18 Day Uganda Rwanda Gorilla and Wildlife Safari

Arrival in Entebbe and Transfer to Your Hotel

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be welcomed by your private safari driver guide and transferred to your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala. The journey to central Kampala generally takes approximately 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic, while accommodation in Entebbe is usually closer to the airport.

Check in and spend the remainder of the day relaxing after your international flight. If you arrive early, you may have time to enjoy the hotel facilities or explore the immediate surroundings, but there are no demanding activities scheduled for today.

Your guide will introduce the route through Uganda and Rwanda, explain the upcoming Nile rafting adventure and confirm the arrangements for your first full travel day. Dinner and overnight at your selected hotel.

Accommodation options: Budget: Forest Cottages · Mid-range: Fairway Hotel · Luxury: Sheraton Kampala Hotel

Drive to Jinja and Visit the Source of the Nile

After breakfast, meet your driver guide and begin the journey east towards Jinja, one of Uganda's best-known adventure destinations. The drive generally takes around 2 to 3 hours from Kampala, although traffic leaving the city can add extra time.

Travel through the Kampala-Jinja corridor, passing trading centres, farmland and the green surroundings of Mabira Forest before reaching Jinja near the northern shores of Lake Victoria. On arrival, check in at your hotel and enjoy lunch before beginning your afternoon excursion.

Visit the Source of the Nile area for a guided boat trip, exploring the waters around the traditional starting point of the Nile's journey north from Lake Victoria. Your boat guide will explain the geography and history of the source, while you enjoy views of the shoreline and watch birds moving between the water and nearby vegetation.

Depending on the chosen boat route, you may see kingfishers, cormorants and other waterbirds. The activity offers a gentle introduction to Jinja before the more adventurous white-water rafting experience planned for the following day.

Return to your hotel for dinner, relaxation and overnight stay.

Accommodation options: Mid-range: 2 Friends Jinja Guesthouse · Luxury: Jinja Nile Resort

White-Water Rafting on the Nile and Return to Kampala

Wake up early and enjoy breakfast before checking out and transferring to the rafting operator's meeting point near Jinja. Today is dedicated to white-water rafting on the Nile, one of Uganda's most exciting outdoor adventure experiences.

Before entering the water, professional rafting instructors will explain the safety procedures, demonstrate paddling techniques and provide helmets, buoyancy aids and other necessary equipment. The rafting route will be selected according to current river conditions, the operator's permitted sections and your experience level.

With your guide and fellow rafters, navigate a series of rapids separated by calmer stretches of river. These quieter sections provide time to enjoy the surrounding scenery before the next rapid. The activity may occupy most of the day, with lunch and refreshments arranged by the rafting operator according to the booked programme.

Rafting requires a reasonable level of fitness and confidence in the water. If you prefer not to raft, an alternative Jinja activity can be arranged in advance, such as a gentler Nile boat experience or another suitable adventure activity.

After the rafting experience, meet your safari driver guide and return to Kampala, generally allowing another 2 to 3 hours or longer depending on traffic. Arrive in the evening for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Kampala hotel, to be confirmed in the selected accommodation category

Rhino Tracking at Ziwa and Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park

After an early breakfast, leave Kampala and travel north towards Murchison Falls National Park. Follow the Kampala-Gulu highway through Luwero and Nakasongola before turning off towards Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

On arrival at Ziwa, meet a trained ranger for a guided white rhino tracking experience on foot. After a safety briefing, follow your ranger through the sanctuary's woodland and grassland in search of southern white rhinos. The walk generally takes approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on where the animals are feeding or resting.

Continue north after the activity, stopping for lunch along the route before travelling through Masindi towards Murchison Falls National Park. The scenery gradually changes from farmland and roadside settlements to the protected woodland and savannah around the park.

If daylight and park access arrangements permit, visit the top of Murchison Falls, where the Victoria Nile squeezes through a narrow rocky gorge before plunging approximately 43 metres into the river below. The viewpoint offers a dramatic perspective of the waterfall, with powerful currents and spray rising from the gorge.

