16 Day Rwanda and Uganda Primates Safari with Gorilla Habituation

Arrival in Kigali and Guided City Tour

On arrival at Kigali International Airport, your private safari driver guide will welcome you to Rwanda and transfer you into Kigali. The drive from the airport to the city centre generally takes around 20 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic and your hotel location.

If you arrive with enough time, enjoy a guided introduction to Rwanda's capital. The Kigali Genocide Memorial is an important place to understand the events of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and Rwanda's continuing journey of remembrance and recovery. You may also visit the Rwanda Art Museum, explore selected city neighbourhoods or enjoy a local lunch before heading to your hotel.

The extent of the city tour will depend on your flight arrival time and the opening hours of the attractions. After checking in, spend the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for the long drive to Nyungwe Forest the following morning.

Dinner and overnight in Kigali.

Accommodation options: Budget: Step Town Motel · Mid-range: Hôtel des Mille Collines

Drive from Kigali to Nyungwe Forest National Park

After breakfast, leave Kigali and begin the journey southwest towards Nyungwe Forest National Park. Allow approximately 6 to 7 hours, depending on your lodge location, road conditions and stops along the way. The drive takes you through Rwanda's green hills, farming communities and busy towns before the landscape gradually becomes more forested.

If you depart early, stop at the King's Palace Museum in Nyanza, where you can learn about Rwanda's traditional monarchy and see a reconstruction of a royal residence. The Ethnographic Museum in Huye is another worthwhile cultural stop, offering a broader introduction to Rwandan history and traditional life. The final number of visits depends on the available time.

Continue towards Nyungwe, passing tea plantations and forested mountains. As you approach the national park, the scenery changes considerably. This protected montane rainforest is known for chimpanzees, large groups of black-and-white colobus monkeys, forest birds and an extensive network of walking trails.

Arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon, check in and relax. Your guide will confirm the chimpanzee trekking meeting point and early departure arrangements for the following morning.

Dinner and overnight near Nyungwe Forest.

Accommodation options: Budget: Gisakura Visitor Centre accommodation · Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Chimpanzee Tracking in Nyungwe and Afternoon Canopy Walk

Wake up early and transfer to the designated chimpanzee tracking briefing point in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Your reporting location depends on the chimpanzee community allocated to your permit. After the safety briefing, enter the rainforest with experienced ranger guides and begin searching for the chimpanzees.

Tracking through Nyungwe can be physically demanding, with steep trails, dense undergrowth and muddy conditions after rain. The search may take several hours because chimpanzees move quickly between feeding areas. You may hear their loud calls echoing through the forest before the first animals come into view.

Once the chimpanzees are located, enjoy up to one hour observing them. Watch as they feed, groom, climb through the canopy and communicate with one another. Their active behaviour makes the experience very different from observing mountain gorillas, which often spend more time resting on the forest floor.

After the trek, return for lunch and a short rest. If the chimpanzee activity finishes in good time, continue to Uwinka Visitor Centre for the Nyungwe canopy walk. Follow a section of the Igishigishigi Trail before crossing the suspended walkway, which offers impressive views over the rainforest, forested valleys and surrounding mountains.

The canopy visit depends on the duration of chimpanzee trekking and the availability of an afternoon guided session. Both experiences should be booked in advance so there is enough time to complete them safely.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 2

Colobus Monkey Tracking and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

After an early breakfast, prepare for a final forest experience in Nyungwe before travelling north towards the Virunga Mountains. If the activity has been arranged for a suitably early departure, join a ranger-guided colobus monkey tracking walk in search of the large black-and-white colobus troops for which Nyungwe is famous.

Depending on where the monkeys are moving, tracking may take approximately 2 to 5 hours. The sight of colobus monkeys travelling together through the forest canopy is particularly rewarding, and your ranger may also point out birds and other primate species along the trail.

After the activity, begin the transfer towards Musanze and Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda. This is a long journey, taking approximately 6 to 7 hours or longer depending on your route, road conditions and the time spent in Nyungwe. Parts of the road offer beautiful views of Lake Kivu, hillside villages and Rwanda's cultivated highlands.

Because the day combines tracking with a substantial transfer, the colobus experience may need to be shortened or omitted if the permitted tracking session begins too late. The priority is reaching your lodge in Musanze safely rather than rushing the journey.

Arrive near Volcanoes National Park, check in and prepare for the next day's gorilla trekking experience.

Accommodation options: Budget: Hotel Muhabura · Mid-range: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park

Today brings your first mountain gorilla encounter. After an early breakfast, carry your packed lunch and drinking water to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi. Rangers will explain the trekking rules, safety procedures and how visitors should behave around the gorillas before assigning you to a habituated gorilla family.

