14 – Days Uganda and Rwanda Safaris

Wake up very early in the morning for breakfast, then drive from Entebbe to Mabamba swamp for birding and searching for the Shoe Bill stork in its natural environment. The local community organise a boat tour with experts birding guides to see the shoe bill stork as well as other wet land birds species. This trip is popular for both birders and non-birder, and gives a unique opportunity to experience the natural wetland environment. You will see very many bird species and get the opportunity of taking pictures.

Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National park

After the birding, your guide will drive you to Queen Elizabeth National park with a lunch stop via the Equator and toilet stop, you will even carry out the Equator experiment after which you will be transferred to your lodge in Queen, via Kasese towards Queen Elizabeth National Park, set on the floor of the Rift Valley, with the (occasionally visible peaks of the) Rwenzori Mountains behind you. The landscape of northern Queen Elizabeth comprises dozens of ancient craters carved into gentle rolling hills.

Overnight Buffalo Safari Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake early morning have breakfast and also request for your packed lunch then embark on your early morning game drive. A popular route for the game drive is the Kasenyi sector, well-known for its lions that prey on Queen Elizabeth’s large population of Uganda Kob (antelope). If you are very lucky, you may spot a Giant Forest Hog, Africa’s largest pig and lots of Bird species. Keep your eyes peeled to spot an elusive leopard! During this drive you will also have the opportunity to do Lion tracking with the researchers who will be tracking and leading you to were the Lions or leopard are and this is a great opportunity for taking pictures. Have your packed lunch, and in the afternoon, you will take a boat for a water safari on the Kazinga Channel at Mweya that connects the two lakes of Edward and George. This is likely to be a big highlight of your trip! The expert Uganda Wildlife Authority guides will identify many of the Channel’s 100 bird species and you’re likely to see African Skimmers, Great White Pelicans, Spoonbill and a number of Bee-eater species. Hippos wallow at the edge of the water, huge Nile crocodiles bask in the sun and elephants come down to drink

Overnight at Buffalo Safari Lodge (FB)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

06:00-Wake up early morning for your hearty breakfast, ready for your Chimpanzee trekking activity. Make sure to ask the hotel staff for a packed lunch that morning. You will drive to Kalinzo forest at the edges of Queen Elizabeth National. Reach in time for the briefing then you start your chimpanzee trekking activity.
After your trekking, you will head to the lodge and rest for the rest of the day.

Overnight at Buffalo Safari Lodge (FB)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Wake up early morning for breakfast the driver will transfer you to Bwindi Impenetrable national park. You drive through Ishasha in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National park and famously known as home to the trip climbing lions. You will also identify a few beautiful birds fly about along the way.  Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and one of the richest biological and botanical regions in the world. The forest covers an area of 331 km² at the south-western edge of the western Rift Valley. Bwindi’s most-revered species are the approximately 350 wild Mountain Gorillas that make up just over half of the world population of these gentle apes. Bwindi bird watching is highly recommended by the African Bird Club. Overnight at Broad Bill forest Camp

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

07:00-You will be up early on the morning of your Gorilla Tracking for a good breakfast in preparation for the day’s physical activity. You will report for registration at the Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger station by 8 AM. After a briefing by the rangers, your gorilla trek will start. The trek usually takes between three and six hours so a reasonable degree of fitness is required, as well as a strong pair of walking boots or shoes.

The rangers will guide you through the village gardens and into the jungle-like forest. They will escort you through the sometimes thick bush, occasionally hacking the dense undergrowth with a machete as you search to locate the gorillas. The mountain gorillas are under 24 hour monitoring for their own safety, so you’re almost guaranteed to see them. The rangers monitor each gorilla family by keeping in close radio contact.

In part due to gorilla tourism, the population of gorillas is slowly increasing but the species remains critically endangered. Gorillas and humans share almost identical genetic material and their health must not be compromised by coming into contact with human diseases (via our food, for example). To reduce transmission of disease from humans to gorillas, you will also be advised to keep a distance of 7 metres from the gorillas.

Once you have located the gorilla family, you will be asked to leave all your belongings to one side, and approach the gentle giants, just with your camera. The guides will interpret the animals’ behavior and advise on what you are watching. Females and their young, young males and even a dominant Silverback may be seen: feeding, playing, interacting with each other, or just sleeping! You will never forget your encounter with the gorillas. They will be quite curious to see you! You are allowed exactly one hour with the gorillas before returning to base. Overnight at Broad Bill forest Camp

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

06:00-We take up early morning have breakfast then transfer to Rwanda. You will cross the Uganda-Rwanda boarder and proceed. Depending on the time you visit the twin lakes lake Burela and Mulondo the later after lunch, head out for your Kayaking on the lake. Paddling out onto Lake Kivu we find a picturesque coastline where traditional fishing boats ply the azure waters and lush, verdant hills reach up around us. Go fast or enjoy a gentle pace whist enjoying the silence of the open water and watch for the many birds that dart in and out of bushes along the shoreline. Lunch en-route and after you will drive to your hotel and check in Dinner and Overnight Paradise Malahide Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

08:00-Today you will have breakfast, then transfer from Kivu to Musanze, on arrival you will check in at your lodge followed by lunch. After lunch, you will proceed for your cultural experience.

You will enjoy cultural entertainment at ibyi iwacu cultural village.

IBYIWACU CULTURAL VILLAGE is changing traditional perceptions of what constitutes tourism by turning fate into fame through sharing various aspects of rural cultures and livelihoods into tourist attractions and creating income-generating activities for rural poor people that have lived on bush meat, poaching for generations. The village provides tourists experiences beyond wildlife viewing, the people, culture and how they live. The village also gives a chance to the visitors to enjoy the eight different local dances, listen to Gorilla songs, local food preparations, visit the local healer, visit the king’s place and get to hear all the old stories.

You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Da vinci Gorilla Lodge

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Trekking to the Dian Fossey Tomb is one of the most sought after safari activities while visiting Volcanoes National Park. The trek involves a 30 minutes’ drive from the park headquarters to the trail head to access the Karisoke research camp where visitors walk for 10minutes to the park boundary. The walk from the park boundary to the research center where the Dian’s grave is, takes about an hour to 1 hour and half hours and affords good views of forest hogs, forest elephants, a variety of primates and bird species.

This hike is an incredible experience physically, emotionally and intellectually. It is so inspiring to learn about someone who was so dedicated and left a legacy that exists even today. The hike involves moving through the forests and hiking up the slopes and therefore requires some relative degree of fitness and patience.  At the site you will find the house from where Dian Fossey was mysteriously murdered in 1985 but the more peaceful is the place where she was buried just next to her favorite gorilla friend, Digit and about 20 other mountain gorillas either killed by poachers or suffered death for other reasons. You will return to the lodge for lunch and afternoon visit the Diana FosseyMuseum in Musanze town.

Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Early in the morning at 06:00 am you will have breakfast and transfer to RDB park offices for golden monkey trekking briefing that takes place at 07:00 am. You will then start your walk at 8:00 am.

There are two habituated groups of Golden Monkey, one group comprises around 80 – 100 members and has its home at the foot of Mt Sabyinyo. As with treks to see the Mountain Gorillas, treks to see the Golden Monkeys take place in the mornings and visitors are permitted to stay for 1 hour with the monkeys. After that head  back to lodge.

Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Wake up early morning for breakfast. Your driver guide will transfer you to Kigali international Airport in due time for your out bound flight.