi– the highest at 4,507m, Bisoke with its verdant crater lake, Sabinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura
Queen Elizabeth National Park
The park covers an area of about 1978 km2. Its position provides a magnificent view of the Rift Valley floor that occupies Lake Edward and Gorge. It is well known to be habitat of about 95 mammals along with 612 species of birds. Formerly, a historian known as Douglas Willocks talked about the various features that lead to the formation of the Park in 1952
This area was strategically located with a stunning view of mount Rwenzori, the plains and the campsite jagged mass of mountains that are god for activities such as hiking. On the other side of lake Edward, there is a famous hill known as Mitumbe that looks out to Congo.
Its beauty is signified with changing colors from blue to green, with gentle slopes, distant and this makes it become the center of darkness in Africa.
The eastern part of the park is characterized with peaceful green escarpments that is acquired from the western rift valley.
The features are well covered with Savannah making it a beautiful place full of nature euphorbia trees
The park is so extensive further more adjacent to the other protected areas. For instance, Kigezi covering an area of about 256 km2 and Kyambura with about 152 km2 wildlife set aside.
The other area is Kalinzu Forest Reserve that adjoins to DRC with about 200 km2 along Virunga National Park. Rwenzori National Park is about a few Kilometers to the North of park
Safari Inclusions of the 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari Rwanda Wildlife Tour
Safari includes:
- Transportation in a tour van/Landcruiser
- Service of an English -speaking tour guide/driver
- All activities mentioned in the itinerary
- Park admissions
- Accommodation on full board
- Entrance fees to all destinations as per the program
- Transfer to and from the airport
Safari exclusions
- All activities not mentioned in the program
- Phone calls bills
- Tips
- International transfers
- Gratitude to tour guides
- Personal insurance
- Personal effects of any nature
- Hotel fees before and after the safari
What You Need While Going for Gorilla Trekking
Just like Rwenzori Mountain Trekking, Gorilla trekking also requires these items when trekking the gorillas;
- Water:
Gorilla trekking can be very tiresome and you need to refill your tank as the trek goes on. It is advisable to park a few water filtrations tablets before you come for the trek
- Boots:
you will need good waterproof comfortable shoes. Sometimes it rains during the trek, so skid proof shoes can come in handy
- Rain Jacket:
You are advised to carry a rain jacket because if rains very often in Bwindi impenetrable forest
- Snack:
You can carry a light snack to give you some energy during the walk in the forest
- Trouser and shirts:
Bwindi forest is covered with thick undergrowth, therefore light trousers and long-sleeved shirts are advised
- Socks:
You will have to tuck the trousers into the socks to avoid insects crawling inside
- Gloves:
You will need Garden gloves because you will be grabbing tree branches, leaves, etc. and some can be thorny
- Camera:
Carry a good camera (no flash) to capture this lifetime experience