14-Day Rwanda and Uganda with Gorillas, Chimps & Big Five

You will be picked up from your hotel/lodge by a Ngoni Safaris guide who will drive you to the Genocide Memorial before continuing to Akagera National Park which is about two hours away from Kigali.

You will have lunch at the lodge and enjoy a boat ride on Lake Ihema in the afternoon.

You will start the day with an early morning game drive through the park in search of lions, elephants, buffalos, Masai giraffes and many others. You will return to the lodge for lunch. You will have another game drive in the afternoon in search of more animals including gazelles, impala, baboons, oribi, Butchel’s zebras, topis, bush babies, leopards, bushbucks, and elands.

You will have breakfast and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is framed by lush, green-terraced hills that reach a height of (2,200 – 2,478m) with 29 islands of various shapes and sizes scattered across the water. This makes it most magical — you could admire them all day. You shall have an exciting boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi. In the afternoon, you may have optional activities; a canoe boat ride, a swim in the Bilharzia free lake, you may also explore a nearby village. Residents are happy about your visit and are open to explaining their daily lives.

You will be up and have your breakfast served then have a morning canoe boat on Lake Bunyonyi. Thereafter, transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda (harbouring an estimated 400 mountain gorillas—roughly half of the world’s population), including several habituated groups, that can be tracked. With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation and relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience the following day.

You will wake up early morning, have breakfast and have a briefing before entering the forest for gorilla tracking. Encountering the rare and endangered mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an experience of a lifetime. Half of the world’s population of gorillas live under the mist-covered canopies of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforest. In the company of an experienced park ranger, you will be tracking the whereabouts of one of the nine habituated family groups who live in the park. Depending on the location of the gorillas on any given day, the walk can take anywhere from 2 to 7 hours. Once the family of gorillas has been located, you'll settle into your surroundings and enjoy the hour you have to quietly observe these fascinating primates whose habits and mannerisms remind us so much of our own.
If time and energy allow, you will visit the Batwa people and learn about their culture, way of life and know their origin.

You'll have breakfast then set off to Ishasha Sector—famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is about 70% though sometimes they are really hard to spot (most especially when they’re down in the grassland looking for prey). Hoping you get the chance to spot them, the sight will be spectacular! You will also be able to see other wildlife such as the Uganda kob, Cape buffalos, elephants and warthogs in addition to the tree-climbing lions. Thereafter, you'll head to the accommodation for relaxation, dinner and later an overnight stay.

You will have breakfast then transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will arrive at your accommodation, check in, have lunch, relax at the hotel and then head for an evening game drive. The park is home to 618 bird species which is the 6th highest diversity in the world and the highest in Africa making it a perfect destination for Uganda birding safaris, in addition to 10 primate species like chimpanzees and 95 mammals including big game.

You'll wake up early and have your breakfast. You will then proceed for a morning game drive in the park, along the Kasenyi Plains and be on the look for lions, elephants, leopards (though hard to spot), bushbucks, Cape buffaloes, waterbucks, giant forest hogs, Uganda kobs among others. You'll return to your accommodation for some rest time and lunch.
In the afternoon, you will go for your boat cruise at Kazinga Channel and then transfer to Kibale National Park.

After early morning breakfast, we will pick you up from a hotel or guesthouse of your choice in Entebbe or Kampala and leave for Kibale National Park. We will stop on the way for lunch and beautiful scenery. In the afternoon, you will arrive at Kibale National Park, sleeping with the noises of the tropical rainforest.

You will have breakfast and head to the trekking point where you will receive some briefing on the dos and don’ts during chimp trekking. Thereafter, you will proceed to trek the chimps in the Kibale Forest. An experienced ranger guide will take you chimp tracking and you will marvel at the sights of primates here. Once you locate the chimpanzees, you will have a full hour with them. You will return to your accommodation for some rest time and lunch. Later, you will go out for the Bigodi swamp walk. The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary is a fascinating area, located in the Magombe swamp. This area is recognized for its extensive array of biodiversity among which are several primate species like the baboons, black and white Colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and the L’Hoest monkey. The Bigodi is also a paradise for bird watchers. Among the major bird species within the sanctuary is the grand blue turaco.

After breakfast, you will set off for the drive to Murchison Falls National Park. You will be there at around lunchtime. When you have finished your lunch, it is time to experience the top of the falls. It is an amazing feeling to stand there enjoying the view and hearing the water roar. You will have a relaxed evening at the lodge.

After an early breakfast, it is time to explore the park. On the game drive, you will spot as many animals as possible. While driving through the park, you can come eye-to-eye with the African animal kingdom. Hopefully, you see them all; elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, different species of antelope and many tropical birds. They are all there! A professional ranger with extensive knowledge of the park and its inhabitants will join you in your car. The park is especially known for its massive elephant population, the huge array of bird species and big herds of buffalo.

The afternoon boat safari towards Murchison Falls is a very special activity. It takes approximately 3 hours and goes along the Victoria Nile to the base of the Falls. You can imagine; this boat safari will show you breathtaking scenery.

After breakfast, you will transfer to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking. After rhino tracking, you will have your lunch and then start your journey to Entebbe Airport for your flight.