12 Day Uganda Rwanda Primates and Gorilla Safari
This 12-day Uganda Rwanda primates safari is designed for travellers who want more than a standard gorilla trek. Instead of focusing on one forest or one country, the route combines East Africa’s most rewarding primate experiences in a single cross-border journey. You begin in Uganda with rhino tracking, wildlife viewing, and chimpanzee encounters, then continue to gorilla trekking in Mgahinga before crossing into Rwanda for golden monkeys, Nyungwe forest, and Kigali. Along the way, the safari also includes major highlights such as Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park, giving the itinerary a stronger balance of primates, classic wildlife, and varied landscapes. It is best suited to travellers who want a richer and more ambitious East Africa experience, with multiple trekking days, scenic road journeys, and a route that shows the difference between Uganda’s wider safari circuit and Rwanda’s more compact primate and cultural destinations.
Safari highlights
Rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Game drive and boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park
Additional chimp experience in Kyambura Gorge
Wildlife viewing and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Cultural visit in Rwanda
Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park
Kigali city tour before departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1, Arrival and Murchison transfer
Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, depending on your location in Entebbe, you will meet your driver guide and depart to connect to Murchison Falls National Park. It’s about a 6-7-hour drive with an en-route stop at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking and an en-route lunch. Upon arrival in the afternoon with en-route birding, enter via Kichwabanyobo gate and connect to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Sambiya River Lodge/Pakuba Safari Lodge/Twiga Safari Lodge/Nile Safari Lodge
Day 2, Murchison game drive and boat cruise
After an early breakfast at the lodge, you will go for a morning game drive in the northern part of the park, where we find most of the animals. The time spent on a game drive depends on the availability of the animals. Expect to find animals including the Elephants, Rothschild giraffes, buffaloes, Lions, Leopards, Hartebeest, Uganda Kobs, Oribis, waterbuck, warthogs, just to mention a few. After lunch, connect for the 2-hour boat cruise at the bottom of the falls with an evening game drive and birding. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge as above
Day 3, Transfer to Kibale and Bigodi
Wake up early and set off to transfer to Kibale forest national park with lunch en route in Fort Portal town. It is a 7-8 hour drive arriving in the park late afternoon, proceed to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Chimpanzee forest guest house for mid-range/Isunga lodge for a budget option
Day 4, Kibale chimpanzees and transfer to Queen Elizabeth
Have an early morning breakfast, go for a briefing, and start Chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for this activity. It’s 795km2 and contains one of the most beautiful and varied tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda. This is the place for many forest wildlife, most especially 13 species of primates, coupled with chimpanzees. After trekking, you will have lunch and then visit Bigodi wetland, where you will experience a lot of birdlife and unspoiled nature. Thereafter, proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about a 3-hour drive. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge for the luxury option/Parkview Safari Lodge for a Mid-range option/Pumba Safari Cottages for a budget option
Day 5, Kyambura and Kazinga experiences
You will have breakfast and connect to Kyambura Gorge for a chimpanzee tracking. The search for the chimpanzee takes about 2-5 hours, depending on the location of these creatures. Finding the chimpanzees is not guaranteed; however, the rangers will do their best to find them for you. You will be allowed to spend an hour in their presence when found. Enjoy your lunch and then go for a Kazinga channel boat cruise, where you will spot various water animals like Hippos and crocodiles, and the cruise will also enrich you with various water birds. Connect for an evening game drive in the Kasenyi area for animals like the elephants, buffalo, and you may encounter the lions and leopards. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Mweya Safari Lodge for the luxury option/Parkview Safari Lodge for a Mid-range option/Pumba Safari Cottages for a budget option
Day 6, Transfer to Kisoro
In the morning, after breakfast, connect in the Kasenyi area for a morning game drive to find some of the park’s residents before you embark on your journey to Kisoro. It’s 5-7 hours, depending on your trekking sector. You will have lunch en route, arriving in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Travellers’ Rest Camp for budget/Lake Mulehe Safari lodge for mid-range option
Day 7, Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga
Enjoy early morning breakfast and transfer to the Mgahinga National Park headquarters with your packed lunch for a briefing by the ranger guides before entering the forest in your trekking gears, including trekking sticks, good hiking shoes, and stocking for tacking-in, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and a raincoat or jacket, to mention but a few. Gorilla trekking is no different from other trekking parks; trekking takes 2 to 8 hours, depending on the movement of the gorillas as they roam the park freely, and there is no way of telling where they will be for a particular day. However, the rangers will be able to find them as they are tracked daily. On finding them, you will be allowed to spend 1 hour as you view and take photos of these gentle primates before you descend back. After trekking, return to the lodge for check-in, relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at the lodge as above
Day 8, Cross to Rwanda and transfer to Volcanoes
Have an early morning breakfast, check out, and transfer to cross to Rwanda via Cyanika border to connect to Musanze – the base town for Volcanoes National Park. Connect to your reserved lodge for dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Muhabura for budget/Le Bambou Gorilla lodge for mid-range
Day 9, Golden monkeys and community visit
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the golden monkeys. Volcanoes National Park is also home to the fascinating Golden monkeys; the park shares borders with Virunga National Park in Congo. After a briefing by the park officials, connect to start your search hiking over the volcanic terrains in the bamboo forest. It may take you 2-6 hours to find them, depending on their location, and you are given 1 hour to spend with them while taking pictures before returning to your lodge. Later afternoon/evening, drive to Ibya’ cuwa cultural village to have an experience of Banyarwanda culture and tradition, relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at the lodge as above
Day 10, Transfer to Nyungwe
After breakfast, you will set off to Nyungwe Forest National Park. It’s a 7-8-hour drive via the rolling hills of Rwanda and Lake Kivu with an en-route lunch. This park is best known for its inhabitants of primate species like the chimpanzees, owl-faced monkeys, and colobus monkeys, and the canopy walk. Upon arrival late afternoon, connect to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay at Gisakura Visitor centre for budget/Nyungwe Top View hotel for mid-range
Day 11, Chimpanzees and canopy walk
Enjoy breakfast and go for a briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are much easier to spot as 
they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour taking pictures and videos. You will then return to your accommodation for lunch. After lunch, you will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk, a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Before nightfall, you will return to the lodge for dinner as above. Dinner and overnight at the hotel as above
Day 12, Kigali city tour and departure
After breakfast, embark on your journey to Kigali city, which is about a 7-hour drive with en-route stops for sightseeing and lunch. Depending on time, visit the king’s palace museum, visit the genocide memorial site, and depending on your departure time, flight, you will be dropped off at Kigali airport for your onward flight back home.
Inclusions
Private transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle
Services of an English-speaking driver-guide
Accommodation as per the selected category
Meals as specified in the itinerary
Park entry fees were applicable
Gorilla trekking permit in Mgahinga
Golden monkey trekking permit in Volcanoes
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
Exclusions
International flights
Visa fees for Uganda and Rwanda
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Drinks not included with meals
Tips and gratuities
Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
