9 Days Uganda Rwanda Wildlife and Primates Safari
This 9 Days Uganda Rwanda Wildlife and Primates Safari allows you to experience the best of both worlds. During these 9 days Uganda Rwanda wildlife and primates safari, you will embark on game drives and a boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, golden monkey trekking and finally game drives in Akagera National Park. This tour begins in Entebbe/Kampala in Uganda and ends in Kigali, Rwanda.
Highlights for 9 Days Uganda Rwanda Wildlife and Primates Safari
Day 1: Pickup & Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 2: Optional Lion Tracking/Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Hike to Crater Lakes
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest and Visit Bigodi Swamp for birding excursion
Day 5: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Optional Visit to Karisoke Center
Day 7: Golden Monkey Trek and Transfer back to Kigali.
Day 8: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Afternoon boat cruise
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Transfer Back to Kigali.
Detailed Itinerary for 9 Days Uganda Rwanda Wildlife and Primates Safari
Day 1: Pickup & Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Pickup from your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala and embark on roughly a 7 hours’ drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the way to you will have en-route lunch where after you will continue the journey with spectacular views of the beautiful scenery, the Rwenzori Mountains, tea and banana plantations, crater lakes among others. Upon arrival you will go for an optional evening game drive where you will be able to view various animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs among others.
Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 2: Optional Lion Tracking/Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel
After an early breakfast, you will meet up with your driver guide and go for a morning game drive or an optional lion tracking experience in Kasenyi sector where you will be rewarded with great views of predators like lions, leopards, hyenas which will be going back to their hiding areas, other animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, giant forest hogs, different bird species, plants among others. After the game drive you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on Kazinga channel, a water channel that joins Lake George and Lake Edward where you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles in water, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores of the lake, view aquatic bird species, view fishermen preparing their fishing gears for night fishing, take beautiful photos among others. After the boat cruise adventure you will drive back to the lodge, have dinner and overnight as above.
Day 3: Transfer to Kibale National Park – Hike to Crater Lakes
After having your breakfast, transfer to Kibale National Park with a stopover at Amabere Ga Nyinamwiru where you will visit the caves and then hike to the crater lakes. Your hike to the crater lakes will be rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the lake crater lakes and forests. Have lunch and then drive to your lodge where you will check in and relax.
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest and Visit Bigodi Swamp for birding excursion
After an early breakfast on the fourth day of the 9 days Uganda Rwanda wildlife and primates safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kanyachu visitors Centre for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing you will start trekking in the forest in search of the habituated chimpanzee family. During the trekking you will be able to view other primate species like red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, grey checked baboon, view different bird species, tree species among others.
Once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to observe their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, hunt, play, fight, mate, rest, take photos and record the moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour with the chimpanzees, you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide and head back to your lodge for lunch.
After Lunch, you will drive to Bigodi for an afternoon birding excursion in Bigodi Swamp where you will view a number of bird species such as the Great Blue Turaco, Yellow- throated Tinker bird, Grey Crowned Cranes and the Papyrus Gonolek to mention but a few. The wetland is also home to eight primate species including the Black and White Colobus monkeys, Blue monkeys, baboons and vervet monkeys among others.
Later return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
After having breakfast in the morning, you will meet your guide and drive to Volcanoes national park in Rwanda crossing the land border at Cyanika/Katuna. You will have with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Enjoy the beautiful views as you traverse the countryside arriving in Volcanoes NP in the late afternoon.
You will embark on a cultural tour to Iby’iwacu village aka ‘The Gorilla Guardians Village’ where you will get to interact with the locals and watch dance and singing performances from the local dance troupe. Dinner and overnight stay at your accommodation.
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Optional Visit to Karisoke Center
The sixth day of this 9 Days Uganda Rwanda wildlife and primates Safari highlights a gorilla trekking activity. Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from the RBD officials, set off for the gorilla tracking. This experience of gorilla tracking is a once in a life time adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search for the Gorillas.
You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours since the gorillas move up and down.
This is an awesome and exciting moment. En route there are a lot of chimpanzees and other types of primates such as the monkeys, birds and so more. Return for lunch at the Lodge and in the afternoon, you may embark on an optional visit to the Karisoke research center where you can visit the Dian Fossey Museum and also the graves of the Late Diane Fossey, an American primatologist who was murdered because she was protecting these endangered mountain Gorillas. Return for dinner and overnight stay at your accommodation.
Day 7: Golden Monkey Trek and Transfer back to Kigali.
After breakfast on the seventh day of your 9 Days Uganda Rwanda wildlife and primates Safari, you will go for golden monkey tracking. This activity also takes like 2-3 hours in the Virunga forest. Later return back to your lodge for early lunch and drive back to Kigali, arriving in the evening in time for dinner and an overnight stay at your hotel.
Day 8: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Afternoon boat cruise
Have breakfast from your hotel in the morning. You will be met by your driver guide at your agreed location in Kigali to transfer to Akagera national park, where you will arrive in time to embark on the late afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you will see game like hippopotamuses, Crocodiles and many bird species that live around the lake and the surrounding swamps. Dinner and overnight at lodge in Akagera Park.
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Transfer Back to Kigali.
After having breakfast at your lodge, check out of your lodge and meet up with your driver guide. You will then embark on a morning game drive where you will explore the northern sector of the national park. You may view a variety of wildlife animals, including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras and antelopes, among others.
Later, meet up with your guide and drive back to Kigali. Upon your arrival in Kigali city, you can choose to have your driver drop you off at any hotel of your choice of at Kigali international airport where you will board your flight back home.
End of your 9 Days Uganda Rwanda wildlife and primates Safari!
