12 Days Combined Uganda Rwanda Safari
12 Days Combined Uganda Rwanda Safari : This Days combined Uganda Rwanda safari that allows you to explore some of the best tourist destinations in the two East African countries for a period of two weeks. Interesting activities to look out for during this safari include rhino trekking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, game drives in both Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth national parks, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park, golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes national park and a coffee tour at Lake Kivu.
Highlights for 12 Days Combined Uganda Rwanda Safari
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Entebbe/Kampala – Hotel (optional Kampala city tour)
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – on-foot Rhino tracking and top of the falls visit
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park (6 hours’ drive)
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day 6: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga channel
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 10: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu community tour
Day 11: Transfer to Gisenyi – explore Lake Kivu
Day 12: Coffee Tour and Transfer to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 12 Days Combined Uganda Rwanda Safari
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Entebbe/Kampala – Hotel (optional Kampala city tour)
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will be met by our company representative/safari guide who will transfer you to your booked hotel for check-in in either Kampala/Entebbe. Depending on your time of arrival, you may have an option city tour in Kampala. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – on-foot Rhino tracking and top of the falls visit
Depending on your location in Kampala/Entebbe, you will be picked up your company representative/ driver to transfer to Murchison Falls National Park, en route Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary 3 hours’ drive from Kampala for Rhino trekking experience. Upon arrival at the rhino sanctuary, have a briefing, before you start the tracking, which takes about 1-2 hours’ drive. After tracking, meet your driver and continue to Murchison Falls National Park entering through Kichumbanyobo gate from Masindi town, drive to visit the top of the falls where you will also walk through the bakers trail as you watch the incredible falls before you proceed to your booked lodge to rest. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 3: Game drive and launch cruise
Early morning breakfast and then go for a morning game drive where you may spot various animal species like elephants, giraffes, lions, Uganda kobs among others. Return and have lunch then at 2pm, you will go for a launch cruise at the bottom of the Murchison Falls along River Nile, enjoy streaming views of hippo and serried ranges of crocodile along the sandbanks, as well as large numbers of different species getting down to drink & bathe. Dinner and overnight at lodge as the above
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park (6 hours’ drive)
You will have breakfast early and check-out of the lodge to embark on your journey to Kibale Forest National Park which is a 6-7 hours’ drive with lunch en-route in Fort Portal and sightseeing of the rolling hills and crater lakes. Upon arrival, check-in at the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
After breakfast, connect to the starting point where you will receive a briefing from the park official before going ahead with chimpanzee trekking. Enter the rainforest to start searching for the chimpanzees; this will take 2-5 hours to find the chimpanzees. On seeing them, you will spend 1 hour with the chimpanzees while taking pictures. You may also encounter animals like the forest elephants and so many other, also including different birds.
After tracking, return to the lodge for lunch. Later check out of the lodge to transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park. It’s about 3 hours’ drive. Upon arrival, check-in at your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Morning game drive/lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga channel
After breakfast, go for an early morning game drive in Kasenyi area of Queen Elizabeth national park where you will spot a lot of wildlife including African elephants, Lions, buffalos, antelopes, impala, among others and a lot of birds and a good day the leopards and lions. After the game drive return to the lodge for lunch.
Later afternoon, connect for a boat cruise along Kazinga channel where you will get an opportunity to see a number of bird species, elephants and buffaloes, hippos and crocodiles. The Kazinga channel is known to have the highest concentration of hippos. Retreat from the boat trip in the evening and check in your lodge for relaxation. Dinner and overnight stay as above.
Day 7: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, embark on your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha sector which is a home for the tree climbing lions, do another game drive where you will get an opportunity to the tree-climbing lions and then connect to Bwindi National Park, check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Gorilla trekking experience
Wake up early, have breakfast and connect to the forest with your packed food and water. The briefing from the park warden about the gorillas starts at 8 am where your will be guided on highlights about the way of life of the gorillas you will be tracking. The hike can take anything from 2-8 hours. Once you reach the gorillas, you are allowed to spend one hour with them as you stand 7 meters away. Return to your lodge. You afternoon can be spent with an optional Batwa community tour where you will learn about the Batwa and their culture. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, check-out and embark on your journey to cross to Rwanda via Cyanika border, proceed to Musanze with en-route lunch on the way. Upon arrival, proceed to your lodge to check-in. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 10: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu community tour
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for briefing about the golden monkeys. Volcanoes national park is also a home to the fascinating Golden monkeys, the park shares boarders with Virunga national park in Congo; it also has the most scenic as it stands at 3 volcanoes of Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo.
Later you will begin hiking over the volcanic terrains in search of the monkeys in the bamboo forest. It may take you 2-6 hours to find them depending on their location and you will be given 1 hour to spend with them while taking pictures before to return to your lodge for lunch. Later afternoon, drive to Ibyi’wacu cultural village to have an experience of the Rwandan culture and tradition. Later retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 11: Transfer to Gisenyi – explore Lake Kivu
After breakfast, connect to Lake Kivu, which is about 2 hours’ drive. Upon arrival, explore Lake Kivu and connect to Rubavu town at the shores of Lake Kivu where you will spend the rest of the day enjoying the shores while taking boat trips to the island of the lake, a town tour with lunch en-route and relaxing at the shores as you enjoy the breeze. Return to the hotel for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 12: Coffee Tour and Transfer to Kigali
After breakfast, you will head out for a coffee tour where you will learn how coffee in Rwanda is grown, harvested, processed and packaged for consumption both locally and internationally. You will also get a chance to have a taste of some authentic Rwanda-made coffee. Later have lunch and transfer back to Kigali. Upon arrival in Kigali late afternoon your safari driver will drop you off at Kigali airport on time for your check-in for your onward flight back home marking the end of the safari.
End of 12 Days Combined Uganda Rwanda Safari!
