13 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari  – Overview

A well-planned 13 days Uganda Rwanda safari is a classical safari for both wildlife and nature lover. On this trip, you will experience the beauty of Rwanda – the “land of a thousand Hills.” Enjoy the different backdrops and Landscape of Rwanda as you turn along the hilly roads. The parks are a mixture of savannah, forest, and mountainous. You will trek Chimps and Colobus monkeys in Nyungwe forest, and trek mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Volcanoes national park. 13 days Uganda Rwanda safari is one to think of when planning a visit to Rwanda and Uganda for cultural and primate trekking.


Where to go gorilla trekking (Rwanda vs Uganda)#gorillas| best place to see gorillas in Africa.

Quick Tour Details

  • Day 01: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park
  • Day 02: Drive to Lake Bunyonyi from Lake Mburo
  • Day 03: Transfer to Mgahinga
  • Day 04: Gorilla Trekking
  • Day 05: Transfer to Rwanda
  • Day 06: Golden Monkeys – Iby’lwacu Cultural experience
  • Day 07: Transfer to Gisenyi
  • Day 08: Kibuye Karongi
  • Day 09: Transfer to Bukaua
  • Day 10: Low land gorilla trekking
  • Day 11: Transfer to Kigali
  • Day 12: Kigali City Tour
  • Day 13: Departure

Detailed Itinerary for 13 Days Uganda Rwanda safari

Day 01: Transfer to Lake Mburo National Park

Your tour driver shall pick you up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe at 7 am prompt, earlier depending on location, and drove off to Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda. This will be a 3 – 4 hours drive. On arrival at the park, you shall check into the lodge and go out for a short game drive and explore the lush savannah and acacia woodlands to spot a number of wildlife.

After lunch, you shall drive through the game tracks and later go for the boat cruise on Lake Mburo that will expose to more wildlife and amazing scenery!

Optional: night safari.

You can go out for a night safari in the park to see the nocturnal species. Predators like hyenas and leopards are most active at this time and chances of seeing them are high.

Meal Plan: Lunch and dinner

Day 02: Drive to Lake Bunyonyi from Lake Mburo

Following breakfast, you will depart your hotel and drive to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is located in Kabale district close to the Uganda-Rwanda border and it is the deepest lake in East Africa Bilharzia free lake for human consumption in different activities like swimming. Upon reaching the lake with great views of rolling hills, and the beautiful sceneries.  You will then enjoy a boat cruise to the islands. Later in the evening, you will drive to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 03: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

After breakfast, your driver-guide will pick you up and embark on a transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You will arrive in the late afternoon and head directly for a cultural visit to the Batwa village.  In the evening, you will drive to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 04: Gorilla Trekking

This is your day for a “life-changing event”; Mountain gorilla tracking. Start early with a heavy breakfast at the lodge (by 06:00h), then drive to the park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park. You must be physically fit to go gorilla trekking. The trek takes 2 -8 hours depending on the movement of these Gentle Giants in their natural habitat! You can hire a porter to assist you during the trek, he can pull or push you where necessary, and he can carry your packed water and lunch. We shall later return to your lodge for refreshment, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Hirwa Mountain Gorilla Family

Hirwa Mountain Gorilla Family

Day 05: Transfer to Rwanda

Following Breakfast, you will depart your lodge and drive to Rwanda’s famous Volcanoes National Park. We will arrive in time for lunch, have a picnic lunch before we continue with our adventure to the Twin Lakes. While here, you will enjoy a beautiful scenery of a country with several hill and fascinating vegetation cover. After the tour, we shall head to your booked accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner

Day 06: Golden Monkeys – Iby’lwacu Cultural experience

After breakfast, you will head out for golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park. Golden Monkeys are more active compared to the Mountain Gorilla and tracking the is really challenging though worth doing. You will enjoy watching these beautiful monkeys play in the tree branches. While here, there is lot more to spot such as Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), buffaloes (Syncerus caffer), elephants, and black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus niger), and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) that inhabit the tropical rain forests.. The park also harbors 178 bird species including at least 29 endemics to the Rwenzori Mountains and the Virungas. Later in the afternoon, you will head for a cultural visit, to Iby’lwacu village for your cultural experience.  The place is one of the best spots to hide, relax and recuperate your mind. The tranquility and hospitality of these locals is absolutely incredible as they will welcome you with a warm smile.

The village displays a traditional lifestyle of Rwandan Including dress code, food growing, processing and preparation, traditional ceremonies, and interpersonal relationships.

While here, you will enjoy different types of traditional dances performed by the locals like Intore Dance, and Ibyivugo using local and traditional musical instruments, like Umuduri, Ikembe, Iningiri, Inanga, Ingoma, Amakondera, and Agakenke among others

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 07: Transfer to Gisenyi

Following breakfast, you will depart your lodge and head to the northwestern part of the country, particularly, Gisenyi. Gisenyi, historically rendered as Kisenyi, is a city in the Rubavu district in Rwanda’s Western Province. Gisenyi is contiguous with Goma, the city across the border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While here, you will enjoy a boat cruise and have a chance to overlook the Active Volcano. You will later drive to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 08: Kibuye Karongi

Following breakfast, you will depart your hotel and drive to Kibuye. Kibuye is a city in the Karongi District and the headquarters of the Western Province in Rwanda. You will enjoy a tea plantation visit and a visit to the genocide memorial site. Kibuye is home to a genocide memorial marking the massacre of 90% of the town’s Tutsi population in the Rwandan Civil War. Later drive to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner

Day 09: Transfer to Bukaua

After a lazy breakfast, you will depart your accommodation and drive to Bukavu in Congo. The journey is about three and half hours. Upon arrival, you will check in your hotel and have a deserved rest as you prepare for the next adventure.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 10: Low land gorilla trekking

Today following breakfast, you will drive to Kahuzi Biega National Park from where you will embark on a lowland gorilla trek in the tropical African forest.  Gorillas are large forest-dwelling apes that live in the forests, swamps, and lowland areas of East, West, and Central Africa. Like mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas are peaceful and quiet apes – They can bark, roar or scream when the need arises. You will surely enjoy a life-changing moment here before driving back to your Bukavu for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Gorilla trekking Congo

Lowland Gorilla trekking in Congo

Day 11: Transfer to Kigali

Today after a hefty breakfast, you will head to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital for relaxation. Upon your arrival, you will check-in at your hotel and have lunch. You will then spend the rest of the days in your hotel relaxing.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 12: Kigali City Tour

The city tour starts with a visit to the Genocide memorial center for an emotional witness to the graveyard of thousands of genocide victims including young children. Thereafter visit the Kandt Museum of Natural History where you can learn about the co-existence of the people and their environment in the old colonial Buildings. Visit Ivuka Arts studios in kacyiru. A place where talented local artists make fine arts.

You will then proceed to Rwamakondera Children’s Dance Troupe and enjoy Rwandan Traditional Dances as they practice at Ivuka Art Studios every Saturday.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner

Day 13: Departure

Today after breakfast at your hotel, your driver-guide will pick you up and drive you to Kigali International airport to catch your outbound flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

End of the 13 Days Uganda Rwanda Safari