12 Day Rwanda Uganda Budget Gorilla and Wildlife Safari

Arrival at Entebbe International Airport and Transfer to Kampala

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, your private safari driver guide will welcome you to Uganda and transfer you to your hotel in Kampala. The journey generally takes approximately 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic and your arrival time.

Check in at Forest Cottages, a practical accommodation option for your first night, and spend the remainder of the day relaxing after your flight. No demanding activities are scheduled, allowing you time to recover before the early departure to Queen Elizabeth National Park the following morning.

Your guide will introduce the route through Uganda and Rwanda, explain the planned wildlife and primate activities, and confirm the arrangements for your first full day on the road.

Enjoy dinner and overnight in Kampala.

Accommodation: Forest Cottages or similar budget hotel

Meal plan: Dinner only

Drive from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park via the Equator

After an early breakfast, meet your driver guide and begin the journey southwest towards Queen Elizabeth National Park. Leave Kampala along the Masaka road, travelling through central Uganda's countryside and trading centres before reaching the Equator crossing at Kayabwe.

Stop for photographs at the marked Equator line and browse the craft shops if you wish. A local demonstration of water movement across the Equator may also be offered, although it is a tourist demonstration rather than a scientific test of the Coriolis effect.

Continue towards Mbarara for lunch before travelling through western Uganda towards the Queen Elizabeth region. The landscape gradually opens into greener hills, farming communities and views of the Albertine Rift country.

Allow approximately 7 to 9 hours or longer for the full journey, including stops and the final drive to your accommodation. If you arrive with enough daylight, visit a suitable crater lake viewpoint before continuing to your lodge. These volcanic crater landscapes are among the scenic attractions surrounding Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Check in at your budget lodge for dinner and overnight stay, ready for the first game drive the following morning.

Accommodation: Pumba Safari Cottages or similar budget lodge

Meal plan: Full board

Queen Elizabeth Morning Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Wake up early for breakfast before heading into the Kasenyi plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The open grasslands provide some of the park's best wildlife-viewing opportunities, particularly in the cooler morning hours when animals are active.

Your guide will search for elephants, Cape buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs and other savannah wildlife. Lions also inhabit the area and are sometimes found around Uganda kob herds, while leopards are present but considerably harder to spot. Your guide will follow the most promising game-viewing routes rather than guaranteeing particular sightings.

If you have booked the specialised experiential lion tracking activity separately, your morning programme can be adjusted to include the relevant research team and arrangements. Otherwise, the scheduled activity remains a conventional wildlife game drive, which is already an excellent way to explore the plains.

Return to your lodge for lunch before continuing to the Mweya area for an afternoon boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. This natural waterway connects Lake George and Lake Edward and attracts hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and large numbers of waterbirds.

The cruise generally lasts about 2 hours and gives you time to observe animals along the shoreline from a different perspective. Look for African fish eagles, kingfishers, pelicans, cormorants and herons as your boat moves along the channel.

After the cruise, return to your accommodation for dinner and a second overnight in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Accommodation: Pumba Safari Cottages or similar budget lodge

Meal plan: Full board

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

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey south through Queen Elizabeth National Park towards the Ishasha sector. This relatively quiet part of the park is particularly known for its tree-climbing lions, which are sometimes seen resting in the branches of large fig trees.

Your driver guide will explore the appropriate tracks and check the trees where lions have been seen in the past. The animals move freely throughout the area, so sightings are not guaranteed. Ishasha also provides opportunities to see buffaloes, Uganda kobs, topis, elephants and other wildlife moving through the open savannah.

After the game-viewing stop, continue towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The journey gradually takes you out of the savannah and into the greener forested highlands of southwestern Uganda. The roads can be rough in places, especially after rainfall, so allow sufficient time for the transfer.

Enjoy lunch along the route before continuing to the Buhoma sector on the northern edge of Bwindi. Your accommodation is selected near this sector so you can reach the correct gorilla trekking briefing point the following morning without a long early transfer.

Arrive at your lodge, check in and enjoy dinner and overnight. Your guide will confirm the gorilla trekking permit and explain the clothing and equipment needed for the forest.

Accommodation: Buhoma Community Rest Camp or similar budget lodge

Meal plan: Full board

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

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

Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the trekking rules, safety procedures and how visitors should behave around the gorillas. You will then be assigned to a habituated gorilla family and enter the rainforest with experienced ranger guides and trackers.

Bwindi's trails can be steep, slippery and muddy, with thick vegetation and uneven ground. Depending on where the assigned family is feeding or resting, the trek may take approximately 2 to 8 hours or longer. Wear waterproof hiking boots, long trousers, a rain jacket and gloves for comfort.

