The 15 days In Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo give you the best lifetime experience. Travelling through the only three mountain gorilla homes in Africa and the world as a whole is unbeatable. A trip that takes you to Uganda’s gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park and the tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park is simply unforgettable.
Then proceed to Rwanda’s volcanoes National park for the beautiful golden monkeys and the Kigali city tour. More thrilling, is visiting the untouched beauty of Congo, hiking up the great Nyiragongo Mountain is an experience for life.
HIGHLIGHTS
Day 1: Arrival at the airport and Pick up
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
Day 3: Morning game drive and a launch cruise at the Nile
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale forest national park
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi community
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 7: Morning game drive and launch cruise at Kazinga channel
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park via Ishasha sector
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
Day 11: Golden monkey tracking and Ibyawachu cultural village
Day 12: Transfer to Goma
Day 13: Hiking up Nyiragongo Mountain
Day 14: Descending down Nyiragongo Mountain
Day 15: Departure
DETAILS
Day 1: Arrival at the airport and Pick up
On arrival at the airport, be picked by our experienced guide from the airport. He will brief you about the whole trip, the movements and answer your questions. He will then transfer you to the lodge as he shows you around.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Serena Lake Victoria Resort
MIDRANGE – Cassia Lodge
BUDGET – Common Lens hotel
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
In the morning after your breakfast, start on the journey to Murchison falls national park. This is Uganda’s largest and oldest park harboring more than 70 mammal species from lions, buffaloes, elephants, and waterbucks to topis and many others.
Have a stopover at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for the white rhino tracking. Walk on foot in the wild looking out for these huge mammals, follow them through the jungle and have super close encounters with them.
Later proceed to Masindi town for lunch and then drive directly to Murchison falls national park. Reach in the evening, checkin at the lodge, relax, have dinner and an overnight.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Paraa Safari Lodge
MIDRANGE –Pakuba Safari Lodge
BUDGET – Red chili Rest camp
Day 3: Morning game drive and a launch cruise at the Nile
On having a very early morning breakfast, go for a morning game drive through the magnificent savanna plain. A game drive in Murchison falls is one that exposes you a wide array of animals in just the very first minutes of the drive. Sights of lions, elephants, herds of buffaloes, Uganda kobs, topis, waterbucks, warthogs and many others are a guarantee.
In the afternoon, having had a palatable lunch, cool off the satisfaction with a launch cruise at the Nile. Here you will spot various aquatic animals like the hippos, crocodiles, sea bird species and several animals that come around the river banks for drinking water.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Paraa Safari Lodge
MIDRANGE –Pakuba Safari Lodge
BUDGET – Red chili Rest camp
Day 4: Transfer to Kibale forest national park
Have breakfast and start on the journey to Kibale national park the once cleanest town in East Africa. This five hour journey passes through the Albertine rift valley escarpment. Have a lunch stopover in Hoima and then reach the primate capital of the world. It’s a full day journey, though an experience of its own.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Primate Lodge (Luxury cottages)
MIDRANGE –Kibale Forest camp / Kyaninga Royal cottages
BUDGET – Rwenzori view guest house
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi community
Immediately after breakfast, head to the park headquarters for briefing about chimp trekking from the local guide. From here start on the trek into the forest to search for these near cousins of humans. The trek starts at 7am and it takes a maximum number of 8hours.
Walk through the forest, encountering different primate species like the baboons, colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys as well as bird species and forest elephants. Some trekkers are lucky enough to see the chimps in their first hour while others take even five hours, but when you meet the chimps, the trek becomes worth every step. See the chimps play from one tree branch to another. See how they feed and live in the forest, take as many pictures provided the camera doesn’t have a flash
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Primate Lodge (Luxury cottages)
MIDRANGE –Kibale Forest camp / Kyaninga Royal cottages
BUDGET – Rwenzori view guest house
Day 6: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Early morning have breakfast and board the vehicle to Queen Elizabeth national park, the most visited park in Uganda because of its diverse wildlife species. The voyage to the park gives clear views of the Rwenzori Mountain of the moon and the kigezi hills of western Uganda.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Mweya safari Lodge
MIDRANGE –Ihamba safari Lodge
BUDGET – Simba safari camp
Day 7: Morning game drive and launch cruise at Kazinga channel
In the morning, have a game drive through the park to see the beautiful landscape of the park featured with numerous crater lakes curled in the valleys of small hills in the park. The savanna landscape that homes more than 70 mammal species like the elephants, buffaloes, oribis, warthogs, lions, bushbucks, waterbucks, Uganda kobs and many others which can’t be miss to be spotted on a game drive here.
