12 Days Uganda Rwanda primates wildlife and cultural safari- Uganda and Rwanda are two beautiful countries to visit combined. Rwanda is blessed with stunning scenic hilly landscapes making her the land of a thousand hills with 4 national parks. Rwanda’s most visited national park is volcanoes located in the northwestern part of the country. The park has 10 habituated gorilla families open for tourism. Apart from mountain gorillas, volcanoes national park is a home of golden monkeys. The second most visited national park in Rwanda is Nyungwe forest national park famous for chimpanzees and other 12 primate species. Uganda on the other hand is known to be the pearl of Africa. In Uganda this trip will take you to Mgahinga national park for Batwa trail, Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla trekking, queen national park famous for tree-climbing lions, and Lake Mburo national park. The safari has activities among which include hiking, community tour, game drives, golden monkey trekking, colobus monkey trekking, gorilla trekking, and chimpanzee trekking

12 Days Uganda Rwanda Primates Wildlife And Cultural Safari highlights

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali International Airport

Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park – canopy walk

Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking and Isumo trial

Day 4: Colobus monkeys – transfer to Lake Kivu

Day 5: Transfer to volcanoes national park – community tour

Day 6: Golden monkey tracking – cross to Uganda – Kisoro

Day 7: Batwa community trail and transfer to Bwindi

Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

Day 10: Lion tracking / Game drive and Boat cruise

Day 11: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park

Day 12: Entebbe and departure

Detailed Itinerary 

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali International Airport

On this day you begin your exciting Uganda Rwanda primates wildlife and cultural safari. Africa adventure safari driver will pick you up from your residence or Kigali international airport on your arrival. You will be taken to your hotel for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury – Kigali Marriott Hotel, Mid-range – Hotel Villa Portofino, Budget – Yambi Hotel

Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park – canopy walk

After early morning breakfast, your driver-guide will be ready to start with you the journey to Nyungwe forest national park located on the southeastern side of Rwanda about a 6 – 7 hours’ drive from Kigali. On your way to the park, you will have a stopover for lunch after which proceed to the park to catch up with the afternoon canopy walk experience. You will go on a walking trail that will take you to the canopy walk which is 50 meters high above the ground suspended from large trees. During the canopy walk, you will be able to have an aerial view of the forest, the park the animals, and the forest birds. After the canopy walk, you will proceed to your booked lodge for evening relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Nyungwe House – luxury, Nyungwe Top View Lodge – mid-range, Gisakura Guest House – budget

Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking and Isumo trial

Today is one of your 12 days Uganda Rwanda primates wildlife and cultural safari highlight! After early morning breakfast, your driver-guide will transfer you to the park headquarters for briefing by the park rangers. You will be read the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing, you will be grouped and each group will be given a ranger guider to your group into the forest. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park takes 30 minutes to 5 hours as the chimpanzees are much easier to spot because they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. After finding the chimpanzees, you will be given a maximum of one hour to stay with them as you learn about their behaviors, watch them play, feed, hunt as you take photos, and record videos using flash-less cameras. After chimpanzee trekking, you will have your lunch. In the afternoon, you will visit Nyungwe’s biggest waterfall on the Isumo trail. The Isumo trail rewards you with sights of different birds and some primates. Walking the Isumo trail up and down Nyungwe forest is about 4 hours. After the walk, you will return to your lodge for relaxation. Dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Nyungwe House – luxury, Nyungwe Top View Lodge – mid-range, Gisakura Guest House – budget

Day 4: Colobus monkeys – Transfer to Lake Kivu

After morning breakfast, you will follow the same procedures as you went through the previous day of chimpanzee trekking. After briefing and grouping, you will head out to the jungle to look for these colobus monkeys. These primates are hard to spot as they stay on tree brunches jumping from one to another. The ranger guides do their best to help you get the best views of these primates. Finding colobus monkeys takes 2 to 5 hours depending on the location of these primates. On finding them you will be given an hour to stay with them learn about their behaviors, watch them go about their day to activities, take photos, and record videos. After colobus monkey trekking you will return to your lodge for lunch after which move to Kibuye with beautiful views of Virunga volcanoes and lake Kivu. You will check in your lodge near the shores of the lake for dinner and an overnight stay

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Lake Kivu, Serena – luxury, Inzoni Lodge – mid-range, Paradise Malahinde – Budget

Day 5: Transfer to volcanoes national park – community tour

After morning breakfast, you will meet up with your driver-guide ready to transfer you to Lake Kivu for a morning boat cruise in Gisenyi that may last 2 hours. After a boat cruise at lake Kivu you will have your lunch and thereafter start on your journey to Musanze which is about a 2 hours’ drive. Upon reaching Musanze you will visit Iby’Iwacu cultural village that aims at improving the life of ex poachers and communities around volcanoes national park Rwanda through the provision of conservation incentives, supporting community initiatives development, and livelihood-based projects. At the cultural village, you will be entered by the Kinyarwanda traditional dances who will dance for you Intore dance, you will have an opportunity of seeing traditional ceremonies and a guided community walk. After the community tour you will connect to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique hotel – luxury, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge – mid range, Garden palace Hotel – budget