Once the gorillas are located, you will spend one hour observing them at the required viewing distance. Watch the silverback, mothers with infants and younger gorillas as they feed, rest, groom or move through the forest. Your ranger will guide the experience to protect both visitors and the gorillas.

After the hour, return through the forest to the starting point and meet your driver guide. A porter can be hired locally to carry your bag and help on difficult sections of the trail, which also supports the surrounding communities.

Return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay. Gorilla trekking in Uganda has a minimum age of 15 years, and permits should be booked well in advance.

Accommodation: Buhoma Community Rest Camp or similar budget lodge

Meal plan: Full board

Cross from Uganda to Rwanda and Explore the Twin Lakes near Musanze

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey from Bwindi towards Rwanda. Travel through southwestern Uganda's beautiful mountain countryside, passing terraced hillsides, villages and cultivated valleys on the way towards Kisoro.

Continue to the Cyanika border crossing, where your driver guide will assist with the immigration process. Travellers must have the correct entry documents for their nationality and route. Depending on individual circumstances, this may involve separate national visas, an East Africa Tourist Visa or an applicable visa exemption.

After entering Rwanda, continue towards Musanze, the main gateway to Volcanoes National Park. The entire transfer generally takes approximately 5 to 7 hours or longer, depending on your Buhoma lodge, road conditions and border clearance.

If you reach Musanze with sufficient daylight, visit the Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. These beautiful lakes lie close to the Virunga volcanic range and are surrounded by steep green hills, farming communities and scenic viewpoints.

Enjoy the views or take a short guided nature walk. A canoe ride may also be arranged separately if time and local conditions permit. Afterwards, continue to your hotel in Musanze for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Hotel Muhabura or similar budget hotel

Meal plan: Full board as confirmed

Golden Monkey Trekking in Volcanoes National Park and Cultural Village Visit

Wake up early for breakfast and transfer to Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi. Rangers will conduct a briefing before you begin the golden monkey trekking activity in the bamboo-covered slopes of the Virunga Mountains.

Golden monkeys are among Rwanda's most distinctive primates, with striking golden-orange fur and lively behaviour. Follow your ranger guide into the bamboo forest to search for a habituated group, listening for movement as the monkeys feed and travel between bamboo stems.

The trek can take several hours depending on where the monkeys are found, but it is often less demanding than mountain gorilla trekking. Once the group is located, spend up to one hour observing them as they feed on bamboo shoots, leap between branches and interact with one another.

Return to your hotel for lunch before visiting Gorilla Guardians Village, formerly known as Iby'Iwacu Cultural Village. This community experience introduces visitors to Rwandan music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling and other aspects of local culture.

The visit also provides an opportunity to understand how communities living around Volcanoes National Park benefit from tourism and conservation. Your guide will help coordinate the activity around the return time from the forest.

Return to Hotel Muhabura for dinner and overnight. Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda has a minimum age of 12 years.

Accommodation: Hotel Muhabura or similar budget hotel

Meal plan: Full board as confirmed

Drive to Lake Kivu, Enjoy a Gisenyi Boat Trip and Continue to Karongi

After breakfast, check out and leave Musanze for Gisenyi, also known as Rubavu, on the northern shores of Lake Kivu. The drive normally takes about 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on your starting location and traffic.

Lake Kivu is one of Africa's Great Lakes, shared between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its calm bays, green hills and lakeside communities offer a pleasant change from the bamboo forests and volcanic mountains around Musanze.

On arrival in Gisenyi, enjoy a guided boat trip to explore sections of the shoreline and nearby island scenery. Look for waterbirds, fishing boats and the steep hills rising behind the lake. Your boat guide will explain the importance of the lake to surrounding communities and ensure that everyone follows the required safety procedures.

After the excursion, enjoy lunch in Gisenyi before continuing south towards Karongi, formerly known as Kibuye. The road follows scenic highland and lakeside country, offering views of small settlements, farms and the water below.

Allow approximately 3 to 4 hours or longer for the drive between Gisenyi and Karongi, depending on traffic, stops and road conditions. This makes it a fairly active travel day, so the boat trip should be organised early enough to reach your overnight accommodation before evening.

Check in at Moriah Hill Resort or a similar value-focused property, then enjoy dinner and overnight beside Lake Kivu.

Accommodation: Moriah Hill Resort or similar value-focused lodge

Meal plan: Full board as confirmed

Transfer from Lake Kivu to Nyungwe Forest National Park

After breakfast, enjoy your final views over Lake Kivu before checking out and beginning the journey south towards Nyungwe Forest National Park. The drive from the Karongi area takes you through Rwanda's rolling hills, tea-growing countryside and small villages.