The afternoon will be occupied by a launch cruise at Kazinga channel that connects Lake Edward to Lake George. This is one of the longest water channels in Africa and its shores are populated by several huge hippos, elephants that come over to cool themselves, other wildlife looking for water as well as various bird species. Actually it’s one of the birding spots in Uganda.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Mweya safari Lodge
MIDRANGE –Ihamba safari Lodge
BUDGET – Simba safari camp
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park via Ishasha sector
Early morning, have breakfast and check out of the hotel and drive through the Ishasha sector as you transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; a prime home for mountain gorillas in Uganda with almost three quarters of the world’s total population calling it a home.
A drive through the Ishasha sector exposes you to the rare tree climbing lions lying in the tree branches of fig trees for shade. This is one experience that almost all world travelers are looking for. You will reach in Bwindi in the evening, just to check in at the lodge, have some relaxation, dinner and overnight in preparation for the next big day.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Ruhija Gorilla safari Lodge
MIDRANGE – Bakiga Lodge
BUDGET – Broadbill forest camp
Day 9: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community
Have an early breakfast and head to the park headquarters for a simple briefing from the local guide about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. Then hit the forest for the search for these mighty apes in their natural habitats.
Gorilla trekking involves walking through the jungle in slippery trails, having to pave your way out with your arm or hand stick and holding onto tree branches for support. But on meeting them, the magical hour spent with these beautiful creatures is simply worth it. Watch them play with each other, feed and jump from one tree branch to the other. You can take as many pictures as you want provided your camera doesn’t have a flash.
Later in the afternoon you will visit the Batwa community for a cultural encounter with them. See the world through the eyes of these ancient people, explore how they used to hunt and gather food back in their forest stay days. Enjoy the traditional performances as you taste the local cuisines.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Ruhija Gorilla safari Lodge
MIDRANGE – Bakiga Lodge
BUDGET – Broadbill forest camp
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
Wake up to a delicious breakfast in one of Africa’s impenetrable forests that survived the ice age. Check out of the lodge and transfer to Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. This is one of the three parks in Africa where golden monkeys meet with the mighty silverbacks. The journey rewards you with spectacular views of the Virunga chained volcanoes.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
MIDRANGE – Le Bambou gorilla lodge
BUDGET – Kinigi guest house
Day 11: Golden monkey tracking and Ibyawachu cultural village
Immediately after an early breakfast, head to the park offices for a simple briefing from the local guide about the rules and regulations of golden monkey tracking. Enter into the forest to look for the golden monkeys. Walk through the slippery trails of Volcanoes national park, and on spotting this beautiful creatures, the experience is unforgettable.
In the afternoon after a heavy and delicious lunch, move to the Ibyawachu cultural village, a one spot centre that exhibits all the three ethnic groups of Rwanda; the Hutu, the Tutsi and Twa. Enjoy the traditional performances and taste the local cuisines.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
MIDRANGE – Le Bambou gorilla lodge
BUDGET – Kinigi guest house
Day 12: Transfer to Goma
Early morning have breakfast and check out of the lodge. You will then be transferred to Goma via Lake Kivu, Rwanda’s largest lake shared with Congo. Here you will have some relaxation at beach and a boat ride on this beautiful lake. Then proceed to Goma the nearest town to Virunga national park.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Serena Lake Kivu
MIDRANGE – Cap Kivu
BUDGET – VIP Palace 1
Day 13: Hiking up Nyiragongo Mountain
Have an early breakfast and then start the journey to Virunga national park headquarters. Here have a simple briefing about the Nyiragongo hike and also get a hand stick to help you throughout the hike.
Hiking Nyiragongo Volcano involves walking up a both slippery and rugged terrain, with only support from the hand stick and tree branches that you would pass by. Walk through a well-designed trail on the way to the top of Virunga’s highest volcano, this is probably the most challenging hike you will ever have.
But on reaching the top, the view is worth every step moved forward. Watch the world’s largest lava crater lake, forming a web like structure, the view becomes more beautiful as it gets dark, this is why you will spend a night with one of Africa’s most active volcanoes. At the top you still have spectacular views of Gisenyi town and other Virunga volcanoes.
Day 14: Descending down Nyiragongo Mountain
In the morning, have breakfast and start descending down this amazing volcano in Africa. Return to the park headquarters and then drive back to Goma town.
ACCOMMODATION
LUXURY – Serena Lake Kivu
MIDRANGE – Cap Kivu
BUDGET – VIP Palace 1
Day 15: Departure
In the morning, have breakfast and transfer to Kigali for a grand city tour to the Kigali genocide memorial site, the cultural museums, the craft markets and other amazing places.
PRICE INCLUSIONS
Gorilla permit
Chimpanzee permit
Golden monkey permit
All activities as per the itinerary
Park entrance fees
Vehicle
Fuel
Drinking water
Guiding fees
EXCLUSIONS
Air tickets and Visas
Alcoholic drinks
Souvenirs