From the headquarters, you will continue to the appropriate trailhead and enter the forest with your ranger guide. Depending on the location of the gorilla family, the trek may involve muddy paths, steep slopes, bamboo forest and thicker vegetation. The entire activity can take approximately 2 to 8 hours or longer under difficult conditions.

Once you find your assigned family, you will spend one hour observing them at the required viewing distance. You may see a silverback watching over his group, mothers caring for young gorillas and juveniles playing or climbing through the vegetation. Your ranger will guide the encounter to ensure that the gorillas are not disturbed.

After the hour, return to the trailhead and meet your driver guide for the transfer back to the lodge. Enjoy lunch or refreshments depending on your return time, then spend the remainder of the afternoon resting.

Sturdy waterproof hiking boots, long trousers, gloves and a rain jacket are recommended. A porter can be arranged at the trekking starting point to assist with your daypack and difficult sections of the trail.

Dinner and overnight near Volcanoes National Park.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 4

Golden Monkey Trekking or Mount Bisoke Volcano Hike

After breakfast, choose between golden monkey trekking and a guided hike on Mount Bisoke. Both experiences take place in the Volcanoes National Park region, but they are very different in terms of physical difficulty and the time required.

Option A, Golden Monkey Trekking: Transfer to the park headquarters for a morning briefing before setting off with your ranger guide. Golden monkeys live mainly in the bamboo forests along the lower slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Once you locate the habituated group, spend up to one hour watching them feed on bamboo shoots, move between branches and interact with one another.

Golden monkeys are lively and often move quickly through the bamboo. Their golden-orange coats stand out beautifully against the surrounding forest, making them particularly rewarding for photography. The overall trekking experience is usually less physically demanding than gorilla trekking, although forest conditions and the monkeys' movements can vary.

If you finish early, you may visit Gorilla Guardians Village, formerly known as Iby'Iwacu Cultural Village, to learn about traditional Rwandan music, dancing, crafts and community life.

Option B, Mount Bisoke Hike: For a more demanding adventure, join a guided hike towards the summit of Mount Bisoke. The volcano rises to approximately 3,711 metres above sea level and has a beautiful crater lake near the summit. The trek passes through different mountain vegetation zones and can take approximately 6 to 8 hours or longer for the round trip.

The Bisoke hike requires good fitness, suitable footwear and waterproof clothing. Weather can change quickly on the mountain, so you should follow ranger instructions throughout the ascent.

Return to your lodge for dinner and a final overnight near Volcanoes National Park. Only the activity chosen and confirmed in the safari quotation will be included.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Days 4 and 5

Cross from Rwanda into Uganda and Transfer to Rushaga, Bwindi

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey from Volcanoes National Park to Uganda through the Cyanika border crossing. Allow approximately 4 to 5 hours or longer for the complete transfer to Rushaga, depending on your starting point, immigration procedures and road conditions.

Your driver guide will assist with the border process, but every traveller must have the correct entry documents before reaching Cyanika. Depending on nationality, this may involve an East Africa Tourist Visa, appropriate individual country visas or applicable visa exemptions. If using the East Africa Tourist Visa, your first entry country should match the issuing country.

After entering Uganda, continue through Kisoro and the scenic Kigezi Highlands towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The road passes terraced hillsides, cultivated valleys and villages before approaching the forested mountains.

Arrive in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi and check in at your accommodation. Spend the afternoon relaxing and preparing for the gorilla habituation experience the following morning. Your guide will confirm the early reporting arrangements and explain what to carry into the forest.

Dinner and overnight near Rushaga.

Accommodation options: Budget: Rushaga Haven Lodge · Mid-range: Ichumbi Gorilla Camp

Four-Hour Gorilla Habituation Experience in Rushaga, Bwindi

Wake up very early for one of the most special primate experiences of this safari. After breakfast, carry your packed lunch, drinking water and trekking equipment to the designated Rushaga briefing point. You will join Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers, trackers and the team responsible for the gorilla habituation experience.

Unlike ordinary gorilla trekking, which involves visiting a gorilla family already accustomed to tourists, habituation allows you to observe a family that is still becoming used to carefully managed human presence. The experience offers more time to watch gorilla behaviour and understand how rangers and trackers work around these animals.

The trek can be demanding, with steep forest slopes, thick vegetation and muddy ground, especially after rainfall. Depending on the gorillas' location, the walk may take several hours before you reach the assigned family. Once the gorillas are located, the habituation permit allows up to four hours of observation under ranger supervision.

