Overview
As you look forward to satisfying your mountain gorilla dream encounter, embark on an 8 days Uganda Rwanda gorilla circuit. However, it is not all gorilla experience, as you will also encounter other wildlife species. Your trip will start from Entebbe International Airport and end at Kigali International Airport. As you journey across Uganda, you will venture through Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. A walk with chimpanzee primates in Kibale National Park will ignite your adventure spirit as you move to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Far to the highlands, you will encounter the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Cross the border to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park for a primate adventure of golden monkeys and gorillas. Pay your last respects to Dian Fossey as you hike to her grave after a cultural encounter at Ibyi’wacu cultural village. With this knowledge about your trip, dive with us into the details of your itinerary.
Summary of itinerary
- Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa
- Day 2: Game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
- Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Day 4: Game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 5: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Day 6: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural village
- Day 7: Gorilla trekking and Dian Fossey hike
- Day 8: Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa
As you enter Uganda at Entebbe International Airport, our driver guide will usher you in and briefly take you through the summary of how your trip will go. After that, you will journey to Murchison Falls National Park via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary with lunch en route. Upon arrival at Ziwa, you will be welcomed by the guide range. After going through a few rules about rhino encounters, you will head to the jungles. Ziwa is a sustainable habitat where there are no game drives therefore, rhinos are encountered on a walking safari. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place to spot rhinos in the country. After your rhino encounters, you will hit the road to Murchison Falls National Park. By evening, you will be checking into your lodge inside the park for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Game drive and transfer to Kibale Forest National Park
In the morning, you will wake up to an early breakfast before our guide driver picks you up for a game drive. Embark on a game drive experience in Uganda’s largest protected area and complete your Big 5 encounter as you spot the last 4 animals, lions, elephants, leopards, and rhinos. While on this game drive, you will also spot other species like warthogs, waterbucks, oribis, reedbucks, hyenas, and antelopes. You will conclude your drive with a visit to Murchison Falls, the world’s strongest waterfall. Marvel at the sheer power of the falls as it shoots up the vapor before dropping down as vapor rain. Return to your lodge for lunch and check out. Our driver guide will take you on a journey to Kibale Forest National Park. Embrace the scenic views of the countryside while on your journey. You will arrive in the park in the evening and check into your book lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
The morning glory bird is the alarm of the forest as its music starts early, waking you up for breakfast. Our guide driver early to the lodge will transfer you to the park offices for a pre-trekking briefing. This briefing highlights the rules and regulations expected from visitors heading for a chimpanzee trek. After this, you are grouped into groups of 6 people and allocated a chimpanzee troupe and a guide ranger. Follow the echoes of the chimps in the lead with a range through the dense forest canopies. In about 4-6 hours, you will encounter the chimpanzee primates as they feed, play, and rest. You will be given an hour in their presence and capture these memories for the future. You will then return to the offices as our guide driver will be waiting to transfer you back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park with a stopover at the famous Rest in Banana for a taste of the local brew. You will learn a thing or two about how the fresh banana is fermented into local spirits and wines. Later, journey through the stunning views of the highly green landscape to Queen Elizabeth National Park. At dusk, you will be checking into your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 4: Game drive and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
A game drive to the famous Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park will be next on the agenda after your delicious breakfast. Ishasha sector is full of life, and from the moment our guide driver ushers you into this sector, you will spot several wildlife species, such as elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, antelopes, and the most sought-after tree-climbing lions. You will witness an epic adventure as the lions rest high up in the tree branches. This game drive experience will bring you till noon when you return to the lodge for lunch and check out. After your delicious lunch, you will embark on a journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will have a brief stopover at the tea plantation and factory to learn how tea is manufactured as you follow the steps from the harvesting. Later, continue your journey to Bwindi, and by evening, check into your lodge inside the park, have dinner, and rest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
At dawn, you will wake up for an early breakfast to prepare for the day. Early as it will be, our driver guide will transfer you to the park offices for a briefing. This briefing is designed to prepare you for the gorilla trekking experience. You will learn about the rules and regulations of trekking gorillas and also what is expected of you after locating the mountain gorillas. After this briefing, you are grouped in groups of 8 and allocated a gorilla family to trek in a specific sector. These primates are social and thus live in groups called gorilla families. You will be assigned a guide ranger to go lead through the jungles of Bwindi. After about 5-7 hours in the dense vegetation of the park, you will meet the gentle giant primates. Your hour will then start ticking as you enjoy an epic experience with the endangered mountain gorillas as they feed, play, and rest. After that, you will return to the head offices and be driven to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you will check and journey across the border to Volcanoes National Park. As the set fades away for the night, you will be checking into your booked lodge in the park. Enjoy a delicious dinner under the cover of darkness as the birds sing you goodnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural village
Your first morning in Volcanoes National Park will be started with an early breakfast. You will head to the briefing center at the park headquarters for a pre-trekking briefing. This session highlights the expected code of conduct around the golden monkeys, plus the rules and regulations. Golden monkeys are rare small primates and the second most popular after the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Traverse the dense forest canopies of the park to their natural habitats following a track of bamboo leftovers. Each allocated community of golden monkeys is trekked by 6 people therefore, during the briefing, you will be grouped. After enjoying an hour with the golden monkeys after locating them, you will return to the offices and later to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you will journey to the Ibyi’wacu cultural village for a cultural experience of the Rwandan people. You will experience their culture and be informed of values, norms, and beliefs. You will also experience their care and love for the Inyambo and elegant breed of long-horned cattle known for the royals. The cultural dancers will entertain you with their traditional songs and dances. This experience will take you until evening, when you return to the lodge for dinner and rest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 7: Gorilla trekking and Dian Fossey hike
As your safari trip nears conclusion, you will take on a gorilla trekking experience immediately after your breakfast. The briefing session will be held at the head offices to prepare you for the trek, and our driver guide will take you there in time. After the grouping and allocation of the gorilla family to trek, a guide ranger will lead the search in the thickets of Volcanoes National Park. Over 4-5 hours in the forest, you will encounter the endangered mountain gorillas as they go by with their chores of feeding, resting, and grooming their young. You will be awarded an hour in their presence, where you will exhaust it with pictures and interact with the primates. Later, you will return to the lodge for lunch as you cool off from the trek. In the afternoon, you will embark on a hiking adventure to the burial site of Dian Fossey. She was a renowned primatologist and conservationist who operated in the park. She is considered the mother of the mountain gorillas because of her work of conservation and saving them from poaching. Unfortunately, she died at the hands of the poacher while fighting for the conservation of these primates. Her grave lies in her previous research center, Karisoke. A hike to her grave is a show of respect to the fallen heron and also an insight into her works. This hike will bring you to the evening when you return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 8: Departure
As breakfast is served, the last day of your 8 days Uganda-Rwanda gorilla circuit feels as if the safari came to an end so soon. Well, this is what these two epic destinations have to offer as they leave you yearning for more. You will check out of the lodge and hit the road slowly back to the city. You will have lunch as you interact with the locals and buy a few souvenirs. You will then continue with your journey to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight back home.