Day 1: Arrive in Kigali Airport and Have an afternoon Kigali City tour
On your arrival to Kigali International Airport, you will be picked-up by our experienced driver guide who will transfer you to one of the booked Kigali hotels for relaxation and lunch. After lunch, you embark on an afternoon convivial city tour. The city tour will take you through Murambi genocide memorial center where you will have time to listen to the comprehensive history of Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and the events of the massacres, including personal accounts. You will view the Photographs, video clips, and artifacts of the genocide. After touring the site, you will proceed to other attractive sites within the city. After city tour, retire back to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Hotel chez Lando
Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park and do boat cruise on lake Ihema.
After your early morning breakfast, embark on transfer from Kigali to Akagera Nation Park 130kms about 2-3hours drive. The drive to the eastern part of Rwanda is very fascinating as it will take you through impressive landscape sceneries dotted with natural setting and local populations. On arrival to the park, you will drive to your lodge to check-in, have lunch, relaxation as you wait for an afternoon Boat trips along the shores of Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake.
After lunch and relaxation, embark on an afternoon boat trip which will give you the opportunity to get close to the plentiful water birds species including African fish eagles, open-billed stork marabou stork, cormorants, crowned cranes, egrets and herons among others. The boat trip will also only reward you with the encounters of the wild game like Hippos, Nile Crocodiles, elephants, Buffaloes when they are drinking on the lake side. After the boat trip, you will drive back to the park head Quarters for Behind the Scenes experience. Here you will get more insights into Akagera, including conservation developments within the park, take a ‘Behind Scenes’ tour of the park headquarters enables you to meet some of the people integral to the management of the park. Retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight after the activity.
Accommodation: Ruzizi Tented Camp
Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Butare museum and visit the king’s palace in Nyanza.
After an early morning cup of coffee, embark on an early morning game drive along a well-designed network of tracks. The early morning game drive will offer you possibilities of encountering early morning wildlife risers when they are starting their normal day activities like looking for food and you also confront the nocturnal wildlife species when they are retiring back to their hiding grounds.
The variety of wildlife that you stand pretty chance to watch include elephants, buffalo, zebra, bush baby, hippos, crocodiles among other mammal species. On rare occasions, one can see species such as leopard, lion and black rhino. As one of the most scenic savanna parks in East Africa, the game drive in Akagera will provide you pretty opportunity to see gentle hills blending in beautifully lowland swamps and water bodies. After enjoying the fascinating game drive, you will retire to the lodge for relaxation. Then have lunch and after embark on transfer to Butare town. On arrival to Butare, you will drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Hotel Ibis
Day 4: Explore Butare and Transfer to Nyungwe
After breakfast, embark on exploring Butare city in the Southern Province of Rwanda. You will visit interesting places like the National Museum of Rwanda- which shows cultural history of the Rwanda and the region. From the Museum you will head to the National University of Rwanda (NUR). After exploring the city, you retire back to your lodge for lunch, relaxation as you wait for transfer to Nyungwe. After lunch, embark on transfer from Butare to Nyungwe national park a drive distance of 155kms about 3-4 hours’ drive. The drive to Nyungwe is very fascinating because it takes you through impressive landscape sceneries dotted with local settings and local populations. On arrival to the park, you will drive to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Nyungwe top view hotel
Day 5: Early morning Chimpanzee trekking and Afternoon Canopy Walk.
After your early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for memorable primate’s encounter. Nyungwe National Forest is an ideal destination for lovers of primates, with 13 different species living. You will have the opportunity to trek the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. In the park you will be briefed by the park ranger guides and divided in groups of 8 people. At exactly 8:00am, you will be led by the ranger guide through the beautiful forest trail to trek the fascinating chimpanzee creatures.
Along the trails you will enjoy the nice melodies of different bird species housed in the forest. You will also have a chance to enjoy the views of other primates like grey-cheeked mangabey, monkeys. The activity takes between 2-6 hours but; experienced guides will also make sure that they take you where you will have to see the primates as fast as possible. Face to face encounter with the chimpanzees is very amazing because you will observe them play, feed and rest. After this worthwhile experience, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and later explore canopy walk to see the beautiful twin lakes as well as various bird species.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Day 6: Transfer to Gisenyi-Lake Kivu.