This is a full travel day, so the top-of-the-falls visit should be confirmed around the actual arrival time rather than rushed. Continue to your lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options: Budget: Tilenga Safari Lodge · Mid-range: Pakuba Safari Lodge · Luxury: Nile Safari Lodge

Murchison Falls Morning Game Drive and Nile Boat Cruise

Wake up early for breakfast before heading into the northern savannah of Murchison Falls National Park. The cooler morning hours are particularly rewarding for game viewing, as many animals are actively feeding before the heat rises.

Explore the open grasslands and acacia woodland with your safari guide, searching for elephants, Rothschild's giraffes, Cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, Jackson's hartebeests, waterbucks, oribis and warthogs. Lions are also found in the park, while leopards are present but more elusive.

Your guide will follow suitable tracks and stop whenever interesting wildlife is encountered, allowing time for photography and observation. The park's mix of grassland, woodland and river habitats supports a wide range of birds, making the morning drive rewarding for birdwatchers as well.

Return to your lodge for lunch before travelling to the boat landing site for an afternoon Nile boat cruise towards the base of Murchison Falls. During the journey, look for hippos resting in the river, Nile crocodiles along the banks and elephants or buffaloes approaching the water to drink.

African fish eagles, kingfishers, herons, bee-eaters and other birds may also be seen. As the boat approaches the waterfall, enjoy views of the powerful river squeezing through the rocky gorge before returning downstream.

Meet your driver guide at the landing site and return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 4

Transfer to Kibale Forest and Optional Bigodi Wetland Walk

After breakfast, check out and begin the long journey southwest towards Kibale Forest National Park. The transfer takes you through western Uganda's countryside, passing small towns, farming communities and changing vegetation as you travel towards the Fort Portal region.

Allow approximately 7 to 9 hours or longer for the journey, depending on your starting lodge, the route, road conditions and stops along the way. Enjoy lunch during the transfer before continuing into the greener countryside surrounding Kibale.

The approach to the forest is particularly attractive, with tea plantations, cultivated hills and patches of tropical vegetation. Kibale National Park is well known for its chimpanzees and other primates, including red colobus, black-and-white colobus and red-tailed monkeys.

If you arrive with sufficient daylight, join a local guide for a walk through Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. The wetland is managed through community conservation initiatives and supports monkeys, butterflies and a rich variety of birds, including the great blue turaco.

A full Bigodi walk usually takes around 2 hours, so it should only be attempted if the long transfer finishes in good time. If arrival is late, continue directly to your lodge and rest before the next day's chimpanzee trek.

Accommodation options: Budget: Isunga Lodge · Mid-range: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge · Luxury: Chimpundu Lodge

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale and Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park

After an early breakfast, travel to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre for the morning chimpanzee trekking briefing. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the forest rules, safety procedures and how visitors should behave around the chimpanzees.

Enter Kibale Forest with your ranger guide and begin searching for a habituated chimpanzee community. The trek may take approximately 2 to 4 hours or longer, depending on where the chimpanzees are feeding and moving. Listen for their loud calls echoing through the forest and look for movement in the canopy.

Once the chimpanzees are located, spend up to one hour observing them. Watch as they feed, groom, climb trees and interact with one another. Their quick movements and strong social behaviour make the experience very different from a mountain gorilla encounter.

Return from the forest, enjoy lunch and begin the journey south towards Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive generally takes around 3 to 4 hours depending on your lodge location, road conditions and stops.

As you approach Queen Elizabeth, enjoy views of the western Uganda countryside, crater lake landscapes and the distant Rwenzori Mountains where visibility permits. Arrive at your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options: Mid-range: Buffalo Safari Lodge or Elephant Hub Lodge · Luxury: Elephant Plains Lodge

Queen Elizabeth Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Wake early for breakfast before heading into the Kasenyi plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. These open grasslands are among the park's most productive wildlife-viewing areas and provide good opportunities to see Uganda kobs, elephants, Cape buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks and other savannah animals.

