13 Days Magical Adventure in Uganda & Rwanda

The 13 days magical adventure starts and ends in Kigali. It covers 2 gorilla destinations from 2 different countries that is Uganda and Rwanda. The trip will take you to Akagera national park where you will do an afternoon set of boat cruise and morning game drive. Your safari will continue to volcanoes national park where you will have a great time meeting the mountain gorillas. The safari will continue to Queen Elizabeth national park which is famous for the tree climbing lions and the Kazinga channel boat cruise. You will proceed to Bwindi impenetrable forest which has half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Finally! You will visit lake Bunyonyi which is commonly know as the Switzerland of Africa.

Detailed Itinerary: 13 Days Magical Adventure

Day 1: Arrival to Kigali

Welcome to Rwanda the land of “a thousand hills.” Our guide/ representative staff will be at the airport to pick you. He will then transfer you to your hotel in Rwanda for relaxation, overnight stay and dinner.

Accommodation: Hotel Des Mille Collines

Day 2: Transfer to Akagera national park

After breakfast, you will checkout of the lodge with the help of you guide for your transfer to Akagera national park where you will check in at the lodge for relaxation.

Accommodation: Ruzizi tented camp

Day 3: Morning Game drive & afternoon boat cruise

Akagera National Park is a Savannah park with Elephants, Hippos, Buffaloes and Lions. After an early breakfast we take a game drive in search of these animals, the game drive will take us to the northern part of the park where most of the animals prefer to inhabit. Look out for the Zebras, Giraffes and Impalas which are usually scattered along the game tracks.

Return to the lodge for lunch and you will take a boat safari on Lake Ihema for a beautiful mid-morning breeze and some sighting of birds and wildlife.

Accommodation: Ruzizi tented camp

Day 4: Transfer to volcanoes national park

After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge transfer to Volcanoes national park where you will check in at the lodge. You will have lunch and proceed to visit Elen DeGeneres museum by Diane Fossey for an optional tour. It’s a 20 minutes drive from the hiking point to Elen DeGeneres museum by Diane Fossey

Accommodation: Five volcanoes

Day 5: Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes national park

On this day, you will have a great time meeting with the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park! After a tasty breakfast, you guide will pick you from the lodge. You will head for briefing by ranger guides at 7:30 and at 8:30am with packed lunch. You will start the trek to hunt for the gorillas and after finding them you will spend with them a maximum of 1 hour. This walk can take 4-5 hours depending on where you meet the gorillas. The park is

steep, it is a real hiking and being physically fit is recommended. After trekking, you will return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Five volcanoes

Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park

After breakfast, you will checkout of the lodge and drive to Queen Elizabeth national park. This national park is famous for a variety of wildlife and chimpanzee species. This famous conservation area is bordered by Lake Edward in the south west an in the north east, it’s bordered by Lake George. This park was named after queen Elizabeth the second and it has a variety of animal species including the impalas, kobs, forest hogs, elephants, buffaloes, tree climbing lions, and the cape buffaloes. This national park is also filled with many volcanic calderas which harbor many flamingos on several seasons.

Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge

Day 7: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise.

Arise early enough and after breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive where you will see various animals like elephants, elands, antelopes, buffaloes, lions among others. After having your lunch at the lodge, you will transfer to Ishasha to see the famous tree climbing lions which can only be sighted at Queen Elizabeth National Park in the Ishasha sector. After the game drive, you will return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will do the afternoon set out for boat cruise on Kazinga channel where you will see various of animals like crocodiles, hippos, water bucks, buffaloes as well as birds like the storks, king fishers among others.

Accommodation: Mweya safari lodge

Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi National Park with a game drive in Ishasha

Have breakfast then set off for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park – famously known for its resident tree-climbing lions. The chance of spotting these lions is about 70% though sometimes they are hard to spot (most especially when they are down in the grassland looking for prey). Hoping you get the chance to spot them, the sight will be spectacular!

Continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is a big habitat for mountain gorillas in Uganda (harboring an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population) including several habituated groups, which you will trek. With a strenuous day ahead, you will do less on arrival but just check in your accommodation, relax as you prepare for the Bwindi gorilla trekking experience the following day.

Accommodation: Gorilla leisure lodge

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Talks Experience

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 lives 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. Your tracking experience will be an

exciting, yet challenging, journey along forested (often muddy and slippery) slopes, tangled vines, thick vegetation and bamboo forests before you reach the territory of these gentle giants.

En-route, your ranger will point out telltale signs of previous gorilla activity like dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots. Depending on the location of the gorillas on any given day the walk can take anything from 2 to 7 hours. Once the family of gorillas has been located, settle in to 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.

Encountering the mountain gorillas in the wild is a truly humbling and emotional experience, one that you are sure to remember for the rest of your life.

Accommodation: Gorilla leisure lodge

Day 10: Transfer to lake Bunyonyi

Arise at leisure, have breakfast and check out of the lodge for your transfer to lake Bunyonyi with packed lunch. Lake Bunyonyi is commonly known as the Switzerland of Africa. Upon arrival, you will check in at the lodge for relaxation as you contemplate on the adventure that lies ahead of you.

Accommodation: Bunyonyi eco resort

Day 11: Morning boat ride and afternoon Batwa visit

After a tasty breakfast at your lodge, you will and take a boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi to the numerous islands to sight see as well as view the various bird species.

You will then have lunch and proceed to visit the Batwa community. After the community visit.

Accommodation: Bunyonyi eco resort

Day 12: Transfer back to Kigali

After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Kigali via the Cyanika boarder. On arrival, you will check in at the lodge for relaxation.

Accommodation: Hotel Des Mille Collines

Day 13: City tour and transfer to the airport

At 7:00 am you will have breakfast and transfer to Kigali for the city tour. You will visit the genocide history with a visit to Gisozi genocide memorial museum where you will learn more about the history of genocide memorial and how it went throughout the country. After lunch, you will visit the fire house which is the area where the plane that was carrying president Habyarima was brought down, that late sparked the famous 1994 Rwanda genocide. You will then visit the Belgium museum and learn more about Rwanda’s culture. You will then be transferred to the airport for your flight back home.