Transfer from Nyungwe Forest Park to Gisenyi in Lake Kivu after your early morning breakfast. The drive journey of 189 kms is very fascinating as it will take you through impressive landscape sceneries dotted with natural setting and local populations. On arrival to Gisenyi town, you will drive direct to your booked lodge within Lake Kivu for lunch, relaxation. After lunch, embark on a thrilling canoe experience and kayaking around the Virgin Islands like the Napoleon’s Hat Island. After enjoying these adventurous activities on the waters of Lake Kivu, retire back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Paladise malahide Lodge
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes national park and Have an afternoon cultural encounter
After taking your breakfast like at 8:00am, embark on transfer from Lake Kivu to Volcanoes national park. The drive distance of 62 kilometers about 1 and half hours’ drive will lead you to natural home of Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national Park. On arrival to the park, you will drive to your lodge to relax and have lunch. After lunch, you will embark on an evening cultural encounter with the local communities around volcanoes national park. The cultural encounter will give you a rare opportunity to interact with the local people in their natural environment, with a taste of their unique culture and traditions. On arrival to the village, you will be genuinely welcomed by the community as special Visitors. After cultural refreshment, entertainment, you will retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Day 8: Do a first Gorilla Trekking and Musanze Cave tour.
After an early morning hearty breakfast, you will be driven by your driver guide to the park headquarters for a briefing at 07:30am to 8:00am regarding gorilla trekking etiquettes in Volcanoes Park. While at the park headquarters, you will meet other trekkers and you will be divided in groups of eight individuals who are allowed to trek one habituated mountain gorilla group. After briefing, you will be led by ranger guide to hike through the verdant jungle searching for mountain gorillas. The activity which will take 2-8 hours needs someone to be physical fit since it involves a lot of hiking the hills and slopping the Valleys.
Gorilla trekking process is tedious but impressive when you finally set your small eyes direct to bit big round eyes of the mountain gorillas. When you eventually meet the gorillas, you will be allowed one hour with them; seeing them feed, play and look for their young ones. While staying with the gorillas, you will be required to maintain a distance of 7 meters away. Also turn off the flash of your camera as you take pictures.
Right after one hour, you will retire back to the starting point, then transfer to your lodge for late lunch and relaxation. After lunch, embark on Musanze Cave tour through the tourist walkways, trails and stairs. These take you to the dark interior of the caves that illustrates a picture of a house with several rooms and corridors. The tour will offer you an in-depth understanding of the geological, geographical as well as historical development of the globe. After exploring the cave, retreat back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Day 9: Transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda.
After an early morning breakfast, embark on transfer from Volcanoes national park to Mgahinga Gorilla Park in Uganda. The drive journey of 68kilometres will take you through impressive landscape sceneries of Rwanda before crossing to Uganda side through Cyanika border. On arrival to Mgahinga Park, you will drive to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Mucha Hotel
Day 10: Do Batwa Heritage trail and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi via Lake Mutanda.
After an early morning breakfast, embark on exploring the Batwa trail. The Batwa Trail is such an incredible experience as it takes you through the thick forests of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. During this Batwa trail tour, the Batwa local guide will demonstrate to you their hunting techniques; how they used to gather honey; point out medicinal plants and demonstrate how to make bamboo cups.
The tour will lead you to sacred Garama Cave- once home to the Batwa King, where the women of the community perform a sorrowful song which echoes eerily around the depths of the dark cave, and leaves you with a striking and moving sense of the richness of this fading culture. Thereafter fully exploring the Batwa trail, you will retire back to your lodge for relaxation and lunch. Embark on transfer drive of 80kms from Mgahinga to Lake Bunyonyi via lake Mutanda for a canoe paddling experience and proceed to lake Bunyonyi. On arrival to Lake Bunyonyi, you will drive to your lodge for check-in, have diner and overnight.
Accommodation: Lake Bunyonyi Eco-resort
Day 11: Explore Lake Bunyonyi and Transfer to Bwindi.