Your guide will search for lions, which often hunt around the Uganda kob herds, while keeping an eye out for leopards in suitable woodland. Wildlife sightings depend on the animals' movements, but the variety of habitats makes a morning drive through Kasenyi particularly rewarding.

Return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before continuing to the Mweya area for your afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This natural waterway connects Lake George and Lake Edward and is one of the most enjoyable places in Uganda to observe wildlife from the water.

During the approximately 2-hour cruise, look for large groups of hippos, Nile crocodiles resting along the banks and elephants or buffaloes coming down to drink. The shoreline is also rich in birds, including African fish eagles, kingfishers, cormorants, pelicans and herons.

After the cruise, meet your driver guide and return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 7

Search for Tree-Climbing Lions in Ishasha and Transfer to Bwindi

After breakfast, check out and begin the drive south through Queen Elizabeth National Park towards the Ishasha sector. This quieter section of the park is particularly well known for its tree-climbing lions, which are sometimes seen resting in large fig trees during the warmer hours.

Your guide will explore suitable game-drive tracks, looking carefully into the branches of the large trees where lions have previously been observed. Sightings are never guaranteed, as the animals move freely and may be resting elsewhere in the grassland or woodland.

Other wildlife in Ishasha includes buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, topis and numerous birds. Even without a lion sighting, the open landscape and woodland give this part of the journey a different character from the northern plains of Queen Elizabeth.

Continue towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park after the game drive, stopping for lunch along the route. The drive takes you from the savannah into the greener hills and dense forest of southwestern Uganda.

Arrive at your lodge in the Buhoma area for check-in, dinner and overnight. Your guide will confirm the gorilla trekking permit and next morning's briefing arrangements. If a permit has been assigned to another Bwindi sector, the accommodation must be adjusted accordingly.

Accommodation options: Budget: Buhoma Community Rest Camp · Mid-range: Buhoma Haven Lodge or Buhoma Community Haven Lodge · Luxury: Mahogany Springs Lodge

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today is one of the major highlights of your Uganda and Rwanda safari. After an early breakfast, carry your packed lunch, drinking water and trekking equipment to the designated Bwindi gorilla trekking briefing point.

Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the gorilla trekking rules, group allocation and safety procedures before assigning you to a habituated mountain gorilla family. You will then enter the forest with your ranger guide and trackers.

Trekking through Bwindi can be physically demanding, with steep slopes, muddy trails and dense vegetation. Depending on the gorillas' location, the experience may take approximately 2 to 8 hours or longer. The forest is home to a remarkable variety of trees, birds and other wildlife, adding interest to the walk.

Once your assigned gorilla family is located, you will spend one hour observing them under ranger supervision. You may see the dominant silverback resting near the group, mothers caring for infants and younger gorillas playing or feeding among the vegetation.

Follow your ranger's instructions, maintain the required viewing distance and avoid flash photography. After the hour, return through the forest to the starting point, where your driver guide will be waiting.

Return to the lodge for a well-earned rest, dinner and overnight stay. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is generally restricted to visitors aged 15 years and above.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 9

Batwa Cultural Experience and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

After breakfast, join a guided Batwa cultural experience near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Batwa have a long history connected to the forests of southwestern Uganda, and this visit provides an opportunity to learn about their traditional knowledge and contemporary community life.

Accompanied by local Batwa guides, learn about traditional forest skills, medicinal plants, storytelling, music and dance. Your guides will also explain how the Batwa's relationship with the forest has changed over time and the importance of cultural preservation and community-led tourism.

After the experience, return for lunch before beginning the scenic drive towards Lake Bunyonyi near Kabale. The journey through the Kigezi Highlands offers views of terraced farms, green valleys and steep hillsides. Allow approximately 3 to 5 hours or longer, depending on your starting point and road conditions.

On reaching Lake Bunyonyi, check in at your lodge and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. If you arrive with enough daylight, take a guided boat ride to admire the lake's islands and the surrounding hills.