The transfer may take approximately 4 to 6 hours depending on the route, road conditions, stops and the location of your accommodation. Along the way, enjoy the changing scenery as the lakeside landscape gives way to the forested mountains surrounding Nyungwe.

Nyungwe is one of East Africa's important montane rainforests and provides habitat for chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkeys and other primates, together with numerous forest bird species. The park is also known for its walking trails and suspended canopy bridge.

Arrive in the Nyungwe area, enjoy lunch and continue to your accommodation near Gisakura. The afternoon is kept free to allow time for relaxation after the drive and to prepare for the early chimpanzee trekking activity the next morning.

Your driver guide will confirm the briefing location, park reporting time and clothing required for trekking. Nyungwe's trails can be steep and muddy, so waterproof walking shoes and a light rain jacket are useful.

Dinner and overnight near Nyungwe Forest.

Accommodation: Gisakura Visitor Centre accommodation or similar budget property

Meal plan: Full board as confirmed

Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe Forest and Afternoon Canopy Walk

Today begins very early with a transfer to the designated chimpanzee trekking briefing point in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Depending on the chimpanzee community assigned to your permit, you may need to leave your accommodation before sunrise.

After a briefing from the park rangers, enter the rainforest with your tracking guide and begin searching for a habituated chimpanzee community. The terrain can be steep and slippery, with thick vegetation and muddy trails after rain. Chimpanzees move rapidly through the forest, so the trek requires patience and a reasonable level of fitness.

The activity commonly takes several hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees. You may hear their loud calls echoing through the forest before the animals come into view. Once they are located, spend up to one hour observing them feeding, grooming, climbing and communicating with one another.

After the chimpanzee experience, return for lunch and a short rest. If trekking finishes in good time, continue to Uwinka Visitor Centre for the afternoon canopy walk. The guided walk follows a section of the Igishigishigi Trail before reaching the suspended bridge above the forest.

The canopy walkway stretches approximately 160 metres and reaches about 70 metres above the forest floor. From the bridge, enjoy beautiful views across the rainforest canopy, surrounding valleys and mountain slopes.

The canopy walk must be booked for a session that allows enough time after chimpanzee trekking. If the morning activity runs late, the afternoon plan should be adjusted rather than rushed.

Return to your accommodation for dinner and a second overnight near Nyungwe Forest.

Accommodation: Gisakura Visitor Centre accommodation or similar budget property

Meal plan: Full board as confirmed

Drive from Nyungwe to Kigali with Rwandan Cultural and Historical Stops

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey north towards Kigali. The drive from the Nyungwe area generally takes approximately 5 to 7 hours or longer, depending on your starting point, traffic and the number of stops along the way.

The route passes through Rwanda's highland countryside, with tea plantations, terraced farms and small towns along the way. If time allows, visit the King's Palace Museum in Nyanza, where you can learn about Rwanda's traditional monarchy and see a reconstruction of a royal residence.

Another worthwhile stop is the Ethnographic Museum in Huye, which introduces visitors to Rwanda's cultural history, traditional crafts, clothing and everyday life. Your guide will plan the visits around opening hours and the time needed to reach Kigali.

Continue towards the capital, stopping for lunch during the journey. If you arrive early enough, you may visit Kimironko Market or another suitable city attraction before checking in at your hotel.

A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial can also be arranged on this day if sufficient time remains, or it may be kept for the following morning. The memorial is an important place of remembrance dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and it deserves an unhurried, respectful visit.

Check in at Step Town Motel for dinner and your final overnight in Rwanda.

Accommodation: Step Town Motel or similar budget hotel

Meal plan: Full board as confirmed

Kigali City Tour and Transfer to Kigali International Airport

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and spend the morning exploring Kigali according to your international flight schedule. If you have not already visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, this can be arranged as part of your final city tour, provided there is sufficient time.

You may also explore local craft markets, visit selected cultural attractions or enjoy a short guided drive through the city's different neighbourhoods. Kigali's green hills, busy markets and modern streets offer an interesting final impression of Rwanda.

Your driver guide will help plan the day's activities around the airport transfer and international check-in requirements. The journey from central Kigali to Kigali International Airport generally takes around 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic and your hotel's location.

Arrive at the airport for your onward flight, marking the end of your 12 Day Rwanda Uganda Budget Safari. You leave with memories of Queen Elizabeth's wildlife, mountain gorillas in Bwindi, golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, Lake Kivu's scenery and chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest.

Meal plan: Breakfast, with other meals depending on departure arrangements