After an early morning breakfast, embark exploring Lake Bunyonyi; the second deepest lake in Africa with lots of the tasty crayfish, so get set for a culinary delight. You will have an early morning boat cruise. This will give you full account of different bird species with in the islands that are dotted all over the lake. You may also participate in refreshing activities such as swimming in the bilharzia free waters of Bunyonyi. You can also enjoy early morning nature walks in the Bunyonyi Islands. After enjoying different adventurous activities, you will retire back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. After lunch, embark on transfer from Lake Bunyonyi to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will depart Bunyonyi driving through the fascinating Kigezi Island to Bwindi Impenetrable forest. Upon your arrival to the park, you will advance with the drive direct to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Camp
Day 12: Do Gorilla trekking and afternoon Cultural encounter with the Local Batwa people
After your early morning hefty breakfast, your driver guide will drive you with your packed lunch and bottled water, to the Park head Quarters in your respective gorilla trekking region. Thenhave an early morning briefing at about 70:30am to 8:00am about etiquettes of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. While at the park headquarters, you will meet other trekkers and you will be divided into groups of eight individuals who are only allowed to trek one specific habituated Gorilla family. After briefing, UWA experienced ranger guide will lead you to the trail heads where thrilling gorilla trekking experience starts from. You will entre in the ancient, thick dark impenetrable forest to begin hiking the hills and slopping the valleys when looking for the unique species of the mountain gorillas inhabited in the famous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The trek can take you between 2-8 hours to meet face to face with the mountain gorillas and once up close. You will be allowed to spend one magical hour with these stunning apes. During this time you can decide to sit down, listen to gorilla crumble, study how these apes go about their daily activities; and you can take as many photos as possible. When the one hour is done, you will walk back to the park headquarters and retire back to your lodge for late Lunch, relaxation.
After relaxation, you will be driven to the nearby Batwa community for memorable, refreshing cultural encounter. Here, a local guide will take you to the different communities. You will see how people have managed to survive through farming. You will also see how local brew is processed from fresh Bananas and forest remedies to get beer and Waragi. More to that, you will enjoy performances done by the local Batwa women groups. After that interesting cultural encounter, you will drive back to your respective lodge for dinner and overnight. Thereafter the activity, you will retreat back to your lodge for dinner, memory sharing and overnight.
Accommodation: Gorilla Mist Camp
Day 13: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth with an enroute game drive in Ishasha sector
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park after taking your early morning breakfast. The drive will take you through the impressive country side landscapes with rural setting and local populations. On arrival to Ishasha sector, you will have your lunch and participate in an afternoon game drive through the tracks of Ishasha sector. The game drive will give you the possibilities of encountering tree climbing lions that tend to lie on the branches of fig trees while keeping a close eye on herds of Uganda Kob. You may also see other wildlife species like buffalos, elephants. After game drive in Ishasha, continue with the drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park in Mweya peninsular.
Accommodation: Enganzi Lodge
Day 14: Do morning game drive,afternoon boat cruise and transfer to Mountain Rwenzori
Take an early morning cup of coffee before embarking on the wild game viewing in the rolling savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive will take you through Kasenyi. This is a dwelling place for a range of game including the elephants, lions, buffaloes, Antelopes among others. The racks are well designed to increase you possibilities of encountering wild game. The sights of an elusive leopard, defassa waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Side stripped Jackal; Oribis among others might be encountered. Return to the lodge after this 3 -4 hour game drive for refreshment and relaxation until the time for lunch.
After having a thrilling lunch, embark on the rewarding boat cruise on the 45km long Kazinga Channel that connects Lakes Edward and George. The 2 hour boat cruise opens your possibilities of enjoying the calm channel waters filled with counts of Hippos; no wonder the channel is called the Paradise of Hippos. The other sights of water birds and the Nile crocodiles may not be missed. Retire in the evening at 5pm to connect to Mountain Rwenzori Park. The transfer distance of 72 kilometers about 2-3hours on rough road will see you arrive in Mountain Rwenzori late in the evening like at 8-9pm. Upon your arrival to the park, you drive to the lodge to check-in, have dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Rwenzori International Hotel
Day 15: Hiking and Nature Walks to Rwenzori Mountains and transfer to Kibale forest park
After cup of coffee, embark on an early morning hiking to Rwenzori Mountains .You will hike through Kilembe Trail. The trail will take you through the lovely Nyamwamba Valley; passing through glacial lakes and some stunning viewpoints before joining the Central Circuit at Lake Kitandara. Along the way, you will keep an eye out for chameleons, squirrels, vervet monkeys and many birds. After having memorable hiking experience, retire back to the starting point and head to the park for late lunch. After lunch, embark on 135 kms distance transfer to Kibale forest Park. Arrive in Kibale national park late in the evening like at 8-9pm and advance with the drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
Day 16: Do an Early Morning Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi wetland walk in the afternoon.