Lake Bunyonyi is a beautiful place to relax after gorilla trekking, with cool highland air and scenic views across the water. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation options: Budget: Bunyonyi Overland Resort · Mid-range: Arcadia Cottages Lake Bunyonyi · Luxury or Upper Mid-range: BirdNest Resort Bunyonyi

Cross from Uganda into Rwanda and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Enjoy breakfast overlooking Lake Bunyonyi before checking out and beginning the journey into Rwanda. Travel through southwestern Uganda's highland countryside towards the border crossing selected for your route, commonly via Cyanika when travelling through Kisoro towards Musanze.

Your driver guide will assist with immigration procedures, but every traveller must have the correct travel documents for Uganda and Rwanda. Depending on nationality, this may involve an East Africa Tourist Visa, separate national visas or applicable visa exemptions.

After entering Rwanda, continue towards Musanze, the main gateway to Volcanoes National Park. The countryside is dominated by green hills, cultivated fields and impressive views of the Virunga volcanoes. Allow approximately 4 to 6 hours or longer for the full transfer, depending on the border crossing and your lodge location.

If you arrive in good time, visit the Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo, which lie close to the Virunga volcanic range. The viewpoints offer attractive scenery across the lakes, surrounding hills and nearby farming communities.

Continue to your lodge near Volcanoes National Park for check-in, dinner and overnight. Your guide will confirm the next morning's gorilla trekking arrangements.

Accommodation options: Mid-range: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge · Luxury: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park

Wake up early and enjoy breakfast before travelling to Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi. Here, park rangers will explain the trekking rules, safety procedures and the arrangements for the habituated gorilla family assigned to your group.

After the briefing, transfer to the appropriate trekking starting point and enter the forest with your ranger guides. The route may pass through bamboo forest, montane vegetation and steep volcanic terrain. The total activity can take approximately 2 to 8 hours or longer, depending on where the gorillas are feeding or resting.

Once the gorilla family is located, spend one hour observing the animals at the required distance. Watch the silverback, younger gorillas and mothers with infants as they move, feed and interact within the group.

This is your second mountain gorilla trekking experience of the safari, offering an opportunity to compare the dense forest of Bwindi with the volcanic slopes of Rwanda's Virunga Mountains. Even when the same species is being observed, the landscape and group behaviour can make the two encounters feel quite different.

After trekking, return to your lodge for lunch if time allows and spend the afternoon relaxing. Trekking is generally limited to visitors aged 15 years and above, and all permits must be arranged in advance.

Dinner and overnight near Volcanoes National Park.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 12

Golden Monkey Trekking and Cultural Experience near Musanze

After an early breakfast, return to Volcanoes National Park headquarters for your golden monkey trekking briefing. Golden monkeys live mainly in the bamboo forests along the lower slopes of the Virunga volcanoes and are recognised by their golden-orange fur and energetic behaviour.

Follow your ranger guide through the forest in search of a habituated group. The trek may take approximately 1 to 5 hours depending on the monkeys' location and the conditions on the trail.

Once the golden monkeys are found, spend up to one hour watching them move through the bamboo, feed on shoots and interact with one another. They are fast-moving animals, so patience is helpful when photographing them.

Return to the lodge for lunch before continuing to a cultural experience near Musanze. A visit to Gorilla Guardians Village, formerly known as Iby'Iwacu Cultural Village, provides an introduction to traditional Rwandan music, dance, crafts, storytelling and community life.

The visit also offers an opportunity to understand how tourism and conservation support communities living around Volcanoes National Park. After the activity, return to your lodge for dinner and your final overnight in the Volcanoes region.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Days 12 and 13

Transfer to Lake Kivu and Enjoy a Scenic Boat Trip in Gisenyi

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey from Musanze towards Gisenyi, also known as Rubavu, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. The drive generally takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours or longer depending on your starting point and road conditions.

Lake Kivu lies along Rwanda's western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and is surrounded by green hills, small bays and lakeside communities. The change from Volcanoes National Park's mountain forests to the open lake scenery makes this a welcome relaxation stop after several trekking days.

On arrival, check in at your accommodation and enjoy lunch before heading out for a boat trip on Lake Kivu. Depending on the selected route, you may explore sections of the shoreline, admire nearby islands and enjoy views of the surrounding hills.