Day 6: Golden monkey tracking – cross to Uganda – Kisoro

After morning breakfast, your driver will transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing about golden monkey trekking. After the briefing, you will connect to the tracking starting point and a ranger guide will lead you to the forest in search of these primates. Golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park takes you 1 to 5 hours with a closer view of other primates in the park such as vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys among others. After finding mountain gorillas you will be given a maximum of one hour to be with them as you learn about their behaviors, see them go about their day-to-day activities, take them photos and record the videos. After golden monkey trekking, you will get back to your lodge for lunch and later start your journey to Uganda via Cyanika border. The drive from volcanoes to Kisoro is about 3 hours. You will continue to your booked lodge in Kisoro for dinner and overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Lake Mutanda Safari Resort – luxury, Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge – mid-range, Travelers’ Rest Lodge – budget

Day 7: Batwa community trail and transfer to Bwindi

After morning breakfast, your driver guide will transfer you to Mgahinga national park for the Batwa community trail. The Batwa were the first people to settle in the Mgahinga forest before it was gazetted into a national park. You will with a Batwa guide who will brief you about the short trip and tell you the history of the Batwa. During the visit, you will learn about the way of life of Batwa, culture, food, and their activities such as hunting and beekeeping. You will also visit Ngarama caves where the Batwa used to live. After the trail, you will get back to your lodge for lunch and later drive to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Driving from Mgahinga to Bwindi is about 3 hours. On reaching, check-in your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Buhoma Lodge – luxury, Buhoma Haven Lodge – mid-range, Buhoma Community Rest Camp – budget

Day 8: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

This is the highlight of your 12 days Uganda Rwanda primates wildlife and cultural safari! Wake up early in the morning for a morning breakfast, get your packed lunch and be ready to meet your guide to transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking at around 7: 00 am, thereafter you will be allocated a gorilla group to trek, grouped into 8 and each group given a ranger guide. You will head into the forest but the time for finding mountain gorillas is unpredictable but it may take you 2 – 8 hours depending on the location of these gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park takes you through steep rocks climbing up and down which makes it tiresome but in an adventurous way. However, after a stay with these gorillas for one hour, you will return to the starting point for your gorilla trekking certificate then get back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Buhoma Lodge – luxury, Buhoma Haven Lodge – mid-range, Buhoma Community Rest Camp – budget

Day 9: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

After a relaxed breakfast, you will meet up with your driver-guide ready to transfer you to Queen Elizabeth national park via ishasha gate. You drive through ishasha sector and if you are lucky you will see tree-climbing lions. Seeing the lions is not a must but the driver will try his best. You will have a stopover at ishasha for your lunch while on your game drive. Later in the afternoon proceed to your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge – luxury, Parkview safari lodge – mid-range, Pumba safari cottages – mid-range

Day 10: Lion tracking and Boat cruise

After morning breakfast, your driver-guide will be ready to drive you to kasenyi are which is famous for game drives, and it’s also a mating ground for antelopes. During the game drive, you will get a chance to see different wild animals such as lions, buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kos, topis, and many nocturnal animals. During trekking, you will drive again through the ishasha sector for tree-climbing lions. After which go back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will go for an afternoon boat cruise which lasts for 2 hours. While on a boat cruise you will be able to see some of the animals you missed seeing during the game drive. You will see animals like crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes, and elephants. You will also see several different birds both residents and migratory. You’ll return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge – luxury, Parkview safari lodge – mid-range, Pumba safari cottages – mid-range

Day 11: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park

After morning breakfast, start on your journey to lake Mburo national park. When you reach Mbarara city have a stopover for lunch and proceed to Igongo cultural center where you will get to learn about the history and culture of Ankole kingdom. You will then continue to Lake Mburo national park, check-in at your lodge and head out for a horse ride for 2 hours and drive back to your lodge for relaxation. After dinner, you will go out for a night game drive with a park ranger to search for nocturnal animals, and on a lucky day, you might spot lions and buffaloes, after 2 hours of night game drive, you will return to your lodge to sleep.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Mihingo lodge – luxury, Rwakobo lodge – mid-range, Eagles nest lodge – budget

Day 12: Entebbe and departure

After morning breakfast, check out of your lodge and start your journey to Entebbe international airport with a stopover at the equator for photography and lunch will be served in Masaka town. You will continue to Entebbe international airport to end your 12 days Uganda Rwanda primates wildlife and cultural safari