Have an early morning breakfast. Then embark on the Chimpanzee trekking encounter in the primate Capital of the world – the Kibale National Park. The Park boasts of 13 primate species including; the common Chimpanzees which have been fully habituated making your chances of encountering them to be at 90%. These apes are the most intellectual in the animal kingdom, perhaps brighter human beings. Chimpanzee trekking encounter starts at Kanyanchu tourism center at 8am in the morning and the Uganda Wildlife Authority Park rangers are dedicated to take you throughout the whole exercise.
The Chimpanzees will lure you in a state of amazement as they swing through the branches, make pant hooting calls, play with each other, and imitate your body language along with other features. This will make your one full hour with them a memorable experience of its own. In a bid to search for chimps, you will come across other primates including; the olive baboon, red-tailed monkey, black and white Colobus monkey and the blue monkey.
Retreat from the activity which tends to take 2 – 5 hours to your lodge for lunch, relaxation. Afterwards, embark on the transfer to Bigodi wetland. The Bigodi wetland, lies in close distance to the park thus connecting there is less hectic. The Bigodi wetland walk exposes you to typical eco –tourism encounter in Uganda. The impressive flora and fauna existing along with the local community is indeed rewarding to encounter. The sights of great blue turaco and the Sitatunga may not be missed. Retreat from the activity back to lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Chimpanzee Forest Guesthouse
Day 17:Do an Early Morning Nature walks, transfer to Fort Portal town, afternoon Fort Portal Crater Lake hike and visit the Amabere ga’ Nnyinamwiru caves
After an early morning breakfast, embark on an early morning Hiking and Nature Walks in Kibale forest. The nature walk offers you an opportunity to explore the naturally diversified Kibale forest and you many also watch various primate species as well as some mammal species elephants, leopards, duikers, bush pigs, among others. After the activity, you will drive to Fort portal for lunch, relaxation. After lunch, embark on Fort Portal Crater Lake Hike to gain magnificent views and sights of the remarkable Fort Portal explosion craters. You will also tour the stunning Amabere g’ Nnyinamwiru caves with a magical Nyakasura River falling over them; forming splendid water fall. The caves have breast like features which the locals attach a great cultural connotation and are thought to date back to the Chwezi era. Thereafter, Retreat from the activity and drive back to your Fort Portal lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodations: Mountains of the Moon Hotel
Day 18: Transfer to Murchison Falls national park, the whole day journey”]
You will embark on this journey to explore the most powerful falls in the world; passing through the countryside of the amazing western Uganda landscapes. Then have a lunch stopover in Hoima, before proceeding to the park for relaxation and overnight.
Accommodation: Murchison river lodge
Day 19: Game Drive and Fantastic Launch Cruise to the top of the falls”]
Early in the morning, you will take a cup of coffee and then go for a game drive where you will encounter Giraffes, Lions, Elephants, baboons, and a number of different antelopes.
In the after lunch go for a launch cruise on the Victoria Nile upstream to the base of the Murchison falls. You cannot miss to see among others; Hippos, crocodiles, Water bucks, and a wide variety of bird species. Return for dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Accommodation: Murchison river lodge
Day 20: Transfer to Kampala city and tour the Ziwa rhino sanctuary en route
After an early morning warm cup of coffee at your lodge, you embark on the trip to Kampala; the capital of Uganda and visit the Ziwa rhino sanctuary en route, in Nakasongala district and have lunch. This experience offers a rewarding memory for any visitor as you are able to view some of the remaining white rhinos. This activity takes a maximum of 2 hours before you embark on a trip to Kampala for relaxation and dinner.
Accommodation: Amuka lodge
Day 21: Visit the source of the Nile and do white water rafting.
After an early breakfast at your place of stay in Kampala city, you travel to Jinja towards the eastern region to view the source of the legendary NileRiver. This is arguably the longest river in the world. You will then proceed and do a one mile white water rafting along the Nile.
Later retire from this activity in the evening, then travel back to Kampala for resting and an overnight to mark the end of your 21 day safari.
End of Safari
End of the trip with Love Uganda Safari
