The 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour is an exceptional tour that starts from Entebbe Uganda and ends from Kigali Rwanda. The safari will take you to different national parks including Murchison Falls National Park which is the biggest national park, Kibale Forest National Park also known as the primate capital, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Volcanoes National Park which is famously known for harbouring the endangered mountain gorillas. During the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will be able to engage in game drives and boat cruises where you will be able to spot different animals, engage in an adventurous chimpanzee, golden monkey, and gorilla trekking activity where you will get a chance to spend time with the chimpanzees, golden monkeys and mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Highlights of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park via ziwa rhino sanctuary
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 10: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 11: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
Day 12: Departure to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Entebbe
Depending on your arrival time at Entebbe International Airport on the first day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will be welcomed by a company representative from Achieve Global Safaris who will brief you about the safari and then transfer you to the hotel in Entebbe for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National park-via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
After breakfast on the second day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel to start the journey to Murchison Falls National Park. On the way, you will have a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking, and then you can continue the journey with another stopover for en-route lunch. After lunch you will proceed to Murchison Falls National Park and upon arrival, you will drive to the top of the falls where you will enjoy stunning views of the most powerful waterfall and later connect to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
On the third day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will have an early breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to spot different animals like giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, view lions and leopards looking for a morning hunt, spot different bird species among others. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for an amazing boat cruise to the bottom of the falls where you will be able to view hippos and crocodiles in water, view buffaloes, elephants, and antelopes along the shores, view water birds like kingfishers, cormorants, fish eagles, bee-eaters among others. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
On the fourth day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. The journey takes about 6 to 7 hours drive and on the way you will have en-route lunch and enjoy stunning views of the Rwenzori peaks, farmlands, landscape, and tea plantations among others. Upon arrival, you will connect to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast on the fifth day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will carry your packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a chimpanzee trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest with an experienced park guide which takes about 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located. During trekking, you will be able to view different primate species, birds, plant and tree species among others and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their habitat where you will be able to learn about their habits, behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, rest, build new nests, take photos and record videos.
After the encounter with the chimpanzees, you will return back to the lodge for lunch where you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
After an early breakfast on the sixth day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to spot animals like lions, leopards, hyenas looking for a morning hunt, view other animals like waterbucks, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, view different bird species among others. After the game drive, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for an amazing boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel a water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. During the boat cruise which takes about 2 to 3 hours to drive, you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos in the water, view Nile crocodiles basking on the water banks, view buffaloes, elephants, and antelopes drinking water along the shores, view aquatic bird species like cormorants, hornbills, kingfishers, bee-eaters among others. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
On the seventh day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will have breakfast at the lodge, check out and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the way, you will enjoy stunning views and also have a stopover in the Ishasha sector where you will be able to view the tree-climbing lions lying on acacia/fig tree branches if you are lucky. After the game drive in the Ishasha sector, you will have an en-route lunch and then proceed to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park
After an early breakfast on the eighth day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will carry your packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the jungle in search of the habituated mountain gorillas which takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located. During trekking, you will be able to view other primate species, birds, plant and tree species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, groom young ones, take photos and record amazing videos to show people back home.
After the encounter with the mountain gorillas, you will return to the starting point where you will be issued a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and then meet up with your driver guide to return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
On the ninth day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Volcanoes National Park. On the way, you will have en-route lunch and upon arrival, you will connect to your lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Day 10: Gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park
After an early breakfast on the tenth day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will carry your packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing about the rules, regulations, and expectations. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the jungle in search of the habituated mountain gorillas which takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are located. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you a chance to learn about their behaviors, and habits, and watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, grooming young ones, take photos and record videos.
After the one hour with the mountain gorillas, you will return to the starting point where you will be issued a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and later meet up with your driver guide to return back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
On the eleventh day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will have an early breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for Golden Monkey trekking. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest with an experienced park guide which takes about 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on where the golden monkeys are located. Once the golden monkeys are located, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which helps you to learn about their behaviors, watch them feed, play, jump up in tree branches, take photos, and record videos.
After the one hour with the golden monkeys, you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch where after you will go for an interesting Ibyi’wacu cultural tour where you will interact with the local people, learn about their culture, way of living, visit their homesteads, listen to the ancient stories, enjoy their local dishes, traditional performances among others. After the cultural tour, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Departure to Kigali
On the last day of the 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour, you will have breakfast at leisure, check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey back to Kigali. Upon arrival in Kigali, you will go for a short city tour where you will visit the Kigali genocide memorial center, art centers, and Kimironko market among others. After the city tour, you will have lunch and later your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali International Airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of advice.
End of 12 days Uganda Rwanda safari tour
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Golden monkey trekking permits
- Park entrance fee/game drives
- Rhino tracking
- Top of Falls Drive
- Boat cruise
- Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
- Kigali city tour
- Services of a professional English-speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off in Entebbe
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Life insurance
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, cigarettes, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
