The 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday is an extraordinary safari that starts from Kigali, Rwanda, and ends in Kampala, Uganda. The safari will take you to different national parks, including Volcanoes National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National Park also known as the primate capital and Murchison Falls National Park. During the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will be able to engage in game drives and boat cruises where you will be able to spot different animals like buffaloes, lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and giraffes, among others. You will also 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 environment.
Highlights of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 3: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 5: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale National Park- afternoon Chimpanzee trekking
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 itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Depending on your location in Kigali on the first day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will be welcomed by a company representative from Achieve Global Safaris who will brief you about the safari and then go for a city tour in Kigali, where you will visit the Kigali genocide memorial Centre, Kimironko market, art centers, among others. After the city tour, you will have lunch and later start the journey to Volcanoes National Park with stunning views on the way. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for an evening dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Bwindi national park
On the second day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will have an early breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for the golden monkey 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 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, habits, watch them feed, play, jump up in tree branches, take photos, and record videos to show people back home.
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 start the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with en-route lunch and stunning views of the rolling hills, traditional homesteads, Kigezi hills, tea and banana plantations, among others on the way. Upon arrival in Bwindi National Park, you will connect to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking experience
On the third day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will have breakfast and carry your packed lunch to go for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest, which 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 primates, different bird species, plant and tree species, among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their environment, where you will get an opportunity to learn about their habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, groom young ones, take photos, and record videos to show people back home after the safari.
After the encounter with the mountain gorillas, you will meet up with your driver guide and return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
On the fourth day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will have breakfast at the lodge, check out, and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On the way, you will have a stopover in 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 Ishasha sector, you will have en-route lunch and then proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience and afternoon boat cruise
After an early breakfast on the fifth day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, 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’ 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, antelopes drinking water along the shores, view aquatic bird species like cormorants, hornbills, kingfishers, and bee-eaters, among others. After the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Transfer to Kibale forest national park, afternoon chimpanzee trekking experience
On the sixth day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge, and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kibale forest national park, which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive. Upon arrival, you will check into the lodge for lunch.
After lunch, you will transfer to Kanyachu 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 one hour with the chimpanzees, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park
On the seventh day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Murchison Falls National Park. The journey takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive, and on the way, you will have a stopover en route, to stretch your legs and take pictures of the stunning views of the Rwenzori peaks, farmlands, landscape, tea plantations, among others. Upon arrival, you will drive directly to the top of the falls, where you will enjoy views of the most powerful waterfall and later drive to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
On the eighth day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, 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, 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 9: Departure to Kampala
On the last day of the 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday, you will have breakfast at leisure, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey to Kampala. 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 Kampala, arriving early evening, and upon arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at Kampala international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of your choice.
End of 9 days Rwanda and Uganda holiday
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Golden monkey trekking permit
- Park entrance fee/game drives
- Boat cruise
- Lion tracking experience
- Rhino tracking
- Services of a professional English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up from Kigali 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.