This extended viewing period is particularly valuable for wildlife photography. You may watch gorillas feeding, resting, grooming, travelling through the forest or interacting with younger members of the group. Because the family is still undergoing habituation, their behaviour can be less predictable, and the rangers will determine how visitors should approach and observe them.

After the experience, return to the briefing point and meet your driver guide. Continue back to your lodge for a well-earned rest, dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 7

Transfer from Rushaga to Buhoma Sector of Bwindi

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey from Rushaga to Buhoma, the northern trekking sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive generally takes approximately 4 to 5 hours or longer depending on the route, road conditions and stops.

The transfer takes you through the beautiful highland countryside surrounding Bwindi. The landscape is a mixture of steep cultivated hills, small villages, forest edges and winding mountain roads, with opportunities to stop for photographs along the way.

Travelling between the two sectors is worthwhile because it positions you for a second Ugandan gorilla trekking experience in a different part of the forest. The terrain, vegetation and assigned gorilla family may be quite different from your previous encounter in Rushaga.

On arrival in Buhoma, check in at your lodge and enjoy lunch or refreshments depending on your travel time. Spend the remainder of the afternoon relaxing or exploring the immediate lodge surroundings.

Your guide will confirm the following morning's gorilla trekking arrangements. It is important that your standard gorilla trekking permit is booked specifically for the Buhoma sector to match your overnight accommodation.

Dinner and overnight near Buhoma.

Accommodation options: Budget: Buhoma Community Rest Camp · Mid-range: Buhoma Haven Lodge

Second Gorilla Trekking Experience in Buhoma, Bwindi

After an early breakfast, carry your packed lunch and drinking water to the Buhoma gorilla trekking briefing point. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers will explain the forest rules, trekking procedures and the arrangements for the gorilla family allocated to your group.

Enter Bwindi with your ranger guides and trackers, following forest trails through dense vegetation. The trek may involve steep slopes, slippery ground and uneven terrain. The full experience commonly takes several hours, depending on the location of the gorilla family and the pace of the group.

Once the gorillas are located, spend one hour observing them. This is a separate encounter from the habituation activity in Rushaga, giving you the opportunity to watch a habituated family in a different forest sector. You may see a silverback feeding, young gorillas playing or mothers keeping their infants close as the group moves through the vegetation.

Your ranger will guide the viewing session and ensure that the correct distance is maintained throughout the encounter. Flash photography is not allowed, and visitors should remain quiet and avoid sudden movements around the gorillas.

After trekking, return to your lodge and relax. Having experienced gorilla trekking in Rwanda, gorilla habituation in Rushaga and a second standard trek in Buhoma, you will have seen how different gorilla encounters can be across the region.

Dinner and overnight near Buhoma.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 9

Drive from Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth via Ishasha

After breakfast, check out and leave the forested highlands of Bwindi for Queen Elizabeth National Park. The journey takes you through southwestern Uganda's countryside before reaching the Ishasha sector, in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Ishasha is especially well known for its tree-climbing lions, which are sometimes seen resting in large fig trees. Your guide will explore suitable wildlife-viewing routes while searching for the lions and other animals, including elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs and topis.

Tree-climbing lion sightings cannot be guaranteed because the animals move throughout the landscape. Even without a sighting, Ishasha is a beautiful place to experience open savannah, scattered woodland and a quieter part of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Continue north towards your lodge in the main Queen Elizabeth area, stopping for lunch along the journey. Allow approximately 4 to 6 hours or longer for the transfer and game-viewing stops, depending on road conditions and your accommodation location.

Arrive at your lodge, check in and enjoy dinner and overnight stay.

Accommodation options: Budget: Kazinga Wilderness Safari Lodge · Mid-range: Elephant Hub Lodge

Kasenyi Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Wake up 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, with large numbers of Uganda kobs, buffaloes, elephants and other plains animals.

Your guide will search for lions, which are often associated with areas where Uganda kobs gather. Leopards also occur in the park but are more difficult to find. Along the way, look for waterbucks, warthogs and other antelopes, as well as birds that inhabit the grasslands and scattered woodland.

After the morning game drive, return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before travelling to the Mweya area for an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This natural waterway connects Lake George and Lake Edward and supports some of Uganda's most impressive concentrations of aquatic wildlife.

During the cruise, which generally takes around 2 hours, watch for hippos resting in the water, Nile crocodiles along the banks, and elephants or buffaloes drinking beside the channel. Waterbirds are particularly abundant, with African fish eagles, kingfishers, cormorants, herons and pelicans among the species you may see.