Your boat guide will explain aspects of the lake and the communities that depend on it for fishing and transport. Birdwatching opportunities may include kingfishers, cormorants and other species associated with the lake.

Return to your hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing. You may sit beside the water, enjoy the lake views or explore the immediate Gisenyi waterfront at leisure.

Dinner and overnight in the Lake Kivu area.

Accommodation options: Mid-range: Kivu Gorilla Lodge · Luxury: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel

Scenic Transfer to Nyungwe Forest and Afternoon Canopy Walk

After an early breakfast, check out and begin the journey south towards Nyungwe Forest National Park. The drive takes you through western Rwanda's beautiful highland scenery, with sections overlooking Lake Kivu, terraced farms and villages scattered across the hills.

Allow approximately 5 to 7 hours or longer for the transfer, depending on the route, traffic, stops and the location of your lodge. The scenery gradually changes as you approach the forested mountains of Nyungwe.

If you reach Nyungwe with sufficient time for a pre-booked afternoon session, continue to Uwinka Visitor Centre for the canopy walk. The activity begins with a guided walk along the Igishigishigi Trail before reaching the suspended walkway high above the rainforest.

The canopy bridge stretches approximately 160 metres and rises to around 70 metres above the forest floor, offering impressive views of the treetops, surrounding valleys and forest-covered ridges.

The full activity usually takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on walking pace and weather conditions. Since this is also a long transfer day, the canopy walk must be coordinated with the park's actual available session. If the journey is delayed, it may need to be rescheduled rather than rushed.

After the forest experience, continue to your lodge for check-in, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Selected lodge near Nyungwe Forest, to be confirmed in the final quotation

Guided Isumo Waterfall Hike in Nyungwe Forest National Park

After breakfast, return to Nyungwe Forest National Park for a guided hike along the Isumo Waterfall Trail. This is one of the park's most attractive walking routes, taking you from the greener tea-growing surroundings into dense montane rainforest before reaching the waterfall.

Meet your park guide and begin walking through the forest, following trails that pass ferns, tall trees, streams and sections of thick vegetation. Listen for birds calling through the canopy and watch for butterflies and other smaller forest wildlife along the way.

The hike generally takes approximately 4 hours, depending on trail conditions, the selected starting point and your walking pace. Some sections are steep or slippery, particularly after rainfall, so sturdy hiking shoes and a rain jacket are useful.

As you approach Isumo Waterfall, the sound of rushing water becomes stronger before the waterfall appears through the vegetation. The surrounding forest and spray create an impressive natural setting and provide excellent opportunities for photography.

After enjoying the waterfall viewpoint, follow your guide back along the trail and return to your lodge for lunch or refreshments. Spend the remainder of the afternoon relaxing after the walk.

This final full day in Nyungwe provides a quieter rainforest experience after the adventure activities, wildlife viewing and gorilla trekking earlier in the safari.

Dinner and overnight near Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Accommodation: Same selected Nyungwe lodge as Day 16

Transfer from Nyungwe to Kigali and International Departure

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge before checking out and beginning the return journey to Kigali. The drive generally takes approximately 5 to 6 hours or longer, depending on your starting point, road conditions, traffic and any stops along the route.

Travel through Rwanda's beautiful highland countryside, passing tea plantations, cultivated hillsides and busy towns as you head towards the capital.

If your international flight departs late enough, stop in Huye to visit the Ethnographic Museum, which offers an introduction to Rwanda's cultural heritage, traditional crafts and history. Enjoy lunch along the way before continuing towards Kigali.

On arrival in Kigali, your driver guide will transfer you to Kigali International Airport for your onward flight. Because the journey from Nyungwe is substantial, a late-evening or night flight is preferable to allow sufficient time for the drive and airport formalities.

This marks the end of your 18 Day Uganda Rwanda Gorilla and Wildlife Safari, after experiencing Nile rafting, rhino tracking, Uganda's savannah parks, chimpanzees, mountain gorillas in two countries, Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Kivu and Nyungwe Forest.