The boat gives you excellent opportunities for wildlife photography at a relaxed pace. After returning to the landing site, meet your driver guide and continue back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 11

Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge or Kalinzu Forest

After an early breakfast, depart for chimpanzee tracking in either Kyambura Gorge or Kalinzu Forest, depending on the location and permits confirmed for your safari. Both destinations provide a very different chimpanzee experience from the montane rainforest you explored in Nyungwe.

Kyambura Gorge is a steep, forested valley within Queen Elizabeth National Park, where a relatively small chimpanzee community lives along the riverine forest. Reaching the chimpanzees may involve descending into the gorge and walking along uneven forest paths. The scenery is remarkable, but sightings are not guaranteed.

Kalinzu Forest Reserve, another chimpanzee tracking option in the wider Queen Elizabeth area, offers woodland and forest trails used by several primate species. Your guide will explain the differences and confirm the location that has been reserved for your group.

The tracking activity may take approximately 2 to 5 hours, depending on the location of the chimpanzees and forest conditions. If they are found, visitors generally spend up to one hour observing their feeding, grooming, movement and social behaviour under guide supervision.

After the activity, return for lunch and a rest at your lodge. If you finish early, an optional visit to the Lake Katwe salt area or nearby volcanic crater landscapes can be arranged according to your interests.

Dinner and overnight in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Days 11 and 12

Drive to Kibale Forest and Explore Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

After breakfast, check out and begin the journey north towards Kibale National Park. The drive from Queen Elizabeth National Park generally takes approximately 3 to 4 hours, depending on your lodge location, road conditions and stops.

The route passes through western Uganda's scenic countryside, with views of the Rwenzori foothills, crater lakes, tea plantations and villages around the Fort Portal region. Stop for lunch before continuing towards Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, a community-managed conservation area on the edge of Kibale Forest.

In the afternoon, join a local guide for a nature walk through Bigodi's wetland and woodland habitats. The walk usually takes around 2 hours and offers opportunities to see birds such as the great blue turaco, together with red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

Bigodi is also an excellent place to learn about the relationship between conservation and local livelihoods. Tourism supports community initiatives, while the protected wetland provides important habitat for birds and primates living around Kibale.

After the walk, continue to your lodge for check-in and relaxation. Your guide will confirm the early reporting time for the chimpanzee habituation experience the following morning.

Dinner and overnight near Kibale Forest.

Accommodation options: Budget: Isunga Lodge · Mid-range: Chimpanzee Guesthouse Cottages

Four-Hour Chimpanzee Habituation Experience in Kibale Forest

Today is your final major primate experience, and one of the most rewarding for travellers interested in chimpanzee behaviour. Wake up before sunrise, enjoy an early breakfast and carry your packed lunch, drinking water and trekking equipment to the designated Kibale chimpanzee habituation meeting point.

After a briefing, join Uganda Wildlife Authority guides and the habituation team to follow a chimpanzee community that is still becoming accustomed to human observers. Unlike standard chimpanzee tracking, which allows one hour of viewing, the habituation experience offers up to four hours with the chimpanzees once they are located.

As you move through Kibale Forest, listen for calls and watch for signs of chimpanzee movement among the trees. The experience may begin early enough to observe the animals leaving their nests or moving towards feeding areas, depending on their location.

Once the chimpanzees are located, spend time watching their natural behaviour. You may see adults grooming one another, younger chimpanzees playing, individuals searching for fruit or groups communicating through calls and gestures. The longer observation period allows you to appreciate social behaviour that may be missed during a shorter tracking experience.

The full activity can take much of the day, with walking through forest trails, muddy sections and uneven terrain. Carry enough water, wear sturdy footwear and follow the instructions of the habituation team throughout the experience.

After returning from the forest, meet your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for dinner and your final overnight in Uganda's primate forests.

Accommodation: Same lodge as Day 14

Return from Kibale Forest to Kampala or Entebbe

After breakfast, check out of your lodge and begin the return journey towards Kampala or Entebbe. The drive generally takes approximately 5 to 7 hours or longer, depending on your final destination, traffic, road conditions and stops along the way.

Travel through the Fort Portal area and continue east across Uganda's countryside, passing tea-growing regions, trading centres and small towns. Your guide will arrange a stop for lunch and refreshments before continuing towards Kampala and Entebbe.

As this is the final day of a long overland safari, allow enough time for the road journey rather than planning an early international flight. If you are departing Uganda on the same day, a late-evening or night flight is preferable to provide time for traffic delays and airport check-in.

Your driver guide will drop you at your hotel, residence or Entebbe International Airport, depending on your travel arrangements.

This marks the end of your 16 Day Rwanda and Uganda Primates Safari, with memories of chimpanzees in Nyungwe and Kibale, mountain gorillas in Volcanoes and Bwindi, golden monkeys in the Virunga Mountains and wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park.